On Friday night, The Motet took to Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado, for a stellar night of funk along with Jurassic 5 and the California Honeydrops. The Colorado funk outfit’s annual return to Red Rocks is a highlight of the season, always eliciting a huge showing from hometown fans eager to see the group play the legendary outdoor venue in Denver’s backyard.
Opening the night up was the California Honeydrops, the eclectic Bay-Area band, whose starting slot hyping the crowd with their infectious energy and funk-infused blend of soul, R&B, and more. The Honeydrops’ relatively short set primed the audience for the next set by Jurassic 5, though those who missed out on the group were later treated a New Orleans-style second line from the group during the break between Jurassic 5 and The Motet’s headlining performance. Jurassic 5’s performance was similarly spirited following the Honeydrops, though distinctly differing in tone, with the legendary rap group putting on a feel-good and heavy-hitting set full of fan favorites. With rappers Chali 2na, Marc 7, Akil, and Soup at the forefront and turntablists DJ Nu-Mark and Cut Chemist on risers behind the rapping foursome, Jurassic 5’s performance could be read as a master course in how to totally command an audience, which was clearly a product of the decades the group has spent as a touring unit. Across their set, they frequently advocated for crowd participation, breaking out into choreographed steps and teasing songs like Nelly’s “Hot In Herre” across renditions of their well-known songs like “Quality Control,” “Concrete Schoolyard,” “Red Hot,” “Freedom,” among others.
When it finally came time for The Motet to take the stage, the packed amphitheater was ready to get into some good old-fashioned funk numbers. While the full line-up for The Motet was present, the group augmented their vocals for their Red Rocks show with the help of supporting vocalist Paul Creighton and Moorea Masa, further bolstering the larger-than-life vocals of frontman Lyle Divinsky. To open their set, the group broke out “The Truth,” which housed a resounding opening feature for saxophonist Drew Sayers. As the group moved in “Damn!,” The Motet really hit their stride, with the upbeat number eventually leading through to a psychedelic breakdown highlight guitarist Ryan Jalbert, whose patient solo built the song to its peak. In contrast to the lyrics of song instructing the obliging crowd to get down, the song’s melody was on an upward trajectory, with the horns echoing the guitar’s steady ascent.
Keyboardist Joey Porter carried the next number, “Back It Up,” with his shimmering stand-out solo eventually leading to the number’s close harkened in by Divinsky’s and the backup vocalist’s huge combined sound. After ringing in the last song, the vocalists left the stage to let the group get into the group’s dark all-instrumental powerhouse “Fountain.” The gritty feel of the older song was propelled by Garrett Sayers on the bass, though ornamented with Porter and the horn’s embellishments, frequently taking on again a psychedelic quality. The vocalist then returned for “Supernova,” the newest song from The Motet, which was released a few weeks ahead of their Red Rocks performance on Friday. “Supernova” is a distinctly more R&B-type tune with a disco-esque beat, with the interplay across Divinsky’s vocals and the rapid-fire horns giving the song an immense depth. The song also housed a solo for Porter, which led into a highlight of the veteran rhythm section of Porter, Sayers, and bandleader and drummer Dave Watts.
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After a brief introduction by Divinsky, The Motet blew through “Handcuffs,” which was one of the highlights of the evening, due particularly because of the singer’s forceful vocals and Jalbert and Garrett Sayers’ interweaving guitar and bass lines that brought the song to a close and straight through to the next song, “So High.” After a number of raucous dance-focused numbers, “So High” slowed things down, with the bass and the horns alternatingly building up the song ahead of Porter’s first vocal lead on the talkbox for the night. The ominous instrumental number “Cloak” followed, with the ensemble leaning into the spooky tone of the song before building it out into a resolution with “Keep On Don’t Stoppin’,” which fired up the packed auditorium with a clapping section led by Divinsky and Porter’s return to the talkbox for the end of the song.
Leading into Curtis Mayfield’s “Thankful,” Divinsky took time to note a few of the things the band is thankful for. The song was another one of the highlights of The Motet’s performance, with Divinsky’s soulful vocals and Garrett Sayers’ transcendent solo building the song to its peak before settling back into the laidback groove of the number. From there, the group introduced Chali 2na from Jurassic 5 to the stage to spit a few verses during the song, making for an outstanding collaboration to close out the song. The Motet then moved into “Rynodub,” characterized by its dramatic intro and a return to the darker vibe found during “Cloak” and “Fountain.” The song was a treat, with Porter’s ghostly synth, Jalbert’s agile Pink Floyd-esque guitar stylings, and the horns weaving across the melody to slowly build up the song. In contrast to these elements’ savory and sustained sound, Watts’ drumming was explosive, further heightening the tension of the number.
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Coming out of the all-instrumental number, “I Feel For You” snapped the audience out of its “Rynodub” haze, with the feel-good number also seeing the return of the vocalists. Building out the song straight into “Fool No More,” the final song of The Motet’s set saw a melodic bass solo from Garrett Sayers before allowing trumpeter Gabe Mervine to full step into the spotlight, with an initially demure solo that built in intensity and moved the band into the song’s bridge. The song’s end functioned as a perfect note to end the show on, with the massive sound from the horns closing out the number paired with Lyle’s immense vocals.
For their encore, The Motet chose “Danger” as the first of their two-song encore. With a clapping lead-in, the group intentionally added layers of sound, first with Porter’s happy-go-lucky keys, then with the addition of horns, before the rest of the band fully dropped into the number. With crisp horns ornamenting Divinsky’s stellar vocals, the song eventually moved into another solo for Mervine, with the trumpet’s wailing solo coasting over its spacious backing. “Closed Mouth” marked the final song of The Motet’s Red Rocks take over, with the fan favorite serving as an appropriately energized way to close their show. With tight horns and Divinsky effortlessly shifting to his falsetto and back again, the song eventually led to Watts’ standout moment with an appropriately huge solo toward the end of the number before the song’s final return to its theme and frenetic close.
The Motet’s Red Rocks performance on Friday highlighted why the group has had such an enduring presence both in Colorado and nationwide. The funk masters put on a stellar show for fans who packed the outdoor venue to its brim, while also offering attendees a diverse lineup of openers that all stayed in line with the band’s funk0focused message. You can check out photos from The Motet’s Red Rocks performance below, courtesy of Brittany Teuber. You can also catch The Motet when they perform an after-party at B.B. King Blues Club for Phish’s Baker’s Dozen on July 21st (tickets available here).
