So I'm quite possibly the last of my buddies to visit the famed Red Rocks Amphitheatre, but at least I waited for one of the best shows ever. I saw Yonder Mountain String Band for the first time in Anchorage during a May show at the Bear Tooth Theater in 2002. There were maybe 500 people present. I thought it was the best Yonder show I would ever and had ever seen, until last weekend.
Rumor has it there were at least 9,000 folks noodling it up last Friday at Red Rocks. The evening was special in more than one way. For me, it was my first Red Rocks show, with my favorite band tearing it down. But it was also special for the band. YMSB released their album "The Show" on September 1st, but the band treated every fan at the Red Rocks show to a free copy of the new album.
As you can see, if you're a fan that is, the show was fire. I cried a little and rocked a lot, and I even got a lot of exercise running up and down the steep venue. Mostly, I reflected on the last decade that this band has existed and all that has changed. Ben Kaufmann, Yonder's bass player, summed it up best when he looked out into the crowd and said "Not bad for a band from Nederland." Life is good... and it's getting better.
Set list:
East Nashville Easter
40 Miles from Denver
Spanish Harlem Incident
This Train is Bound for Glory
Irondale
New Speedway Boogie
Honestly
Steep Grade Sharp Curves->
Midwest Gospel Radio->
Snow on the Pines->
Winds on Fire->
Snow on the Pines
Illinois Rain
Rain Still Falls
Complicated
Finally Saw the Light->
Kentucky Mandolin->
Too Late Now
Dreams
Pockets
On the Run->
Ten->
Girlfriend is Better->
Ten->
On the Run
(E)Holdin'
(E)Raleigh & Spencer
