2 Nights with The Growlers Gracing the Boulder Theater
March 16, 2020
The Growlers graced the beautiful Boulder Theater stage in one of the last shows before Coronavirus shutdowns in March, 2020 (Photos: Nick Velharticky)
Photos by Nick Velharticky
Twenty-four tracks in the setlist last Wednesday and Thursday night were full of The Growlers. The festival-style crowd looked and acted like they knew precisely what to expect. Dancing, singing frontman Brooks Nielsen strutted his smokin’ stuff across the Boulder Theater stage. Matt Taylor‘s psychedelic flavored guitar swelled the auditorium. Tricky transitions and fast pace feels, tour drumming Richard Gowen put us in the pocket. Organ synth keys by Adam Wolcott Smith colored just outside lines of garage band old school smokey sound rock. Brad Bowers jammed downstage left laying the bass-line through it all. Fresh from playing all over Europe, excitement stayed elevated.
It’s the kind of show you immediately acquire a shoe full of beer, but only because someone was dancing too hard.
Describing their rock style seems similar to walking into a bar and simultaneously not understanding why a band that good is playing there. It’s the kind of show you immediately acquire a shoe full of beer, but only because someone was dancing too hard. When the band is rockabilly surfing, it makes sense that it might get messy fun. The California-based group has seven albums released among other things. They dished out a couple of EPs, a few singles and have accompanied bands such as The Black Keys in the past.
- The Growlers graced the beautiful Boulder Theater stage in one of the last shows before Coronavirus shutdowns in March, 2020 (Photos: Nick Velharticky)
Hosting a slew of headlining artists at their own Beach Goth festival since 2012, The Growlers hang around solid music choices. Performing Wakarusa, Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo and Coachella to name a minimal few, it’s no wonder the band’s 2012 Monotonia is stacking YouTube views that count barely shy of eight million.
Their two-day Colorado show ended this leg of the 2020 Natural Affair tour a slight bit early due to global issues out of their direct control. Rescheduling dates, the band will get going again in time for the summer tour. Manchester, Tennessee brings on the Bonnaroo in June 2020 and you can be sure to see The Growlers there!
