th just off Pearl Street.
The sun shined beautifully as we pulled into the Lower South Lot on Saturday afternoon. All threats of rain seemed to dissipate before our eyes as we enjoyed the people watching. Summer Camp hosted a giveaway via social media. Fans of SCamp, UM, and Grassroots California were given hints as to my location. I was eventually found and two tickets to Summer Camp 2015 along with a few other treats was awarded. Afterwards I prepared to head inside.
Moon Taxi was the first on the bill. I have had very little exposure to this group so I was eager to find out what they were all about.
Set 1: Hypnus, Running Wild, Morroco, Suspicious, Whiskey Sunset> Blinded By The Light, Southern Trance, The Stand, Mercery
Audio by Adam Downs and Chuck Miller
What followed was 50-minute high-octane explosion of rock, jam, indie-drenched vocals, and tight progressive song writing. It was their heavy rhythms that unified the hard-hitting songs like “Hypnus” with the delicately balanced pop-infused “Running Wild” “So this is our first time at Red Rocks, so we’re going do something kind of special… This is Jerry’s guitar man! … at Red Rocks.” – Trevor Terndrup Their sound was striking to say the least. I found them to be truly original and incredibly authentic. It was obvious that their contingent of hardcore fans that made it early for their show felt the same way. They finished their quick set, but they left me wanting more. If you like hard-hitting beats, authoritative vocals, and intelligent song-crafting check out Moon Taxi. “Is there a better place to be? … Home Sweet Home” – Jans Ingber
Hometown heroes The Motet put on two kinds of shows, funk interpretations of classic artists or their own style slaphappy griminess. They gave us an original set at Red Rocks that showcased the raw talent contained within this group of seven. I’ve seen this band expand to twice that when they bring their friends. Jans took on the front man role as he bounced around the massive stage invigorating the crowd.
Set 1: Keep On Don’t Stopin’> Shake Your Booty, Closed Mouth Don’t Get Fed> The Fountain> 123> Cut The Cake> Nemesis, Extraordinarily High, Like We Own It
Audio by Adam Downs and Chuck Miller
This original set featured everything you could want from a Motet show. Tight funky riffs complimented by snappy horns, and solid vocals. The Motet deserves to be at Red Rocks every summer and I would not be surprised that in the next five years we see them headlining their own show at the historic venue. [gallery ids="20038,20039,20040,20041,20042,20043,20044,20045,20046,20047,20048,20049,20050,20051,20052,20053,20054,20055,20056,20057,20058,20059,20060,20061"] As the darkness began to fall on the crowd it was time for the main event. Umphrey’s McGee was all smiles as they took the stage and looked out on the sold out crowd. They began slowly with a debut performance of “Lucid State” that built nicely before exploding into a hailstorm of progressive metal.Set 1: Lucid State^> Conduit, Cut The Cable, Ja Junk> Ocean’s Billy, All in Time, End of the Road*, Educated Guess^, Hollywood Night
Set 2: Little Gift> Bridgeless> Bad Friday**, Dump City, Slacker, Wappy Sprayberry> Ja Junk
Encore: Ophelia***, Hajimemashite> Bridgeless
^Debut Performance
*Jake Playing Jerry Garcia’s 1977 Guitar
**w/Dominic Lalli on Saxophone
***w/ Jans Ingber, Gabe Mervine, and Matt Pitts of The Motet
“Conduit” featured some sick riffs from Jake as well as some signature vocals from Bayliss. “Cut The Cable” was a shred-fest and also our first track of the night off the newly released Similar Skin. Waful’s lights playfully bounced around the rocks as the band played on. Their tightness as a musical unit can never be overstated. They effortlessly stop on a dime, segue, and rip into the next tune, rinse and repeat. The now classic “Ja Junk” went all dance party before it was abandoned unfinished. They went into a massive “Ocean’s Billy” that featured some of the most intense jamming of the entire evening. The “All in Time” was yet another vehicle for Umphrey’s to show their wide range of talents. Kris Myers and Andy Farag really shined throughout this song’s multitude of changes. Jake borrowed Jerry’s guitar brought by the guys from Moon Taxi for the down-tempo instrumental “End of the Road.” They again treated us to a debut with the frenetic “Educated Guess” They closed their first set at Red Rocks with an epically timed version of Bob Seger’s “Hollywood Night.” Let’s just say Jake’s vocals were spot on. They started their second set with a gritty “Little Girl,” before ripping into an impeccable “Bridgeless.” They segued nicely into “Bad Friday” and invited Dominic Lalli from Big Gigantic out to join in the fun. A funk infused “Dump City” followed after which Bayliss took a moment to tell a story about a condescending professor who didn’t give him a chance. And about how another educator, Professor Fredman inspired him to pursue his dreams of being a professional musician. They went into an appropriate “Slacker.” The crowd pleasing “Wappy Sprayberry” came next before they went full circle by closing with “Ja Junk.” They invited Matt Pitts, Gabe Mervine, and Jans Ingber of The Motet out for a sick version of “Ophelia” to start their three-song encore. Umphrey’s closed the night with a scorching “Hajimemashite” into the end of “Bridgeless.” It was the perfect close to a perfect night on the Rocks. Umphrey’s has always had a certain reverence for this venue and this night was a high water mark for the band here in Colorado. It was a serious vindication for the The Last Jamband. Umphrey’s continues to be progressive and innovative in their musical output. They are never content to stagnate in one specific sound. Similar Skin is further proof of that. I look forward to their continued push towards excellence and hope that at some point we get to ‘witness their best.’ [gallery ids="20009,20010,20011,20012,20013,20014,20015,20016,20017,20018,20019,20020,20021,20022,20023,20024,20025,20026,20027,20028,20029,20030,20031,20032,20033,20034,20035,20036,20037,20063,20064,20065,20066"]]]>
