Jazz Aspen Snowmass

Finish the summer in style at the Jazz Aspen Snowmass Labor Day Festival

By Chris Weiss

There’s something intoxicating about hearing live music on a warm summer evening in the shadows of towering peaks and spires. The cool, fresh scent of a summer evening, the raw, untouched sound of live music, the melding of massive peaks with a black sky heavy with stars, and the company of old and new friends gathered together to share the experience are just a few of the ways the summer concert tantalizes each sense. Whether it’s a national act whose songs are always on the tip of your tongue or a local band that you’re hearing for the first time, an outdoor summer concert in the mountains of Colorado provides a truly distinct experience that will reside within the memory for years to come.

This Labor Day when you’re planning out the weekend, you have the chance to take advantage of one of the best outdoor concerts of the season as you bid an unofficial farewell to summer. The JAS Labor Day Festival in Snowmass is the looser, more vibrant arm of the Jazz Aspen Snowmass concert series. Building on a successful June event that featured acts such as Smokey Robinson, Jamie Cullum and Chris Botti, it aims to provide a celebration of rock, blues, R&B, funk, world and soul music within the dramatic scenery of the Roaring Fork Valley. This year’s event is scheduled from Friday, Sept. 4 to Sunday, Sept. 6.

Ziggy Marley performs in 2008.
Courtesy Jazz Aspen Snowmass Festival. Media Credit: Steve Mundinger

The event kicks off with Citizen Cope on Friday at 6 p.m. The raw, eclectic, folksy singer/songwriter provides a perfect opening for a rich weekend of music. Following Citizen Cope is Friday’s headliner Michael Franti and Spearhead, no strangers to the Colorado summer concert experience. Franti and Spearhead take to the stage at 8 p.m. and it’s likely that even the most somber, left-footed member of the crowd will find himself swaying uncontrollably to Franti’s energetic, crowd-inspiring blend of music. Franti is sure to kick the crowd into high gear, preparing them for an invigorating weekend of music and dance.

Wide Spread Panic performs in 2008.
Courtesy Jazz Aspen Snowmass Festival. Media Credit: Steve Mundinger

The crowds reconvene on Saturday afternoon when the progressive rock/jam band Umphrey McGee, who have inspired a rabid following, hits the stage at 3 p.m. Hot on the heels of his best-opening release since the ’80s, legendary rocker Elvis Costello takes over at 5 p.m. Costello is sure to please fans with a mix of old classics and new music from Secret, Profane & Sugarcane. Topping off the high-caliber lineup, the Black Eyed Peas will greet the crowd at 7:15. Their fifth studio album The E.N.D. hit stores in June and the smash single “Boom Boom Pow” is likely rattling in your brain at this very moment. Don’t miss them performing it live along with other inspiring songs from their vault of hits.

Sunday builds upon the high-energy, crowd-pumping music foundation being laid all weekend, but takes it in a decisively new direction: classic rock with tinges of Deep South, blues, jazz and country. Enjoy two of the most respected “brothers” of American rock music in the Doobie Brothers at 5 p.m. and the Allman Brothers Band at 7:15 p.m. Both these bands blur the traditional lines between genres like rock, blues and R&B, creating individual sounds that have withstood the rigors of time and lived within our souls for decades. In 2007, the Allman Brothers took the stage for the most successful JAS concert in its then 16-year history, so their return is sure to be equally engaging and memorable. Kicking off the night of inspired rock music are the Drive By Truckers, who offer their own unique brand of country-injected Southern rock. They take the stage at 3 p.m.

All shows take place at the Main Festival Stage at Snowmass Town Park. A three-day Labor Day pass will purchase entry to all concerts for $160. Individual day passes are available for $54 (Friday) and $74 each (Saturday and Sunday). Call 866-JAS-TIXX or visit the website at www.jazzaspen.org for more information and ticket purchases. Tickets will also be available with a five-dollar price reduction at the Belly Up Box Office in Aspen, contact them at www.bellyupaspen.com or
970-544-9800.

Lodging packages are available through Snowmass Village (www.snowmassvillage.com, 800- SNOWMASS), and the Silvertree Hotel (www.silvertreehotel.com, 800-837-4255).