This past weekend STS9 descended upon the rocky mountains of Colorado for a performance at the Boulder Theater and two-nights at the coveted Morison’s Red Rocks Amphitheater. The band treated its fans on all three nights to a series of unexpected twists and turns that included numerous rarities and extended improvisations.

In Boulder, the band dusted off several songs from their early catalog while reworking them into its constantly-evolving sound along the way. This translated into an old-school STS9 throw-down in the intimate setting of the Boulder Theater. The show opened with the heavy-hitting musical collage of “Mobsters” > “STS9” > “Wika Chikana (pt. II)” > “Surreality” > “EB” and closed with “Four Year Puma” from the band’s debut album, Interplanetary Escape Vehicle.

Following this high-energy welcoming party, the band rolled into Red Rocks for two shows that continued to reach into the vault of classic and rare songs. On the first night, STS9 brought two rare interludes featured on past studio recordings to the live setting including the first song off Live at Home “Intro” as well as “8 & a Extra.” The band continued to rework its classics highlighted by “Rent” being placed in between the fan favorite “Evasive” -> “Kamuy”, “Moonsocket’s part II” and ending the show with a revised and revitalized “Hubble” ending.

The band’s final night in Colorado, and the second at Red Rocks, was once again packed with unexpected moments that provided the capstone on a very successful three-nights in the Rockies. The first “bust out” of the night came during the opening sequence of “The Unquestionable Supremacy of Nature” that included a “Peaceblaster ’08” sandwich. However, the biggest twist of the night came when STS9 took on a cover (STS9 rarely plays covers) by French electronic duo Justice called “One Minute to Midnight.” Other unexpected moments took place when the band debuted “Oil and Water,” a song off its newest studio album Ad Explorata and brought out Dominic Lalli of Big Gigantic for an explosive version of “Empires.”