Let me start by saying that if you haven’t been to Red Rocks Amphitheater you need to make the journey. It is one of the most famous venues in the world for a reason; with opera house like acoustics and views that rival The Gorge, Red Rocks is a can’t miss. FuckBadMusic made its first journey out to Colorado last weekend for Monolith Music Festival. Although clouds and rain made shooting photos a challenge it didn’t put a damper on the artists or the crowd. Day one featured outstanding sets from The Antlers, Cotton Jones, Of Montreal, Caitlin Rose, Frightened Rabbit and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros stole the show just before the rain started to fall. Day Two opened up with Neon Indian and closed with The Mars Volta and featured Deer Tick, The Thermals, Phoenix, and HEALTH who laid down the loudest set of the weekend. Despite the weather an amazing time was had by all and I am positive this won’t be our last trip out to Monolith.

Check out more photos of the festival after the jump:

[Caitlin Rose]

[Deer Tick]

[Cotton Jones]

[Frightened Rabbit]

[Yeah Yeah Yeah's]

Posted By David Hutchinson

Just wanted to pass along a reminder to everyone that the amazing Deer Tick will be playing the Kennedy School tonight at 7:00pm. The show is free, and will be the first of significance I’ve ever heard of happening at the school!

Just so we’re clear also, attending this show means you don’t have to feel bad about skipping them for Japanther or Chairlift come Friday!

I just watched this band play in Colorado on Sunday, and afterward seriously contemplated trying to catch all 5 of their Oregon shows this month. After tonight: 1 down, 4 to go to gladly. Can’t beat free either!

Posted By David Hutchinson

2009 marks the first year FuckBadMusic will branch out as far as Red Rocks, Colorado to bring you coverage of one of the most beautiful American summer festivals. Maybe this will become an annual thing for us. Maybe we’re going to hate it!? But with a line-up like the one Monolith is bolstering this year, the latter seems unlikely.

Saturday strikes initially as the better day due to the strength of the headliners. From Yeah Yeah Yeahs to Of Montreal, Saturday’s headliners will prove to be as fun to look at as the venue itself. With such a consistently good line-up though, it’s hard to tell where the headliners end and the supporting acts begin. Artists like DOOM, Cotton Jones, and The Antlers do a good job of blurring those lines, and making all of Saturday equally exciting.

Although at first glance Sunday seemed like a repeat of every festival going on this summer, closer attention reveals the hidden gems within the line-up. With supporting acts as strong as Neon Indian(!), and Deer Tick, who cares that The Mars Volta will be headlining. Pack your day out with Health, The Twilight Sad, Glitch Mob, The Thermals, and Phoenix, and then you’ll still have Method Man and MSTRKRFT to look forward to.

We’re certainly excited to be going, and we hope any and all of you in attendance give us a shout out as we lug our crap up those surely trying mainstage stairs.

P.S. Hit up GVB to win some free tickets to the festival

Posted By David Hutchinson