Last night in the heart of downtown Denver, the Magic Beans played a sold-out show to their hometown crowd at Mile High Spirits. Coming off of a well-received summer on the East Coast, including sets at The Peach Music Festival and Camp Bisco, fans were eager to see what the Beans have been busy cooking up, as a massive line wrapped halfway around the block from the music venue/distillery’s front doors. Up and coming jamgrass quintet and Denver locals Part and Parcel got the night started off with the opening duties, amping up the packed room with their fast-paced pickin’.

With barely an inch to move about the venue, the Magic Beans opened the show with “Contraband”, with guitarist Scott Hachey leading the way on vocals. Bassist Chris Duffy and drummer Cody Wales found their sweet spot right out of the gates, locking things in with their infectious rhythm section. In the midst of taking “Contraband” out for a deep ride, the four mastermind musicians got dark and evil, teasing Phish’s “Carini”, before coasting back into a well-executed untzy-jam. “What In The World” was up next, before the Magic Beans dropped their first debut of the night, “Nude”.

The debuts kept coming, as Hachey led the group into another new original, “Fortune’s Fool”. The Magic Beans then invited up badass vocalist Megan Letts (Mama Magnolia), for a powerful cover of Aaliyah’s 1998 hit “Are You That Somebody”. With the help of Letts, the Beans knocked the hip-hop cover out of the park, with a rowdy crowd assisting with the lyrics and singing along. Transitioning into an “808 Jam” out of “Are You That Somebody”, the seasoned jammers kept things interesting with a hip-hop infused jam, as keyboardist Casey Russell laid down some funky work using his Talk Box effect.

With Cody Wales signaling for a tempo change, the Magic Beans switched gears and smoothly segued into “Lost & Found”. With Duffy and Wales locked and loaded, Hachey and Russell got to work, taking things into deep intergalactic space, as lighting designer Tim Farquar showered the crowd with rainbow lasers. “Off Leash”, the third original Magic Beans debut of the evening, served as the set closer, as Hachey showered the crowd with one last ferocious guitar solo. The Magic Beans were the gift that kept on giving last night, keeping the bouncing crowd on their toes the entirety of set one.

Following a brief set break, the Magic Beans opened set two with a cover of Prince’s “1999”, inviting Megan Letts onstage again to assist on vocals. Being Minnesota natives, Hachey and Russell nailed the cover of their beloved hometown hero, The Purple One, before Duffy landed into the bubbly opening theme of “Mission”. After sailing out of the main theme of “Mission”, Hachey took the lead on a blissful solo, with Duffy and Wales keeping things extra tight in the pocket. Russell found a feel-good groove on the synth, before Hachey set the room on fire with a scorching solo, continuing to peak before Duffy dropped a massive bass bomb leading back into “Mission’s” main theme.

The biggest bust out of the night came next, as the Beans dropped into “Operation”, played for the first time in four years. The remainder of the jam-heavy second set was a massive sandwich, as the four-piece wove “Feed The Beast”> “Lazer Lady”> “Lost & Found”> “Lazer Lady”> “Feed The Beast” together for a solid 45-minutes of non-stop creative improvisation. The opening segue of “Feed The Beast” featured Hachey laying down some Fear and Loathing samples, with Chris Duffy stealing the show and taking things into a jam-pocket that the Magic Beans like to call “DuffZone”. Duffy and Wales are a force to be reckoned with, sounding tight and impeccable from start to finish. Clad in black and white high socks and some swaggy Nike basketball shoes, Hachey brought it all home, transitioning back into “Lazer Lady” for the final time of the evening.

Coming back out for their encore, the Magic Beans played the recently debuted “To Hell We Ride”, before dropping into a cover of Ween’s “Monique The Freak”. With Russell providing the vocal work using his Talk Box effect again, the Magic Beans got the sold-out crowd dancing and grooving one last time, as the clocks pushed past 1 a.m.

For a list of the Magic Beans upcoming tour dates and ticket information head to the band’s website.

Setlist: Magic Beans | Mile High Spirits | Denver, CO | 8/23/2018

Set One: Contraband^, What In The World> Nude*> Fortune’s Fool*> Are You That Somebody*’, 808 Jam> Lost & Found> Off Leash*

Set Two: 1999’~> Mission> Operation”, Feed The Beast+> Lazer Lady> Lost & Found> Lazer Lady> Feed The Beast

Encore: To Hell We Ride, Monique The Freak

^Carini (Phish) tease
*Debuts (3 new originals + Aaliyah classic)
‘ w/ Megan Letts (Mama Magnolia) on vocals
~ LTP 12/31/2016
” LTP 4 years ago
+ DuffZone w/ Fear and Loathing samples