Written by: Scott Spendlove & Becky Paschke And the Very Rock Wept with Joy at the Sound. From 1936-1942, 200 men of Company 1848/Mount Morrison worked during the Great Depression on one of the Civilian Conservation Corps greatest accomplishments. They created-revealed really- the stunning majesty of the Red Rocks Amphitheater. These men fashioned this cathedral by hand for much of the work. Carefully shaping what God had created into a work of art, a setting for other artists to perform and show their talents. Creating the seating between the towering 300-foot edifices of Ship Rock and Creation Rock. Unique in all the world, Red Rocks is the only naturally occurring acoustically perfect amphitheater on Earth. Once called the Garden of the Angels, the Red Rocks Amphitheatre project was an outgrowth of FDR’s effort to help pull the Nation out of its Depression doldrums. And I like to think that wherever those workers might be- be they already in the mists of the Great Beyond, or whether they are in their last years on Earth-that those men were with us in spirit Wednesday night, cheering on the performances. With the reverberations of applause heard long past when the audience in attendance had ceased clapping, I believe it was the lingering echoes of cheers from the 30,000,000 visitors and audience who have sat in those seats in the last 80 years. If you looked hard enough through the twilight you could see the silhouettes of those crowd members of days gone by. And the glistening of the rock may not have been from the rain earlier in the day. For me, the very Rocks were weeping with joy for the return of the glorious sounds of music to this venerated setting. The cancelation of concerts, and Easter Sunrise Service, and Yoga and Films on the Rocks and all the other reasons that nearly a million people a year come to this place, has hurt. This past COVID-cursed year has hurt. It has hurt the community. It has hurt the musicians and workers and audiences who missed out on the wonderful power of music to bring us together and touch our soul. And Wednesday night was a proclamation to the Virus-to the Community, and to the World-MUSIC is BACK. WE are back! And the very Rocks wept with joy. The D’Evelyn Marching Band was honored to perform on the last Wednesday of April for the “Red Rocks 8 pm Howl” concert that honored healthcare workers and other groups who ‘kept the music going’ during the dark days of the COVID Pandemic. Host Bret Saunders from KBCO welcomed the Band to the stage by noting their historic participation the Presidential Inauguration Virtual Parade Across America. The Band performed their inauguration piece, American Patrol; the D’Evelyn Fight Song “The Victors”; “Just Dance” by Lady Gaga. And the Band brought down the house with a jubilant rendition of crowd favorite “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond. Some of the other acts included the Emerald City Pipes and Drums who performed for nursing home and other places to raise spirits, and nurse Emily Worthem who sang to her COVID patients. Other acts were 11-year-old pianist phenom Rad Muljadi, Gospel group JoFoke, and the Longmont High School Drumline, two Jazz acts and the couple who started the ‘8 O’Clock Howl’ were invited to help welcome live music back to the iconic Red Rocks stage. And the D’Evelyn Marching band was honored to close out the show!
The D’Evelyn Marching Band now has the rare distinction of having performed on the same stage as such acts as U2, the Beatles, Johnny Cash, and John Denver. D’Evelyn’s performance officially kicked off- the return of live music to one of the most famous music venues in the world. Good Job Jags, Good Job! Comments are closed.
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