Colorado Music Hall Of Fame Induction
13 August 2017
Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre, Englewood, CO
The most wonderful concert I've attended in some time. I attended the very first concert at Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre featuring Dan Fogelberg, whom we lost in 2007, and who tonight headed the lineup of honorees at the Colorado Music Hall of Fame 2017 induction concert.
I'm in a way the odd man out in that this venue continues to be my absolute favorite, even more so than Red Rocks or anywhere else, for the ambience and the sound. Tonight Fiddler's Green hosted a 4-hour show with a truly unbelievable lineup of artists and guests.
Tonight's first honoree was James Guercio and his Caribou Ranch studio near Nederland, CO, which recorded an amazing number of artists in the 1970s and early 1980s, including Chicago, Elton John, Stephen Stills & Manassas, John Lennon, Rick Derringer, America, Earth Wind & Fire, and others.
The first artist to record at Caribou Ranch was Barnstorm, consisting of Joe Walsh, Joe Vitale, & Kenny Passarelli, who tonight reunited for the first time in decades to also receive induction as tonight's second honoree. Barnstorm performed "Here We Go", "Turn To Stone", and "Rocky Mountain Way".
In between performances were speeches by Colorado notables such as Bill Szymczyk, Chuck Morris, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, and Fogelberg's widow Jean.
Losing Dan Fogelberg to cancer in 2007 resulted in tonight's show, on what would have been his 66th birthday, showcasing an amazing list of artists, including:
Richie Furay, who performed his Top-40 hit, "I Still Have Dreams", and Fogelberg's "Don't Lose Heart" & "Run For The Roses" with Jeff Hanna of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band performed "American Dream", and teamed with Michael Martin Murphey for "Wildfire".
Amy Grant sang her 1985 smash hit "Find A Way". Amy joined her husband Vince Gill for a great vocalization of "Longer".
JohnnySwim covered "Nether Lands".
John Oates covered Elton John's "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me".
Big Head Todd & The Monsters covered the Earth Wind & Fire Track "Shining Star".
The Lumineers struggled with monitor problems through "Give A Little Bit".
And, finally, the artist responsible for selling out probably 90% of the tickets for the capacity crowd of about 18,000 patrons, Garth Brooks sang and strummed brilliantly through "Phoenix" and "There's A Place In The World For A Gambler" which featured pretty much tonight's entire lineup in the "Let It Shine....." chorus.
In truth, this concert might not have sold out had Garth Brooks not honored Jean Fogelberg's invitation -- I had never before seen so many women in short-cut flowered dresses, boots and cowboy hats in my lifetime. And yes, the gender-segregated bathrooms didn't favor the Garth Brooks fans tonight.
In any case, all tributes at this show were very touching and dignifying. Barnstorm's performance was worth the price of admission, but then again so were many of the performances by artists I had, to date, never seen before.
Colorado music has its connections!
[**** 1/2] - Steven T.