Butts Sitting On Cedars
Posted on | July 26, 2008 at 3:25 pm | 4 Comments
Sorry, I missed this one when it was timely, but the original seats at Red Rocks Amphitheater were recently auctioned off. Those redwood bench seats have seen a lot of action in 60 years. Really, I’m surprised they lasted that long. Last time I saw them was back in September, and they didn’t look that bad to me. But when they showed them up close in the TV news report I saw, they did look pretty beat up. Still, they must have had some secret for keeping them in as good as shape as they were in for that long.
I saw a lot of shows there back in my concert-going heyday: the middle 80s. I saw U2 in the rain when they filmed what eventually became Under A Blood Red Sky. I was wearing a garbage bag for most of the show. It was woefully under-attended because of the downpour, so U2 ended up playing another show the next night inside an auditorium in Boulder, which I also went to, for everyone who had tickets to the Red Rocks show. I bet all those people who skipped out on the first show were kicking themselves for not seeing it through. I don’t know if even the band realized at the time how iconic that first show was going to be.
I saw scads of my favorite bands of the time there: Talking Heads (barely remember that one due to… something), The Cure, New Order, Bruce Springsteen (actually ‘78 for that one, the Darkness On The Edge Of Town tour), The Moody Blues, and so many more.
It would be great to own a slice of history, but each one of those benches is huge and I don’t know where I’d put it. Makes me wonder what the people who bought one are doing with it. Hopefully starting their own little amphitheaters…
Latre.
Jogged Today: Yes (@ 68°F)
Songs That Came Up On The iPod While Jogging:
- “Bel-Air” (The Church)
- “Cinco De Mayo” (Liz Phair)
- “If You Say Please” (Radio Birdman)
- “Koka Kola” (The Clash)
- “Red” (XTC)
- “Maybe Not” (Barenaked Ladies)
- “Alec Eiffel” (Pixies)
- “Serpent at the Gates of Wisdom” (Robyn Hitchcock)
Poignant Search Term Of The Day That Led To This Blog: “neighbor problems trampoline”.
Comments
4 Responses to “Butts Sitting On Cedars”
July 26th, 2008 @ 7:17 pm
I played there once, but alas, it was for a high school graduation and therefore a captive audience. But even being for something so minor, I can tell you it is an amazing place to play. I won’t even try to describe it, it would sound too hokey.
July 26th, 2008 @ 8:22 pm
I had no idea those benches were original. They look really cool. Seatbacks would be nice though.
July 27th, 2008 @ 10:03 am
And “Koka Kola” is one of the greatest Clash songs ever.
July 27th, 2008 @ 11:10 am
Seatbacks would be nice though.
Definitely. I didn’t mind it so much when I was younger, but my geezer self needs more support. Maybe they’ll add some when they replace the benches, but I doubt it. It’s part of the “charm”, I suppose.