You may realize we’re all here to seize the day today…too late. But at least you’ve got a recording of Aqueous performing at Beanstalk Music Festival!
After a stellar set last year that was filled with highlights (one of which made our top ten covers of 2018) – Aqueous made their triumphant return to the valley to wow fans with another set filled with tight jamming, inspiring lead work, and a couple more memorable covers.
The band came out swinging with their original, “Random Company”. The catchy main riff and bouncy verses rallied the crowd into an engaging groove that would end up being one of the more compelling jams of the set. Next up was the combo of “Realize Your Light > Aldehyde”, which were each clinics in their own right on shifting guitar dynamics, from the soaring leads in the former to the breakneck shredding of the latter. From here, the set gave a nod to late 90s / early 00s skater punk with a cover of Blink 182’s genre-defining “Dammit”. The cover was true-to-form, if not performed with a tad more aggression than Blink 182 ever had in them. The nostalgia trip was a welcome detour for the crowd that for the most part grew up on Blink 182’s blend of pop-punk.
The next bit of the set featured the most interesting jam segment of the evening in “Skyway > Strange Times”, which burrowed through tunnels of 80s synthwave, chugging prog rock and elements of pop-punk. The set then closed out with a cover of Duran Duran’s “Girls On Film”, which sandwiched the newer tune “Be The Same” in between the synth-rock classic. The disco-rock tempo and new-wave sensibilities of both songs made them a sonically astute pairing.
Aqueous consistently delivers a show saturated with tight playing, remarkably accessible originals, and exceptionally executed covers. It makes for an experience that manages to check every box of what makes a live show compelling and keeps fans fanatical. Hopefully they’ll come back for round three next year!
Aqueous | 2019-06-28 | Beanstalk Music & Mountains Festival at Rancho Del Rio, Bond, CO
-= One Set =-
01. Origami
02. Weight Of The World
03. Marty >
04. Willy Is 40
05. Bennie And The Jets (Elton John cover) >
06. Kitty Chaser (Explosions In The Sky)
07. Warren In The Window
Show Notes: This set was performed on the Main Stage at the seventh annual Beanstalk Music & Mountains Festival.
[1] “Strange Times” contained “Day Tripper” (The Beatles) and “Are You Gonna Go My Way” (Lenny Kravitz) teases.
Taper Notes: FOB DFC Mics raised around 10′ DIN. This set was particularly windy but you only hear it during the quiet moments in between songs.Thanks to FOH engineer Andrew Waltman for the board patch and mix!
Thanks to Aqueous and Beanstalk Music Festival for being cool with taping/sharing shows. Go see live music and support your local artists! #spacetapes
LINK: https://archive.org/details/aqueous2019-06-28.AKG.P170.AUD.SBD.Matrix.flac16
