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Velvet

By Velvet
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Velvet Rookie

Velvet

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Friends, I got my ass officially kicked last night. Red Rocks is by far the most perfect venue I've ever seen. We missed Warrens set, but I completely melted during the Deads first set. I started to become a bit more human by the second set, and well, just had a concert experience that couldn't be beat. I laughed, I cried, I felt the joys of America. The drums and space was incredible.

My brain is still pretty fuzzy and I can't even come close to describing the experience right now, but if tonight is half as good as last night I'll be a pretty happy camper.

I

Shakedown>

Milestones>

Dupree's

New Potato Caboose>

Eight Miles High

She Said>

jam>

Ramble On Rose

Cold Rain and Snow>

Playin'

II

El Paso (acoustic)

Into The Mystic

West LA Fadeaway>

jam>

Playin'>

Pride Of Cucamonga

Uncle John's Band>

Strange World>

drums>

space>

Days Between>

China Cat Sunflower>

I know You Rider>

Uncle John's>

Playin'

e: Ripple

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Booche Newbie

Booche

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There aint no doubt this Red Rocks run is going to be great. The Boner-Roo stuff feels like it would be fantastic in a 'smaller' shed (I am only 5 songs into the first set, and you KNOW the second set busted loose!). They are totally sorting it out already, and well.

Watch out, the tour is going to kick some ass, if you like this sort of thing.

For those of you going to the Gorge, I only have one thing to say:

Ohmahgah,

I am envious.

(If Low Roller thought Joan was sexy, watching her sing Mr Charlie, wait til he hears Warren!)

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headygouda Newbie

headygouda

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Todd - regarding the hot tub, did you by any chance happen to stay at the Cliff House Lodge cabins in morrison? I'm headed there for SCI later in july and want to know how

'walkable' that mile is.. if its anything uphill like the climb from the lots to the venue.. I think I'll be driving that mile!

And I wouldn't be surprised if they let you bring coolers in.. who ever wants to make that climb to the venue entrance with a cooler deserves to have their own cold drinks! I think weirdness and I had 2 or 3 rest stops on the way up!!

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Velvet Rookie

Velvet

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No, I didn't stay at that hotel, but it sounds like a good place to be staying.

Coolers that can be carried in one hand are allowed in Red Rocks.

I'm pretty exhausted right now, but I'll take a stab at it:

Flew to Denver, picked up the rental, and the five of us (me, Evil, Jayman, Chris, Davey) hit the liquor store. We had booked two suites at the Marriot Residence but they told us that a hailstorm had hit and put a bunch of their rooms outta commission. They put us in the regular Marriot next door in three rooms and said we could still come to their Happy Hour and have free (real) breakfast, so we were all right. Chilled and had a few drinks and hit the happy hour. I had never heard of this, but the hotel has free drinks and food every night from 5-7pm. It was do-it-yerself nachos this night, but we hit it up and pounded some free beers. Met a cool guy there who couldn't go to the show, but he kicked me down a coupla grams to start the night off, which was real nice of him.

So we grabbed a cab to Red Rocks ($25) and were dropped off in one of the many lots. The guys did a bit of a walkabout and I went on an extremely successful mission to acquire appropriate mental sustenance for our group. We regrouped and swallowed half of my booty right there and then and marched right up a very steep shortcut to the upper entrance that was free of lineup, a pair of physical feats that worked together to make things very weird, very fast.

I guess:

Shortly after we got into the venue the Dead started. Chris and I found ourselves together a few rows in front of the other three. The Dead opened appropriately with Shakedown, if only for the line, "Maybe you had too much too fast." We were absolutely tripping balls on a scale where it was only experience and effort that enabled either of us to keep it together. I had never met Chris before, but I was surprised to find out that this was his first jammy concert ever. And while he was rather dependant on me being there to keep himself together, I was finding the need for movement to be dire. I assured Chris that I was definitely coming back, and I wandered off. At one point during Eight Miles High I melted. I became part of Red Rocks, a little cosmic pool of goo staining the stadium with my soul.

The place is fuckin' incredible. A naturally formed amphitheatre 300 millions years in the making, flanked on either side by 300-foot spires of rusted stone columns. The rocks sweep down towards the stage like tailfins on an enormous geolithic 1954 Cadillac, sweeping in to hug the bandshell, forming a backstage of caves. When you're in the upper third of the seats you see the lights of Denver above and behind the stage, which is really quite beautiful, especially when there's lightning. I can't think of another venue where the amphitheatre itself is essentially part of the light show. At any time you can just look around and everything you see is as cool to look at as the stage. But back to me melting.

I figured finding Chris would be a good way to try and get myself back together, so I mistakenly spent the rest of the set walking up and down about six feet from him. I was that guy at a show that's still looking for someone. I wasn't missing the show though, it was more like walk up two or three steps and do a lookabout, watch the band, start melting...slowly melting...gooey gooey goo...must move. At one point I stood there listening to the music staring at the sparkles of Denver in the distance and the wind tickled my body just right and I, for the only time in my life, felt what it might be like to be a patriotic American. My adled mind told me that the Dead are the quintessential American band and that they can only be fully, 100% all-the-way appreciated by an American. I felt the spirit of Uncle Sam sweeping through what was apperently once sacred native ground. I once discovered the meaning of life on nitrous in a parking lot in Rochester too. Anyway, I found Chris in time for the last tune or so, had a reunion that couldn't be beat and we managed to keep each other together. The second set was amazing, and I was human enough to appreciate it on a more memory-based level, though I was still (and would remain for quite some time) completely rocked. I had called El Paso as second set opener when I saw it come on the screen at the airport, though Evil claims he never heard me tell him. The drums/space was one of the best I've heard. A few of my friends agreed that it was probably the highlight of the show. Warren was singing really well, and he did a long ballad, was it Days Between? that just slowly and intensely kicked my ass hard.

