Silversun Pickups, 3OH!3, Hives, Wombats, Regret Night – all at KTCL’s Big Gig

Maybe my longest title ever.

But lots of bands played for Channel 93.3 last weekend at their annual “Big Gig” and I was thrilled to be there photographing it all courtesy of headliners Silversun Pickups.

The first act to hit the infamous Red Rocks stage was perhaps the band happiest to be playing there: locals Regret Night. They won the concert among KTCL listeners to play on the big stage, while other awesome bands (cough cough, as in my personal faves Nautical Mile) played a second stage at the top of Red Rocks all afternoon. I had never seen Regret Night before, but they put on a great show, and had a ton of enthusiastic fans there cheering them on early.

Next up were Englishmen, The Wombats. You may have heard their song “Jump Into The Fog.” I was impressed that they were way more raucous than I expected, but also – they had travel problems and arrived for their set with only 45 minutes to spare.

If you live in Colorado, you are used to bands discussing the altitude. Denver is 5,280 above sea level. At Red Rocks, it’s another 1,000 feet up, and generally pretty blustery. So props to these guys for getting right off the plane and kicking ass.

After The Wombats, five dudes in top hats and tails stomped out on stage. I had never seen The Hives before, but everyone told me they would rock my face off. Um yeah.

They also rocked me right onto my ass when the guitarist dove into the press pit and knocked us all over like bowling pins.

^ Please note their ninja roadie.

Oh! Here is that time Niklas Almqvist from The Hives bonked me in the head with his guitar.

In a nutshell, those boys are crazy and awesome.

Speaking of crazy, next up were Boulder natives 3OH!3, which unbelievably, I had never seen, much less photographed.

If you have ever listened to their music, you can imagine how fun their show is to watch. I mean, they had wolves with lasers for eyes. How awesome is that?

And finally!

The headliner, and one of my favorite bands – Silversun Pickups. Their song “Panic Switch” has to be one of my favorite all time songs, and I love seeing these guys live. They are a good solid rock show, from really talented musicians. Not a lot of frills – just great music.

I really appreciate the band having me along to photograph the show, and them. Their new album, Neck Of The Woods, is awesome, although I didn’t expect anything else. Personally, my favorite song is “Make Believe,” although I am sure you have heard the first single “Bloody Mary,” too.

I also like that Silversun Pickups is the kind of band that can carry a huge venue like Red Rocks just as easily as the smaller venues I have previously seen them in. Although, with the atmosphere and acoustics of Red Reds – I won’t lie.

KTCL’s Big Gig was a big treat.