Not really sure why I feel the need to write this up now, I doubt anyone will read this. however I feel like my concert experience with Red should live on (virtual) paper somewhere.

For those who don’t know Red is a Christian hard rock band that incorporates frequent use of strings and piano in very heavy metal riff based music. Together it meshes into a gothic feel hard rock sonic heaven. I always hesitate to bring up that they are a Christian band because I do think there is such a stigma attached to that type of music. I’m always defending that its not some lightweight worship music and in fact I find the religious references in the songs very light and strictly metaphoric even. As someone who is not an “active” Christian and I tend to keep my religious thoughts private delving into the Christian music world is not easy, plus its because of the music, and not whatever the message may be, is the reason why I enjoy the music. So naturally I choose to attend a Christian rock festival called Winter Jam to see this band in action.

Considering a Christian music festival is probably the most outside of the norm place I could conceive to see a concert I was a bit anxious on what to expect. I went back and forth if I should attend this event and even more so when I knew Red would not be headlining. I’ve been on some large pattern of going to concerts more for the opener than the headliner and I’d prefer to see my favorite bands in their element and headlining a longer set. Still, I know it may take a long time for any band to come around to my part of the world on a headlining tour so I decided to go for it. What made things even more enticing was the $60 VIP option which included admission to the show. I absolutely couldn’t believe it and knew it was too good to pass up.

The day of the show arrives and I find myself on my way to the University of Denver campus, which I had never been. The arena where the concert was held is pretty large and there were multiple entrances with many people who had no idea where the VIP entrance would be. After a walking all the way around the building I found my spot and waiting for the other 5 VIPs to show up. Yes, this was a very limited VIP event and capped at 6 on purpose. Although this VIP did not include soundcheck it included an acoustic performance and I knew this would make up for however short their set was. The tour manager gathered all 6 of us together and took us out back where the buses were because we were going to have our acoustic experience ON THE TOUR BUS.

Before I knew it I was seated on the black leather couch across from the 4 musicians that comprise the band Red. It was a very surreal and mind blowing moment. They said hello to us and we started chatting. One of the other VIPs there had been in their music video as an extra so they talked about that for a while and also the logistics of their tour and some of their plans for the coming year. They wanted to know our favorite songs and when I mentioned mine one of them commented that I seemed to like the hard stuff (yes!). After 45 minutes of chatting they were ready to finish the meet and greet with an acoustic song. They decided to play one of favorites that the girl next to me had mentioned, Hymn for the Missing, a gorgeous haunting ballad. With just an acoustic guitar as accompaniment the lead singer launched into his full on powerful vocals. It was mesmerizing seeing such a raw beautiful intimate moment created just mere inches in front of us. After the song we got some things autographed and exited the bus to take some photos outside since they didn’t want us to use our phones and cameras on the bus. I thanked all the guys for the experience and wished them a great show. The lead guitarist commented that I looked like Amy Lee which I said was a huge compliment :D

We were lead backstage by the tour manager and on to the floor to take our seats before the public was let it. This was a nice perk of the VIP but there were some other preferred guests from other artists who had chosen their seats first. Still, I was about 10 rows back on the seated floor of an arena show, so not bad at all.

After a few very light opening acts Red was the first band to take the stage once the lights went down. Their set was only 5 songs long but it was incredible. They had a huge stage production set up and used pyro for all of their songs. The intensity was amazing and 5 songs was only satisfying enough as an appetizer. I’d love to see them again as a headliner or even if this VIP experience on the Winter Jam came up again because it was worth every penny and then some. I am so much an even bigger fan of Red after the concert.

I won’t say much about the rest of the concert. The Christian music fest wasn’t really my scene though I am always glad to experience new things. After the intensity and full scale professional production of Red they went back to the local talent winners with their banjos. I only stayed an additional hour but by the time I left they were starting to turn it back up with a female fronted rock band called Fireflight and I really enjoyed their sound.  

I’ll link a few videos. First here is the song we heard acoustic, Hymn for the Missing.