Somewhere in here I bought a beer from a vendor for seventy-five cents. I counted my change twice. Though I was in no shape.

They reprised Uncle John's Band and then back to finish off Playin' which topped the show off perfectly. Encore with Ripple just to make sure that it will be a show to never forget and it was done. And just in time for all five of us to find each other.

The lot scene was all but non-existent after the show but we did manage to buy some beer and burritos. After stumbling along beside the traffic, which at one point had the road go through a tunnel in the rock, we miraculously found a mini-van cab that could take us comfortably back to our beer and hot tub. Got back to the hotel and a few beers and wondrous stories later the guys crashed and I hit the jacuzzi for an hour or so and slept from 4am-9:15am, just barely missing the free breakfast. Luckily it rained all day, cancelling our plans to go golfing. Davey, Evil and I set out on a mission for food and styrofoam coolers, as Davey volunteered to designated drive to the show tonight. We arrived at the venue around 4pm to a fine misty drizzle that persisted on and off until showtime. We had filled the coolers with all of our beer, and realising that there was no way we'd get through even half of it tonight we decided to sell free beers to people walking by. It was often a surprisingly hard sell, but we had a good time and we still had a healthy supply of reefers to keep us through the night taboot. We made it inside in time for Warren's opening set this time, and I'm glad we did. He really can hold a crowds attention. One man singing to thousands, and you could hear a roach drop.

I was happy to be more together for this one (one of the many beauties of going to multiple shows in a run), it was a great night of music, with lots of peak moments. I think Bobby started off Watchtower by forgetting the second line and to cover it he decided to skip every second line of the song. I thought it was kinda funny/lame, but whatever, I forgive.

They opened the second set with a little Neil Young love (Cortez The Killer) and eventually got to playing Fire On The Mountain, which seems like a must-play at Red Rocks. The drums/space that followed was shorter and less fascinating than last night, but I always like it anyway. A couple of covers closed the set: Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds (following the Beatles trend from last night) and Midnight Hour (harkening back to first set's After Midnight). The encore was pretty special, Going Down The Road into a folky, lovey And We Bid You Good Night, which I had never heard before. We made it back to the lot and had a picnic with all the food we had brought and tried to drink as many beers as possible before being asked to pack it up, which wasn't too long. A younger guy named Matthew asked if anybody was going his way, turned out we were and we gave him a ride, which effectively saved his ass. He was travelling alone from Boston, staying by himself in a hotel right near ours. He thought we had done him a pretty big favour with the ride, but he hadn't seen nothing yet. We had a border to cross the next day, so we dropped the kid off at his hotels front door with a coupla joints, two packs of rolling papers, a Canada flag pin, a pouch of tobacco (don't ask) and a cooler full of beer and ice. When we pulled away he was still just standing there with his arms full and his jaw slack, shaking his head. That was fun.

Last few beers and smokes back at the rooms and down go the guys again. Not to be outdone, I repeat my hot tub performance and then sleep from 4am-8:45am, just catching breakfast this time. Me and Chris and Evil went for a drive in the mountains for a few hours while the other two napped and we got our asses back to check out and get to the airport for 1pm.

Good times.

They raised the security alert colour today. That means that along with your keys and change and carry-on, you have to put your shoes in the basket for x-raying. Weird.

06/15/04

I

Shakedown>

Milestones>

Dupree's

New Potato Caboose>

Eight Miles High

She Said>

jam>

Ramble On Rose

Cold Rain and Snow>

Playin'

II

El Paso (acoustic)

Into The Mystic

West LA Fadeaway>

jam>

Playin'>

Pride Of Cucamonga

Uncle John's Band>

Strange World>

drums>

space>

Days Between>

China Cat Sunflower>

I know You Rider>

Uncle John's>

Playin'

e: Ripple

06/16/04

I

Feel Like a Stranger

Mississippi Half-Step

Uptown Toodeloo>

No More Do I>

Alligator>

Lazy River Road

After Midnight>

All Along the Watchtower>

Just a Little Light

II

Cortez The Killer>

Night of a Thousand Stars>

Scarlet Begonias>

Fire on the Mountain>

Drums>

Space>

The Other One>

Death Don't Have No Mercy>

Golden Road to Unlimited Devotion>

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds>

Midnight Hour

e: Goin Down the Road Feelin Bad>

And We Bid You Goodnight

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Rary8 Newbie

Rary8

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Well I was at Red Rocks too. But it didn't work out that great for me. I didn't get a ticket on tues. Lost my guitar strings and tuner on the hill out back. Came back the next day to find only the tuner (that was sweet). Didn't stay for the second show and started heading to the gathering in CA. Now I'm broken down in Wyoming and waiting two days for VW parts!!!!!

sigh,

I've never left a lot before a show. That's what I get.

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