"The Music Never Stopped"
Incident at Red Rocks, June 30, 2000
In February of 2000 I walked into a record store and heard some of the most extraordinary music I had ever heard in my life. It was a live recording of a band that seemed to exist outside of ordinary music genres. The band sounded tight, as they travelled effortlessly from bluegrass, to jazz, to funk, to a combination of all three, and then back to bluegrass. And that was all one song. I stayed in the store, browsing, for quite a long time, just so I could hear what else this mystery band had to offer. I was very impressed. I asked the proprietor of the store who we were listening to, and he told me it was the String Cheese Incident.
The CD, which I purchased immediately, was Carnival '99, a compilation of their 1999 tour, their first major tour. Although the cuts were pasted together from various shows, called "incicents" by the band and their fans, I was to experience firsthand that it was only a small taste of what SCI could do in concert.
June 30, 2000 was String Cheese Incident's first incident at the Red Rocks Ampitheatre, the holy grail of concert venues in Colorado. Red spires of basalt tower over the stage area and surround the seating area, which seats about 14,000. It is a natural ampitheatre, and the sound quality is emaculate, as is the spiritual aura of the setting. The hike from the parking area to the ampitheatre itself is about a mile, and all uphill. The concert goer has to earn the right to be there by making the trek. It is a place of beauty, and a worthy goal for both the performers and the fans. For the String Cheese Incident and the stringers, this was a landmark event.
My friend and I took the scenic route from Colorado Springs to Morrison, which would allow us to avoid Denver, and, theoretically make a quicker trip. Unfortunately, we ran into road construction that slowed us down enough that we didn't arrive at Red Rocks until the end of Bunny Whaler's set. Still, the atmosphere and attitude of the crowd was infectuous, and we caught the feeling of our first incident immediately. Though tie-dyes constituted the majority of the dress of the crowd, the average age seemed to be about twenty three. My friend and I were both in our late forties, and we felt like elders, as there didn't seem to be anybody close to our age anywhere in sight. .
As we headed up the steps toward where our designated spot was according to the ticket, a young man of about 18 years ran up after us, and, out of breath from running up the stairs, handed my friend his cell phone, saying "Sir, you dropped your cell phone."
My friend and I were immediately impressed by the fact that this person actually took the time to chase us down in order to return the item, but gratitude and respect for others seemed to be the general attitude among the crowd. This show was definitely about being alive, and the concert hadn't even begun.
Toy pinwheels were passed throughout the crowd until everybody had one. I still have one from that incident in my possession to this day. It is one of many momentos I have kept in deference to my inner child.
SCI is a true jam-based band, and the theme of their shows changes with each venue at which they play. They began this show with "Restless Wind," a positive song about dealing with the loss of a loved one, which includes the triumphant proclaimation, "The Soul and the Spirit never die!." That was the setting for the show, as there was definitely the sense of strong Spiritual presence at Red Rocks that night.
The band played in such a way that it didn't matter if they were playing jazz, rock, funk, or bluegrass. Each song seemed to fit in with the others, and magically uphold the theme of the show. The band drew from the energy of the crowd as the crowd drew from the energy of the band and the ethereal surroundings. It was very easy to get lost entirely in the music.
Even though Red Rocks is far enough away from the city that the stars shine clearly in the sky, the Denver city lights make a beautiful backdrop to the stage. It doesn't look so much like a city as it does a continuation of the stars, packed in galactic density, all the way to the horizon. This added even more to the atmosphere upon which the crowd and the band thrived.
The band members, Bill Nershi, Michael Kang, Kyle Hollingsworth, Keith Mosely, and Michael Travis were gracious hosts, treating us to their best interpretation of the surroundings. A set with String Cheese Incident is a journey.
I didn't know the names of any of the songs they played at the time, so this is the best way I can describe my first experience at an incident.
The first song of the second set was a cover of the Yes hit "Roundabout," leaving us all amazed at the singing ability of Nershi, as well as the ability of the band to emulate Yes so well with acoustic guitar and electric mandolin. "Joyful Sound" led us in further celebration of life and existence in general, and the music didn't stop for a long time as the band jammed through for nearly an hour. Again, I didn't know the names of the songs, but it didn't matter, the music was strong. "White Freightliner", by Townes Van Zandt was in there somewhere.
Then came the group hoot, a necessary ritual at every incident in which Bill encourages the audience to get as loud as they want.
There was another thirty minutes of music after that, including a jam that was exclusively Red Rocks inspired. "Round the Wheel," another positive song celebrating the living and life ended the set.
Keller Williams, who has a band of his own, "Keller Williams and the WMD's," often guests with String Cheese Incident, as well as Ratdog, at various venues around the country. I didn't know who he was at the time, but he was introduced and sang his own composition "Breathe" with SCI in the first encore. The second encore was the "fireside story," "Texas," which does have words telling a story of "you can't arrest me if you don't know what you've found." It isn't really the words of that song that impress me as much as the music itself.
The feeling of my first "Incident" was incredible. I felt as though I had found something I had been missing since Jerry Garcia left us in 1995. It was all about the music, but the music was all about us. From that time on, I tried to attend every Incident in the Colorado area I could, until financial problems ended that passtime for me in 2006.
