Last week saw the funkiest cats around, Lettuce, take over the world renowned Red Rocks Amphitheatre for their infamous Rage Rocks, making number 5 their best yet. Missing the openers Jaw Gems was seriously tragic, as I was first acquainted with this group of talent through Lettuce and have followed their growth closely; I was looking forward to seeing it all commence at this show. But alas, it wasn’t meant to be, and I decided to be grateful for what I’d be able to catch instead of dwelling on the sadness. The Funk Hunters are some exceptionally rad humans as well, and I heard nothing but good of the set from friends.
I arrived midway through the Floozies, but I was extremely stoked that I did. Their unique layering of electronic samples and soulful grooves are sick as they come, and their light show is second to none. Coming in with a horn trio, the Floozies blew far past our high expectations and delivered an incredibly hyped performance. Blazing through their favorite butt rock anthems like “Love, Sex and Fancy Things” and “Stuntin” they kept the crowd absolutely raging until it was time to leave the stage. Taking the short intermission to stock up on lemonades and bathroom breaks, we were all back to our prime seats, awaiting the arrival of Lettuce. Hitting the ground running with their tidal wave of a track “The Force”, the band set away in building eloquent grooves for us to get down with. The band even snuck Cardi B’s ‘Bodak Yellow’ into the set, and it funkin’ went OFF. Another highlight was a Tears for Fears cover of ‘Everybody Wants to Rule The World’ and an extra lovely run through of ‘Phyllis’ – the band was in an elevated spiritual state, and the whole crowd felt it. Did I mention I cried a bit during that Tears for Fears drop?
With next years’ Red Rocks date already confirmed, it’s safe to say this was a monumental performance for everyone involved, from the band to the fans to the workers. I’ll never miss a Rage Rocks, and I definitely couldn’t have asked for a better show to kick off the beautiful Red Rocks season.
Until next year – stay funky!
