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.”
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