On Thursday night, the Disco Biscuits took to Boulder, Colorado, for a “sold-out” fan appreciation show at the Fox Theatre, which was free to the limited number of lucky fans selected lottery style. The show kicked off the Biscuits’ three-night Colorado run, which will see the jamtronica juggernauts performing at Denver’s Fillmore Auditorium on Friday and Saturday. The 625-person venue was packed for the performance, providing the perfect setting for the intimate event meant to give back to the Disco Biscuits’ dedicated fan base. And give back to their fans they did, offering up a monstrous 49-minute jam to start their stand-out three-song second set, encoring with the band’s Perfume and punk-inspired version of “Kitchen Mitts”, and busting out “Naeba” for the first time since December 27th, 2011.

The Disco Biscuits Announce Free Colorado-Run Webcast

The first set opened with the bouncy and upbeat “Hope”, marking an energetic start to the show with its triumphant chorus and frenetic baroque-esque jam. An unfinished “Shelby Rose” came next, with the galloping tune eventually landing in a eerie portion augmented by Aron Magner’s added effects on the synth and Jon “Barber” Gutwillig’s cascading guitar. An abrupt drop into “The City” followed, during which Marc Brownstein’s prominent bass line clearly stood out as the key piece holding the tune together. “The City” ultimately moved into a slinky and spacious jam, before dropping into an inverted “Naeba”.

The Disco Biscuits’ jubilant and transcendent number “Naeba” was a highlight of the first set, given that the band last performed the song during their New Year’s Eve run ending 2011—marking almost six years since its last time played (though the Biscuits’ side project with Brownie and Aron, Electron, has frequently played the tune during its limited runs over the years). After this surprise bust-out, the band landed in “Astronaut”, eliciting a huge response from the crowd. The propulsive song eventually settled into the laid-back groove of a “Suspended In The Air” jam, highlighting Allen Aucoin’s precision drum work behind the kit and ending the first set on a high note.

The Disco Biscuits Announce 2018 Mid-Atlantic Run Supported By TAUK

While the first set was a solid offering from the Biscuits, it paled in comparison to the show’s second set, which saw the Disco Biscuits fully dialed in and truly bringing their A-game out. Barber opened the second set with some silly banter about being sued by Enya and her “heavies” impounding his car (this joke was later brought back, as  Enya’s “Orinoco Flow (Sail Away)” appropriately served as the walk-out music at the end of the show).

After this sidebar, the band opened with a massive 49-minute untitled jam, bringing the crowd into a frenzy. A meticulous and slower Egyptian-inspired opening theme implied that the band would drop into “Basis For A Day”. However, as the jam unfolded, the band diverged, instead moving into a slightly dark groove that rumbled along, slowly and steadily building. With Barber taking the lead and Magner adding flourishes on the keys, the segment eventually climaxed, landing in a dance-oriented section marked by Allen’s addition of crisp beats from his electronic drum pad. The band rode out this jam, giving it a proper work out (including some stellar soloing from Magner), before Brownie led the charge for a giant build to this section’s peak. The band then switched tones, landing in a cascading and bubbly closing section, which eventually opened up and became dreamy and light to finish off the second set’s extended opening jam.

Disco Biscuits Cover ‘Stranger Things’ Theme, Debut Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams” [Full Pro-Shot Show]

An abrupt drop in “Vassillios” followed, with the heavy-rock number keeping up the crowd’s high energy following the tremendous set opener. Barber shredded through the song, ripping through his solo ahead of the song’s disco-infused jam. This deepened into a heavier, resonate space, with the bright tone of Barber’s guitar dancing on top of and contrasting perfectly with the darker tone laid out by his band mates. The build was laced with spooky sounds, ultimately touching on an eerie reprieve before the group moved into the Latin-inspired groove of “Abraxas”. During Barber’s solo during the number, Aron and Brownie both dropped out, amplifying the power of the solo. Magner also was given his due time to shine, taking over with a strong, feel-good piano solo that felt refreshing in contrast to the somewhat heavier tone that characterized the majority of the second set.

Coming out of “Abraxas”, Magner led the group in teasing “Everyday People” by Sly & The Family Stone before the group segued into the triumphant set-closing “Story Of The World”. The uplifting major-key song and the pulsating jam it contained served as a huge finish to the show, with the fans packed into the Fox Theatre thanking the Biscuits with a huge and extended round of applause. Because the band was quickly running up on curfew (the planned setlist from the night showed that “Tricycle” and “Sound 1 Perfume” were cut from the second set), the band’s break before encore couldn’t have been more than a minute, with the group more or less returning to the stage immediately to close things things out with the punk-inspired Perfume version of “Kitchen Mitts”.

Spafford Welcomes The Disco Biscuits’ Aron Magner For Mad World Cover At Hulaween [Video]

You can check out the setlist from the Disco Biscuits’ fan appreciation show at Boulder’s Fox Theatre on Thursday below. Plus, relive the glory of the performance with full pro-shot video of the show and with a gallery of photos, courtesy of Dave Vann.

Setlist: The Disco Biscuits | Fox Theatre | Boulder, CO | 11/16/2017

Set One: Hope, Shelby Rose (unfinished) > The City >< Naeba > Astronaut

Set Two: Jam > Vassillios > Abraxas > Story Of The World

Encore: Kitchen Mitts (Perfume/punk version)