The String Cheese Incident “Shine” Bright On Night Three Of Red Rocks

The saying “Never Miss A Sunday Show” rang truer than ever last night, as The String Cheese Incident put on an absolute clinic at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. The third and final night of their annual run witnessed the Colorado-based group pull out all the stops as their “Mission: Impossible” to blow our minds was most definitely accomplished, and with plenty of flare at that.

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Back in April, SCI announced that any fan who purchased their latest release, Believe, via Pledge Music, would be able to help design a setlist from 63-hand-picked songs, of both new and “aged” Cheese. Last night’s first set would bear witness to some fabled classics, such as a “100 Year Flood” show opener (the first one since 1/1/16), which led into “Can’t Wait Another Day.” “Resume Man,” which made its debut back in 1996 and officially on 1997’s Born on the Wrong Planet, put plenty of smiles on the hometown crowd’s faces, as the band from Crested Butte channeled their old-school bluegrass leanings with Michael Kang on the fiddle and Keith Mosley singing with a touch of twang in his voice.

“Galactic > Don’t Say” led into “Shine,” and at this point, the spaceship started to lift well off the ground into the stratosphere. The duo of Michael Travis and Jason Hann on drums and percussion, respectively, always seem to be so on point, allowing for the rest of the band to go off on their own tangent’s while always finding their way back to the centerpiece of any song in the band’s catalog. “Shine” segued right into a set-closing “Texas,” taking us all on a brief little trip down to Dixieland to find a little trouble.

For set break, the audience was treated to a short set of stand-up from comedian Josh Blue, who was voted the Last Comic Standing on NBC’s show of the same name back in 2006. Not a typical occurrence at many concerts, this was certainly a treat that would actually be a much more welcome addition to shows in the future. If you get a chance to catch Blue perform his self-deprecating humor, do it, he is hilarious, and definitely kept the flow going on this particular evening.

The final set of the weekend was nothing short of sheer genius, as Cheese was firing on all cylinders. It was clear from the beginning notes of “Rivertrance” that the jokes ended when Josh Blue stepped off the stage, as Kang, Nershi, Moseley, Hollingsworth, Travis, and Hann were all business. As the entire tribe got down to the traditional number with that SCI flare, it was clear that the band was locked and fully loaded. Things got super funky on a Kyle-led “Dirk,” and opener Tyler Grant of The Grant Farm joined on “Get Tight.”

This show was a dream setlist for any true Cheese fan, and while it’s difficult to pick one song of the night, “Little Hands” might have to take home the prize. With both Kang and Nershi displaying beautiful interplay between one another, and Kyle taking a divine solo, the song displays everything that The String Cheese Incident is about. It was stunning, graceful, and nothing short of heavenly.

“Born On The Wrong Planet” followed, and at this juncture it became difficult to put just how perfect of a night this was into words. A monster “Rollover” sandwich put the finishing touches on the second set, with “Soul Shakedown Party” providing a little extra meat in the middle of it. As if the night couldn’t get any better, for what would be the first of two encores, Andy Hall and Chris Pandolfi of The Infamous Stringdusters joined for one of the best “Black Clouds” in recent history. “The Infamous Incident” became official, and will hopefully happen again at some point in the near future. Tyler Grant once again joined SCI on stage for a cover of The Grateful Dead‘s “Brown Eyed Women,” with everyone in attendance singing their hearts out.

Black Clouds w/ members of The Infamous Stringdusters. @sci_official @stringdusters #l4lm

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When the band came back out for a second encore, one would have thought a simple, light number would end the weekend, but the gentlemen of Cheese decided to put one hell of an exclamation point on things, and threw down a rocking “Rosie,” as if to pull every last bit of energy out of the Red Rocks faithful. And if that was the goal, then nothing else needs to be said then Mission Accomplished.

In addition to their upcoming festival appearances, Cheese announced plans for multi-night runs over Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve.