Behind the Scenes at the Red Rocks Trail Mix Sessions

Red Rocks Amphitheatre began the series Trail Mix Sessions, its own version of NPR’s Tiny Desk concerts, in 2020, just ahead of the pandemic. AJR, AHI and Caroline Rose all made appearances before performances at the venue were suspended. Last October, the amphitheater reignited the project by bringing in its biggest name to date, Wilco.

On the balcony of the Red Rocks Trading Post, frontman Jeff Tweedy led the sextet through renditions of “Falling Apart (Right Now),” “Hints” and “Tired of Taking It Out on You.” Tweedy and friends launched harmonies into the wind, which was visibly tousling their hair under the hazy horizon. A Colorado drizzle is always a threat to these sessions, according to Josh Lenz, Red Rocks director of marketing.

“The trail setting has some limitations, so we kind of play into that," he says. "It rained a little bit in the backdrop [of the Wilco performance], so that was kind of balancing the weather and working with a band of Wilco's stature. But it was a fun day, and it turned out pretty great.”

The rain did not scare away the small audience, heard cheering after every tune, nor the nearly 50,000 viewers that watched the performance online. Lenz believes that the elements are part of the aesthetic; much like Red Rocks itself, the ambient outdoors is are part of the experience.

“The goal of this series is to keep the sound relatively stripped down, almost campfire style, with wind and weather and crickets chirping,” says Lenz. “We want the environmental sounds, all the surrounding sounds, to be a part of the series.”

Audiences are not the only ones moved by the setting; many artists, Lenz notes, have been taken by the 300-million-year-old stone venue. “I definitely feel like I was born here,” said Grace Potter on her episode, brandishing her Gibson acoustic. “Whatever fossil I was made from, I still feel it."

In the series’ most recent session, with Keb’ Mo’, he said, “There really are not enough words to describe what this place is and what it means. This makes me very happy to be alive.”

That's the intent, Lenz says — to have artists swept away by the scenery. “You want them to embrace the trail and nature and lean into that,” he explains. “We want it to feel seamless, so that when an artist shows up...they’re just enjoying being out on the trails of Red Rocks.”

Faced with the parameters of the Trail Mix Sessions, many artists adopt a stripped-down sound that fans rarely get to hear. Thievery Corporation, for example, well known for its electronic work, played an all-acoustic set out on the trails. “When we released that,” says Lenz, “you'll see some of the comments where fans are asking them, ‘When are you going to put out an acoustic album?’”

As the series picks up again following the pandemic, artists are increasingly interested in fitting sessions into their pre-performance schedule. Before a concert hits the main stage, it's possible to catch a session being recorded along one of the many trails. In addition to the production crew, Lenz says, many of those in the live audience are happenstance passers-by, out for an afternoon hike or jog.

Espousing Leave No Trace values, all of the videos are produced on the paths, and the exact location is variable. Artists can play anywhere from the Trading Post’s porch to 100 yards away from a trailhead, depending on their comfort.

“That must be fun for a fan,” Lenz says, “to walk by and see Grace Potter on the trail playing Trail Mix.”

While Red Rocks does not share the upcoming artists in the series, largely due to the great unknown of weather on the day, Lenz is not only excited for the artists expected to play this October, but also to puzzle out their natural backdrop.

“We have one artist, a solo artist, coming up, and we're thinking about finding a really big rock that sort of engulfs her, so she'll feel right up against the rock,” he says.

Post-pandemic, Lenz feels that the Trail Mix Sessions have regained momentum, and he hopes audiences share his expectations.

“The sessions are still in the infant stages, the first couple of years, but we’ve gotten some fun artists, and I’m excited to see what happens over the next few seasons,” Lenz says. “We want it to be a unique series that draws in fans across the world, and hopefully people — either that have been to Red Rocks before or that haven't — get excited whenever we drop a new video.”

Red Rocks' Trail Mix Sessions, including updates, can be found on the venue's YouTube channel.