The spirit of musical collaboration was once again in the air at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on Friday as The Motet staged a sold-out show with an expansive lineup of friends. The concert at the Morrison, CO venue also saw the debut of Eric Krasno‘s latest project, Eric Krasno & The Assembly.

Along for the ride to lend The Motet a hand were Krasno, Antwaun Stanley (Vulfpeck), and Jason Hann (The String Cheese Incident), plus Jennifer Hartswick and Natalie Cressman (Trey Anastasio Band). Before the star-studded set, however, it was time for Krasno to let audiences in on his latest endeavor with his opening set alongside The Assembly.

The renowned guitarist delivered some offerings from the group’s upcoming debut album, expected in September, including the track “Leave Me Alone”. Also scattered among the setlist full of debuts were some choice covers, including a take on The Allman Brothers Band‘s “Dreams”.

Alongside his talented co-conspirators Wil Blades (organ/keys), Otis McDonald (bass/vocals), Curtis Kelley (drums/vocals), and James VIII (guitar/vocals), Krasno was able to display a unique side to his already iconic sound.

After introducing Eric Krasno & The Assembly to the world, it was time for the main event as The Motet took the stage. Joey Porter‘s clavinet acted as the starting gun as the show kicked off with “Nemesis” as just the core members of the group kicked things off. Slowly but surely, the special guests filed onstage as Hann joined The Motet on “Can’t Fool Me” while Porter donned a talkbox and took on lead vocals. Soon enough, he tossed off vocals to the heavenly choir of Stanley, Hartswick, and Cressman for the band’s debut live take on “And The Beat Goes On” by The Whispers, which was released as a single earlier this year.

Once Krasno took to the stage, all the special guests were present and accounted for and the show moved on through “Damn!”, “So High”, “Supernova”, “Highly Compatible”, “Closed Mouth Don’t Get Fed”, and “Keep On Don’t Stoppin'” without missing a single beat. The marathon funk session rolled on with a debut of Mint Condition‘s “Funky Weekend”, into an extensive drum solo between Hann and The Motet’s Dave Watts before the all-star lineup regrouped for “YFJF”, “Death or Devotion”, the penultimate “The Fountain”, and the show-stopping “Get it Right” that closed out the set.

Thunderous encore applause summoned the lineup back to the stage, where the once-again instrumental ensemble took on the hard-hitting “Rynodub” before a rendition of The Time‘s “Jungle Love” brought the affair to a close.

Scroll down to check out a gallery of images from The Motet & Friends with Eric Krasno & The Assembly at Red Rocks from Friday courtesy of Colin McKinley. A full-show video of the concert is also available via nugs.

The Motet & Friends, Eric Krasno & The Assembly – Red Rocks Amphitheatre – Morrison, CO – 6/4/21 – Full-Show Video

[Video: nugsnet]

Setlist: The Motet | Red Rocks Amphitheatre | Morrison, CO | 6/4/21

Set: Nemesis, Can’t Fool Me, Fearless, And the Beat Goes On %, Damn! > So High > Supernova > Highly Compatible > Closed Mouth Don’t Get Fed > Keep On Don’t Stoppin’, Six Eight Duder, Funky Weekend $ > Drumz, YFJF, Death or Devotion, The Fountain, Get it Right

E: Rynodub, Jungle Love #

with Antwaun Stanley (vocals), Jennifer Hartswick (vocals, trumpet), Natalie Cressman (vocals, trombone), Jason Hann (percussion), and Eric Krasno (guitar)
% The Whispers cover, debut
$ Mint Condition cover
# The Time cover