On Monday, Hiatus Kaiyote and Masego co-headlined Red Rocks and dared a night threatening to rain to make good on its promise and then laughed through the pithy sprinkles that fell on an unbothered crowd. The two acts couldn’t be more different as artists yet they were united by virtuosic musicianship and an unabashed sense of fun. The combination of the two made for a diverse night of music that was as unpredictable as the fickle Colorado weather.
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Atlanta-based RnB singer Mariah the Scientist kicked the night off. It must be a daunting thing playing Red Rocks for the first time yet Mariah the Scientist did it with aplomb. Her set found her on that massive stage alone, no DJ, just her, the track and the crowd and she did so with shining confidence without a hint of nerves.
Hiatus Kaiyote hit the stage not long after Mariah’s set. They entered slowly, the band and three backup singers taking their respective places behind cardboard cutouts of humanoid moth creatures. Keys rolled in ethereally as the singers vocalized, setting a mystic tone that pervaded throughout the set. Soon, lead singer and guitarist Nai Palm skipped onto stage to great applause. The lights shifted to a soft, inviting pink as the keys were joined by drums and bass and the song became the early notes of “Rose Water.”
The song is bright yet yearning, a celebration of the love we as humans search for within ourselves. The message is supported by incredibly intricate musicianship. Keys player Simon Mavin, bassist Paul Bender and drummer Perrin Moss swirled in an impressive, almost overwhelming miasma of syncopation as Palm’s powerhouse vocals soared above. This level of intricacy is a hallmark of the Australian band and a reason why they’ve been able to reach such a massive international audience.
The set was notable in that each song played was quite different than the versions found on the albums. They retained the most recognizable parts of each song, the lyrics and giant choruses, Palm’s “yips” she’d do sporadically and the important changes. However, during many of the verses, the music was restructured into new compositions that allowed the set to feel fresh and exciting.
The first half of the set featured songs from 2021’s Mood Valiant, their most recently released album. They played songs such as “And We Go Gentle” and “All the Words We Don’t Say” with no breaks in between, the music rolling and forming itself into new entities as needed. At one point, in between songs as the band kept on, Palm shouted out to the crowd imploring them to celebrate the Native land on which Red Rocks finds itself. It shows how conscientious a band Hiatus Kaiyote is. Their music is vital, alive with the highs and lows of human experience and awareness of that that has come before.
Eventually, they moved to songs from Choose Your Weapon, their first album released in 2015 and the one that put them on the map. These included “By Fire,” “Molasses” and “Building a Ladder.” Around this time, the rain began to fall lightly, carried across the crowd by heavy wind. Nai Palm first celebrated the weather but then seemed to banish it, using light and sound to push it back up to the heavens.
Returning to Mood Valiant, they moved through versions of “Red Room” and “Get Sun,” the crowd fully committed to letting the music wash over them like light and color as they danced with their whole hearts wide open. The set eventually came to a close as Palm told the crowd how much she loved them and that she’d be signing autographs and taking photos down at the merch booth, which she did almost until the end of the night.
It wasn’t long before it was Masego’s turn to hit the stage. He came out hot with a palpable energy that the crowd devoured as he launched into “Navajo,” one of his biggest hits. The song gave ample room for drummer Jonathan Curry and bass/keys player Maxwell Hunter to absolutely rip, both taking every opportunity for big fills without compromising the integrity of the song.
Throughout the set, Masego himself alternated between an alto saxophone, a tenor and a synth with what appeared to be a talk box hanging from it. The three musicians played off each other beautifully, giving each other room to solo while locking in with each other for an incredibly tight sound that elevated Masego’s music to new heights.
The sheer level of musicianship demonstrated by both headliners explains their pairing. Both artists were able to achieve spellbinding moments of complete cohesion, each person on stage operating at the top of their game and melding seamlessly with the others.
The major difference here is that Masego is a solo artist and therefore took a center-stage role, the star of the show. He performed in front of the band, utilizing the full capacity of the space, running, jumping, ripping soaring sax and synth solos. His voice — depending on the song — alternated between sensitive and soulful to boastful and brazen. The songs he sang such as “Mystery Lady” were about love, sex, money, pleasures both surface level and beyond.
The energy remained throughout the set, the crowd jumping and dancing, enraptured with what was unfolding before them. The set eventually began to wind down and come to an end, the music hanging in the air like rain waiting to fall. The crowd lingered a minute before filing out to return to the world and the night came to an end.