DVD Review: Railroad Earth Live at Red Rocks

Kiran Herbert on April 10, 2015

When trying to classify Railroad Earth, the common response is that the sextet defies any one genre and really, you should just see them live. Now, fans can simply refer the unfamiliar to this concert DVD. It’s Railroad’s fifth show at Red Rocks, and though the setlist doesn’t have anything in the way of rare gems—in fact, it’s a lot of their recent Last of the Outlaws—the band’s precise performance makes for a standout show. (The top-notch production and sound quality also make this more than a concert souvenir.) Three songs in, they unleash “Drag Him Down,” driving straight into “1759,” and the race is on. By the time the first set is over, it’s shocking to realize that frontman Todd Sheaffer has barely spoken at all. The second set allows the band room to get a little weird (see “Face with a Hole”) and play three songs over 10 minutes long. The four-piece horn section (five, when multi-instrumentalist Andy Goessling plays saxophone) is a rare Railroad occurrence, and those eight songs are highlights of the three-hour show. The absolute best part of the DVD, though, is the crowd: beautiful, entranced and ecstatic, it’s the epitome of real love.

Artist: Railroad Earth
Album: Live at Red Rocks