Mumford and Sons (Photo credit: Robert Castro)
Mumford and Sons dropped by Red Rocks for the first night of a two day residency on Tuesday night. With the final stop on the tour, Colorado is getting its share of the imports from across the pond. Not only are they playing Red Rocks, but they are wrapping up their weekend up in Aspen for the annual Jazz Fest. It seems that Colorado has adopted Mumford and Sons as one of its favorite bands judging by the sold out crowd. It’s one thing to pack the venue but another to sing every song of the band's catalog which, up to this point, is one studio album. Not to worry Mumford fans, a new album is set to drop mid September. Those in attendance Tuesday night got a chance to listen to the newer material. With a buzz-worthy single of the new album Babel, the song “I Will Wait”, is a strong indicator that the second album will be a huge hit. Opening the night with a backdrop of bright blue lighting Marcus Mumford and company kicked off with “Lover’s Eyes”, promptly into the radio friendly “Little Lion Man”. The eighteen song set gave us a great look into some of the newer material the Brits have been working on. In fact seven of the eighteen songs are on from the forthcoming album Babel.
With a carefully orchestrated production, the minimal stage effects complimented the music with its subtle light changes and strings of lights extending into the sound board. A true throwback to folk music roots, the band played off the crowd with its high energy sets. In all the bands I have had a chance to see, none marvel in the way that Mumford and Sons shows it passion for music. And what a better venue to catch this than in our own backyard; the band went as far as saying that they were intimidated by the beauty and history of Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
Marcus Mumford (Photo credit: Robert Castro)
“We have been waiting for this show for a very long time” exclaimed Marcus Mumford, the crowd could do nothing but agree.
Openers Slow Club played an energetic set that had the crowd engaged from the beginning playing to an almost full venue. Next up was California band Dawes, who brought out Marcus Mumford to join in on a duet, getting the crowd excited. But the night truly belonged to Mumford and Sons, with a unforgettable performance it was only fitting they ended the night with both openers joining them on stage to serenade the crowd with the Beatles classic “A Little Help From My Friends”.
Setlist:
Lover’s Eyes | Little Lion Man | Roll Away Your Stone | White Blank Page | Below My Feet | Timshel | I Will Wait | Lover of the Light | Thistle and Weed | Ghosts That We Knew | Broken Crown | Awake My Soul | Whispers in the Dark | Dust Bowl Dance | Encore: After the Storm | Winter Winds | The Cave | A Little Help From My Friends (Beatles cover with Slow Club and Dawes)
