AJ Lee & Blue Summit With Two Runner @ Lulu's Downstairs ~ Splendid Supergrass Show 10Nov23

We got back to Colo Spgs in time to assure attendance at a Friday night concert... I quickly picked up tickets to see AJ Lee and team at Lulu's in Manitou. And I solicited some friends to attend, one of whom, Dave, accepted! Hard to believe AJ Lee & Blue Summit played COS (and just $15), and I'm glad I could roust Dave too come out too.The concert was excellent.

NorCal-based Blue Summit includes 4 pieces beyond AJ Lee's lead vocals and mandolin: a fiddle, a bass, and two guitars. One of those guitars is manned by Sullivan (Sully) Tuttle, yep, Molly's little brother and a wicked guitarist in his own right. The other is manned by Scott Gates, a virtuoso and sharp picker too. So great to see them live here in COS, especially in such a small venue. AJ Lee's writing and super sweet and round voice was splendid. The concert was great with Lee belting great tunes from her significant catalog and singing some keen covers (Glendale Train, Harvest Moon, Workin' On A Building). Gorgeous voice. All this while accompanied by wildly skilled acoustic musicians (rounded out by Jan Bowen on bass/backing vocals and Chad Purat on fiddle). They are all steeped in bluegrass history and playing, but together they now reach other genres, like swing or alternative, with alacrity. No banjo so can it be bluegrass? I call it supergrass; it was a blast hearing them and hanging with Dave. Lee played one song solo and gathered Two Runner in for a good version of "Workin' On A Building" featuring lady harmonies. AJ played a 3 song encore and closed with a great version of Harvest Moon.

For grins I offer a brief snipit of Sully Tuttle's pickin' magic...

After their set, I asked Sully if I could get the setlist AJ'd written for the show and he obliged! Sound was good but not great as the house speakers are very wide for the venue's depth, but the small venue made access and viewpoints much nicer.

Small world, they weren't billed on the ticket but Two Runner (Paige & Emily w/ Sean) were the excellent opening act. I spoke to them after and got them to sign the set list I secured from Paige at the stage. I didn't want to buy the vinyl from the merch table at Lulu's because unlike on bandcamp.com, they didn't include a coupon for the digital files with the record, and the price was the same $30. I knew their set sounded familiar; I'd heard every song, in that order, in Moab the WE prior ~ the setlist was even so labeled! I got the band to sign the setlist; it'll be worth millions later. :)