This past week, I've been in the beautiful and mountainous Denver, CO. I spent the days hiking, swimming, soaking up the sunshine, and dabbling in Denver's fine brews and delicious eats.

On Sunday evening, I also got to mark off one very large bucket list item:

See a show at Red Rocks Amphitheatre

And it wasn't just any 'ol show passing through town but the Southern blues-rock band, Alabama Shakes, led by the immeasurable Brittany Howard.

I've seen this band twice before: the first time at Cat's Cradle (Carrboro, NC) right before Boys & Girls was released and the second, a year later at Koka Booth Amphitheatre (Cary, NC) after they'd toured the album extensively. Yet, I was just as excited to see them play this weekend.

It was exciting to see how much they've grown as a band and as performers since I first saw them at Cat's Cradle where they timidly took the stage. Fast forward three years with a slew of large-scale festivals under their belt and a sophomore album released, and they are a seasoned crew with a frontwoman who has rid herself of confines and thunderously found her groove.

Fervid, tenacious, sincere; Brittany Howard is a force to be reckoned with.

One of my favorite songs off their latest album, Sound & Color, as well as one of my favorite performances of the night was "Gimme All Your Love" (see above).

For anyone who has the chance to see a show at Red Rocks, do it! It's a one-of-a-kind venue in a gorgeous atmosphere and with hot-ticket bands constantly coming through.

Just one tip -- remember which parking lot you parked in...

xxChris