Until now I had never seen Portugal The Man in concert. So, I was excited for this show and to see them with the Colorado Symphony was a bonus. Knowing this show was at Red Rocks and that we wanted to get a good spot, Jess and I left town early for this show. I wasn’t sure if people would get there super early for this show or not. It seems to have been hit or miss on that the last couple of shows we had GA tickets for. Not wanting to risk it we got to Red Rocks around 11:30. We found a parking spot right next to the stairs where we knew we wanted to enter through. When we got there the venue was open to everyone as there were people there to work out or do some sightseeing. They were also setting up the stage so they had a portion of the seats closed off so people couldn’t get to close or on stage. Jess and I just sat off to the side in the shade and ate our lunch we brought, and people watched. There was one guy in particular who was running up and down the steps and he would weave around people walking around. He was obnoxious but entertaining to watch at times. At 2 they closed the Amphitheatre. At that point Jess and I lined up outside where we were the first ones in line. Where they had the barricades for us to line up was in the sun and it was already 90 degrees outside. We decided to go down the stairs a little bit where there was some shade from the trees. We were there for maybe 30-45 minutes when another couple walked up and lined up behind us in the shade. We all ended up staying there until the clouds rolled in and thankfully from that point on, we had shade throughout the rest of the day. I don’t think anyone else lined up behind us until about 5ish. Doors were at 6:30 and by that time there were quite a few people lined up. At 6:30 when they opened doors, I made a dash for the planters on the side as these are also GA spots. I chose the 3rd box as I thought it has the best view compared to the first two planters. Those views were partially blocked by the speakers on the stage. There was another older couple who was in line with us and I gave them a few tips on how to increase their odds of getting a good spot. They ended up getting the planter right behind us. Later in the night he bought me a beer for the tips that I shared with them. Once we had our spot established, I took off to grab some merch and drinks. While I was in line, they were handing out these posters that said blank changed my life. I ended up grabbing a couple for Jess and I then I noticed they were also giving away t-shirts. So, I asked if I could have a couple and they told me as long as I wrote on one of them saying what changed my life, I could take 2, so I did. Then when I was getting merch at the booth, I noticed they were also selling those shirts they were giving away. They must have had so many to give out and hoped that others would buy them, so that was cool I got a couple for free. After I made it back to our spot it wasn’t long after that that the first band came out.
I had never heard of Thee Sacred Souls, which was the opening act. They were a mellow band with a little bit of Blues and maybe some Jazz mixed into their sound. They were entertaining and the singer walked out into the crowd a couple of times. Not really the type of music I would normally listen to but again they did a good job of warming up the crowd. Jess did say she knew one of their songs. After their set Jess and I shared a taco bowl of some sort that was really good.
I didn’t notice what time Portugal the Man came out but when they did everyone there was on their feet. For their first 11 songs they had the Symphony on stage playing with them. After that they left and just the band played for 10 songs without them. After that the Symphony came back out on stage and finished the show with them. In total Portugal the Man played 30 songs. In that mixed they did a live debut of Tidal Wave. They also did a cover of Nirvana’s In Bloom. I don’t recall the singer engaging much with the crowd, they just played song after song. I thought they put on a great show and during their cover of In Bloom, Jess and I left our spot and moved into some open seats we saw. We ended up moving a couple of times and ended up in the center about 5 or 6 rows back, so we had a great view for the rest of the show, not that we didn’t already have a great view from the planter. The only disappointment was they didn’t play Live In The Moment. Other than that, I enjoyed their set. Jess and I had a great time and I hope that we get the chance to see them again live. Maybe next time from the rail.
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