Here are a couple of my favorite music videos of theirs, first Lie to Me and then Death of Me

The day the Rockstars came through the moat.

We like to say that Denver and the Rocky Mountain region resides behind a moat because one has to want to make it through the miles upon miles of nothing and hours upon hours of drive time to visit our little corner of the world. Expecting a tour stop from any artist is never a smart bet and always leads to a lot of finger crossing. Fortunately for me I got the pleasure of staying home to experience this tour and was even more fortunate to have David Cook tour with Gavin DeGraw and Carolina Liar, whose music I already enjoyed.   

Due to some impatience and ticketing ineptitude I ended up with VIP passes for both David and Gavin and I was having a lot of anxiety trying to figure out how it was going to work going to both. I couldn’t just outright skip Gavin’s because my show ticket was tied to his VIP package. In the end I had nothing to worry about as the VIP organizers for both were super cool and understanding, there were no problems at all and I got to enjoy both VIP experiences. The VIPs were both done very well and the organizers really set the tone for a relaxed but organized atmosphere. I highly recommend.

Since Gavin was closing the show, his VIP was first and I was asked to show up at the venue at 2:30. Due to some insane traffic issues I arrived at exactly 2:30 and a small line had formed already in front of the venue. We ended up waiting about 40 minutes until Gavin’s tour organizers came to bring us inside. It was then I figured out that there were only 8 in his VIP group. When we walked in Gavin was already running through his current single Not Over You. He finished and said hello to us and then ran through the single again, it was at this time I noticed they were taping it for something. I saw a sign much later that it is for Feed the Music so I’ll have to check that out and see if I made the video (eeps!) He did Soldier on the piano next and then the tour organizer asked us to hang at the back of the venue and Gavin would come out and join us for pics and autographs. It was such a small relaxed group and Gavin came right up to us. I was first up and he was very nice to me, asked me my name and signed my poster. I said it was my first time seeing him and looked forward to the show. He gave me a hug and I stepped out of the way to let his big fans have their time with him. 

I found myself back outside with not much time to spare before the 4pm call time for David’s VIP. Some ladies outside were telling me how when David arrived on the bus he had his skeleton hoodie all zipped up and was waiving at them and they didn’t realize it was him until later, so cute. We were let inside the lobby right on time and Wade the VIP organizer gave us the rules (no phones, no pics, no video, no kissing lol) and we waited for David and the band to get ready for the soundcheck to start. Our group was 48 people they said and then let us in right when David appeared on stage and ready to start. David began with Circadian and it was so amazing hearing his voice come through loud and clear so close to the small group. He went right into LMFFY after he said hello and I was thrilled as this was one of the songs I wanted to hear the most. David sounded incredible as usual and it was fun watching him go through small technical issues and joking around with the band. It was cool when they would each start playing little random riffs of a song and David would chuckle and say no, no they were not playing that song. At one point David said Devin wanted to cover Def Leppard and if Devin had his way they would be a Def Leppard cover band.

The third song they soundchecked was TMAIA after Andy suggested it in the secret mic. David said they hadn’t played this song on tour yet because his voice wasn’t fully cooperating. They ran through the song anyway and it was a huge treat to hear another song they were not doing in concert. David skipped doing some of the later choruses in the song but sounded incredible on everything else. After this I figured they were finished with the soundcheck and David asked Andy if he could think of anything else. Andy didn’t seem to have any suggestions but it seemed like David was on the fence maybe trying to think of anything else. Then Monty played a tiny bit if the NIN cover The Hand That Feed’s riff and I immediately couldn’t contain my excitement. I had no idea if they would play that song again in concert let alone at my concert considering they only played the last NIN cover once last tour. David seemed to like the idea and asked the guys if they wanted to do it and they all said sure, changed and tuned their guitars and were ready to go. The cover was simply mind blowing and was a ton of fun to hear live, I was so excited to say the least.   

