OK. THAT'S ENOUGH, FOR NOW, OF TRAVEL TO THE CRADLE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION - ITALY. TODAY WE'RE GOING TO SEE AND HEAR SOUNDS FROM ONE OF THE MOST UNIQUE PERFORMANCE VENUES IN THE UNITED STATES - RED ROCKS AMPHITHEATRE AS WELL AS SOME PERSONAL THOUGHTS ON BEING AN ARCHITECT. LOL!!!
NATURE'S ARCHITECT MAKES THE REST OF US LOOK LIKE FIRST YEAR ROOKIES
Back in the day, and I would assume the same now, first year architecture students mentally lived with a unique combination of disdain and fear. Disdain, because you obviously had no idea what you were doing, and the fear that you didn't possess the talent or fortitude to make it through the rigors and insanity of architecture school. As Frank Lloyd Wright so eloquently affirmed - If you can't be anything else, be an architect. Only a person with extreme issues of self-loathing would subject themselves to five or six years of the unrelenting abuse architecture schools can heap on a delusional insomniac with dreams of being the next Howard Roark, the central character in The Fountainhead, written by the mother of Objectivism, Ayn Rand. The plot centers around a gifted architect, who blew up a building because it wasn't "architecturally honest". Gary Cooper played the uncompromising genius in the 1949 classic against Patricia Neal as his love interest. Ooh La La!
As for the fear part - Yes, it is real and yes, it never ends. I have been an architect for over forty years, and I still have moments of self-doubt and obsessive voices in my head every time I sit down at a drawing board. Oh wait - architects don't use those anymore. But I digress.
Another admonition by the greatest American Architect of the twentieth century was his insistence that one go to the Grand Canyon for design inspiration. Well, if he were to design an outdoor performance venue, he would have needed to look no further than Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado, about ten miles up the road from Denver. Built in 1906, this amazing natural venue with seating for 9,400+ music lovers, surrounded by massive natural rock formations, has hosted the likes of Jimmie Hendrix, U2, Neil Young, Led Zeppelin, Bonnie Raitt - the list is endless. Even the Fab Four - John, Paul, George & Ringo - played this famed venue August 26, 1964. Three weeks later, yours truly saw the four mop tops at the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida. Today's new rockers - The Avett Brothers, Mumford & Sons or J.J. Grey & Mofro are continuing the tradition, entertaining music fans who happily make the trek to 6,400 feet above sea level to hear the best of the popular music scene today.
I want all vagabonds, wanderers, nomads and serious music lovers to appreciate this blogger's insistence that we are not just about the design of places to sleep. We are also about finding those places that, somehow, transcend the every day. And Red Rocks proves that it is virtually impossible for a mere architect, no matter how talented, to ever one up nature. Aesthetically and acoustically, this place rocks.
A word of warning - If you are averse to climbing stairs - lots and lots and lots of stairs - you may want to arrange a limousine or a bus. As I commented to another concert goer - the architects did a great job inserting the amphitheater seating sensitively into a brutally powerful landscape - not so much on the vertical transportation though. However, once you arrive at your seat, with the view over the mountains and the city of Denver, you forget about the Sherpa-esque stairway to Heaven you had to traverse to get there. And, of course, it doesn't hurt to hear rockers of the caliber of My Morning Jacket and Mumford & Sons wail to beat the band. I am sure Frank is looking down and enjoying the show.
A few years back, I had the distinct pleasure of seeing Alabama Shakes, My Morning Jacket, The Drive By Truckers and other artists at this amazing place where everything rocked. And I can testify that the steps were challenging. I was joined by my most favorite group of nomads - Susie, Lance, Lauren and Tara. All obsessive music fans. Once we took our seats, the place showed its power and acoustic perfection all night for every artist that performed.
d.l.stafford
Travel Quote of The Week - “All the pathos and irony of leaving one’s youth behind is thus implicit in every joyous moment of travel: one knows that the first joy can never be recovered, and the wise traveler learns not to repeat successes but tries new places all the time.” – Paul Fussell
Video Artist of The Week - Who better? Here is a powerful song by the multi-award-winning band Mumford & Sons at Red Rocks - I Will Wait.
| August 26, 2015 |
I love the space here. I attended an amazing event here and I ate more than I should. I had bread pudding, apple crisp, waffles and strawberries and cream. The main floor at venues in San Francisco is very large and good size without being overwhelming, also there's tons of bar space too to order drinks.
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