As the founder and Chief Everything Officer of Trek Light Gear I'm always doing my best to spread the word and build up the Trek Light brand in any way possible. While it was easily the largest sponsorship we've ever done, sponsoring the Monolith Music Festival was an easy decision for me to make. I had attended the festival in its inaugural year last year and impressed would definitely be the first word that comes to mind.
If you've never been to Red Rocks before, let's just say it was nearly impossible for me to imagine how anyone could put on a FIVE stage festival at the venue without making people walk all the way to the parking lots for a stage or causing such an overload of sound that the bands would have to constantly compete to be heard over one another. Red Rocks is known for its incredible natural acoustics, why would anyone expect to be able to host a multi stage music festival there? So, I attended the first year with complete curiosity and also the feeling that it would likely go down in history as the one and only year that anyone ever attempted to do such a thing. I can happily say that not only was the first Monolith Festival a success beyond my expectations, it got even better in its sophomore year.
Enough cannot be said about Josh Baker, Matt Fecher, Esurance, AEG Live, Madison House, and all the folks that worked to put on the Monolith Festival this year. The outdoor stage schedules were planned with near perfect precision to make sure that there were no more accidental 'battle of the bands' that occasionally cropped up last year. Every show I saw felt intimate and everyone that I talked to was having nothing short of a fantastic weekend. The music lineup is a lot like the SXSW Festival, every set brings with it the possibility of discovering some new talent or seeing your favorite band put on a show like you’ve never seen – even the established bands are usually playing their first ever Red Rocks show.
The magic of Red Rocks is hard to beat, but when you add 4 more stages, including an acoustic stage, indoor rooms that provide the sound and atmosphere of a small club and, of course, the coolest hammocks on the planet, it all adds up to a weekend that should not be missed.
Speaking of hammocks, if I had a dollar for every time I heard someone say 'Why can't you guys be here at every Red Rocks show?' I'd probably be writing this blog from a cabana on the beach somewhere. We put a ton of smiles on the faces of people who couldn't believe that after climbing all those high altitude steps all day there were actually hammocks setup at the top to relax in. To top it all off, the hammocks were setup directly in front of the New Belgium stage so you could relax in a hammock while listening to great bands and staring up at the giant rock monoliths that give the festival its name.
The Eco Totes were also a huge hit at the festival and it was hard to look into the crowd without seeing at least one person carrying one of our signature compact reusable bags. The bags were printed with a custom design by Todd Roeth, and they were a great example of the impact that the bags can have when incorporated into an event. People used them to carry around the T-shirts and CD's they purchased without needing to waste any plastic and you can bet they'll continue to use them long after Monolith is over. (If you own a company or put on an event, don't hesitate to get in touch with us and find out how we can create a co-branded Eco Tote for that gets your message out in a way that can't be beat!)
Thanks to everyone who stopped by the Trek Light booth and allowed us to show you why our lightweight hammocks and reusable bags have earned their reputation. We certainly plan to be back at the Monolith Festival next year, and you should be too.
Click the link for more pictures from the weekend…
