Red Rocks, Warren Haynes - Henry and Ailsa
Arrive at the Gateway to the Rockies
Denver, Colorado - The Mile High City
If Soundtrack does not start, please scroll
down and press play. I arrived in Denver at about 3:30 PM on the
day before Henry
and Ailsa were to arrive.
I checked into the
Ramada Inn near Denver International Airport (DIA) and had a message light blinking by
the time I arrived
to my room. It was from
a long time friend
of mine Warren Haynes
who just happened
to be in Denver for a concert. We had met at a party in Telluride when Angel
Kiss was at the height
of our popularity
and we became long
distance friends. I liked him even before I found out he was
ranked by Rolling
Stone Magazine as the number
23rd best guitarist
of all time. We had talked
about jamming together,
but our schedules
just never let that
dream happen; and now
with Angel Kiss disbanded
I was pretty sure
it was a dream lost. After we became friends, I discovered Warren
was an amazing artist,
a genuine person and
one of
My friend and one of the greatest guitarists
of all time - Warren Haynes
the most talented performers ever to grace
the stage. Warren,
like me, just loves music
- plain and simple. This love of music has led Warren to some
extraordinary collaborations that have defied
the laws of genre labeling and propelled
his reputation far beyond the notorious boundaries
of the jam band scene. For example, he co-wrote a No. 1 single,
Garth Brooks' "Two of a Kind, Working
on a Full House," which remained on
the charts for twenty weeks. He was the only
guest musician at Dave Matthews Band's high-profile
Central Park Concert, September 24, 2003.
He appeared on fellow singer/songwriter Everlast's
second post-House of Pain solo album, EAT
AT WHITEY'S. And he compelled metal icon
Jason Newsted and hip-hop country boy Kid
Rock to join him on stage, at the same time.
I immediately called Warren and he told me
that his band, Gov't Mule, were doing a small
concert at Red Rocks Amphitheater just West of Denver that evening and he
would love to see me. "HECK YEAH",
I almost shouted into the phone, "I
will be there". "Oh by the way",
Warren added before he hung up, "bring
your guitar and your Angel Kiss Outfit -
see ya tonight". Click. Hummmmmm.
I arrived at Red Rocks very early to relax...if possible
I was speechless. Was I going to FINALLY
get a chance to rock out with one of the
greatest guitarists of all time? No FRIGGIN
way. I finally gathered my composure and
dialed Livid to ask for help in poofing my
outfit and guitar to my Hotel. Within minutes
I had my familiar Angel Kiss outfit and my
favorite guitar. Thanks dear Livid, I thought
to myself as I put them on. I thought about grabbing a late lunch, but
really, I was too excited to eat. I left
for Red Rocks three hours before show time.
LOL. I used the time to look over the setting
while Warren gave a free impromptu concert
in the parking lot (see next page for the
video). Red Rocks, nestled in the Rocky Mountain
Foothills fifteen miles west of Denver, is
a majestic geologically formed open-air Amphitheatre
that is not duplicated anywhere in the world.
With Mother Nature as the architect, the
design of the Amphitheatre consists of two,
three hundred-foot monoliths (Ship Rock and
Creation Rock) that provide acoustic perfection
for any performance. The area of Red Rocks, originally known as
the Garden of Angels (I swear - it is not
just that I am an Angel), has attracted the
attention of
Tory and Warren in 2007 in Telluride Town
Park Campground
musical performers since before the turn
of the century. The majestic setting of the
Amphitheatre, along with the panoramic view
of Denver, makes for a breathtaking concert
experience. The dramatic sandstone monoliths serves as
a history book of animal and plant life in
the area for the past 250 million years.
As spectators gaze at the towering red sandstone
rocks, they view the ancient tales of prehistoric
times Gradual earth movement slowly raised the
great sandstone ledges from the prehistoric
ocean floor, to form the "walls"
of the Amphitheatre. Within these walls is
contained a record book of the ages. Nearby dinosaur tracks tell of the Jurassic
period of 160 million years ago. Fossil fragments
of the giant 40-foot sea serpent, Plerisosaur,
the marine reptile Mossaur, and flying reptiles
captivate students and geologists alike. Some of the rock formations in Red Rocks
slope as much as 90 degrees, while others
tilt backwards. The southern monolith, that
bears resemblance to a ship, is named "Ship
Rock." On the opposite side of the Amphitheatre
stands "Creation Rock." Both of
the monoliths are taller than Niagara Falls,
and the Red Rocks Amphitheatre was once listed
as among the Seven Wonders of
the World.
