th anniversary and give back to the Fort Collins community, The Mish brought that show down to the CSU Lagoon. For those that don’t know, CSU has hosted a concert series on campus for over 22 years. This weekly event is a summer tradition in Fort Collins. The producers try to bring a wide array of styles and local bands to an audience that consists of both student and townies. On this beautiful July evening the crowd swelled under the massive shade trees that dot the perimeter of the field. Families drug coolers along the path looking for a spot to tuck in as the Little Kids Rock opener was finishing up their short but utterly adorable opening set.
Eufórquestra is an ever-evolving musical monster, but from time to time they revisit their roots. Original member Ryan Jeter pulled himself away from his busy family life to toss his horn into the mix. The trio of Matthew Bricker, Austin Zalatel, and Jeter provided us with an interesting texture to the overall sound. This was definitely evident from the beginning with an attention-grabbing “Cause A Reaction.”
Set 1: Cause A Reaction, Colorado Kicked, 64-18, Melody Truck, Road Funk, Price Is Right, Instant Coffee, That Woman
Set 2: Drums, Stank Funk, All the Light I Need, Built To Last, Higher, Hang Up Your Hang Ups, Soup, Backbone
The show was billed as two sets with each lasting about an hour. Eufórquestra is an electric ball of energy and it washed over us all as the sun began its descent behind the mountains. “Colorado Kicked” featured a velvety solo from guitarist Mike Tallman. The dirty funk came with a punchy 64-18 featuring Matt Wright on vocals. They kept that vibe going with a huge “Melody Truck” before the stone cold groove that is “Road Funk.” Otis Lande has settled in nicely in the bass slot and he and Craig Babineau held down the rhythm exquisitely. This entire set was classic Eufórquestra and featured several tracks of their most recent album Fire. “Price Is Right” invited everyone to “Come On Down” as the space in front of the stage filled in with enthusiastic dancers. The “Instant Coffee” instrumental was a wakeup call before they closed the first set with their latest single “That Woman.”
The second set was equally impressive although it dug deeper into their catalog. They started with an extended drum solo from the percussion section. “Stank Funk” was a deep cut that as its name insinuates got dirty. “All the Light I Need” is a funked out reggae tune that featured some beautiful vocals from Austin. “Built To Last” brought the energy back to a peak with Tallman again taking down a huge solo. Austin treated us to the now classic narrative about his grandmother’s “Soup.” They closed the second set with a tight “Backbone.”
Eufórquestra returned for a quick encore while families began to pack up their picnic baskets. This band continues to impress and put on performances geared towards the community. Proceeds from this event went to help Habitat for Humanity’s The House that Beer Built II. I’m just thankful they call Colorado home.
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