A three night run at Red Rocks is the type of thing bands spend decades trying to attain. This year marked the 14th time that hometown heroes The String Cheese Incident have headlined and this Friday opener represented their 32nd time performing at the historic venue. Their Red Rocks runs have been frenetic and anything but predictable. Everything from high-flying trapeze artists, skydivers, special guests, and incredible music have been a part of the spectacle in years past.
The String Cheese Incident called upon a slew of fellow Colorado artists to open up the shows, giving all three bands their first chance to play at Red Rocks. On this night it was the latest project from the mind of Jonny Jyemo is the multicultural musical melee known as Jyemo Club. SCI’s Michael Travis introduced the band eloquently before the 10-piece group took the stage for a 45 minute set beneath overcast skies and then a steady drizzle. This is a newer group who has garnered a lot of attention based on the various musicians who have hopped on board the project. The members hail from 5 different countries and their website is in both English and Spanish. The highlight of their set was an appropriately explosive original entitled “Sunshine and Rain.”

The precipitation eased off before The String Cheese Incident took the stage and opened with the title track to their most recent studio effort Believe. SCI then hit the fans hard with a slew of classics. Guitarist Bill Nershi set the tone during “Smile” before “These Waves” built nicely before a beautiful segue into “Dijbouti Bump.” The hits kept coming with a momentous “Can’t Stop Now” featuring some seriously tight vocals from Keith Moseley. The lights looked fantastic, utilizing a massive projector screen to really add some texture to the stage. The “Miss Brown’s Teahouse,” which may have been the highlight of the show, drifted into the 13-year bust out “Parker’s Blues” before returning to the teahouse. The band then kept it rolling with a ridiculous “Birdland” sandwich in which “the fiddle players’ national anthem” “Orange Blossom Special” served as the meat.

The second set began with the return of rain as String Cheese opened with “You’ve Got The World” which quickly gave way to a wompy “Valley of the Jig.” An appropriate “Windy Mountain” came next and transitioned cleanly into “Joyful Sound” was no exception. After a dark “Rumble” the band continued with the classic “Outside and Inside.” Fans then got a treat with the perfectly executed cover of Tom Petty’s “You Wreck Me.” This was a debut for SCI as was the next song, the composed classical number, “In The Hall of the Mountain King.” The band wrapped it all up with a fitting, “Beautiful.” Travis and Jason Hann invited members of Jyemo Club up for an extended “Drums” jam to start off the encore, before the rest of the group joined in on Jerry Jeff Walker’s “Don’t It Make You Want To Dance.” Far from allowed the weather dampen their spirits, The String Cheese Incident seemingly used it as inspiration. The group continues to be an innovative musical force while maintaining the sound that drew audiences to their scene in the first place.