People should move to Colorado just for Red Rocks. That venue with its perfect sight lines and sound set within two majestic red rock slabs doesn’t get any better on a warm summer evening like last night. Vampire Weekend blew it off the charts. My favorite quote of the night from Ezra Koenig, “You guys look nice at an angle.”

The band came out at a 10 and the audience gave it all back. The energy swirling between the rocks was palpable and Koenig repeatedly commented on the communal feeling wafting from the audience. “We haven’t been to the Denver area since we started touring… You guys are amazing.” The band rewarded fans with the second ever played Contra and a set that both highlighted their keen musicianship and a knack for writing short gems blending danceable influences from around the globe. Every song they unleashed off their two albums differed from the studio cuts, increasing the feel that we were getting something truly special.

Best view walking to the parking lot ever. I relished in the sounds of people yelling in appreciation as I made my way to the car. Last night was the most beautiful show I’ve been to in ages. It made me cry.

Vampire Weekend is one of the best live acts touring now. Go see them.

mp3: Vampire Weekend – The Kids Don’t Stand a Chance (Live feat. Chromeo) – mtvU Woodies (2008)
mp3: Vampire Weekend – California English – Contra (2010)
mp3: Vampire Weekend – I Think Ur A Contra – Contra (2010)

MySpace | Red Rocks, Vampire Weekend

Made it out to both days of the Monolith Festival. Crushing acts were Phoenix, Passion Pit, and Chromeo. Sets were packed and dance heavy. Phoenix’s electrifying Sunday performance on the main stage set them up to be huge in Colorado and beyond. Chance had it that MSTRKRFT cancelled, leaving the 2nd to last main stage slot open. Certainly feels fated that Phoenix played for the most sizeable audience of the weekend. Their lightning speed rise has been incredible to follow. Passion Pit’s surging set confirmed that the eletro pop craze is on. And Chromeo’s sex-saturated synth funk throw down triggered a dance freak-out from the crowd and had everyone smiling hard.

New favorites included OK Go (finally saw them live after all that YouTube hype), Health, The Walkmen, We Were Promised Jetpacks, Woodhands, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, and The Royal Bangs. Great to see Stars of Track and Field again after they took most of 2008 off. Other sweet catches included Thao with The Get Down Stay Down, Gregory Alan Isakov, The Grates, Tigercity, and Danielle Ate The Sandwich. The eletronica was also pumping with choice acts The Glitch Mob, Savoy, and Beats Antique.

The setting of Red Rocks couldn’t have been more beautiful and the bands knew and recognized it.

mp3:We Were Promised Jetpacks – Keeping Warm – These Four Walls (2009)
mp3:Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Home – Up From Below (2009)
mp3:The Walkmen – In the New Year – You & Me (2008)

Listen to more of the music from the acts mentioned above through MySpace:

PHOENIX – Paris, France
PASSION PIT – Boston, MA
CHROMEO – Montreal/New York
OK GO – Los Angeles, CA
HEALTH – Los Angeles, CA
THE WALKMEN – New York, NY
WE WERE PROMISED JETPACKS – Scotland, UK
WOODHANDS – Toronto, CAN
EDWARD SHARPE & THE MAGNETIC ZEROS – Los Angeles, CA
THE ROYAL BANGS – Knoxville, TN
STARS OF TRACK AND FIELD – Portland, OR
THAO WITH THE GET DOWN STAY DOWN – San Francisco, CA
GREGORY ALAN ISAKOV – Boulder, CO
THE GRATES – Brisbane, AU
TIGERCITY – Brooklyn, NY
DANIELLE AT THE SANDWICH – Ft Collins, CO
THE GLITCH MOB – California
SAVOY – Boulder, CO
BEATS ANTIQUE – Oakland, CA

Monolith Festival
September 12-13, 2009

Tags: Chromeo, Danielle Ate The Sandwich, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Gregory Alan Isakov, Health, Monolith Festival, OK GO, Passion Pit, Phoenix, Red Rocks, Stars of Track And Field, Thao With The Get Down Stay Down, The Glitch Mob, The Grates, The Royal Bangs, The Walkmen, Tigercity, We Were Promised Jetpacks, Woodhands