July 21, 2008

Mile High Music Festival Wrap-Up Pt. 12, The Last Installment

The Last act I was able to see on Day 2 was Rodrigo y Gabriela, a duo I've been wanting to see live for quite some time (I think the last time they came through was Valentines Day. I had a bunch of friends who saw them and had such a good time that I knew I'd have to see them at some point). I ran into my old Co-worker and friend Kareem who just happened to have a pretty good spot in the crowd, so I joined up with him and before the show we got a chance to catch up. Not long after we got to our spot, Rodrigo y Gabriela took the stage, waved at the crowd, picked up their guitars, and began to beat them like they'd stayed out all night. At one point Rodrigo left the stage, leaving Gabriela to solo, and as soon as Rodrigo came back out, she left so he could solo. I found it to be a very interesting maneuver. In a way, it was them showing us how each of them contributes to the duo. I've never seen so many people have such rapt attention on a guitar playing duo, and that can only be because these two are two of the most talented guitar players I've ever seen. Their modesty and excitement rivaled that of Josh Ritter's the day before, which is something I don't think I'll ever see again. They did their expected cover of Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven, but unexpectedly covered about 5 or 6 crowd favorites for a few bars, including Seven Nation Army. Pure emotion.
Rodrigo y Gabriela - Stairway to Heaven

Unfortunately, my band was playing a show Sunday night, so I had to leave early and miss the Flobots and The Roots, but I'm sure Julio and Rachael have those two things well covered too. Not my favorite festival of all time, but I know that if I had enjoyed the music more, I would have had a blast.





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