Elway / Mixtapes
live in Denver (2011)
Tori Pederson
When I was going to school in Denver, at least two or three times a week, I would walk to down to Illegal Pete's on 16th Street and grab a burrito in between classes. Within the last year or so, the restaurant has started playing host to tons of live music, thanks in no small part to their Starving Artists program, created in conjunction with Suburban Home Records, which offers free food to touring bands. It has become much more than just a burrito joint, and is now one of the coolest places to see a show in the city.
While I've seen acts do acoustic shows at Illegal Pete's before their main sets at larger venues later the same evening (Frank Turner and Fake Problems to name a couple), this was my first time seeing a full-blown punk rock show there, so I was pretty excited. Cincinnati, Ohio's Mixtapes were up first. The group has released quite a bit of music in the short time they've been together thus far, and they managed to play a good selection of tunes from their main releases.
There was a few technical difficulties at first, with the vocals being nearly inaudible (after all, it is a burrito joint, not a concert hall), but they managed to get that sorted out within the first few songs and sounded great from there on out. Co-vocalists/guitarists Ryan Rockwell and Maura Weaver did a great job interacting with the crowd and making it an engaging, enjoyable experience.
Set list:
Colorado's own Elway (minus one guitar player) took the stage next. It was the first time I've seen the band since their name change, and my first time hearing most of the songs from Delusions live. They didn't simply stick to songs from that album, though. There were a few surprises thrown in, such as "Dressed to Impresstevez" from their debut EP as 10-4 Eleanor, Words Cannot Express How Much Fuck This Band, and a cover of the Osker classic "Anchor".
The band by were joined on stage by a very drunk male dancer on stage for most of the night. Funny at first, annoying by the third song, I'm sure for the band as much as the crowd, but they did a good job of handling it. Musically they were spot on, most of the songs sounding just like they do on record. Singer/guitarist Tim Browne (or Tom as I like to call him), did a good job picking up the slack, and making them sound just as great as a four-piece as they do a three-piece. They closed the proceedings with "Whispers in a Shot Glass", a fitting end to an awesome evening of punk rock, beers, burritos, and hugs.
Set list: