After a night of car camping in Pike National Forest just outside of Colorado Springs, my travel buddy and I found ourselves awakened bright and early by the morning sun and on our way down I-25 to Monolith Festival 2008. This indie music festival is held annually at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado, one of the best outdoor venues in the United States. Over 70 bands played this two day festival, spread across five stages. Indie sensations such as Foals, Cut Copy, Liam Finn, Atmosphere, Vampire Weekend, Devotchka, TV on the Radio, Tilly and the Wall, Band of Horses and Justice rocked out the eco-friendly amphitheatre.
In the bright sunlight of 5 o’clock in the afternoon we anxiously awaited against the rail of the New Belgium stage for the unique musical grouping that is Tilly and the Wall. Bouncing around the stage in their brightly colored outfits, Derek Pressnall’s outdated undercut hairstyle flopping to the beat, they played my favorites; “Bad Education” and “Nights of the Living Dead”. The most interesting feature of this band is a key to their unique sound. The tap dancing of Derek’s wife, Jamie Pressnall, replaces the role of a drummer. Dressed in a golden camisol, Jamie’s talented feet offered the drum beats on top of a foot tall amplified platform, spreading joy and positive energy to everyone on the upper level.
Justice, a popular DJ duo, concluded the festival on Sunday night. With lights pulsing and bass vibrating the crowd, we could do nothing but dance our pants off to the catchy techno beats. Unfortunately, the Esurance mainstage could not withstand the voltage Justice brought. Fifteen minutes until their set was finished, they blew a fuse and were unable to go on. The fans, in an attempt to let the two Frenchmen know that we still love them, began chanting “Never Be Alone” by Simian, another techno group Justice has worked with in the past. It was truly an awesome experience to be in the middle of thousands of people chanting the same words in a natural amphitheatre.
The best part of Monolith (other than the music, of course) was the attitude of the attendees. Everyone was there for two reasons. One, was to listen to great music. Two, was to have a great time doing it. Smiles, peace and harmony surrounded us along with the two great monoliths on either side of the mainstage seating section. Eco-friendly purple recycling bins were paired with regular trash bins to dispose of plastic bottles, making Red Rocks the only venue I’ve visited that provides the opporunity to participate in being green. I can’t think of a better way to spend a weekend than among such music-loving smile-giving people.
