Dispatch from Denver: Gary Clark, Jr. and Mavis Staples at Red Rocks

High in the Rocky Mountains with two generations still moving the music forward.

Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater truly is one of those bucket-list venues. This week, my wife and I headed out west to the wondrous Rocky Mountains to see Gary Clark, Jr. and Mavis Staples at the storied natural wonder.

Red Rocks has been around since America entered World War II. It’s hosted everyone from Louis Armstrong and the Beatles to Jason Isbell and, as of this past Monday night, Gary Clark, Jr. and Mavis Staples. The venue lived up to its legendary status as one of the best and most unique music venues in the world. Pro tip: Make sure you wear comfortable shoes. Dress practically. You’re going up a lot of steps. It’s an amphitheater in the mountains, for Pete’s sake.

Mavis Staples telling the truth at Red Rocks Monday night.

I’ve been wanting to catch Mavis in concert for decades. She’s toured with both Bob Dylan and Bonnie Raitt, but I’ve somehow missed those shows along the way. So this was long overdue. Needless to say, she delivered. Fresh from her 85th birthday celebration this past March (her actual birthday is July 10th), which featured an all-star cast of admirers honoring a true gospel rock’n’soul hero, she effortlessly rolled through about 45 minutes worth of classics and newer tunes from her deep catalog. She gave a soul-deep version of Jeff Tweedy’s “You Are Not Alone”, the title track from her Tweedy-produced album from 2010.

She slyly strode through the Talking Heads’ “Slippery People”, which the Staples covered 40 years ago.

And she took Funkadelic’s “Can You Get to That” to church (which she recorded on her 2013 album, One True Vine).

I could’ve heard her sing all night, but as the band (including searing long-time Tele-whacker Rick Holmstrom) continued the refrain of the Staple Singers’ “Heavy Makes You Happy (Sha-Na-Boom-Boom)”, she exited the stage in the classiest of ways; appreciative, but with the air of “It’s time to call it a night, y’all, I’m done.” I don’t blame you one bit, Mavis. I was just thankful to get what I got from you. She definitely took me there.

A Colorado moon watching over Red Rocks Monday night.

As the moon peeked from behind the clouds between the two red rocks behind us, Gary Clark, Jr. took the stage with his fantastic band that featured King Zapata on second guitar, Elijah Ford on guitar and bass, Jon Deas on keys, and JJ Johnson on drums, along with Clark’s three sisters, Shanan, Shawn, and Savannah, providing backing vocals.

I reviewed Clark’s last album, This Land, and it ultimately ended up at the top of my list of the best albums of 2019. It’s fitting that this year Clark appears on several tracks on Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter. They’re both Texans, of course, and they both have experienced the feeling of being treated as novelties in the very styles of music their ancestors helped create. It was empowering to watch Clark at Red Rocks weave the blues through hip-hop aggression, Quiet Storm romanticism, sultry R&B, funky confidence, and rock’n’roll swagger. Playing several tracks from his new album, JPEG RAW, Clark proved he’s an artist who’s in it for the long haul.

Gary Clark, Jr. testifying.

JPEG RAW deepens and expands the textures and feelings Clark brought forth on This Land. Conceived and recorded over the course of the pandemic and afterward, his influences are brought to the forefront, quite literally, on two of the album’s many highlights. “Funk Witch U” features funkmeister George Clinton, while “What About the Children” pairs Clark with Stevie Wonder on a track that would’ve fit right into Songs in the Key of Life.

Clark opened the show at Red Rocks with the opening track from JPEG RAW, the trance-like “MAKTUB”. Its insistent, ominous riff lies beneath lyrics that urge us to “move in the same direction”. It was a powerful opener.

Following “MAKTUB” with “When My Train Pulls In” from Blak and Blu seemed to placate the fans that showed up for Gary Clark, Jr. the modern-day blues guitar hero. While there was plenty of axe-wielding between Clark and Zapata Monday night, what stood out most of all was the total disregard for fences, borders, and gatekeepers.

Fleshing out the show with tracks from throughout his career underneath a crescent moon between those two red rocks, it was a night we’ll treasure for a long time.

A truly ferocious take on “Bright Lights” toward the end was a stand-out, as was the epic “Habits” from his latest, which closed the main part of the show.

Probably my favorite moment of the evening came when he peeled off an extended solo showing off his mastery of dynamics (most likely honed during the many nights spent jamming in those Austin blues clubs) during “Our Love”.

He’ll be in my neck of the woods at Red Hat Amphitheater in Raleigh, NC next month, but sadly without Mavis. If he’s coming close to you on this tour, don’t miss it.

For more on JPEG RAW and Gary Clark, Jr., check out his interview with SPIN here.