Amoramora | 2018-12-15 | The Fox Theatre, Boulder, CO [SBD/AUD Matrix]

Arrrrrrrggghhhhya ready kids?! I. Can’t. Hear. You!!! Check out Amoramora headlining the official Trey after-party at The Fox Theatre!

As the sounds of cool sea wind blew and the faint caws of seagulls rang out, a visceral drum beat pierced through the sound fog as the band emerged donning their finest pirate gear and manning the stage which had been batten down with rope nets. Fittingly, the set was cast off to sea with “He’s A Pirate” the now famous Pirates Of The Caribbean theme. After a few solid runs, the band then segued immediately into the fan-favorite “Hooper’s Hotel”, a song I always welcome with open-arms. The chorus is just so incredibly infectious and this rendition featured some new vocal harmonies which I hadn’t heard before. My only complaint was this version was too short but then again, they always are. After the final notes, the band faded into a vibrating stillness of modulated sound before crushing into another fan favorite, “Chemical Homebrew”. The funky outro was especially fierce and featured a frenzied “Cantina Theme” jam from Star Wars. Pretty much the perfect tease when you have an experienced EWI player int he band, kudos Michael Lenssen as always.

After a quick breather, the band introduced Rob Brandon of the band Spectacle who would sit-in on additional percussion for the remainder of the set. The band then launched into a newer tune called “Diamond Phillips”, an epic tale that has nothing to do with Lou Diamond Phillips but loaned itself well to the newly added conga layers, adding color and structure to the galloping solo lines. The set then settled into much darker territory as the band patiently extended the intro to “Ultimate Entropy” into a massive psychedelic soundscape. When they finally crashed ashore to the verse, the impact was felt in the walls. The band riffed on and once again the addition of the conga player was felt in the quietest moments of the verses in a subtle but meaningful way.

In between tunes, Danny took a moment to explain the origins of the next song, “Robber’s Roost” which he lamented wasn’t always appreciated the way it was home in Boulder. The tune contained one of the biggest jam moments of the night, building steady tension-release moments propelled by dual-percussive assault. Next up was another newer tune that I hadn’t heard before but pretty much immediately fell in love with, a tune called “Owl Eyes”. The plodding verses and anthemic chorus are well-structured and immediately feel accessible and fresh. It even featured a laid back jam that offered both Danny and Michael a chance to rip soaring solos that further pontificated the emotive narrative of the song.

The band then shifted up a gear and the crowd was treated to the fierce vocals of Tyler Hobbs as he took on vocal duties for “Step Outside”. The upbeat original kept the crowd bouncing and ended with an appropriate “Argh!”. The band then slipped into their grassy original “Oh Brother” which was complete with “Poor Heart” vocal quotes. The tune eventually faded into the “(Drums)” segment of the evening as Rob and Tyler were put on full display after an already rousing performance in the song prior.

The set then closed with two whoppers, a cover of Eddie Money’s “Two Tickets To Paradise” which avian featured Tyler on vocals and the biggest segment of the night in “Spirit Of Adventure > The Battle Of Blackbeard & Maynard > Spirit Of Adventure”. The latter segment reached the 20 minute mark, debuting the new instrumental sandwiched in between another Amoramora staple classic, once again catering to the pirate theme. The voyage however was not quite over yet as the band came back out and encored with a raucous rendition of “Little Spoon” to send off the crowd with one final rocker. As the trumpet notes roared out the crowd did as well and with a final fury of strums, the band finally brought the boat to shore, capping off a night of jolly roger good music.

Amoramora | 2018-12-15 | The Fox Theatre, Boulder, CO

-= One Set =-
01. He’s A Pirate (Theme From Pirate Of The Caribbean) ->
02. Hooper’s Hotel
03. Chemical Homebrew[1]
04. Diamond Phillips[2][3]
05. Ultimate Entropy[3]
06. Robber’s Roost[3][4]
07. Owl Eyes[3][5] >
08. Step Outside[3][6]
09. Oh Brother[3][7] >
10. (Drums)[3]
11. Two Tickets To Paradise (Eddie Money cover)[3]
12. Spirit Of Adventure[3] > The Battle Of Blackbeard & Maynard[3][8] > Spirit Of Adventure[3]

-= Encore =-
13. (Encore Break)
14. Little Spoon

Show Notes: This was a headlining set. The show was billed as the official Trey Anastasio after-party. Morsel and The Great Salmon Famine opened the show.
[1] “Chemical Homebrew” contained a “Cantina Theme” (John Williams) jam.
[2] “Diamond Phillips” and “Spirit Of Adventure” contained “Meet The Flintstones” teases.
[3] “Diamond Phillips”, “Ultimate Entropy”, Robber’s Roost”, “Owl Eyes”, “Step Outside”, “(Drums)”, “Two Tickets To Paradise” and “Spirit of Adventure” featured Rob Brandon (Spectacle) on additional percussion.
[4] “Robber’s Roost” contained a “Simpson’s Theme” tease and “Wondrous Boat Ride” (Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory) quotes.
[5] Prior to “Owl Eyes” there was a “Tweezer” (Phish) tease.
[6] “Step Outside” contained “A Pirate Looks At Forty” (Jimmy Buffet) tease with Tyler changing the word to ‘Things got a little weird’.
[7] “Oh Brother” contained “Poor Heart” (Phish) quotes.
[8] “The Battle Of Blackbeard & Maynard” was a debut.

Thanks to Amoramora and The Fox Theatre for being cool with taping/sharing shows. Go see live music and tip your bartender! #Spacetapes

LINK: https://archive.org/…/AM2018-12-15.AKG.P170.AUD.SBD.Matrix.…