The American Indian tradition of Rain Dance is one that has been passed down from generation to generation, and is still practiced by some today. Even those who are not of American Indian descent, in their own ways and forms, hope and pray for rain in years of drought and wildfires.
It has been such a year in Colorado and throughout the entire American Southwest, but on a weekend when Colorado’s favorite musical and spiritual sons graced the stage of Red Rocks Amphitheater, the heavens opened up and provided moisture the likes of which were needed in the most desperate of ways.
The String Cheese Incident last played Morrison, CO in 2010, not long after they had been on a somewhat extended hiatus. The vibe that year was one of overall joy at the simple fact that Cheese was back. In this the year of 2012, a time period in which Cheese did their first extended tour not too long ago and has been playing more regularly, the vibe was one of ‘how hard are they going to throw down?’ and, ‘I can’t wait to hear how locked in their playing is and how smooth the transitions are.’
Thursday, July 5
Leaving Fort Collins early Thursday evening for Red Rocks I was hit with the first of what would be many monsoonal downpours. Before I was even able to get to Interstate 25 I hit a log jam of vehicles on the on-ramp who were at a complete standstill due to the fact that the cars on the Interstate were at a complete standstill due to the fact that you couldn’t see two feet in front of your car… Needless to say the rain let up, I picked up a friend in Loveland and hauled ass the 65 or so miles to Morrison, making it into the venue – after a ridiculously cluster-mess of a line coming in from the Lower South lots – just in time to catch guitarist Billy Nerhi’s shredder of a solo in the opening song “Sometimes A River” (the liquid-themed tunes would be prevalent for the duration of the weekend). The Kyle Hollingsworth tune “Lost” followed “River” and allowed for a superb smooth and flowing pluckiness/piano jam between Nershi and Hollingsworth, before Michael Kang jumped with the loud speak of his electric mandolin. The first set was closed out with the crowd favorite “Colorado Bluebird Sky,” bluegrass up-tempo and all.
Early in the second set the boys pulled a blistering bombshell of a “Miss Brown’s Teahouse” > “Chameleon” > “Miss Brown’s Teahouse” sandwich. The second set also provided an absolute masterful seven minute drum solo/African dance party courtesy of Michael Travis and Jason Hann. As Hann was slapping his bongos like a man possessed, the rest of the band returned to the stage and segued into a seamless twelve minute “Desert Dawn.” The rocking “Outside And Inside” was chosen for the encore and sent the crowd home with appetites fully wetted for the rest of the weekend.
While it could be debated that, overall, Thursday was the slowest tempo-ed of the three days, one thing can be said for certain; I walked out of Red Rocks after night one floored by how well the transitions went and the bountiful musical banter between the band mates.
Friday, July 6
My friends and I had some idea it would probably rain Friday night, but the light ponchos we brought would really be no match for what was in store.
Being the smart man he is, and most likely because he checked the Doppler Radar before going on stage, Nerhsi greeted the crowd with the knowing statement, “Ready to brave the elements?” Brave the elements indeed…four songs into the first set, as the entire venue could see a sheet of rain moving up the valley towards Red Rocks, the boys busted out “Rain.” As Hollingsworth crooned, “rain comes, wash me clean,” the clouds parted and the crowd went berserk. Huge drops of rain turned into walls of water as Cheese finished their jam and announced they were going on a 45 minute rain delay. Most folks attempted to rush to their cars, but ran into people still coming into the venue, and thus created the wettest human-jam possible. All the while, others took shelter in bathrooms and under rock out-croppings, and the most bad ass of the lot just stayed in their seats and let the rain do its thing (the 45 min delay turned into nearly 2 hours). My friends and I, 7 all together, made our way back to my vehicle and enjoyed some tuning-up while waiting for the music to re-start.
While many rumors were swirling during the delay that the show had been cancelled, it seemed as though no one had left once the band came back on. Getting the go-ahead from security, fans rushed back into Red Rocks under amazing anticipation of what was to come and with an energy level and excitement that I have never felt.
