Photos & Review: Kongos
Featuring: Kongos, Sir Sly & Colony House
Summit Music Hall, Denver, CO. 3/6/15
Photos and Review by: Shannon Shumaker
If a tour can sell out three consecutive dates in one state, there’s a chance that it’s worth checking out, and that definitely proved to be true with Kongos’ third headlining show in Colorado on March 6th. When I arrived at the band’s second show at Summit Music Hall, it wasn’t quite sold out yet, but it had promise to do so, and with the amount of excited fans already inside the venue by the time doors opened, I wasn’t surprised.
The first band to perform was Nashville, Tennessee based group, Colony House. While the band didn’t have much room to move around on the already small stage at Summit Music Hall, due to Kongos’ lighting equipment taking up much of the stage behind them, that didn’t stop them from putting on one hell of a show. Vocally, Colony House was mind blowing. Even live, their vocal harmonies were on point, which easily captivated the audience. During the band’s third song and title track from the new album, When I Was Younger, they seemed to come alive on stage, and the crowd definitely fed off of the energy. Whether it was because it was their third time seeing the band in three days or their stellar performance, Colony House seemed to have the attention of just about everyone in the crowd, and they absolutely deserved it.
After the perfect opening act, Sir Sly took the stage and somehow managed to kick things up a notch. It seemed to be a pattern throughout every performance of the night as the bands just seemed to one-up one another. Sir Sly’s performance was impossible not to watch, as vocalist Landon Jacbos went from belting out gorgeous vocal runs to playing key parts to strapping on a guitar in the blink of an eye and playing a few riffs. On top of an incredible performance that left Jacobs running and jumping around the stage with his band mates, Sir Sly sounded nearly album quality live, which is a feat not many bands are capable of.
Following Sir Sly was the band that everyone was waiting for: Kongos. When the four men finally took the stage, I was surprised to see that they left themselves just as little room as the rest of the bands, playing in front of a large, black backdrop with their simple logo, instead of a huge intricate lighting setup. For the first three songs, Kongos captivated their crowd simply with their music prowess that earned them the three sold-out shows. It wasn’t until the fourth song that the backdrop finally came down, much to the cheers of the audience, revealing screens that portrayed scenes that fit their sound perfectly. The light show didn’t steal the show, however. No, musically, Kongos proved why they were able to sell out three shows in the same state. Honestly, the band could have played in a completely black room, and fans still would have been screaming the lyrics along with them, especially during the moment that they had all been waiting for: when the band finally played their much-loved single, “Come With Me Now.”
Three days in Colorado, and it seemed that all three bands were still excited to be on stage in front of a room full of adoring fans, putting on an amazing show for everyone, no matter what. It didn’t matter if you made it to their smaller show at The Black Sheep in Colorado Springs, or one of their larger performances at Summit Music Hall – Kongos, Sir Sly and Colony House reigned over Colorado for all three nights, playing their hearts out until the very last note.