Years ago, Colin and I used to see this band called The String Cheese Incident. They were a fun band - our favorite band, but they stopped playing together in 2007. This was devastating, and we didn't know what we were going to do. Colin suggested, "we'll just have to make Yonder our new String Cheese." At the time, I thought there was no way; now I don't think there's ever a way String Cheese can catch up with what Yonder has brought to our lives... but at least now we can try.
We left Portland and headed to Denver to see STRING CHEESE!!!
At this point in our epic vacation, Jordan flew from Des Moines and joined the trip. Our first night in Colorado we spent in Boulder. We had lunch with some great friends then wandered around before the Chris Berry Trio show at the Fox.
The CB3 show was really great, but it started at 10pm, and there was an opening band, and we had only slept 3 hours before we flew from Portland to Denver and ran around Boulder all day. We were sitting against the wall at the Fox, and there were a couple times that I actually fell asleep during the show. Jeez.
The next day we wandered Pearl Street in Boulder before we headed to our hotel in Golden, where we got ready for our first incident in years.
We got to the lot pretty early and some of our friends were already there with our spot in line. It was so cool to see Tim and Lori again, since they were there with us at String Summit just the week before.
We managed to get in the 3rd row every night.
There was such a buzz of excitement at Red Rocks that afternoon. We were all together again, and the Cheese experience was about to begin. What were they going to open with? Would they bring the heat, or would they hold it back? The anticipation was killing us... and then... they began...
... And the magic was back.
photo by Emily McCarthy
photo by Emily McCarthy
photo by Emily McCarthy
photo by Emily McCarthy
photo by Emily McCarthy
photo by Emily McCarthy
photo by Emily McCarthy
photo by Emily McCarthy
photo by Emily McCarthy
photo by Emily McCarthy
photo by Emily McCarthy
This first night back with Cheese was just incredible. INCREDIBLE! Sometimes it was overwhelming, the feeling of joy. It just meant so much to be back at Red Rocks, seeing String Cheese with all of our Kinfolk friends. We met Tim and Lori at Red Rocks during the final Cheese run of 2007, and when we started seeing each other at Yonder shows we became close friends. Now we finally got to see Cheese together again, and with so many others we've become close with in the past few years.
My highlights from this show were Can't Stop Now, Round the Wheel, Lonesome Fiddle Blues, Best Feeling> Outside and Inside, Bam!, White Freightliner, Rivertrance, Black and White, Impressions> Round the Wheel, and Shine. Oh, and dancing with all my friends at a Cheese show again.
The String Cheese Incident
Red Rocks
July 23, 2010
Set I: Can't Stop Now, Round the Wheel> This Must Be the Place> Heads Up Jam> Lonesome Fiddle Blues, Rock Mountain Way, Close Your Eyes, Best Feeling> Outside and Inside
Set II: Bam!, Time to Pretend> White Freightliner Blues, Rivertrance, Song in my Head, Black and White, Drums> Impressions> Round the Wheel, Shine
Encore: Brand New Start
You can purchase the show here!
Saturday was pretty much the same story as the day before. We got there early, hung with friends in the parking lot, and got our kick-ass spots inside.
Stephenie had signed up to work the Cheese shows before she knew we were all going to be there... and she worked in our lot! Perfect!
Photo by Emily McCarthy
Photo by Emily McCarthy
Junkyard finally got to meet a whole bunch of our Kinfolk. It was fun.
Photo by Emily McCarthy
Photo by Emily McCarthy
Photo by Emily McCarthy
Photo by Emily McCarthy
Photo by Emily McCarthy
Photo by Emily McCarthy
One of my favorite things about seeing shows with a bunch of friends is the chance to take pictures of them having the time of their life.
There were skydivers parachuting over Red Rocks this day. They were so amazing and flew so close to the rocks. It really was the cherry on top of a breathtakingly amazing show.
My highlights from this show were Restless Wind, Mouna Bowa, Rhythm of the Road, Indian Creek, Black Clouds, Desert Dawn> Syncronicity> Bumpin Reel, Birdland> Flying Home Jam> Blackberry Blossom> Flying Home Jam> Birdland, Johnny Cash> Hava Nagila> Johnny Cash> Rollover, How Mountain Girls Can Love, Texas, and The Mighty Quinn. I guess you could say that the whole show was a highlight of my life.
The String Cheese Incident
Red Rocks
July 24, 2010
Set I: Restless Wind, Mouna Bowa, Rhythm of the Road, Indian Creek> Sweet Melinda> MLT, Jellyfish> Black Clouds
Set II: Desert Dawn> Syncronicity> Bumpin Reel, Way That it Goes, Birdland> Flying Home Jam> Blackberry Blossom> Flying Home Jam> Birdland, Way Back Home> Johnny Cash> Hava Nagila> Johnny Cash> Rollover
Encore I: How Mountain Girls Can Love, Texas
Encore II: The Mighty Quinn
You can purchase the show here!
The 3 days at Red Rocks were going by so fast! All of a sudden, it was Sunday, our final night of Cheese in Colorado. Junkyard had introduced us to his friend Stu on Friday, then Sunday we met Stu's twin brother, Earl. Junkyard had kept thinking we knew them before this, but now we finally do. And they're cool. And their names are actually Brent and Brandon... but I don't know which is which thanks to Junkyard's confusing explanation techniques.
Also, I knew Junkyard and Jordan would become fast friends because of their mutual love of the no-shirt look.
It's amazing the amount of sequined items Emily and I collectively own.
I love Red Rocks, but damn. That hike up the ramp just KILLS me. I don't know how I was ever a runner, but this year it was nice to be a mule. Jordan was the best runner there ever was, too bad we won't have him for Yonder.
My highlights from this show were Come as You Are, Little Hands> Dudley's Kitchen, Love is Like a Train, Search, Just One Story, Lands End, Glory Chords, Midnight Moonlight, and It Is What It Is.
During Miss Brown's Teahouse, they released a crapload of giant white inflated balls. I bet it looked really cool from the top, but we were getting bombarded by these heavy balloons, which started to get wet and sticky as they spilled more and more beer. They would hit us in the face and get our faces all beer sticky... I mean, gross. We ended up with a new dance where we continually punch the sky.
Also, I think it's kind of weird when bands change their songs. Normally, Sirens is one of my favorite songs, but they've reworked it... and I'm not a big fan of the new version. I guess the new version is a little more "Cheese" than the original, which is a lot darker. Oh well.
And I didn't really enjoy the encore as much as I would have liked because I was trying not to faint. ... Well, Tim had fallen down a set of steps at Red Rocks. He didn't spill his beer, but he severely bruised his knee cap. Somewhere at the beginning of Midnight Moonlight I actually saw his knee and it was so swollen that I lost all blood to my head and almost fainted. I can't take any sight of blood or injury or down I go. But it's all good. It turned out to be nothing more than a bruise. Nothing broken or torn.
The String Cheese Incident
Red Rocks
July 25, 2010
Set I: Come as You Are, Little Hands> Dudley's Kitchen, Love is Like a Train, Sirens, Search, Eye Know Why> Just One Story
Set II: Miss Brown's Teahouse> Sex Machine> Miss Brown's Teahouse, Rain> Boo Boo's Pik-a-nik, Joyful Sound> Piece of Mine, Lands End> Big Rock Jam> Glory Chords, Carry on Wayward Son> On the Road
Encore: Midnight Moonlight, It Is What It Is
You can purchase the show here!
These 3 nights at Red Rocks were a perfect way to bring Cheese back into our lives. And it was just perfect that Emily and Jordan's first Red Rocks shows were String Cheese. Let's do it again next year.
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