Chris Lake’s Red Rocks Headline Debut was Absolutely Breathtaking

Chris Lake, with the help of Chris Lorenzo, Aluna, and Marco Strous, put on an unforgettable tech house masterclass in his Red Rocks debut.

Chris Lake is often considered one of the godfathers of modern tech house music, and for good reason. With an endless discography of dance floor weapons from himself and his iconic label Black Book Records, few artists in the scene have made as many waves as the British legend. Even if you’ve only been in the scene for a little while, there’s a good chance that you’ve experienced his impact one way or another.

Now, a few months after releasing his album Chemistry, Chris Lake has hit the road on an album tour, but not before he plays his first headline show at the world-famous Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado. The only other time the beloved house artist played at Red Rocks was last year, when he joined Bonobo for a short set during his show, and that brief taste must’ve been enough to convince him to perform there himself.

I’ve lived in the Denver area for a little over a year and have never attended a show at Red Rocks, as I was saving it for a very special show. In April, when Chris Lake announced that he’d be doing his first show at Red Rocks, I instantly knew that this was the one. I also haven’t seen a set of his since he closed out New Year’s Day at PROPER NYE/NYD in San Diego two years ago, so the hype was insanely real. I was ready for an unforgettable first time at Red Rocks, but I was unbeknownst to the magical night that Chris Lake and friends had in store.

Red Rocks is an absolutely gorgeous venue that needs to be seen to be believed.

Since this was my first time at Red Rocks, my friends and I wanted to arrive early so we could secure a good spot. While it does take a little longer, and it’s not the easiest to get to the venue, the drive up to Red Rocks is majestic. Multiple times, I couldn’t believe that a world-class music venue existed in the midst of all the beautiful nature. We even saw a herd of deer on the walk to the box office, and that was my true “Welcome to Red Rocks” moment.

Before the gates opened, the wind started to pick up, and it had my friends and me worried for a minute. However, in typical Colorado fashion, it cleared up quickly, and the weather remained perfect for the rest of the night, a sign of how the evening would unfold.

Once everyone was let inside the venue, the mad scramble of everyone running to find seats was chaotic, but fun. Nobody was disrespectful, and it was fairly easy to get great spots for our large group in row 16. Once we had our spot claimed, it was time to check out and soak in the whole venue. The venue was something that my mind had a hard time comprehending because it was so gorgeous. The top-notch stage sandwiched between two giant Red Rocks was truly a sight to behold.

The bathroom and bar areas were a little bit of a trek from our seats, and the large steps up were relentless. My Apple Watch said I had climbed 40 flights of stairs by the end of the night, and my legs certainly felt it. Nonetheless, the venue makes it worth it, and the top area is large and spacious, and there are plenty of bathrooms and bars, so lines were kept to a minimum.

The hand-picked support lineup had the crowd dancing from the jump.

The lineup that Chris Lake curated for this show was perfect. Consisting of veterans of the scene, to future stars, Lake knew what he was doing with this groovy lineup when he selected Marco Strous, Aluna, and Chris Lorenzo.

Marco Strous kicked off the party when the music started at about 7:15pm. The crowd was already quite full early on, and he took full advantage from the jump. This rising star had been on my must-see list for a while, and he absolutely delivered, playing his heaters such as “In The Park,” among others. Strous displayed his versatility and ability to read a crowd, and he has an extremely bright future ahead.

Aluna was up next, and she took the crowd’s momentum and ran with it. This was my first time seeing her, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but she threw down. She played her bangers like “Body Pump,” and her two songs with Chris Lake, “Beggin’” and “More Baby,” satisfying the crowd in every way. She kept the vibes of the night sky high.

Chris Lorenzo wrapped up the support with an absolutely gnarly set that showed why he’s one of the best in the game today. Immediately getting the crowd immersed by starting his set with his smash hit “Appetite,” it was all gas and no brakes. He seamlessly mixed his new hits with old and gave the crowd what they wanted with songs like “London’s On Fire” and even played “Something’s About To Go Down,” his song with Chris Lake under their Anti Up project. After this set, I just knew that Lorenzo would have to join Lake on stage to play some Anti Up later in the night.

Chris Lake delivered a fantastic set that resonated with the attendees’ souls.

After much anticipation, it was finally time for Chris Lake to take the stage. The full production and stage were used for his set, and the stage design was extremely unique, with giant rectangular screens hanging above the decks. While Lake decided not to use pyrotechnics for the set, the stage was on fire all night. The set started with his unreleased ID with Skrillex, and from there, he had the whole venue wrapped around his finger.

Chris Lake displayed that he’s a true master of his craft, who still has new surprises up his sleeve. Quickly diving into some of his bangers like “Toxic” and “In The Yuma,” Lake’s deep-cutting basslines and signature sound were done justice by the rich and crisp sound at the venue. Every vocal and BPM could be felt in the chest and the soul, and I was quite impressed by it all, as I had heard mixed things about the venue’s sound beforehand.

Of course, he also played a number of songs from Chemistry like “Savana,” “In My Head,” “Favourite One,” and more. Near the end of his set, he played his iconic “Turn Off The Lights” before spinning some of his new hits like “925” with Sammy Virji and his new remix of The Chemical Brothers’ song “Galvanize.” He also brought up Chris Lorenzo for a quick second to give everyone the Anti Up they were waiting for, and they played some new IDs from the project, sending everyone into a frenzy.

As midnight approached, Chris Lake took to the mic and announced that his time was coming to a close, thanking the crowd for making the night so special. However, it was everyone in attendance who should have been thanking him for the tech house masterclass that we had the honor to witness.

This was a magical night at Red Rocks that will be remembered for a long time to come.

From start to finish, Chris Lake put on a world-class show that he and every attendee will remember for a long time. For me, it was a night that checked all three boxes of a great night: great company, great vibes, and great music. I know that house music events tend to attract a younger, more disrespectful crowd, but the crowd was perfect. Everyone was respectful, and everyone was dancing all night long—the only thing people should be doing at a house show.

To make things even more special, on the way to the Uber pickup area after the show, I passed by Chris Lorenzo and got the opportunity to dap him up and tell him how much he absolutely killed it, to which he expressed his gratitude.

It was also such a great show that I heard people say that I shouldn’t expect every Red Rocks show to be that magical. Maybe they’re right, but undoubtedly, Chris Lake set a standard for Red Rocks shows that I may be chasing for the rest of my life. While the venue is absolutely beautiful, in the moment, it’s only as good as the music being played, and that night, Chris Lake made Red Rocks the best venue in the world.

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