Were You There? Elder Plays Sold-Out Show at the Bluebird Theater

Originally from Massachusetts, Elder is made up of Nicholas DiSalvo, Jack Donovan, Michael Risberg and Georg Edert. Chelsey Dequaine-Jerabek

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"Take it from the top!" a fan shouts over a hushed crowd as Elder pauses mid-set. Someone had passed out near the stage at the Bluebird Theater on Tuesday, May 9, during Elder's Denver stop of its North America 2023: Part 1 tour.

The show was sold out, and the front of the house was a bit toasty. Since the start of the set, a sea of prog-rock fans dropped their black jackets and sweatshirts to make room for more headbanging. A lot of headbanging.

The fainted fan was safely escorted from the front of the venue (we wish them well!), and the bandmembers immediately kicked back on as if it had never stopped, finishing the show like true stoner-rock masters.

And it was loud.

The band — originally from Massachusetts and comprising Nicholas DiSalvo, Jack Donovan, Michael Risberg and Georg Edert — played a one-and-a-half-hour set of psych-rock tracks. Howling Giant and Ruby the Hatchet opened.

We rounded up some of our favorite photos of the night. Enjoy, and rock on.

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Post-metal rock band Elder headlined a sold-out show at the Bluebird Theater on Tuesday, May 9, with openers Howling Giant and Ruby the Hatchet.

Chelsey Dequaine-Jerabek

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Ruby the Hatchet opened for Elder at the Bluebird Theater on Tuesday, May 9.

Chelsey Dequaine-Jerabek

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Originally from Massachusetts, Elder is made up of Nicholas DiSalvo, Jack Donovan, Michael Risberg and Georg Edert.

Chelsey Dequaine-Jerabek

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The set was accompanied by trippy lights and backdrops.

Chelsey Dequaine-Jerabek

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Elder is heavy on the psych and prog rock.

Chelsey Dequaine-Jerabek

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Elder last performed in Denver in 2022 at the hi-dive.

Chelsey Dequaine-Jerabek

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Bassist Jack Donovan rocks out on stage.

Chelsey Dequaine-Jerabek

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On the backdrop, a quote says, "Man must rise above the Earth — to the top of the atmosphere and beyond — for only thus will he fully understand the world in which he lives."

Chelsey Dequaine-Jerabek

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Fans throwing horns at the May 9 show at the Bluebird.

Chelsey Dequaine-Jerabek

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The band’s newest album, Innate Passage, was recorded and mixed at Cloud’s Hill Studio in Hamburg, Germany, in 2021. Elder's website says it shows the band's ever-expanding musical vocabulary and joy for sonic exploration.

Chelsey Dequaine-Jerabek

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Elder performed a 1.5-hour set at the Bluebird Theater.

Chelsey Dequaine-Jerabek

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Fans got into the set as much as the band did, mirroring body-pulsing movements.

Chelsey Dequaine-Jerabek

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Elder says its long-scale compositions unfold as journeys, running the gamut of styles from the ’70s to the present within a single song.

Chelsey Dequaine-Jerabek