An Epitaph, Snugulation, A History of Red Rocks, Mandates, Fake Vaccine Cards

“If I should ever die, God forbid, let this be my epitaph:
THE ONLY PROOF HE NEEDED
FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
WAS MUSIC”
— Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

Good morning, happy hump day; a Camel awakened me. I slept 7 hours; I’m well-rested and ready to take on another day.  How did you sleep? I know I’m fortunate; not everyone gets to sleep 7 to 8 hours a night, color me sleepy.  My wife is just now getting up; I don’t think she moved last night, a crisp night of coolness and “snugulation.”

My first trip to Red Rocks was back in 2013.  I had made a mistake and brought my kids out here for vacation.  While here, we met a friend who asked if we were going to go to Red Rocks.  I honestly didn’t know what Red Rocks was sans for U2 recording a live album there. But, she said, “you have to go to Red Rocks.” So, we looked up the schedule and picked our first show, OAR.

Upon arrival, I was struck by the massiveness of the venue, two large red rocks screaming towards the sky, making a natural amphitheater with excellent acoustics and a nice view of the city of Denver.  It was my first time there, and I happened to be with my kids giving them a gift at a young age.  The following year I returned with my partner, we made plans to see a show, and our friends OAR were there that night, two shows, both the same band.

We bought a condo downtown in October of 16; we caught a few shows that year, and since 16 have averaged seven shows a season except for that one time, the country was shut down for a spell. But, even then, we made it to the venue to do YOGA. So many Saturdays we take visiting company to explore and see the unique spot, it’s breathtaking. There are many trailheads around the venue; there are some great hikes there as well.

We now have a routine for every show; we arrive about 5:30, take some food, plan on meeting friends, or have extra tickets to share with our friends and family.  Last night we took Micah, Kirsten, Bay, and Something About Oliva to see Nathanial Hawthorne and the Night Sweats.  We tailgated for an hour or so before making our way into the venue.  We had seats; sometimes we go General Admission; last night, we had what we call “seat seats.”

The people-watching is extraordinary. You get to watch so many people experience the spot for the first time.   Selfies abound, people shoot video, all the while smiling.  The opening act last night was Spirit United or maybe Southwest Delta; it was a band with two names of airlines, they were good.  But it’s joyful watching a band “make it” to the fabled iconic spot of music.

You can tell the success of a band as to how many nights they get to play—our friends. The Avett Brothers are up to three nights; I think Dave Matthews once did a seven-night run years ago.  The capacity of the venue is not significant; it’s 9525 people, so there is not a bad seat. I’ll warn you if you make the trek; you need to be in decent shape; the walk up alone will wind even the most in-shape human.

Once we enter the venue, we go up to the top and get a single drink; that’s our juice for the show; I take my drive home seriously; I drive so I can make sure we always have a sober driver. Upon leaving the venue, there is always a Chick Fila tent with piping hot fresh chicken sandwiches, at $8.00 per sandwich; it’s the deal of the day. I should share we don’t stay until the end; we are early birds most nights, so we rarely stay past 10:30, we can get home by 11:00, and that’s pretty late for us.

If you like YOGA, you can usually find a couple of sessions on the weekend; it’s fun; the Ohm at the end is pretty powerful; imagine a few thousand people saying Ohm in an acoustic bubble. They also have a movie night for the kids; comedy is now a big thing at the venue; we have tickets for Bill Burr in October.  On Monday, our next show is the Black Crowes; we will begin looking at next year’s list and buying our tickets.

We did have to show our papers; they required an ID and our VAC card or proof of a negative test.   My wife and I are vaccinated; the other folks we went with were not; they did a rapid test the day of the show, one made an in-person appointment, the others did telemedicine.  If you work in specific industries, they will give you a six-pack of tests, and you can do it online.  As we walked in, a man from Chicago was with his wife; she had her card, he was supposedly vaccinated but could offer no proof. I don’t think that man got in to see the show.  They did not advertise very well. We would have to show proof; I wonder how many people have turned away for their private health conditions.

I have heard from a few friends that there is a lucrative black market for VAC cards, I don’t know anyone with one, but I suspect a few in the crowd last night got in under false pretenses.  I don’t care; once I was vaccinated, I’ll let my fellow humans make up their minds about their personal health choices. On the other hand, I think mandates are a little authoritarian.

Well, I invite you to our neighborhood venue.  We now live about 20 minutes away, we are there a lot, and the view from Red Rocks is the same view we have from our mountain top chalet. I think the universe conspires to help us find our best life, and little did I know in 2013, I would not only live close to this glorious place but share the view.  If you have never been, I’d ask that you add this place to your bucket list.  Even if you don’t’ like music, there are many opportunities to enjoy this masterpiece of architecture.  Cheers, I’ll see you tomorrow.

“If I should ever die, God forbid, let this be my epitaph:
THE ONLY PROOF HE NEEDED
FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
WAS MUSIC”
— Kurt Vonnegut Jr.