As String Cheese walked back on under roars of cheers, Nershi stepped to the mike and quipped, “Wow nobody left, amazing! You’re a hearty crew!”. Cheese then snapped into what can only be described as a spot on “Restless Wind,” and as Kang and Nershi harmonized on the lyrics “roots run deep/I still feel all the love you send”, it couldn’t have felt more right. The second set of night two featured a beautifully surprising take on Pink Floyd’s “Breathe,” which was part of a “Turn This Around” sandwich. The funkiness of “Way That It Goes” followed the sandwich and led into the groovy, upbeat rocker “So Far From Home,” which midway found Hollingsworth trading pounding beats with bassist Keith Mosley and both drummers, and later led to a full on member to member solo-smeared trade off. The euphoria of the night induced a double encore and the crowd was treated to takes on the classics “I Know You Rider” and “Quinn The Eskimo.”
Saturday, July 7
Saturday night was the dance party. Yes, the previous two nights certainly had their moments of “cheesy-ness”, but this the third night would be non-stop. Rain continued to fall early on and there was a half hour rain delay to start the show. But after what was dealt with the night before, this was child’s play.
Starting around 8:30pm under light rain, the band choose to pull out a 13 minute plus version of “Rollover,” painting that happy, dreamy vibe all over the Rocks. Midway through the first set Hollingsworth pulled out another one of his dirty, rough-around-the-edges tunes; “Piece Of Mine.” The first set ended with a freak show of a dance party; “Bolly Munster>Rollover”. Mixing Irish Jig music with what can only be described as Arabian drum beats, Cheese morphed into what I’m going to dub as an electronic Irish/Arabian dance party, and in the process used “Bolly Munster” to get the crowd grooving and feeling right. Closing the first set with the set opener, the band took this second half of “Rollover” and sent the kids to the moon. Kang and his high-pitched fiddle was fueled by the hard backbeat of Travis and Hann. Hollingworth once again took the reins, this time turning his keyboards into a flying spaceship of a weapon, making noises and sounds the like of which have not been heard by many. Hollingsworth then led the band into a cohesive, atmospheric, all-together-now jam, before the group eventually went into the oh-so-familiar chorus and closed it out.
If the first set of the final night put the crowd in the mood, then second set sent them over the top. Starting the party RIGHT away, the band opened the set with the banging disco dance number “Rosie,” which led into, I shit you not, a one and half minute cover of LMAFO’s “Party Rock Anthem,” lyrics and all. As people looked at each other with bewildered joy, and Cheese, no joke, covered it with absurd perfection, the collective vibe of “are they really doing this!?” filled the air. The group then swooped back into “Rosie” and confirmed they were going to finish this 3 night run with balls and attitude.
A few songs later a 20 minute “Land’s End” made an appearance. Kang’s mandolin sliced the air and that most circular poetic of riffs made its way around the place, and the band eventually uped the tempo and allowed for Nershi to show off his acoustic plucking skills, trading rips with Kang all the while.
Now, the final portion of the night was literally a six song behemoth of funness. The rollicking “On The Road” pushed forward with the power and strength of a locomotive. “Elvis’ Wild Ride” came before the crowd favorite “Joyful Sound”, which produced an opening electronic beat seeming to be a small and subtle tribute to the Beastie Boys, with the hard bass and familiar opening riff leading into Mosley’s distinct and joyous singing. “Joyful Sound” then led into a 5 minute drum session and then a set closing “Shine”. The encore of “Johnny Cash” not only delighted the very hard core of Cheese fans, but it also gave every person in the house a chance to kick up some dust on a blistering bluegrass number.
Saturday night, and the weekend in general, was a beautiful example of why String Cheese is so exciting. Funk, rock, bluegrass, jazz, and electronica all come from this band, and it’s that show of diversity and ability to produce all those sounds that makes it so special. On a weekend when the rain finally fell in full force all along the Front Range of Colorado, the String Cheese Incident came home in the most epic of ways, sharing in delight, along with the crowd, at both a band locked in, and the beauty of creating a Rain Dance together.