Next up was the M&G portion of the VIP experience as we were told to line up along the side wall of the venue. David and the band came off the stage and stood against the back wall. I ended up in the middle of the pack. I needed some time to mentally prepare but also wanted to get back outside to the line so I’d have a decent spot at the concert. This was a GA show and we were told that the venue decided VIPs were allowed to make a separate line and would be let into the venue first. The M&G seemed to be going well, everyone was relaxed and happy but the line was moving along. Before I could really prepare it was my turn with the guys. I wanted to ask the band some things and also have a picture taken with my camera but I just was worried I’d confuse and fluster myself so I just focused on David and went right in. I asked for a hug and he very sweetly obliged. I’d heard some people ahead of me in line mention where they were from and there were many from out of town such as New Mexico, Arkansas, ect. So I decided my opening line would be that I was from Denver and to thank him for coming to my city. David picked the right person to bring up football and how as a Chiefs fan he was dying to mention something about the Chiefs-Broncos rivalry. We shared a few little chuckles about our teams and I told him I’m a season ticket holder (score for me!). I also figured this was my chance to ask something of even partial substance so I asked David if he wrote TLG with Tedder in Denver, he said no that he brought Tedder to California and wrote it there. We took our photo then and to conclude I thanked him for playing the NIN cover in soundcheck and told him to have a great show. The whole experience was wonderful. David was so friendly and attentive that it wasn’t the words that were important but just nice to have that moment. In retrospect I should have mentioned TLM more or maybe even worked in my minor league baseball question but then again it was perfect so why mess with perfection, right?

My strategy for getting back in line quickly worked out and I was about the 10th person in the VIP line for the show. The hour before doors went by quickly and I had an excellent spot along the railing we had watched soundcheck from earlier. It took me a couple minutes to notice the empty pit below the railing and before I could connect the dots some people had already ran down and snagged the barricade. I ended up second row center, which is not a bad spot at all but I felt stupid for not being observant enough earlier and not having the railing to lean on exhausted my feet and legs faster. Still, who can complain when you are 4 feet from witnessing amazingness happen?

Carolina Liar came out first and I really enjoyed their set. I was looking forward to hearing them live since I am familiar with some of their music especially the big hits I’m Not Over and Show Me What I’m Looking For. They tried really really hard to keep the energy up during their set and I think the audience responded well. It was an extra treat when Kyle came out and played bass during one of their songs. I don’t think the bass was plugged in so it was all just for fun but definitely added to the electric atmosphere.

After a short break it was ready for David to come out and the anticipation was surely building. I love how they start with Circadian, it really sets the mood for the entire set. I’m always amazed by David’s voice live. There is an extra quality of rich texture that doesn’t seem to come through on youtubes or recorded and it is a special treat to hear that live. Kiss on the Neck was the second song and I felt like it really kept the energy high. All the guys threw themselves into the song and rocked it out hard core. A few of my other favorites from the night were Paper Heart (my favorite song on TLM), We Believe (underrated and kicks ass live), LOTM (a rarity last tour and a special surprise for DCTR song) and GTTG (simply gorgeous, is there anything else to say?). As if I hadn’t been treated enough the entire day David chose to do the The Hand That Feeds as the cover that night. What else can I say other than it totally kicks ass and shows off all of the band’s talents, I love hearing more of David’s lower register and my favorite songs are those hard driving riff rock songs with a dark emo edge and David has the intensity to more than pull it off, really my perfect storm! FIM was the last song of the night and a beautiful closer. I really love what they have done to make the live version of the song. I hoped to hear REM after that but just gives me a reason to make it to another concert down the road. The setlist was wonderfully cohesive but diverse and it is awesome David has such a wide variety of songs to choose from and keep surprising us.

