Pearl Jam Covers, pantslessness and so, so much beer: Great Divide’s birthday bash in RiNo

Here’s the thing: When you let a bunch of people into a field where there are several dozen very high quality beers in limitless supply, and then you close with a ’90s cover band, people will sing every word and hug strangers and generally head out of there with smiles on their faces.

Credit Virgil Dickerson of Greater Than Collective and general Denver music expertise, who has booked the music at this thing for the last three years, with an impressive lineup of local artists paced perfectly. Confluence started the day with well-wrought sunny weather rock. Varlet got most of the way through a set of remarkable melodies before the sky opened up.

The event’s staff knocked the pools of water off the tents and managed to not blow up any electronics, and just a little behind schedule, the Dirty Few whipped a second wind into the crowd. Things were wet and getting sloppy at that point, and when drummer Seth Stone was advised to remove his pants by shouted instruction from the crowd, he happily complied. He probably would have done that anyway, but in this setting, with the rain headed east and the supply of beer still plentiful, the set was completely unhinged.

And then ’90s cover act Gin Doctors, a Denver band comprising several well-known purveyors of original music, hummed into “Cherub Rock.” By the time they got to their first of a couple Weezer covers, the crowd was ready to just act like it really was 1994 and this was Lollapalooza or something. Photographer Aaron Thackery was there; several of his band-related highlights are below. Be sure to check out the full slideshow.

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