A note: the songs we have loaded into the music player of the main page on this site are only examples of a band's live music. They do not represent, in themselves an adequate sample of what a particular concert was like. To listen to the jam between "Joyful Sound" and "White Freightliner" by itself does not acurately convey the experience the way listening to the entire set would. The trade site Archive.org has the entire concert available for listening here.
The CD, which I purchased immediately, was Carnival '99, a compilation of their 1999 tour, their first major tour. Although the cuts were pasted together from various shows, called "incicents" by the band and their fans, I was to experience firsthand that it was only a small taste of what SCI could do in concert.
June 30, 2000 was String Cheese Incident's first incident at the Red Rocks Ampitheatre, the holy grail of concert venues in Colorado. Red spires of basalt tower over the stage area and surround the seating area, which seats about 14,000. It is a natural ampitheatre, and the sound quality is emaculate, as is the spiritual aura of the setting. The hike from the parking area to the ampitheatre itself is about a mile, and all uphill. The concert goer has to earn the right to be there by making the trek. It is a place of beauty, and a worthy goal for both the performers and the fans. For the String Cheese Incident and the stringers, this was a landmark event.
My friend and I took the scenic route from Colorado Springs to Morrison, which would allow us to avoid Denver, and, theoretically make a quicker trip. Unfortunately, we ran into road construction that slowed us down enough that we didn't arrive at Red Rocks until the end of Bunny Whaler's set. Still, the atmosphere and attitude of the crowd was infectuous, and we caught the feeling of our first incident immediately. Though tie-dyes constituted the majority of the dress of the crowd, the average age seemed to be about twenty three. My friend and I were both in our late forties, and we felt like elders, as there didn't seem to be anybody close to our age anywhere in sight. .
As we headed up the steps toward where our designated spot was according to the ticket, a young man of about 18 years ran up after us, and, out of breath from running up the stairs, handed my friend his cell phone, saying "Sir, you dropped your cell phone."
My friend and I were immediately impressed by the fact that this person actually took the time to chase us down in order to return the item, but gratitude and respect for others seemed to be the general attitude among the crowd. This show was definitely about being alive, and the concert hadn't even begun.
Toy pinwheels were passed throughout the crowd until everybody had one. I still have one from that incident in my possession to this day. It is one of many momentos I have kept in deference to my inner child.
SCI is a true jam-based band, and the theme of their shows changes with each venue at which they play. They began this show with "Restless Wind," a positive song about dealing with the loss of a loved one, which includes the triumphant proclaimation, "The Soul and the Spirit never die!." That was the setting for the show, as there was definitely the sense of strong Spiritual presence at Red Rocks that night.
The band played in such a way that it didn't matter if they were playing jazz, rock, funk, or bluegrass. Each song seemed to fit in with the others, and magically uphold the theme of the show. The band drew from the energy of the crowd as the crowd drew from the energy of the band and the ethereal surroundings. It was very easy to get lost entirely in the music.
Even though Red Rocks is far enough away from the city that the stars shine clearly in the sky, the Denver city lights make a beautiful backdrop to the stage. It doesn't look so much like a city as it does a continuation of the stars, packed in galactic density, all the way to the horizon. This added even more to the atmosphere upon which the crowd and the band thrived.
The band members, Bill Nershi, Michael Kang, Kyle Hollingsworth, Keith Mosely, and Michael Travis were gracious hosts, treating us to their best interpretation of the surroundings. A set with String Cheese Incident is a journey.
I didn't know the names of any of the songs they played at the time, so this is the best way I can describe my first experience at an incident.
The first song of the second set was a cover of the Yes hit "Roundabout," leaving us all amazed at the singing ability of Nershi, as well as the ability of the band to emulate Yes so well with acoustic guitar and electric mandolin. "Joyful Sound" led us in further celebration of life and existence in general, and the music didn't stop for a long time as the band jammed through for nearly an hour. Again, I didn't know the names of the songs, but it didn't matter, the music was strong. "White Freightliner", by Townes Van Zandt was in there somewhere.
Then came the group hoot, a necessary ritual at every incident in which Bill encourages the audience to get as loud as they want.
There was another thirty minutes of music after that, including a jam that was exclusively Red Rocks inspired. "Round the Wheel," another positive song celebrating the living and life ended the set.
Keller Williams, who has a band of his own, "Keller Williams and the WMD's," often guests with String Cheese Incident, as well as Ratdog, at various venues around the country. I didn't know who he was at the time, but he was introduced and sang his own composition "Breathe" with SCI in the first encore. The second encore was the "fireside story," "Texas," which does have words telling a story of "you can't arrest me if you don't know what you've found." It isn't really the words of that song that impress me as much as the music itself.
The feeling of my first "Incident" was incredible. I felt as though I had found something I had been missing since Jerry Garcia left us in 1995. It was all about the music, but the music was all about us. From that time on, I tried to attend every Incident in the Colorado area I could, until financial problems ended that passtime for me in 2006.
A note: the songs we have loaded into the music player of the main page on this site are only examples of a band's live music. They do not represent, in themselves an adequate sample of what a particular concert was like. To listen to the jam between "Joyful Sound" and "White Freightliner" by itself does not acurately convey the experience the way listening to the entire set would. The trade site Archive.org has the entire concert available for listening here.
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