By Ron Signore
As we go through our days, I find it harder to be impressed by something…or someone. The world has given us enough crap burgers recently, that joy only seems real every once in a while. Every day, we have the news that tends to make no one happy, enable stress, and leave us with a fearful outlook to what is next. Hate, crime, dirty politics, slanted messaging, and if you are really unlucky, bad news in sports is where many in this country are at.
But there is hope. While some may interpret that as hope that Kamala wins in November, that is just part of it. However, there is real humanity out there that bring an energy of positivity and love for hours at a time. A place where people can forget the woes of what is really going on in the world. A place where people can come together and share nothing but joy, and in this case triumph as well. The general gathering is a concert. The specific place is somewhere over the rainbow in the beautiful mountain town of Morrison, Colorado.
This past weekend may have been one of the most uplifting concerts I have ever experienced. After nearly 160 Dave Matthews Band shows in my life and countless other concerts, I capped off 5 concerts in 10 days these past two weeks. The first three were Pearl Jam shows in Noblesville, Indiana at Deer Creek, and 2 at Wrigley Field. While that Pearl Jam show at Deer Creek was special in so many ways because I was able to enjoy the show with both my daughters present, this past weekend carries a whole new light on special.
These final two shows capping off the ten day stretch were for Brandi Carlile at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, Colorado at Red Rocks State Park. First of all, Red Rocks is to music lovers and concert goers as Fenway Park is to baseball. It is iconic and filled with legendary musical history. The venue is uniquely formed on a uphill setting between two massive red rocks in the side of mountains. The scenery and the sound are second to none and in my experience, only has a rival in a venue like The Gorge, in George, WA.
However, this wasn’t the only beauty the weekend showed. The two shows, Friday and Saturday respectively, featured Brandi Carlile performing with the Colorado Symphony. The venue is the perfect venue for a non-traditional multi-instrument configuration. The acoustics allow you to feel and embrace each part of the ensemble creating the full picture of sound the songs require to be full. You feel every drum beat; you can pick out every string part, all in the truest surround sound environment you’ll likely ever be in as you let the lyrics and harmonies fill your soul.
I had seen Brandi Carlile about 12 years ago as she opened for Dave Matthews Band at Deer Creek. I thought she was great, and I had followed Brandi somewhat throughout the years. That is to say every once in a while, I would just throw on her music, and usually hear something new I enjoyed. But Brandi arguably is my oldest daughter’s favorite artist. I say arguably because Stevie Nicks gets a great run for her money…and mine as I took her to see Nicks twice over the summer between Indy and at Soldier Field in Chicago.
My daughter, who has self-taught herself guitar, can mimic Brandi songs while belting the vocals heard throughout my home. It is incredible as a parent to see the passion their child has for something, especially in an area of the arts where I admit that myself, nor my wife, have zero talent that could have been passed down to her in this arena. With her increased love for music in general, and specific love for Brandi Carlile, she pleaded that we go see her at Red Rocks since she wasn’t playing many shows this year. As someone who has never been to Red Rocks with it being on the bucket list, I quickly evaluated the odds of seeing my favorite bands play there in such a small intimate setting. Dave Matthews hasn’t played there since 2005, I am not even sure if Pearl Jam has played there, but for the two massive touring acts, the reality that they would play a 9,000 fan venue anymore is very unlikely. I anxiously and happily agreed to take this journey and experience the weekend with an open heart.
It wasn’t just music. And that is hard to state when the harmonies experienced from the acoustics were so phenomenal. Rather, it was a gathering of so many like minded people listening to excellent song writing about life as a member of the LGTBQ+ community. As a heterosexual, I was definitely in the minority, but damned if I felt it to actually be that way. This crowd that was heavy in the gay community was one of the most welcoming and uplifting social experiences of my life. The kindness, the calmness, but most importantly the pride (which I am honestly unsure if that is a pun or not in this case) this group boasted in a very united fashion was spectacular. It was a reminder of how we should be to one another. It was in both a joyful and sad reminder of what we are capable of as a human race, let alone Americans.
Brandi Carlile is gay. She is very openly gay. Like many people who discover this to be their path in life, she relays her relatable experiences with the difficulty of getting to that confidence to be open with who they are. Many of her fans either shared that struggle or know someone who has and celebrate the triumph of openly being who they are. It is inspiring to say the least. She has a very unique folksy, americana type rock style with lyrics about the more traditional concepts music tends to deliver such as love, sex, death, etc…with incredibly dedicated fans who belt out in sing along style, some in more emotional ways, to share their love and support. But they also knew how to shut up and listen to Brandi telling her stories of life and how she wrote songs, or her inspirations. It was incredible.
The mountains of Colorado at Red Rocks may be the closest to heaven I will ever be, and entering and leaving the venue on the steep uphill grade of the mountains was close to taking me down each day. But the beauty and serenity from this weekend gives me hope I have been struggling to find as we navigate the everyday climate of our country specifically. So much hope, love, joy, and triumph in one spot supported with such extreme natural beauty is something everyone should experience.
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