I had the opportunity to open up for Trombone Shorty back in 2009.  Like many acts that I’ve supported over the years, I had no idea who they were, how incredible they could perform, or how much of an impact they would have on my music collection.  This was certainly the case with Shorty.  For starters, he has a horn style and tone that really only originates from one place on earth: New Orleans.  His fluidity on both the trumpet and trombone is awesome, but his ability to play a wide variety of instruments, sing, dance, entertain and conduct his band is hard to beat.  I remember watching him clap out drum patterns over a 16 measure framework and then watch in amazement as the band matched these rhythmic motifs on the fly over the next 16 bars.  The guy really is a true musician and performer of the highest order–a musical adept.

I’ve seen Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue many times since then.  The stages started small–I can remember a great show at Tipitina’s on Halloween (circa 2009 as well) with only about 300 people.  The next year, the joint was sold out, and it was hard to keep your spot around the balcony.  Then he started closing Jazzfest on Sunday, and performing at 1500+ seat venues.  His material was being played all over, even landing an intro spot on MTV’s Real World New Orleans.  Although he was killing it around his home town, his act was relatively new to Colorado at the time.  His first Red Rocks shows were usually as an opener, or squeezed together with multiple acts, limiting his exposure to only about a set.  If I’m honest, I really didn’t like seeing him on a big stage, whether at Jazzfest or Red Rocks the fit just didn’t seem right.

The 2018 Red Rocks show billed as the “Voodoo Threauxdown” completely changed my mind.  Although I’m not a big fan of several acts billed together as one show, this one had something special.  The night was opened up by the New Breed Brass band (who I didn’t see unfortunately, sorry!)  Preservation Hall jazz band was next, who brought a healthy dose of jazz, Cajun, Latin and creole music to the stage.  Galactic, a New Orleans staple, followed suit.  I must say, I really miss Houseman.  However, Erica Falls did a nice job on the pipes and brought a distinctly different soulful vibe to the show.  Walter “Wolfman” Washington, one of the many New Orleans blues legends, joined Galactic on stage for a few numbers as well.  All in all, a very typical Galactic show, but fun nevertheless.

Things really picked up a notch when Trombone Shorty took the stage.  The energy was brimming right off the top, and the crowd was super excited.  The band had a slightly different look to it this time–on stage with Orleans Avenue were two background singers, an additional guitarist and another drummer.  At first, I was like WTF?  What do you need an extra drummer for with Joey Peebles, who is an animal in his own right.  I never got the answer but the second drummer did a great job of mimicking Joey, and there was never any confusion or unnecessary rhythmic noise from the drum section.

I’m not familiar with all of Shorty’s works, but I believe the opener was “Quiet as Kept”, followed by a really up-tempo version of “On Your Way Down”, both great tunes from the Backatown album released in 2010.  One of the really impressive things about this show overall was how Shorty worked the bigger stage–there was a lot more interaction between musicians.  I remember the horn section plus Shorty surrounding guitarist Pete Murano as he wailed away during an extended solo in the first part of the show.   It was super dramatic and intense!  There was also a very cool trombone and bass duo in the middle of the set that featured Mike Ballard and some really jazzy riffs underneath Shorty’s horn playing–very New Orleans.  Each instrumentalist was featured in their own right and even the background singers got a chance to belt it out later in the show.

Trombone Shorty actually did a lot of singing in this performance.  “Something Beautiful”, one of his more popular vocal songs, was a real hit with the crowd who sang along word for word.  On the one hand, it’s cool to see him be able to command the stage in this way; on the other hand, I was left wanting more horn playing!  The special treat of the night came when they brought out Cyril Neville (one of the original Meters).  He performed a couple tunes with the band, including the classic Meters hit “Fire on the Bayou”.  I’m guessing that this is one of the few times that peeps will still be able to see Cyril, as he is getting up there in age.  However, it didn’t stop him from working the crowd like a pro–that was really fun to watch.

After the set was over, the band returned with an encore “Hurricane” with the entire show cast–New Breed Brass band, Preservation Hall band, Galactic, Erica Falls, “Wolfman”, and Cyril.  I think the entire audience was thrown for a loop when the slurry of musicians started to leave the stage and parade through Red Rocks.  For those of us Trombone Shorty aficionados, this is nothing new and one of the exciting parts that happens at the end of of a show–although usually in a smaller venue like Tips.  Parading through Red Rocks was a much bigger happening and well received by an awe-struck crowd.

I left the show charged up, which generally signals that I got at least an equal share of the tremendously awesome energy vibe produced by the musicians.  This is the best feeling and the reason to see live music in the first place.  I got to hand it to Shorty for putting this show together as it was produced incredibly well and segued seamlessly from act to act.  I will definitely be looking out for the next Red Rocks show, as I assume it will only be bigger and better.  Perhaps it will feature Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue as the only act?

5 out of 5 stars–go these guys!