Live Music Returns To Colorado - Ben Harper Live At Red Rock

[miniming]

Live Music Returns To Colorado - Ben Harper Live At Red Rocks



“This is the most special show I’ve ever played,” said singer songwriter and guitarist Ben Harper, visibly emotional on stage Monday night at Red Rocks in Morrison, Colorado.

For an artist like Harper, for whom Red Rocks holds a special place in a highly regarded live performance history that now spans nearly 30 years, it was a lofty statement - but one that belies the importance of a return to the stage for musicians who’ve gone largely without crowds, gigs and income for over a year in the wake of the COVID pandemic.

Bars, theaters, concert halls, clubs and other indoor live performance spaces were amongst the first venues to close last year and look to be about the last to reopen, a trickle down effect which has rendered bartenders, parking attendants, security guards, lighting and sound technicians, tour managers and so many more without jobs as venues continue to struggle despite promised federal aid - support that’s been slow to arrive amidst a flawed rollout, the result of bipartisan legislation that was signed into law nearly six months ago.

As vaccination rates in America have increased, venues across the country have begun the arduous task of attempting to safely reopen despite an ongoing battle with the COVID virus.

Outdoor has proven particularly safe, and few performance spaces in America can rival the picturesque beauty of Red Rocks, a natural amphitheatre set within soaring red sandstone in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains about a half hour southwest of Denver.

While the amphitheatre fans know today has operated since 1941, hosting artists like The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix and acting as the setting for famed live albums by acts like U2 and Dave Matthews Band, the space itself has housed performance gatherings since the early 1900s. Operating at about two thirds of its typical sold out attendance (with a return to the full capacity of 9,525 coming later this month), Red Rocks hosted about 6,300 fans Monday evening.

“That’s right! We got a beautiful night!” said opener Jake Etheridge, referencing a Memorial Day forecast which called for weather that never arrived. “The rain held out! I’m just gonna look at as many individuals as I can after this last year,” he continued. “I’m thankful for those who gave their lives so we could do stuff like this,” the singer said later, in observance of the Memorial Day holiday.

Read More : pg slot