Smokeys, Rockies & Red Rocks

Here we are! The famous Red Rocks Ampitheatre. Flume is in concert tonight. We are definitely the oldest people here and the only ones with stadium seats.

We arrived early to ensure a close parking spot; however. we were directed to the bus parking lot which is at a far distance. Walking through a large tail-gate party in the parking lot, we're greeted with a bit of a culture shock. Everyone is staring at us like we're from another planet. We are their parents.

Quickly out of breath, we continue up the steep steps that go on forever until we finally reach the ampitheatre. We picked seats about two-thirds up and just right of the center, and we opened our padded stadium seats on the concrete. Doug went to get us some beers.

The ampitheatre filled slowly with people. The young people here are college-aged. One of 50 might be in their 30's. We meet a few people around us. The guy next to us thought he was the oldest person in the crowd; he can't be over 35. Margo and Zoe are best friends and seniors at Colorado University. "Are you doing any drugs?" they asked in their sweet voices. I replied no, but they continue to hang out with us. They think we are the coolest people for some reason. We talk about their majors, their dating life, shrooms, her dad's recent marriage to the woman that was previously married to the man who predicted the crash of 2008, and the two million dollar wedding in Mexico. They show me pictures. "Do you have any advise for us?" Wow, what do I tell these young, beautiful women? They are like sponges taking us all in. They tell me how they want to have children before they get too old, but are afraid that they won't find the right guy, afraid that their career and dating challenges will prevent them from having children before they get too old. I appreciate hearing how these young women think and feel about life... hopeful and scared. "Don't settle," I tell them, "Be true to yourself; take your time to know yourself, make decisions, and find a man that will fit in with your life and goals. And then, remember life is not perfect. You will have ups and downs, joys and sorrows. So when life throws you a diversion, learn from it and move forward stronger and wiser."

A young woman with sequins applied to her face approached us. "Do you know how to work this camera?" She has a vintage 126 film camera. "We've tried and tried, but can't get it to work?" Yeh, of course, we've got this. It's been about 30 years, but yeh. "Have you opened it up since you put the film in?" Doug asked her. "Yeh, we've opened it about 80 times and scrolled it through, but it still doesn't work." We explain to her how it will not work now because the film has been exposed. "Why do you have this camera?" I asked her. I can't understand why she wouldn't just take pictures on her phone. She wants to get pictures developed, she says.

This concert is practically clothing optional. We see men dressed as bunnies, young women in bikinis and the strangest outfits you could imagine. The young women in front of us bend over in see-through fitted dresses that just barely cover their rear ends, whoops not anymore. No underwear.

As we wait for the concert to start and throughout the performances, the jumbotron camera highlights folks in the crowd randomly and it's entertaining to watch. I'm not sure when Flume will take the stage, so I decided to make a quick bathroom trip. Standing in line at the top of of the ampitheatre, I wave my hands wildly back and forth at Doug below to help him locate me. Doug didn't find me, but the jumbotron camera did. There we are... myself and the girl next to me on the big screen... standing in the bathroom line waving our arms for everyone to see.

Opening performances began at 6 pm and there were about 3 different acts. We inquire and find out that Flume will not be on stage until after 10 pm! We make another bathroom round. It's dark now and the almost full moon shines in the east to our right. Returning from the bathroom with two beers and a Red Rocks commemorative cup of tequila, Doug couldn't find me in the crowd. In desperation, he yelled, "Has anyone seen my girlfriend?" "I got you. She's up there!" A girl pointed him in the right direction.

Flume was absolutely amazing and the crowd was alive with excitement... as well as drunk and high. We too felt a bit high from the aroma that filled the air. The frequencies permeated our bodies and the lights were mesmerizing. We sang, we cheered, we danced and waved our arms to the beat. Coming into this, Doug wasn't so sure about seeing Flume; his favorite genre is country. He loved it though, so much in fact that we made it on the jumbotron. Multiple singers came out to vocally accompany the electronic DJ artist. Two mixing boards, one on each side of him, his electronic vibes filled the amphitheater. At one point toward the end of the concert, he seemed to stray from previously composed music and went into a free mix that resembled a Pink Floyd vibe. It matched the energy of the drugged crowd perfectly. My heart worshipped and my arms extended to the star-lit sky. "Let's do this every year," we agreed, "but we don't have to drive every year."Read more