Cycles | 2019-02-02 | The Bluebird Theater, Denver, CO [AUD]

I thought the heatwave came, but it was just Cycles slaying The Bluebird Theater…

As the lights dropped down on the sold-out Bluebird Theater and Cycles took the stage for their first time headlining the historic venue, a palpable excitement bubbled in the crowd. The band had been making big strides in 2018, and starting 2019 with such a big show feels like a harbinger of things to come. Never afraid to take a risk, the band opened their set with the debut performance of Black Moth Super Rainbow’s “New Breeze”. The dreamlike flow of the shoegazey original leased naturally to Cycles‘ sound, floating over the crowd like a gentle breeze, slowly engaging the audience with each passing note. A bold choice, but for Cycles, appropriate all the same. Next-up the band set sail with the gruff riffs of “Oh Whale”. This tune always conjures images of viking ships doing battle in unforgiving ocean waves, all while Cycles is raging in the crows nest. Afterwards, the band had fans step-right-up for an especially tight rendition of “Game Show” followed by a poignant take on “Float Above It All” before transitioning into what would be the biggest jam of the evening, their current favorite jam vehicle “Something In The Water”. The improv segment was a patient, reverb-laden slog which laid the foundation for Patrick’s piercing guitar work and an exceptionally punchy bass solo from Tucker, all driven by the tempo shifts of Michael Wood. As the band came roaring in for the landing, the crowd erupted with applause, thankful for the ride.

The band then performed one of their live cover staples, King Crimson‘s “21st Century Schizoid Man”. The outro contained a colorfully zany looping jam which might have been even too crazy for Patty’s guitar as he snapped a string and had to quickly change it. This led to a drum and bass jam prompted by the bass riff to “Music For Free”, which Tucker informed the crowd he essentially “copied” from a Reggie Watts vocal melody. Once Patrick came back, the band launched into “Music For Free”, which featured one of my favorite jam segments of the evening. After thanking the crowd mid-song, Patty took the new strings for a serious test run with a series of note flurries before completely deconstructing the jam into type-II territory, with evil funk tones spiraling the original structure into disarray. This led to a more upbeat rock tempo build before once again spiraling into peaking dissonance. The band followed this up with the Patrick-penned tune “The Ball”, which featured a beautifully blissful jam, accented by a pointedly driven lead that provides one of the most powerful peaks of the evening, possibly twice.

Next up was the sinister break-beat melody of “Tucker’s Pet Weed”. The jam broke from wah’d out dark layering to upbeat rock riffing before returning to the original structure, once again to the enthusiastic delight of the crowd. The band then performed a solid rendition of “Its About That Time”, once again featuring their penchant for break-beats interlaced with funky rhythms.

Patrick then left the stage where Tucker and Michael went into another drum and bass jam. This eventually segued into the opening riffs of “Figure It Out”, which is when Patty returned. This would be short-lived, however, as after the first verse-chorus the band synced up seamlessly into the transition to “The Lone Stranger” to close the set. After a brief break for the encore, the crowd was treated to an odd setup. Michael Wood was now behind a keyboard and Tucker holding a kazoo into a pot of water, while standing next to Clay Volpenhein, and no Patrick in sight. As Wood began to slowly feel out the notes of the keyboard, the melody began to take shape and eventually morphed into the familiar opening notes of “The Martyr”. The result was a moving rendition of the well-known Cycles tune, supported by Tucker and Clay on backing vocals and a quick water-kazoo solo. Patrick then joined back up with the band for the final song of the evening, a raging “Get Up Out Of Your Head”, which featured some crazy bass shenanigans from Tucker.

Cycles has shown that even on the big stage, they can be fearless when it comes to their live show. From opening with a debut performance of Black Moth Super Rainbow cover, dropping Mars Volta quotes into one of their originals, or completely restructuring one of their more popular songs for an encore, Cycles shows that they are willing to take risks, they’re genuine with what inspires them, and they take great care in their craft.

Cycles | 2017-11-24 | The Bluebird Theater, Denver, CO

-= One Set =-

01. (Intro)
02. New Breeze (Black Moth Super Rainbow cover)[1]
03. Oh Whale
04. Game Show
05. Float Above It All ->
06. Something In The Water
07. 21st Century Schizoid Man (King Crimson cover)[2]
08. (Drum And Bass Jam I)[3] >
09. Music For Free[4]
10. The Ball[5]
11. Tucker’s Pet Weed
12. It’s About That Time
13. (Drum And Bass Jam II) ->
14. Figure It Out ->
15. The Lone Stranger

-= Encore =-

16. (Encore Break)
17. The Martyr[6]
18. Get Up Out Of Your Head[7]

Show Notes: This was Cycles’ first time headlining The Bluebird Theater. Goose opened the show then followed by Spyscraper. This was a sold-out show.
[1] “New Breeze” was a debut Cycles performance.
[2] “21st Century Schizoid Man” contained “Goliath” (The Mars Volta) quotes. Patrick broke a string during the ending which led to him leaving the stage to change it.
[3] “Drum And Bass Jam I” contained “Music For Free” teases.
[4] “Music For Free” contained “Heartbreaker” (Led Zeppelin) and “Tweezer” (Phish) teases.
[5] Tucker wished Chris Laughner a “Happy Birthday” during “The Ball” jam.
[6] “The Martyr” featured Michael Wood on piano and vocals as well as Tucker on water kazoo and Clay Volpenhein on back-up vocals. Patrick was not present.
[7] “Get Up Out Of Your Head” contained “Party Boy” teases.

Taper Notes: FOB DFC Mics raised around 8′ PAS.

Thanks to Cycles, Evan Marks and The Bluebird Theater for being cool with taping/sharing shows. Go see live music and tip your bartenders! #spacetapes

LINK: https://archive.org/…/Cycles2019-02-02.AKG.P170.AUD.flac16b…