I went to Denver to see Arctic Monkeys at Red Rocks. Well, that was more like an excuse to go out there and visit my buddy Ed, but none the less, that was the big event of the trip. The day I got there, Ed and I were talking about music since he had just gotten on Spotify and we talked about Lucius. I mentioned that I'd love to see them live but they never came down to South Florida and at this point, probably wouldn't since it seemed like their tour was about done. Later that night, out of curiosity, I fired up the Bands in Town app to see who, besides Arctic Monkeys, might be in Denver in the next couple of days. I nearly pissed my pants when I saw Lucius was set to play on Saturday. Turns out they were playing New Belgium Brewery's Tour de Fat Beer and Bike fest. Best part: it was free! Meanwhile, Carlos, who was boarding a plane in Ft. Lauderdale, found out the same thing. We were psyched.
The fest itself was what you'd expect from the description. What seemed like thousands of bikes were lined up all over Denver's City Park. Hipsters and hipster adjacent individuals were all out in force and costumed (or not, it's hard to tell with hipsters sometimes). There was beer! There were other bands which we didn't really see, except for one we dubbed The Tuners, because they seemed to be tuning their instruments for a very long time. But whatever. Lucius!
We went by the main stage in time for Lucius, but first had to watch a kind of annoying dance contest involving what can only be described, with love, as "white people." Once that was wrapping up, we made our way to the front. And, because the people of Denver, those very same white people, are actually really great and polite, we were able to get ALL the way to the front, with ease. We were literally resting on the stage. And as the show started, we never got crushed or lost any space or footing. On the contrary, everyone was respectful, happy, polite and into the show. Try that shit in South Florida. LUCIUS!!
I've been talking about them for at least a year and a half now. I've written about them before here. I found them because I always listen to the new releases on Spotify, and liked their debut album Wildewoman a whole lot. Then I saw their NPR Tiny Desk Concert and it was settled, I love this band. And I want to see them again, hopefully in an indoor, small venue, where I can see them from just as close.
I've been close to the front at other shows, though not often. But this is the first time I've been right in their face and the main thing I got from it, that even made me a little emotional, is that it was the first time I've ever really seen a band that was clearly having fun while playing. They were smiling at each other once in a while when they'd do something that maybe was a little different than planned or was maybe a little off or whatever. The point is, they were enjoying what they were doing and from this distance, it was clear that was not for show. It was real. That's why I love this band. They know how loud my heart gets.
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