What better place to experience live music again than Red Rocks? Before this week, it’d been a solid year and a half since stepping foot into Red Rocks Amphitheatre—the longest amount of time between shows since I first arrived in Colorado in 2011. ZHU‘s Tuesday night DREAMROCKS show, the second of his six night run, would be my first real concert back.
I was a bit skeptical about how the reduced capacity would affect the experience, but it turned out to be ideal. No lines for the bathroom? Nobody stepping on your shoes or trying to steal your spot? Some of these benefits were things I didn’t even know I longed for until I had them. Ticket prices were a bit steeper than normal, sure, but at times it felt like I had paid for a VIP ticket with all the perks of reduced capacity.
In fact, now that I’ve experienced how Red Rocks operates with around 2,500 attendees, I’m not exactly dying to go back to 10,000. I highly recommend hitting as many of these reduced capacity shows as you can before the state allows the venue to return to full-on normalcy. Here’s a list of our top picks of upcoming shows that are happening right now.
Image Credit / Joey Vitalari
As far as the show itself went, ZHU continues to be one of the most consistent live performers in the electronic scene. Considering he likes to tour nonstop, it’s relieving to know that he’s always bringing a fresh set to the stage. As a fan since The Nightday, I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve seen ZHU live, but for each stop he ensures that you aren’t hearing a recycled setlist.
The live elements of the show that feature live sax and guitar will always be my favorite parts. ZHU has also now added a live drummer to his band, giving those kicks just a little more umph. I also can never get enough of the cheeky live edits of the tracks ZHU plays out, designed to really galvanize the crowd. The first part of ZHU’s set leaned a bit more towards his darker techno sounds, while the second half jumped around different tempos, keeping the audience on their toes.
Image Credit / Joey Vitalari
The set wasn’t perfect however. It was somewhat of a let down to hear him close with “My Life,” his collaboration with Tame Impala. The track has been out for three years, and although it might be a fan favorite, I was hoping he would use his encore to play some new cuts from DREAMLAND 2021 or preview some unreleased bangers. His new song “Good4U” with Kota The Friend seems like it was crafted for a live setting, but it was unfortunately omitted from the setlist that evening.
If you’re looking to hop in on the action before Red Rocks returns to its fall capacity, we highly recommend making it to one of ZHU’s DREAMROCKS shows. Some tickets are still available for face value on the AXS website. You can find purchase them right here.