The String Cheese Incident 7.13.24

Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre
Morrison, CO

Words by J. Picard
Photos by Kimberly Ann Images

We were in the dog days of summer and Denver was blanketed in a heat wave causing record high temperatures. Yet there we were at 3:00 PM in the Upper North lot of Red Rocks, gearing up and pre-gaming for what was billed as an "Evening with The String Cheese Incident." The previous night's show was getting rave reviews across social media and anticipation for night two was elevated. We bantered with the folks next us and then cooked them dinner, as well as anyone else who happened to wander by while the grill was going! Our neighbor, Seth, wandered over for a burger and an interview for my podcast Galaxy Tenants. It was his 277th String Cheese show! Year after year we find ourselves returning to Red Rocks for music, magic and memories. That scorcher of a Saturday would be no different.

As doors opened we made the long but beautiful hike from the Upper North lot, down the trail to the main road, through the park towards the trading post, to the box office and then back up, up, up to our eventual landing at 50 center. I checked my pedometer, which showed me that I had walked about 20,000 steps. It must have been the early morning sunrise at Red Rocks coupled with the concert. With Topo Chicos, White Claws and bottles of water in hand, we caught our breath and settled in for set one, which began with "Texas." The song left the door wide open on the direction of the set and the Colorado crowd was receptive! "Lend Me a Hand," the title track from their 2023 album came next and featured bassist Keith Moseley's vocals.

"Betray The Dark" from the band's 2005 album, Song in My Head was next. "You are here, it's all too clear. If life's a dream, then what's your fear," Michael Kang questioned the crowd. I closed my eyes and felt the wind blow over the audience, a powerful feeling that I recall fondly which happens often Red Rocks. The Kyle Hollingsworth composition, "Let's Go outside," brought me back to reality as I panned the crowd, seeing so many folks in close proximity that have contributed to our experience in the Denver area. Kyle's synth work was great and left me wanting a "Rosie" later in the set. An airy "Sunflower" by Post Malone welcomed Dominic Lalli from Big Gigantic on sax and was followed by "Pack it Up," with heavy Herbie Hancock vibes! Percussionist, Jason Hann, was at the top of his game and alongside drummer, Michael Travis, stole the show.

SCI welcomed Liza Oxnard, whom the band collaborated with in the early 2000s with some frequency, for the 1990 classic "Groove Is in The Heart," by Deee-Lite. Liza and Dom remained on stage and to my delight, the first set concluded with "Rosie," and although the set had it's fair share of flubs and mis-cues, over all it reflected a group of musicians at a great point in their career following 30 years as a band. The lights came up, folks were on the move and cannabis smoke and palo santo filled the air, spiraling into the darkness of night. In the distance over the Southern lots we could see test drones being sent up to check the weather conditions, which to me seemed windier than I would be comfortable flying my drone in.

The crowd slowly returned to the amphitheatre, which was our sign to head to the top plaza in search of food and drinks, something I have come to enjoy in lieu of substances in my older age. To our delight, Anthony's Pizza had some wonderful looking slices coming over the counter so we bit. $11.50 for a quarter of a sizable pie that was fresh, warm and delicious hit the spot. As we dove into pizza paradise, in the distance we could hear SCI dive into "Valley Of The Jig," from the band's 2003 release Untying The Not. Once again, I closed my eyes and recalled sitting in the field at Bonnaroo 2004, hearing Bill Nershi's acoustic guitar rip through "Valley Of The Jig" while I was eating fresh watermelon and the clouds spiraled in fractal patterns above my head. I opened my eyes and smiled.

Back at Red Rocks the boys dug through "Roll Around The Sun," which though was a new song, has the vibe of vintage Cheese. The band welcomed Dave Satori on electric saz from Beats Antique for "Bhangra Saanj," a song that the bands released in 2019 via the SCI Soundlab. The song built and featured some Kang fiddle that was not dissimilar to "BollyMunster." The classic "Restless Wind," featured some great back and forth between Nershi and Kang. It triggered palpable excitement from the crowd and was followed by "Just One Story" that was left unfinished and went into another song from SCI Soundlab, "The Big Reveal." Though I thought it was oddly placed in the set, the jam was solid.

The second set closed with an airy and wide open "Shantytown," as once again smoke filled the air and obscured the city lights in the distance. The song built and built and to my surprise, and through the noodling emerged Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir!" It was a great version and featured Kang up front vocally which fit well! Billy thanked the crowd and the band exited the stage only to return a short time later with "Sirens," a song that holds a special place in my heart. "Sirens" transitioned into "Just One Story (Reprise)" to finish both the song and the show!

For the second night in a row, SCI put on a great show leaving anticipation even higher for Sunday, which would welcome special guests, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas and Sierra Hull for what was being billed as the "Nashville Incident." Hippies, fairies and wooks poured out into the night for what would be a smooth exodus for the world famous venue. I reflected on what the band and that experience means to me and it's hard to quantify. I met my wife at SCI Red Rocks in 2010, along with some of my best friends. I worked with members of the band and even hosted the band for three nights at Snug Lake in British Columbia, Canada. I built super jams with members of SCI and had the pleasure of hitting the road with a couple promoting shows, tour managing and hanging out late night in mountain hotels. The sum of the parts is a deep connection to the experience and a great appreciation for the annual three night run on the rocks! Thank you, Cheese!

Kim's Photo Gallery

www.stringcheeseincident.com

Set One: Texas, Lend Me A Hand, Betray The Dark, Let's Go Outside, Sunflower (1) , Pack It Up (1), Groove Is In The Heart (1, 2), Rosie (1, 2)

Set Two: Valley Of The Jig, Roll Around The Sun, Bhangra Saanj (3), Restless Wind, Just One Story > The Big Reveal, Shantytown > Kashmir

Encore: Sirens > Just One Story (Reprise)

Notes: (1) with Dominic Lalli, (2) with Liza Oxnard, (3) with Dave Satori