Last Saturday, October 1st, future-funk all-star GRiZ took Red Rocks Amphitheatre by storm for his second sold out show at the iconic amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado. His dedicated fan base known as ‘GRiZ Family’ showed up in numbers early in the day while embodying GRiZ’s overarching message of “Show Love, Spread Love.”
Hugs, high-fives, and good vibes were in abundance from the minute the gates opened and the love carried all the way through the last note played at the after party at the Gothic Theatre in Denver, also headlined by GRiZ. Coming fresh off the release of Good Will Prevail, his fourth full-length album which made it to #12 overall album on iTunes on release day, his return to Colorado was sure to be full of surprises. While expectedly playing a few tunes for the first time live and offering VIP remixes specially crafted for the event, GRiZ also had a number of special guests appearances, which added an extra dimension to the show.
In addition to Ida Hawk singing on several songs, other guests included Kevin Donahue of SunSquabi on guitar and Ivan Jackson from Brasstracks on trumpet. The night began with a smooth performance by Detroit duo Gosh Pith as the stands filled quickly, followed by Artifakts who brought some electronic hip-hop beats into the mix alongside drummer Ben Ricker. The Brooklyn based band Brasstracks had direct support duties, bringing their own unique flavor of horn infused remixes and originals which played well into GRiZ’s saxophone laden jams which would come next. Natalie Cressman also sat in during the set, lending her skills as a trombonist to the band’s electric mix.
GRiZ opened the show with a surprise saxophone intro perfromed above the sound board and surrounded by fans before slipping through the crowd onto the stage for the first big drop alongside guitar player/singer Muzzy Bear. While mixing through songs new and old, the Detroit born producer could be seen grooving across the stage and pouring his heart into his saxophone leads atop his DJ table.
In one of the most interesting turn of events, flames lit up the stage while GRiZ played a heartfelt solo that brought him to his knees before running back to his controller to deliver as huge drop as flames shot toward the sky. By the end of the performance, GRiZ had a call and echo with the crowd, having fans yelling at the top of their lungs “I believe, all we need, in this world, is more love.”
One thing is for sure, GRiZ is all about the good vibes which could be why Colorado is now a second home for the 26-year-old label head of All Good Records. Although our memories are still fresh from this year’s special show, we are already looking forward to next year’s “GRiZ Rocks.”