After David’s set I had to unfortunately move back for Gavin. I hadn’t sat down once in 8 hours and it was starting to get to me. While I would have loved to see Gavin’s set from up that close, it was nice to change perspective and really survey the crowd. The venue was very full. Maybe not a sell out crowd but I’m not sure how many more people could have fit in because I was having an impossible time finding any decent angle to watch Gavin. A lot of people there were pretty engaged in his set but I heard a lot of cheering and engaging from the audience for David as well so I was pleased with a good response from the audience all around. I really liked Gavin live and enjoyed the bluesier jazzy take on his songs live. He’s a great performer and it was cool to see him perform in on the piano and also up on stage. Gavin’s surprise was to bring out Ryan Tedder for a few songs. I really appreciated that they all had tried to make the concert special and I hope they all want to come back to Denver and perform again. All in all it was a very special day for me and couldn’t have gone better than I imagined.    

Here is my video for Fade Into Me from the David Cook concert in Denver over the weekend. Its not fantastic by any stretch but if anyone wants an idea of my perspective from the show here you go!

30 Day Concert Challenge - Day 23 - Blue Man Group - 2003

Today’s selection is a bit out of the norm but I had to include it as it is one of my most memorable concert experiences. I saw this show at the Pepsi Center and unfortunately could not find a video from my show so the visual is a bit different at the Performing Arts Center but gets the same point across I believe. This stands as the only concert has ever attended with me, actually the only concert he has ever attended. I was expecting the show to be more performance based like the Vegas show but it ended up more music based like a concert. We are both fans of electronic music so we really enjoyed the show. I would like to see them again and see how the show has evolved in almost 10 years.

30 Day Concert Challenge - Day 22 - Corey Crowder - People Worth Talking About - 2011

Another artist I was introduced to in concert is Corey Crowder when he opened for Lee DeWyze this year. I had the pleasure of seeing his show twice and he really did a great job. I’m usually not a fan of the more country leaning stuff but he had a nice voice and some catchy songs. This on here was one of the most memorable ones about honoring the people in our lives that should grab the headlines rather than the flash and trash that usually obtains them.  

30 Day Concert Challenge - Day 21 - Green River Ordinance - Out of My Hands - 2009

Another opener to add to the list! GRO was the first artist I was introduced to on David Cook’s Declaration tour (I’d obviously already been a long time fan of Ryan Star). This show was in the Minneapolis area one of the first shows they did with David. I very much enjoyed their set and they tried really hard to get some energy going. This video isn’t the best but I’m glad I was able to find something for the exact show that I attended. GRO definitely put smiles on faces.

30 Day Concert Challenge - Day 20 - The Killers - When You Were Young - 2007

This was actually my first concert experience at Red Rocks. Well, actually this was the second Killers concert I went to at Red Rocks that year because the one I went to in May got 3 songs in a they had to cancel because something happened to Brandon Flowers’ voice. Luckily they made it back in September for the make up concert and it was a great time. Looking back at it I think the Killers made the most use of the staging and added a lot more lights and set up than the typical bare Red Rocks vibe most artists go with. What a lot of people may not realize is that Red Rocks does not book that many modern rock acts so it really is an extra special treat to see a popular band play there. Ever since this show I’ve made it a point to attend a concert at Red Rocks at least once a year. 

30 Day Concert Challenge - Day 19 - Chris Cornell - Black Hole Sun - 2008

I saw Chris Cornell open for Linkin Park a few years ago. It was really cool to see a living legend’s show as a bonus to a band I love and really wanted to see. Cornell played a lot of his new solo songs plus a really cool duet with LP’s Chester Bennington on Hunger Strike. I had some sick wish to hear him sing Billie Jean but that didn’t happen. I thought Cornell put on a good show but his stage presence was baffling. All he did was meander from one side of the stage to another. Maybe that’s how it was during the grunge days, Idk. Regardless, I was very glad to see his set before LP came on. 

30 Day Concert Challenge - Day 18 - Papa Roach - Forever - 2009

Another band I saw as an opener was Papa Roach when they opened for Nickelback. I wasn’t much of a fan before seeing them live but they put on a great set and I’ve listened to their music more since then. Watching this video reminded me how much I’ve been missing those rock concerts because its been a while since I’ve been to one. It was a perfect summer night exactly two years ago when I saw this concert!

evilapprentice:

This is fucking depressing.