By: Jaclyn Wickersham
As a lover of live music, my lifelong dream was to see a concert at Red Rocks in Colorado. Spending many nights of my adolescence watching YouTube livestream performances from the venue, I have been cultivating this aspiration for a long time. This dream was particularly special because it was one I shared with my father. We would often look at the arena’s upcoming headliners and fantasize about going to the ones we liked. As much as we talked about seeing a show at Red Rocks, we never actually made a concrete plan to experience a show at this beloved amphitheater. That was until Noah Kahan announced he was headlining a concert there in July of 2023. My family has been Noah Kahan listeners since his EP “Cape Elizabeth” in 2020. Being New Englanders, splitting our time between Maine and Massachusetts, we all really connected to the small-town New England experience Kahan displays in his work. Having dreamed of going to Red Rocks for so long and being Noah Kahan superfans, we immediately bought the tickets, booked the flights, and waited all year for July 26th to roll around.
On the evening of the concert, we drove up to the venue and tailgated before beginning our accent to the amphitheater. Even the area where we parked the car was magical, covered in smooth orange, uniquely shaped rocks with distinct lines from weathering. As we hiked up to the theater, the rocks grew in size, each slightly different than the last. As we entered the venue, we climbed up concrete steps, grabbing onto railings built into a massive rock, auburn in color that grew in height the more we climbed. Eventually, the rock grew so high it was as if it swallowed us whole.
Once inside, we found our seats in the dead center of the arena. Over my left shoulder was a massive rock that sloped down. It had a jagged top and got shorter the closer it got to the stage. It was textured and layered with greenery growing from a few lush spots. To my right side was another large rock. This one has a smooth top that is also slanted down toward the stage. This rock was less textured and far sharper in its shape. The right rock was also darker than the one directly across but was illuminated by the glow of the rising moon, present in the sky before the sun even began to set. After finding our seats, I spent a long time taking in my surroundings, my mouth likely agape as I stared around at this beautiful place I only ever saw through a computer screen.
The opener, Briston Maroney, and his band played a fantastic set as the sun descended behind them. The glow from the sunset illuminated the Denver city skyline faintly present behind the stage. The sun continued to set, casting a glow over the venue as he played his hit song “Freakin’ out on the Interstate,” creating an ethereal and magical atmosphere. As dusk commenced, the lights cast upon the rocks became visible, and the crowd’s anticipation of Kahan’s performance grew. My family was theorizing what the setlist would be like and what song he would choose to open with after Maroney exited the stage. Remembering back to previous shows of his we’d seen, we compared theories when the dark stage suddenly lit up. The crowd roared as the audio from “The View Between Villages- Extended Version” played. His band began taking their places, and suddenly Kahan ran out, ukulele in hand, and began singing one of my personal favorite songs, “All My Love.”
The opening songs of the set were incredible. Kahan’s energy was electric, gushing as the crowd sang every word along with him. His vocals were near perfect, and his band was the perfect balance of sharp and fun. After the commencing songs, he spoke about how excited he was to be headlining Red Rocks for the very first time, a venue he had only ever dreamed of performing at. After an electric opening, the set slowed down, featuring songs from the deluxe version of his most recent release, “Stick Season (We’ll All be Here Forever),” like the somber “No Complaints” and the emotional “Call Your Mom” written for his friend, former Colorado native, who tragically passed away. These slow-tempo songs, like the beloved “Growing Sideways,” had Kahan’s clear and beautiful vocals on full display. Also showcased in these songs was the famous acoustics of the amphitheater. During this section of the set, the emotions in the venue had transitioned from joy and excitement to rawer feelings of sentiment and sadness. It was so powerful to experience the beauty of the space paired with the poetic nature of Kahan’s lyricism, welcoming people to feel every emotion that presented itself.
While things got quite emotional in the middle of Kahan’s song set, he always lightened the mood with his stage presence and cynically comedic commentary. His humble disbelief in playing Red Rocks added so much to an already extraordinary evening. In honor of the show being a special performance, he altered his traditional setlist, adding his favorite songs, bringing out a special guest, and even taking an audience suggestion.
He concluded his set with my favorite song, “God Light,” an impromptu performance of “Paul Revere” that an audience member suggested, and his hit single “Stick Season.” Watching one of my favorite artists in such a formative time in his career at this iconic venue was a magical way to fulfill my number one bucket list item. There is something so special about seeing a show at Red Rocks in a space that is ethereal, historic, and welcomes you to, in the words of Noah Kahan, “say whatever you feel/ be wherever you are.” However, there is something even more special about fulfilling your dream while watching someone else fulfill theirs.
