On the heels of a recently released album, Milky Chance took his place Friday night at The Fillmore with a few new songs off the recently released album Blossom, which debuted in the Top 5 on iTunes Alternative Album Chart and Top 10 Overall. Playing their new singles, “Ego”, “Cocoon”, and “Blossom”, the band received a great reception, even those who only came to hear "Stolen Dance," find some photos from the show blow courtesy of Bridget Burnett.
RiNo Live: A Fixer Upper With Some Promise | Review + Photos
For a festival that lacked any type of promotion (and official website), Friday night drew out surprisingly large crowds to the River North neighborhood. The festival goers ranged from Blue Moon beer enthusiasts, hipsters in no less than 3 inch brimmed hats and eager bros excited to explore a new area of Denver. The ticketing lines were minimal and the entry process was flawless… but that’s about the only fluidity the night saw.
Packed like sardines. (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)
Seeing as this was the first year for RiNo Live and a new location for a festival there were some unexpected obstacles that arose. Running Parallel to the Platt River, cushioned between the new Blue Moon Brewery, the festival was one long rectangle that bottlenecked at the stage. The layout made it difficult for people to spread out and caused a ton of congestion around the stage. In addition to the occluded stage front the beer lines made it nearly impossible to walk freely around in the event space. The beer tents were positioned directly across from each other creating one large human zipper that ran directly through the center of the concert. Resulting in one big Trumpian wall of impatient humans and a ton of frustrated bystanders trying to navigate the festival space.
Jean-Philip Grobler of St. Lucia (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)
Patricia Beranek of St. Lucia (Robert Castro)
Aside from a few mistakes that one could expect to see from a freshman festival, RiNo Live got a bunch of things right. The lineup was diverse and unexpected, bridging generational gaps and appealing to a wide array of people. St. Lucia brought a ton of energy and had everyone wishing that Jean-Phillip Grobler was their aerobics instructor. In between air kicks, fist bumps and laps around the stage Grobler would engage and entrance the audience with his energy and charisma. At one point he had all four thousand attendees jumping in house party fashion, chanting and singing along. Next on the bill were the Silversun Pickups, a blast from our angst filled teen years. Despite keeping a low profile for the past decade, they had a slew of die hard SSU followers. The timid duo blessed us with new and old songs in between quirky banter and coy smiles and were a perfect end to the evening.
Silvers Pickups (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)
Nikki Monninger of Silvers Pickups (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)
In addition to a unique lineup RiNo Live boasted a myriad of diverse vendors. From salt inspired jewelry to an interactive painting booth that allowed for you contribute to the art as a collective, the vendor scene was both intriguing and thoughtful. It seemed as through each vendor was meticulously chosen and each reflected the creative nature of Denver’s hippest art district.
Although RiNo Live had its fair share of setbacks they were able to draw four thousand people to their gate all in the name of art and music. We look forward to seeing the festival grow in the coming years. Maybe next year they’ll have a website and hashtag to go along with it… but until then we’re happy to say that we attended the first ever RiNo Live Festival (as we’re sure there will be plenty more to follow).
Nine Inch Nails (Photo Credit: David Burke)
Nine Inch Nails/Soundgarden | Red Rocks Amphitheatre | Review
On this beautiful warm summer night what better way to spend this evening with Trent and Chris and rock the f@cK out! When you attend a Red Rocks show you don't walk to the venue you hike to a natural wonder and then hear and feel how the music played there moves and nourishes your soul. Too “Mother Earth” for ya? Well, we all experience Red Rocks in our own way..
Read MoreLamb of God
Lamb of God, Killswitch Engage, Testament, Huntress | The Fillmore Auditorium | November 5
November 5 2013 Fillmore Auditorium Denver Colorado!
California bands Testament and Huntress also provided great shows. Stating its first show in Columbus was in 1987, vocalist of Testament Chuck Billy said he has respect for the city and its many returning fans. Testament had a unique stage set with demon-like gargoyle statues that blew air at the fans at points. Huntress singer Jill Janus later provided a unique female take on the metal world, with shrill lyrics and personality.
Killswitch Engage (Photo Credit: David Burke)
Next up was, Killswitch Engage, back with their original singer Jesse Leach. Their combination of power chords and harmonies, killer drum patterns with vocal melodies followed by guttural screams keeps the band on top of their metal game.
A packed house for Lamb of God (Photo Credit: David Burke)
The Headliner, Lamb of God, never disappoints. Their show had the entire place electrified for an entire hour and a half. Guitarists Mark Morton and Willie Adler had their own solo cameras set up by their hands, and often times during a solo, the screens would flip to their point of view, focusing on their flailing fingers and instrumental skill. John Campbell rocked with his beard on bass, and drummer Chris Adler, Willie Adler’s older brother, played so hard he broke a snare drum halfway through the set.
Lamb of God (Photo Credit: David Burke)
Bang your head (Photo Credit: David Burke)
Blythe picked the crowd for jokes as they waited to a comical “technical difficulties” screen, laughing at the crowd’s reactions. If you were remotely close to the band while they were playing, you were most likely fending for your life as I was. From the first note played, the audience exploded. People wind-milled their long hair, head banged maniacally, launched themselves on top of their neighbor to crowd surf closer and threw full cups of beer across the stage. It was a kind of a chaos only Lamb of God could spring about, and Blythe and company smiled as their fans went nuts.!
My throat is sore from yelling, my limbs are sore from fending off crazed lunatics in mosh pits, my feet are sore from jumping up and down, my ears are ringing from the blaring speakers, my head throbs from the countless crowd surfers that landed on it and my neck, oh, my poor neck, is so sore from head banging.
But do I regret it? Not one bit.
-David Burke
Pretty Lights | Red Rocks Amphitheatre | August 17
This past weekend Red Rocks hosted a homecoming for the Pretty Lights music crew. Colorado homegrown Pretty Lights took residence at the majestic venue for an all out dance party on Friday and Saturday. In what can be billed as one of the summer’s most anticipated shows, Derek Vincent Smith brought some high expectations this weekend. We were able to catch the first night, and can simply say that Pretty Lights' live shows are becoming more complex and engineered as he continues to push the boundaries of the electronic music scene.
Friday night gave fans a chance to hear some of the new album; having a greater emphasis on live instrumentation and vocals, broadening the spectrum. With the constant evolution of the electronic dance genre, Pretty Lights has built his reputation on quality music and a close relation to his fan base. It was apparent at first glance of the first few rows, a group known as the Pretty Lights Family made their presence known. As the screen displayed a five minute countdown clock, the anticipation grew as Pretty Lights took control behind the stage. With a production show built to compliment the music; the complex laser show and the strobes and fog made listening to the music an unimaginable experience.
The night began with the soulful crooner Lee Fields and the Expressions, and the hip hop duo out of California known as Grouch and Eligh, who later joined Pretty Lights in a collaboration towards the end of the evening. The sold out crowd, covered in Day-Glo and glitter, danced through the night, as the Colorado music scene was widely present and respected. Check out more photos here.
The Best of SXSW 2012: Pics
I had a chance to take some amazing photos this year at SXSW and narrowing them down to the best 25 was a task at hand, but here they are. Enjoy.
