Fleet Foxes at Red Rocks

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of checking something off of my bucket list. Ever since I was given a DVD of Mumford and Son’s 2012 Red Rocks performance for my birthday I have been dying to go. In August of this year I had a trip planned to visit my aunt and uncle in Colorado so I checked the Red Rocks lineup and discovered that the Fleet Foxes were playing the day after I arrived. I knew I had to jump at this opportunity, how many times would I be able to see one of my favorite bands at this magical place? So, on September 27th, my momma and I headed down towards Denver and Red Rocks. We had a reservation at the Ship Rock Grille, the restaurant connected to Red Rocks, and, after our delicious dinner, walked right into the venue and grabbed two seats in the middle.

I sincerely believe that Red Rocks is a magical place. The vibration of the music coming off the rocks was tangible, it felt like the venue was dancing with us. The lights playing off of the stones were breath taking and almost distracting. Sometimes I would forget where I was and turn around to see the two giant slabs of red rock towering over me with their dazzling lights and then I would remember, “oh right, I’m at fucking Red Rocks!”

I’m usually not a big fan of openers, however, I did enjoy the band that Fleet Foxes chose. Beach House is a band from Baltimore, MD, who have been performing together since 2004. I had heard their name before but never their music. The three of them create an ethereal, spacey sound with a bass that shook my entire chest. Beach House was the first opener that I actually enjoyed and knew that I would listen to them again, in fact I’m listening to them as I write this. Anyway, they put on a hell of a good show and their lights were out of this world.

I truly started listening to Fleet Foxes when I became close with my friend Dustin. He would post youtube videos of their albums and concerts on Facebook and I got sucked in. Helplessness Blues has been on my top 10 favorite albums for quite awhile and the song, Helplessness Blues, has been my ringtone for nearly five years now. Their lead singer, Robin Pecknold, has a voice I’ve never heard anywhere else. It is so angelic sometimes it brings tears to my eyes. On top of that he is an absolutely amazing songwriter. I sometimes wonder if he has a history in poetry, his lyrics are some of the most poetic that I’ve come across. Here’s a short example from one of my favorite songs, Meadowlark,  “Hummingbird, just let me dive / Inside the broken ovals of your olive eyes.” I’m not really sure what he’s talking about in this line, but I love the imagery that he gives.

So Fleet Foxes. Red Rocks. Holy crap! You know when you see one of your favorite bands and you keep wishing they’ll play that one song that you love so much and then they do? This is what the Fleet Foxes show was like but it happened multiple times! They had just released a new album, so of course there were a fair amount of new songs, but they played a lot of their old stuff which made me, and the rest of the audience, very happy. Robin Pecknold introduced Helplessness Blues by playing the old folk song Blues Run the Game, which I thought was well thought out. The whole lineup was well chosen and very well performed.

While I was at Red Rocks I managed to walk through their hall of fame. It’s a short hallway that has a list of every single concert that has occurred since the amphitheater opened in June of 1941. I was quick to find the dates for when The Beatles played (August, 1964) and Mumford and sons (October, 2012). I was extremely impressed with the amount of artists as well as the huge names. People like Ella Fitzgerald, Santana, Sting, The Go-Go’s, The Grateful Dead, and U2, to name just a few, came here. There was one photo that showed people playing music in the area of Red Rocks in 1910. There is clearly a rich history and love for music in that place which makes me ache to be there for more shows and more experiences.

The whole experience was amazing and part of me is still in shock that it even happened. When my mom and I left I realized that Red Rocks was back on my bucket list. I want to see more concerts and I want to work there someday.