The warm summer nights of 2019 are over, and fall has reached in with its icy hands. This was true at least for the first of two nights of Rüfüs Du Sol at Red Rocks, which kicked off on Wednesday. The temperatures dipped below 50 degrees — effectively replacing skimpy festival wear with furry onesies. Before Red Rocks shuts down for the year, Rüfüs Du Sol made sure to deliver a beautiful, dance-inducing show, bringing all the lasers and vibes any fan could ever want.
Opening the night for the trio from Australia, were the brother and sister Japanese-Australian duo Lastlings and Vancouver duo, Bob Moses. Both bands fused dreamy rock and electronic beats, creating an ideal warm-up for the headlining act. With the temperatures dropping by the minute, the venue needed instructive rhythms to keep moving and the opening acts did their part to enforce the dancing. Due to the chillier air, some fans took to wrapping up in parkas, blankets and the like to maintain body heat.
Just before 10 p.m., Rüfüs Du Sol, who until last year was known only as Rüfüs, took their places on clear platforms lifted off the stage and began their performance with a repetitive tempo and strobe lighting. Their silhouettes stood against a massive screen that served as their electric background, giving them a stoic presence. Tyrone Lindqvist, the group’s vocalist, took a moment in the middle of the first track, “Eyes” to say, “damn, you look good tonight Red Rocks.” During crowd favorite, “You Were Right” the band stretched out, giving each member a turn to showcase their individual talent. Lindqvist announced that it was a particularly special evening because the keyboardist, Jon George, and drummer, James Hunt’s parents were in the audience.
“So, it’s Wednesday night beautiful people,” Lindqvist went on. “Even though it is cold, thank you for coming out. You are all soldiers.” Lindqvist then jumped down from his platform to belt out lyrics with full gusto. Before the next song, he explained that when the group makes new music, they test-listen to it in a car, and challenged the crowd to buckle their seatbelts. The massic screen then turned into a road for the audience to visualize cruising down as the song took them on the journey of the performance.
The lights and sounds of the evening were heavily synched down to the microscopic movements on stage, creating a visual performance along with the musical. The three musicians stood above the ground, engulfed in lasers as the music pounded its beats out to the venue, taking turns slowing down and turning up again. After their last song, the band took a moment and returned to the stage to perform “Treat You Better” and “No Place.”
Right at the Red Rocks curfew the band wrapped up their performance for the evening and kissed their fans goodnight. However, Wednesday was not the end, as the group will return on Thursday for the second half of their 2019 Red Rocks experience. Night two is sure to enforce the same magic, and the air may even warm up slightly for the fans. If not, no love will be lost for the Australian Rüfüs Du Sol.