Trombone Shorty Threauxs Voodoo Down @ Red Rocks
July 1, 2022Photos by Billy Thieme
If you’re familiar with Trombone Shorty and the thrill of his live sets, then you know that a mere 4+ hours of the New Orleans sound a fury is just not enough to satiate you. But that’s what a near-capacity audience got at Red Rocks last Tuesday – from four (and a half?) brilliant bands heartily representing the Crescent City. Classic purveyors of the Voodoo Threauxdown, the night included sets from Soul Rebels, Dumpstaphunk (paying solid and much-appreciated tribute to other NOLA heroes like The Meters and The Neville Brothers – with members from both bands along for the ride all night long!), and Tank and the Bangas – with a brief but brilliant appearance from Big Freedia (hence the “half” remark – sorry Freedia – but we want more, more, more of you too!).
Trombone Shorty held Red Rocks in a NOLA spell all night.
After searing sets of bayou-soaked funk and rhythm & blues from Soul Rebels and Dumstaphunk – featuring sit ins from old masters of the sound Cyril Neville and George Porter, Jr. (from The Neville Brothers and Meters, respectively), the stage was transformed into another world. Tank and the Bangas stormed on, all dressed in hugely elaborate costumes based on flowing red and gold robes, ornamented and embroidered with beautiful faces of beautiful black & brown heroes. Tarriona “Tank” Ball held the audience enthralled with her huge, explosive smiles, high-pitched whoops and howls, and gorgeous spoken-word-meets-pure-funk, in front of her sextet of similarly-adorned Bangas. Their too-short set – they played just shy of an hour – proved that there is no band in the world like Tank and the Bangas, and they’ve got the awards to prove it.
Next up, and closing down a magical night, Trombone Shorty stormed the amphitheater and took hold of every soul in it for more than two hours. From the first beats of “Where It At?” Troy Andrews led his band through wailing horns, bombastic drums, and all the beautiful sounds and feels of New Orleans. The crowd danced non-stop, and Andrews – as usual – never stopped for one moment even to catch his breath (altitude be damned).
Flanked by beautiful, powerful voices to his right, unmatched saxophones to his left, two drummers and keys behind, and brilliant guitar work from two masters, the master horn blower had no trouble showing off his skills – and no shortage of appreciation from a packed an ebullient Red Rocks. Once the stage was cleared of everyone but the breakdown crew, an exhausted and oh-so-close-to-satisfied crowd finally had a chance to catch their communal breath, just as the magical voodoo mist lifted to reveal they were back home in Morrison, rather than in another Ward conjured up by the magic in the music.
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