The Night Running Tour feat. Beck, Cage The Elephant, Spoon and Starcrawler
The Night Running Tour came through Denver recently with a heavyweight lineup that included Star Crawler, Spoon, Cage The Elephant and Beck. Tours like this are a concertgoer’s dream as they get to see bands that would normally sell out headline shows all on one bill. We didn’t manage to catch openers Starcrawler but they will be back in Denver at Lost Lake on October 12th.
Brit Daniels of Spoon. (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)
We have been seeing Spoon for a number of years now including here in Denver and various festivals across the country. Brit Daniels and company always perform with an no holds barred right down to business approach. Nothing changed this time around, (only drawback of tours like this is late arrivals), right off the bat they demand your attention and are able to dig deep into their vast catalog to give you what you want. Consistency is synonymous with Spoon and that is what makes them a great band. Impressive performance nonetheless we hope they come back soon.
Next up was Cage The Elephant. We remember an interview back in 2013 that we did with the band and at that time they were opening for Muse. (Read interview here). We have always admired the approach they take into their live performances. Led by singer Matt Shultz, you never know what you are going to expect from their live performance. With a penchant for going all out crazy, nothing changed here, we figured the altitude would tame the frontman a bit, it wasn’t the case. Fully dressed in a subtle suit to begin with and left but nothing in his underwear to end the set, that basically defines the mayhem behind a Cage The Elephant show. Patrons truly got their money’s worth with this performance.
As the opening riffs of “Loser” were played, we were instantly taken back in time to what could easily be described as one of the best singles ever released. Albeit this was in 1993, the song has maintained its shine even throughout all these years and is still considered one of Beck’s best songs considering the amount of albums he has released since. His setlist was like a greatest hits album being played live as he pulled songs from eight different albums giving fans a dose of the different eras of Beck. He managed to hold some small stage banter (which may have cut into the venues curfew) but it was his showmanship that made it a worthy experience a fan of music.
Music | Snoop and Friends: 3rd Annual Merry Jane Wellness Retreat | 4/20/16
April 20th. No matter what day of the week it falls upon, this otherwise ordinary day of the year has slowly morphed into the Christmas of Cannabis. Since the 1970’s, 4:20pm has been the socially acceptable hour of the day to consume cannabis, and since the legalization of marijuana in Colorado in 2013, our "Mile High" state has become stoner celebration central during late April.
An eager crowd enjoying the 3rd Annual Merry Jane Wellness Retreat (Photo Credit: Stephanie Mathena)
The popular new "holiday" brought thousands of people from all walks of life together on the steps and lawn of Fiddler's Green to party with none other than the Doggfather himself. Imagine a sold out show of misfits; no one fitting into any specific category. Maybe a more diverse version of the Breakfast Club? The atmosphere felt contagious (for obvious reasons) as a very giggly crowd welcomed Future to the stage with "I Thought It Was a Drought". The entire front row was filled with ladies with heart emoji's in their eyes.
Fucking up commas with Future (Photo Credit: Stephanie Mathena)
After Future, the "high"ly anticipated appearance of Snoop began as the lights dimed and giant projector screens lit up with a marijuana leaf. What happened next was something straight out of an Aziz Ansari stand up bit. A very "1984" political PSA video begins to play about the current state of legalization in the U.S. Facts about incarceration rates and the hinderance on family adoption processes due to the stigma against marijuana play on the screen with an ominous voice narrating the animation. Although the overall message was a proactive call-to-action to a very stoned crowd, they seemed to embrace the message while beginning to chant “Snoop!” No such luck to get him out on stage just yet, as second, 10-minute long video appeared on screen, promoting "MerryJane.com" - Snoop Dogg's cannabis lifestyle media website/app. Various famous cannabis endorsers like Miley Cyrus, Seth Rogen, and DJ Khaled appear in the video to show their support for Snoop’s edibles and technology related Cannabis products. The video continued on to describe the production processes of his specific cannabis and the various products on MerryJane.com, and the crowd's vibe slowly changed from lively and rowdy to restless; wondering why this short promo video had turned into a short documentary film.
The Doggfather (Photo Credit: Stephanie Mathena)
When the film finally ended, the crowd lit up (literally) as "Uncle Snoop" strolled on the stage with his rendition of, 2pac's "California Love". Snoop also broke out 50 Cent's classic “P.I.M.P" ( which was his actual job for many years), as he waved his cane toward the crowd. As the audience raised their hands in time to the music, it felt more like they were saluting a veteran. This man, the Doggfather, is such a staple to the Hip-Hop, Reggae, and Rap industries that experiencing his performance was certainly an unreal, nostalgic, majestic experience.
We hope you enjoyed your 4/20 celebration as much as we enjoyed ours. Check out more photos in our slideshow.
Words and Photos Stephanie Mathena
Music | Lady Antebellum "Wheels Up Tour" | Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre | July 26 | Photo Essay
From time to time we like to throw on our best pair of boots and dust off the old Stetson cowboy hat for some good ol' country music. While it may not be one of the genres we cover a lot, it is without a doubt one of the fastest growing genres in music selling out arenas and stadiums all across the country at record numbers. One of our favorites Lady Antebellum made a stop in Denver a few weeks ago for their Wheels Up Tour. They sure did not disappoint the sold out Fiddler's Green as they gave us a mesmerizing boot stomping time. We had a chance to take in the action with some awesome photos to relive the show. Opening was the talented Hunter Hayes.
