Excellent show on a hot September afternoon. The second of three shows in a residency, it comes on the heels of an underwhelming — but sold out! — Sunday night set. Sparsely attended, no doubt due to it being a Monday afternoon, there was ample room to spread out, have a picnic, dance, and get wild. The show opened with a healthy microtonal segment featuring five songs from three albums, including the year's first Anoxia and a highly enjoyable Billabong Valley that saw Amby scale the famously steep Red Rocks steps up to about Row 45, where he sang the first verse surrounded by the Swarm. Following the Microtonal segment, we were treated to an array of relative rarities played in a relatively rare way. The band was loose and goofy, cracking jokes and quoting Queen for no particular reason. We got a very nice Plastic Boogie, then Joey grabbed his acoustic and proceeded to lead the band in this year's first Tetrachromacy. He kept the acoustic out for, among other songs, this year's first It's Got Old, Myster Jack, Silhouette, and only the second God is Calling Me Back Home since 2015! We were then treated to a Mirage City sandwich, piled high with this year's first Dirt (only the sixth ever!) and healthy dollop of Work This Time. They finished the show fully electric, running through three new songs in quick succession to finally close it out with a choice Hot Water, full of quotes and teases as the very best renditions usually are. 

The majority of us stuck around for the late set that evening, so we had a chance to make some friends while the band treated us to the new Pipe-eye and Heavy Moss records played over the PA. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon! Even though the set clocks in under two hours, it features a well-curated setlist full of rarities and fan favorites. The relaxed atmosphere lent itself to some excellent performances and Red Rocks at about two-thirds capacity is just lovely. Couldn't have asked for a better day!

Elbow, Muddy Water, and Dragon were highlights. No microtonal songs. Not much jamming. Only one garage rock song that should have gone on a lot longer than it did. Too much unrehearsed material. Too much Jay Weinberg. WAY too much of the table without much payoff. Red Rocks is a beautiful venue, but a sold-out show there can be a bit of a headache. Hoping for less disappointing scene and less disappointing set tomorrow.