June 10, 2006. It's the day of the Big Head Todd & the Monsters concert. During the day we still had some time for site-seeing, so we drive over to the Downtown Aquarium. Outside the aquarium is a petting zoo where you can get a cup of carrots to feed to the animals, mostly goats, some sheep, rabbits and alpaca. Inside, there are large tanks where you can view sharks, tortoises and fish from all around the world. The otter tank was really fun. They also had a hands-on exhibit where you can touch and feed stingray. We bought two cups of anchovy fish (sushi, at last!!) so both Gerald and I could feed them. You hold the fish between your pointer and middle fingers and put it under the water. The stingray come over, open their mouths, put their lips up to your fingers and tenderly gobble down the fish. It feels all soft and ticklish -- cute. We offered some fish to a group of teenage girls standing together who giggled and made squeamish faces, but then one put on a bold smile and fed the stingray. We got hungry after the aquarium and decided to find a restaurant before heading out to the concert.
We were excited to be on the road to Red Rocks. Our map led us astray, however, and we had to stop and ask for directions, "You're almost there. Just keep going down this road." We did finally make our way to the south entrance and up a steep winding hill into brilliantly colored red rocks jutting out of the ground at odd angles, like something prehistoric. What I want to know is who said, "Hey, let's build an amphitheater right here in the midst of the boulders"? From where we parked the walk was all uphill. The neighboring lot was filled with tailgaters with music, drinks and food--very relaxed atmosphere. After walking up numerous steps and ramps to get to the theater, we had to climb more steps to find our seats. The opening band was Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, a bluesy rock band from Vermont whose lead singer sounds a little like Joan Osborne.
As we watched the concert, the full moon slowly climbed higher into the sky as the evening progressed. The view off in the distance of the lights of the city of Denver and surrounding areas is a sight to be seen. When it grew dark, BHTM took the stage, andTodd announced it would be their longest concert ever. They played 34 tunes without taking a break, which is mind boggling. Playing a mix of new and old, the highlights for me included Cashbox, A Soul for Every Cowboy, Under a Silvery Moon (which we were), Blue Sky (Gerald's song), How Easy, Boom Boom, and Sister Sweetly to name but a few. The venue itself was a marvel to behold.
1 comment:
We were there too! The best concert experience I've had. Mark & I were lucky enough to be invited to lunch that day by Todd. It was surreal.
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