Thousands of fans streamed into Red Rocks Amphitheater on Thursday, May 5th, to catch a highly-anticipated show from California-based production duo Hippie Sabotage. The two brothers, Jeff and Kevin Saurer, were slated to headline Red Rocks in 2020 but had to postpone the event due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A full two years later, they made sure it was worth the wait with a star-studded lineup.
First up was alt-pop artist Sebastian Paul, whose hard-hitting production and infectious vocals had the crowd swaying and singing along. The singer-songwriter and producer grew up in Colorado, and clearly has a strong fanbase here, as the amphitheater was almost full by 7 o’clock. “I used to come here with my mom on off-days and stand on this stage, saying someday I’m gonna perform here,” he shared. Paul’s 2018 and 2019 EPs, TROJAN HORSE and BOY OH BOY garnered national attention, and fans were thrilled to hear tracks from both projects in addition to singles “CRUSH” and “IMPATIENT.”
The second opener, Two Feet, treated the audience to a longer set of smoky guitar riffs and crooning vocals—his smooth, hazy sound is hard to define but sits somewhere between blues, jazz, and alt-rock. A project by solo singer-songwriter and producer Bill Dess, Two Feet was born after his track “Go F*ck Yourself” became an overnight sensation on Soundcloud—he has since released two EPs and three albums, amassing hundreds of millions of streams.
Hippie Sabotage hit the stage around 9PM, illuminating the audience with a gargantuan lighting production comprised of three stacked tiers and over 25 LED panels. The duo was met with massive applause, jumping right into an energetic set of deep bass punches, dynamic guitar solos, and a combination of live and remixed vocals. About halfway through, they paused to express gratitude for the sold-out audience, saying, “Ten years ago, we were homeless making beats out of our car.” The two brothers first achieved fame in 2014 when their remix of Tove-Lo’s “Stay High” went viral, reaching millions of headphones across the country—today, they have countless streams across 5+ albums and have collaborated with a number of hip-hop artists. Thursday’s set, following a two-month tour of over 40 shows, spanned the breadth of their impressive discography and featured mind-blowing visuals and pyrotechnics fit for a music festival.
VIEW A FULL PHOTO GALLERY FROM THE SHOW HERE.
