The show was at the Bluebird Theater on Colfax in Denver (oh how I remember the lackluster Dodos show we went to when we were here scouting out area before moving and we had these grandiose ideas of living right next to this venue). While the venue is nice, they tend to have small to medium sized acts and charge prices for large acts, which is a turn off for me. Luckily, I won tickets on their facebook page over the holidays for 2 tickets to any 8 shows in 2014! Yay, lucky me (and sometimes Breanna)! This was one of the shows I chose to get tickets to, knowing that it was likely going to be a highlight of the music schedule this year.
To start out, if you like synth heavy 80's pop, you would love the opener, Chad Valley. It was one slightly heavy man (which was a bit of a surprise based on the images elicited from the musical stylings he portrayed on stage) and a woman, both of the hipster variety. While it was entertaining at first, it became very dull and repetitive after a short while. It was just the two of them on stage on either side of synth keyboards alternating singing in this attempted soulful crooner style. Like I said, if you like that type of music, you would like this band. Since we were so excited for Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., it was more agonizing to sit through.
 |
| Chad Valley |
Once the opener was finished, you could tell the venue was at capacity. We were towards the front, and I realized very quickly that if I left to get a beer, there was no turning back. So I stayed there as long as I could, which was not difficult once the headliner showed up. To set the stage, the most prominent part of the set up was a large globe like apparatus in the middle. They also have 4 large letters, 2 J's and 2 R's, that illuminate the crowd when lit. Later in the show, we realized they had brought 2 bubble machines placed on either side of the crowd. It was glorious! Needless to say, it was easy to become transfixed with what was happening in front of you.
The band did a great job of not just sticking to their most recent material, which was nice for us. We have been huge fans of their music for quite some time and had the wonderful opportunity to see them at the Hi-Dive on Broadway in Denver about 2 years prior. That show blew us away, and this show, while still amazing, wasn't quite the spectacle we had hoped for but still sounded amazing. Even though they did not have any of the guests that appeared on their free Mix Tape (Produce Vol. 1), they still incorporated at least one song from it. One of our friends also pointed out that they covered a Rod Stewart song between songs, which I was not aware of since I am not as well versed in his musical catalog.
Overall, definitely a memorable show, though I think Breanna and I were both hoping for them to break out the blacklights and put on their neon suits to cover some Whitney Houston again. Even without that, they were highly entertaining and engaging, which was pretty evident when we left the venue and found the 2 main members of the band behind the merch stand getting bombarded by ravenous fans. As much as I would have liked to get something there from them, I realized I am too old to be like that, so we left. If you happen to see them come through your neck of the woods, definitely try to see them as you will not be disappointed!
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr - Run
Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr - Almost Lost Detroit (Gil-Scott Heron cover)
~Andy
1 comment:
Oh man. Your review makes me sad that we can't go back again this weekend!
Post a Comment