311, J. Boog, Matisyahu and Arrested Development harmonize under the stars and take fans on a blissful journey through genres at Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheater.

July 1st, 2023

An unhesitant, soft haze settled across the majesty of weathered rocks. The cascade of burnt sienna held magical qualities in the golden hour and subtly brought about the twilight to familiar sounds of our youth. And a familiar aroma akin to Colorado outdoor venues. Something I found intriguing about tonight’s line up was how well 311’s nostalgic nineties reggae rock integrated with the ethnic and roots atmosphere of the other bands. Each act brought a different feel to the evening, yet all gave us a reason to unwind and collapse under the healing stars.

Show openers, Arrested Development, played to a large crowd, even by Red Rocks standards. No surprise as this Afrocentric, progressive hip-hop group has long been making music. Much like the rush of a forgotten memory reappearing in the mind, they played their Grammy award winning “Tennessee” amongst some newer music. Their lively and eclectic set, complete with tribal dance performances, ended with raised fists and silence in a show of solidarity for the recent BLM social movement.

Matisyahu, who recently released his self-titled seventh studio album, joined the lineup in a modest moment. Once clad in Hasidic attire on stage, he came out sartorially dressed in a “dad reggae” sweater complete with baseball cap. Even with a more mature presence, you could hear the lyrics sang back in an uneven cadence from a crowd of older fans and their children. Still spry for a man of his experience, he rapped and harmonized his set with the same energy of previous shows. As a breeze swept through packed seats, Matisyahu incorporated new age instrumentation to his hit song “King without a Crown.” As the sun set into lilac and lavender, the rhythm shifted to greet the new vibe.

Comprised of soul and love, the penultimate performance from J Boog orchestrated the harmonies of island music to their land-locked listeners. His ensemble singers and dancers refused to blend into the backdrop as their seamless tempo transitions enchanted the whole venue. He has brought a multi-genre style of music since 2007 and let the crowd know his appreciation by ending with a shocka salute and declaring, “When it comes to J Boog, Colorado don’t play!” We all agreed.

My first show of the summer began to commence as the overworked fog machines churned out on stage for the final time. No show at Red Rocks is complete without a dazzling light show against the hardened tapestry and dyed smoke reverberating through the multi-leveled seats. 311 came out like nothing has changed for 20 years. They gave us “All Mixed Up” by the third song in the setlist. At that moment, we all aged backwards like the Benjamin Button of music. It wasn’t difficult to keep that energy buzzing through the rest of the night. The songs were predictable as they ended their set with “Creatures” before returning for their encore, which ended in a fitting fashion with “Down.” For a lot of these fans, this isn’t just music. Maybe it’s because their genre is so difficult to define as a singularity and their music is just as complex as its fans. What I can conclude from the people I met this evening, 311 is more than a band. They create peace within people and allow them to express themselves with love.

For fans that missed out on this incredible show, you can check out via a Veeps livestream.