The String Cheese Incident knocked the ball straight out of Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre on the first night of their three-evening residency at the beloved Colorado venue Friday night. The show billed as The New Orleans Incident was a literal parade of special guests like Dumpstaphunk, George Porter Jr., Tarriona “Tank” Ball of Tank and the Bangas and even included a full-on drone airshow.
Guitarist and vocalist Billy Nershi, wearing a feathered Mardi Gras mask, greeted the crowd as the band took the stage following the opening set from Dumpstaphunk. The String Cheese Incident wasted no time before getting the good time rolling. Beloved feel-good opener “The Best Feeling In The World” set the tone for what was to come: The rock sections were peppier; the island reggae sections were a bit beatific; and the smiles on the band matched those in the already blissed-out, dancing Red Rocks stands.
By the time Cheese spiraled out of the long instrumental outro and into the infinitely vast organ chords from Kyle Hollingsworth, accompanied by the slinky and sassy basslines of Keith Moseley, Cheese was met with mile-high waves of surging crowd energy. Nershi, clearly feeling the love, showcased his expressive, heartfelt style perfectly playing the solo section of tune two, “Outside And Inside”.
From there, The String Cheese Incident complemented the joyful vibe with a “Joyful Sound”. The delightful singalong nature of the tune hit the crowd in their collective sweet spot. Dancers, already delightedly spinning, sped up their rotations as the next tune, “Can’t Wait Another Day”, kicked in with a reminder that life is precious, short, and to be lived in the moment. Percussionist Jason Hann made a powerful statement with his rolling, thunderous drumming on the congas while his partner in pocket, Michael Travis, kept perfect time through the piece’s crescendo.
As they finished, a flurry of activity began. From the stage wings, Dumpstaphunk’s horn section of Alex Wasily on trombone and Ashlin Parker on trumpet returned to the stage riser where they had just helped warm up the crowd for Cheese’s arrival. Bassist Tony Hall, keyboard king Ivan Neville, and drummer Deven Trusclair also squeezed themselves into position on the suddenly crowded stage.
Meanwhile, from the top of the iconic Red Rocks stands, Colorado’s own funkateers Brothers Of Brass made a boisterous entrance rolling through the crowd second line style, parading down the stands. Their entrance and march towards the front of the stage provided a distraction while also keeping the energy high, giving Dumpstaphunk and String Cheese a minute to transition. The Brothers’ eight-man wrecking crew was welcomed by Nershi as a wave of funk washed over against the stage.
Promptly finding their way to a row of microphones at the stage’s lip, the brass portion of the band set up on the front line while their marching percussion backed them figuratively and literally. The Brothers played up and down the line admirably before departing as fast as they had come.
In their sonic wake, the now-blended bands began the next portion of the show. Moseley abandoned his spot completely, joining Hann on his riser alongside Trusclair so that Tony Hall could do his thing. With Ivan Neville taking lead vocals on a positively jubilant rendition of the Professor Longhair classic “Big Chief”—a debut cover for SCI—the guests and New Orleans spirit kept flowing into the next number, Dr. John staple “Right Place, Wrong Time”, with Tank bringing some sultry sass to the mix.
Keeping the parade going, bassist for funk pioneers The Meters George Porter Jr. joined the party. Hall slipped over to guitar for an indignant “People Say” with Porter, Hall, and Neville all sharing vocal duties. Porter followed the funky protest song with a brief nod to how the nearly 50-year-old tune was still incredibly relevant. Saying, “If we want shit to keep getting better, we gotta get the f-ck out and vote, people!” After following that up with crowd fave “Sneakin’ Sally Through The Alley”, Tank rejoined the augmented ensemble for a set-closing “Fire On The Bayou”.
When Cheese retook the stage for set two, they brought Tony Hall with them for a smidge of help on lead vocals and guitar on a driven “Get To You”. As Hall departed, Tank and Ivan Neville returned. Noting it was her first time playing with “The Cheese” and that “you never forget your first time with the Cheese,” she and the band delivered a multi-sensory assault that took the party airborne with a lighted drone show. The sky over Red Rocks was filled with a giant series of trains and delightful strains of music made on the stage below.
From that insane display, The String Cheese, now back to their usual format, reminded folks they didn’t need any tricks, bells, whistles, or treats to blow minds. Getting tribal and modal with an intricate “BollyMunster” was fun, but Jason Hann stole the show at the song’s conclusion with a percussive crescendo.
Remembering that they were founded as a bluegrass band, SCI brought out high-steppin’ “One Step Closer” before one of the better instrumental seques of the evening coalesced into a rousing take on Eddie Money’s “Two Tickets To Paradise”. Drummer Michael Travis, who had has his work cut out for him all evening with a wide range of rhythmic pockets, took the intro section of “It Is What It Is” as his chance to stretch out and show what he had left in his repertoire of fills and chills. After using the tune to remind folks that he and Hann were both the rudders of the band, Travis passed the baton to Kang, who threw some mini-guitar shredding in before the jam-packed set finally concluded with the techno tinged, jamtronic “Colliding”.
For the encore, Dumpsta’s horns came back out for a sprightly “Mrs. Brown’s Treehouse” > “Mercy Mercy Mercy” > “Mrs. Brown’s Treehouse” sandwich that sent the exhausted crowd out on a high note.
Check out pro-shot video and click below to view a gallery of photos from photographer Kit Tincher.
It’s hard to imagine how they could follow up that unprecedented show on night two, but if any band can, it’s surely “The Cheese.” Tune in tonight via nugs.net as the band continues its Red Rocks run with The Colorado Incident, followed on Sunday by The Nashville Incident featuring special guests Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, and Sierra Hull. For tickets and a full list of the band’s upcoming shows, head here.
The String Cheese Incident – “The Best Feeling In The World” – 7/12/24
Setlist: The String Cheese Incident | Red Rocks Amphitheatre | Morrison, CO | 7/12/24
Set 1: The Best Feeling In The World > Outside And Inside, Joyful Sound, Can’t Wait Another Day, (Brothers In Brass Second Line intro), Jam, Big Chief w/Dumpstaphunk(Professor Longhair), Right Place Wrong Time w/ Tank (Dr.John), People Say (The Meters) > Everybody Got a To Live (Allen Toussaint), Sneakin Sally Down The Alley (Allen Toussaint), Fire on the Bayou (The Meters)
Set 2: Get To You w/Tony Hall, Last Train w/Tank & Ivan Neville, BollyMunster, One Step Closer, Two Tickets to Paradise (Eddie Money) > It Is What it Is > Funky Good Times Jam > Colliding
Encore: Mrs Brown’s Teahouse > Mercy Mercy Mercy > Mrs Brown’s Teahouse
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