In the early 1900's,
John Brisben Walker
had a vision of artists
performing on a stage
nestled into the
perfectly acoustic
surroundings
of Red Rocks. Walker
produced a number
of
concerts between
1906 and 1910 on
a temporary
platform; and from
his dream, the history
of Red Rocks as an
entertainment venue
began. In 1927, George Cranmer, Manager of Denver
Parks, convinced the City of Denver to purchase
the area of Red Rocks from Walker for the
price of $54,133. Cranmer convinced the Mayor
of Denver, Ben Stapleton, to build on the
foundation laid by Walker. By enlisting the
help of the federally sponsored Civilian
Conservation Corps (CCC), and the Work Projects
Administration (WPA), labor and materials
were provided for the venture. Denver architect Burnham Hoyt designed the
Amphitheatre with an emphasis on preserving
the natural beauty of the area. The plans
were completed in 1936, and the Amphitheatre
was dedicated on June 15, 1941, though the
actual construction spanned over 12 years.
Tory jamming with Gov't Mule at Red Rocks
In 1947, the first annual Easter Sunrise
Service took place and since then, Red Rocks
Amphitheatre has attracted the best performers
in the world to its stage....and now I get
to embarass myself as I try to keep up with
Gov't Mule in front of a sold out crowd.
Well, you only live once...or so they tell
us. wink wink After a long, wonderful bear hug, I went
backstage to a small dressing room with Warren,
He asked about Mela, Twisted Dragon and Craftie
and about how things were going in Moove.
I told him about the concert in Gabon and the wierd poofing; how Craftie had vanished and how Twisted
was really never the same after her abduction
in Brazil. "Any chance of Angel Kiss
ever playing together again", Warren
asked me. "I can only wish", I
answered sadly. Warren got a look of pondering
on his face and he smiled. "Well, tonight
is tonight", he said as he handed me
a rough draft of the playlist. "I think
it is best if we start out with "Gold
Dust Woman" and just let things flow
from there", he added as we both got
up. "Sounds Good", I answered confidently
although I was all jitters since I had not
performed since Africa. I lost them as soon
as the introduction was over, the crowd cheered
and the lights came on.
Okay...what can I say? I was AWESOME on Take
Me to the River
We opened with "Gold Dust Woman"
and within five minutes
I was into the flow
- you know that feeling
when everything is
one? You, the music,
the sky, the breeze
and everyone around
you just blends into
an unforgettable
moment? That was how I felt. I was not on stage at the historic Red Rocks,
where everyone from
the Beatles to the Scorpions
had played, jamming
with a guitarist who
puts me to shame
- I was THE music and I
friggin loved it! We went right into "Going Out West"
and followed with
Warrens beautiful rendition
of "One".
The sold out crowd was
addicting and the
more they cheered and hollered,
the tighter the guitar
licks became which
just made the crowd
even more rowdy. It was during our first break that Warren
asked me if I knew any top notch musicians
in Colorado. It seems that Gov't Mule was
performing in Telluride again in a few days
and they were short a multi-talented musician.
"Not really", I answered and then
stopped before I finished. "OH WAIT, I am picking up a friend of mine from Tulsa
tomorrow at the airport.
He ROCKS".
His name is Henry
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- "The Denver"
Ladies Keds
. "Can he keep up", Warren asked.
I answered, "Well, he can do better
than me" and I assured Warren I would
speak to Henry about it. We then retook the
stage for our second set. I do not usually like to brag, but I was
totally awesome on "Take Me to the River"
although I think having Warren there inspired
me to reach new heights. We followed up with
a ROCKING version of Soulshine and a few
more traditional songs. With the hour getting
late, we took the stage for only one encore
- "Wish You Were Here" by Pink
Floyd. I always crack up when I hear the
crowd sing along and the crowd here knew
every word to the Floyd hit. It really was
an amazing thing to feel and hear.
My Roadie friends.
By the time the show was over, I was sweating
like a Kentucky Derby winner and graciously
declined the invitation to an after-show
party at the Hyatt downtown. I was able to
catch a ride back to my hotel with some roadies
who had to head out to Albuquerque, New Mexico
to set up the next show. "Call me on the Henry thing",
Warren told me as I hugged him goodbye. I
hopped into the smokey van, looking forward
to a good nights rest. I slept until noon the next day and awoke
with a feeling of melancholy absence. I had
just had one of the greatest musical moments
of my life and I so wanted to share it with
my lost friends from Angel Kiss. The melancholy
feeling stayed with me as my taxi to the
airport pulled up to the arrival curb. If
anyone could chase away these blues, I knew
it was my friends Ailsa and Henry. I passed
through security without any problem and
headed to the Gate.
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More information
on visiting Denver, Colorado
can be found by:
Clicking Here
More information
on the amazing Warren
Haynes
can be found by:
Clicking Here
disclaimer: All avatars portrayed are fictional
characters and any resemblence to any avatar,
living or dead, is purely coincidential.
This is a fictional account of a series of
events involving actual real people that
may not have ever occurred.
Information contributed by Red Rocks, Wikipedia
and Warren Haynes.
I arrived in Denver at about 3:30 PM on the
day before Henry
and Ailsa were to arrive.
I checked into the
