Red Rocks: First Impressions
“Hey buddy, you doin’ alright?” Jason asked.
“Yeah, I’m good,” barely turning my head to acknowledge the inquiry into my well being as I continued staring out into the distance.
They thought I might be stoned. Somehow.
Couldn’t blame ’em, for during the first 45 minutes of settling in on our high seats, sipping a cold one and waiting for dusk to fall so that 8,000 attendees could enjoy the evening screening of John Hughes’ 1986 masterpiece Ferris Beuller’s Day Off as part of the most excellent Film on The Rocks 2010 summer series, I was off in my own little world, enjoying a spiritual journey of experiencing universal oneness that gave me the glimpse of being profoundly connected to everyone and everything around me.
Now, that sounds like a hippy-dippy brand of cliched BS, so allow me to explain.
There are a number of traditions and disciplines that teach, in essence, that all of us and all of existence are but different manifestations of the same, infinite, divine presence. My 45 minutes of staring out and focusing on sites near and far was but a meditation on that idea. It struck me as sort of a god’s-eye-view of so many things from near and far. From my seat at Red Rocks that night, you could see:
- The city of Denver rising in the far distance, looking as peaceful as can be.
- The ever marching line that separated night from day as the sun set over a dozen townships.
- Clouds that loom and the shadows they cast as they drift across miles of rolling hills in the distance.
- The blackening sky that stretches beyond the clouds, where the very satellites that capture the aerial views of google maps zoom around.
- The majestic, rising stone formations above that have probably awed and inspired people for thousands and thousands of years (i.e. since well before some dude had the good idea to etch a series of wide bleachers and call it a venue).
- 8,000 generally happy people hanging out, enjoying being outdoors while awaiting a good show.
- My love sitting and looking cute beside me.
- A tall, tasty pint of beer in my hand.
All of these vastly varying perspectives I could experience in the same moment. I couldn’t keep the smile off of my face and even broke into laughter more than a couple of times. I don’t know for sure why, maybe it was the beer. Everything just seemed to fit together and existence itself seemed like a really fun, and well put together game, ripe for enjoying.
And thus was my first experience of the natural splendor known as Red Rocks Amphitheater. Good place to catch a classic movie, too.