Lady Antebellum (Photo Credit: Andrew Rios)
The talented Hunter Hayes (Photo Credit: Andrew Rios)
A great time was had by all by Lady A (Photo Credit: Andrew Rios)
Check out our slideshow below for more images: (Photo Credit: Andrew Rios)
Foo Fighters : North American Tour 2015 Dates Announced
It’s official: Foo Fighters are following up the release of the band’s most ambitious album with its biggest ever North American tour to date.
In the wake of Sonic Highways’ climb into the top 3 of charts worldwide and the announcement of the band's first ever U.S. stadium dates, Foo Fighters have now unveiled a full North American stadium/arena/amphitheater assault for summer/fall 2015. This most massive North American on-the-road undertaking in FF history will see Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflett and Pat Smear headline multiple historic U.S. stadiums for the first time: New York’s Citi Field on July 16, a debut doubleheader at Boston’s Fenway Park on July 18 and 19, as well as the previously announced August 29 Chicago headline at Wrigley Field that sold out in one day, and the July 4 all-day 20th anniversary blowout at DC’s RFK stadium.
Royal Blood has been confirmed to support on the July/August run of these newly added dates – with the exception of August 27 in Indianapolis and the first Fenway show on July 18, which will feature a special appearance from hometown heroes and post-punk pioneers Mission of Burma.
And there’s more… Tickets for the Foo Fighters 2015 tour (with the exception of Fenway Park) will first go on sale via the BEAT THE BOTS: BOX OFFICE ONLY PRE-SALE this Saturday at 10am. Fans sick of Scalper-BOTS programmed to clog online queues and snatch up huge amounts of tickets to resell them will get first shot at tickets to these shows. Visit http://foofighters.com for a complete list of box office locations and details.
Online Pre-Sales for Foo Fighters 2015 tour begin Monday, December 1, with general on sales commencing December 4 & 5, check your local listings.
FOO FIGHTERS NORTH AMERICAN TOUR 2015
7/4/15 – Washington DC – RFK Stadium
7/6/15 – Camden, NJ – Susquehanna Bank Center *
7/9/15 – Toronto, ON – Molson Canadian Amphitheatre *
7/16/15 – New York, NY – Citi Field *
7/18/15 – Boston, MA – Fenway Park **
7/19/15 – Boston, MA – Fenway Park *
8/12/15 – Edmonton, AB – Rexall Place *
8/13/15 – Calgary, AB – Scotiabank Saddledome *
8/17/15 – Denver, CO – Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre *
8/19/15 – Maryland Heights, MO – Verizon Wireless Amphitheater *
8/21/15 – Kansas City, MO – Sprint Center *
8/22/15 – St. Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center *
8/24/15 – Detroit, MI – DTE Energy Music Theatre *
8/25/15 – Pittsburgh, PA – First Niagara Pavilion *
8/27/15 – Indianapolis, IN – Klipsch Music Center
8/29/15 – Chicago, IL – Wrigley Field (SOLD OUT)
9/11/15 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
9/12/15 – George, WA – Gorge Amphitheatre
9/14/15 – Portland, OR – Moda Center
9/16/15 – Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre
9/21/15 – Los Angeles, CA – The Forum
9/24/15 – Anaheim, CA – Honda Center
9/25/15 – Phoenix, AZ – AK-Chin Pavilion
9/27/15 – Albuquerque, NM – Isleta Amphitheater
9/29/15 – Oklahoma City, OK – Chesapeake Energy Arena
9/30/15 – Wichita, KS – INTRUST Bank Arena
10/4/15 – Atlanta, GA – Centennial Olympic Park
10/5/15 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
10/7/15 – Memphis, TN – FedExForum
* w/ special guest Royal Blood
** w/ special guest Mission of Burma
KS 107.5 All Star Jam | Fiddlers Green | September 7
After leaving Fiddler's Green Amphitheater this past Saturday I took time to observe the wide range of people exiting the venue. Even during the show I changed my focus from the main stage to the faces and eyes of those in the packed crowd; from teenagers at their first concert to married couples seeing their favorite rapper's from their teenage years. I took a moment to think about rap growing and evolving with each generation. Just like my parents shared the Motown classics and the anthems that were the soundtrack of their lives, Saturdays show had that same nostalgic atmosphere. E-40's "Sprinkle Me" and Ice Cube's "Today Was a Good Day" were some of my earliest hip-hop memories. And anyone listening to top 40 radio in 2000 remembers hearing 'throw them bows' from a then 23 year-old Ludacris. Although these songs may not hold the social value/power of the music of Civil-Rights era, each of these artists were the pioneers of their sub-genre of rap. Ice Cube's career was built on being painfully honest about the socioeconomic/cultural issues plaguing South Central Los Angeles. E-40's climb to becoming a rap legend started with his refusal to change his delivery or musical direction; sticking with a funk-based themes and Bay Area 808's instead of the musical style of his New York competitors. Ludacris put together an impressive streak of top-ten albums with his radio friendly style through the gangsta-rap dominated early 2000's. Despite the opposition they faced in their individual careers, here each of them stood. Still entertaining capacity crowds with un-altered delivery. Hip-hop's past still being a powerful voice today and hopefully tomorrow.
Great show. Great crowd. Long love hip hop. Next up: Action Bronson and Danny Brown on 9/17, then Method Man and Redman on 9/21, both at the Ogden Theater.
Peace,
Frederick Jones
@mrfmjones - Instagram
@mrfmjones - twitter