A triumphant return to Red Rocks caps RKS’ first leg of Thanks For Coming tour.

By DaveThePhotoGuy | Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre – Morrison, CO – 09/08/2025

Perfect nights at Red Rocks. It’s cliché. I know. Great weather, great venue, great artists, whole nine.  For an artist, check it off the bucket list.  Breath taken away gazing at a wall of fans dwarfed by the mammoth Ship and Creation rocks. I get it.

Curiously, RKS’ inaugural headlining pilgrimage to Red Rocks in 2022 wasn’t quite right.  During the show, RKS frontwoman Ela Melo offered that this show was an unlikely follow-up to their initial Morrison performances.  She mentioned not thinking they’d ever be back and followed it up with a definitive statement that this time was magic, that this time was right, and that there will be a next time.  For those who missed this Monday night performance unde,r the Harvest Moon, this should offer you a small measure of hope for another opportunity to catch them on the ‘Rocks.

Call it a fresh set of ears, or maybe call it making up for lost time.

Full disclosure, this is my first time covering Rainbow Kitten Surprise.  In fact, this was the first time I’ve actually intently listened to their music.  On the contrary, my 13-year-old kiddo is no stranger to their music.  As a queer trans teen recently diagnosed with ASD, RKS’ is a safe haven that helps my teen feel supported by music in a deeply personal way.  Feeling seen, feeling community, feeling empowered.  Feelings that are, today, under constant attack by a conservative coalition aimed at erasing all gains made by marginalized individuals in the LGBTQIA+ community.  My offer to cover the show was inspired by a drive to document this performance for my child, (who is mostly unable to attend concerts), and to shine a light on a band that provides so much light to others.

With all of that being said, I didn’t expect to come out of the show as a first-hand fan.  RKS’ performance felt more seasoned and musically superior than most of the 2010’s alt rock bands that I tend to cover.  I’m not a huge fan of comparisons, however, my creative and performance respect for Modest Mouse came to mind as I was searching for a comp.  Musically, their set blended a healthy dose of filthy jazz tones cut with personal angst-laden alt rock. Lead guitarist Ethan Goodpaster blew me away with his NFL Bowl-ready guitar solos that struck me as both mature and musically “tasty”.  I found myself leaning closer towards the stage whenever he would start to solo.  With a respectable approach to changing the set list nightly, (not attempted by many non-jam-band artists these days), 27 songs proved to be the perfect set length.  Concert sushi: not exhausting, not short-changed, but delightfully fulfilled.

The Thank You For Coming tour, in support of their latest album Hate Music Box, provided what I perceive is a newer sonic direction for the band.  Possibly as simple as a nod to their North Carolina roots, the songs from their latest album lean into the increasingly popular pop-folk-country sound that artists are currently being rewarded for, (Noah Kahan, Tyler Childers, etc).  This really goes a long way to showing their diversity and willingness to explore and expand on their sound; mad respect to any already-successful band willing to explore outside of their formula.  The show featured the live debut of their brand new song “Friendly Fire”, which is always a great way to connect with fans.

Sweet-peach breeze whispering ‘the end of summer’s near’, Harvest Moon delights fans in heavenly atmosphere.

Energy-wise, there wasn’t enough time to stare at any single member for too long.  It’s been a long time since I’ve seen every single member of a band pouring emotion into every note of every song; just from their stage presence alone, each of them could easily front their own band.  I get an aura of artistic freedom within RKS that doesn’t end downstage, and yet, isn’t over-the-top.  That translates to fans wanting to watch more shows and elevates the entire tour package; RKS doesn’t need giant LED screens to keep your attention.

Another example of Rainbow Kitten Surprise’s intense crowd connection that extends from the front row to the back row was put on display when Ela halted the music mid-song to check on the wellbeing of a fan…in the 65th row!  From my experience, an artist might notice something amiss and stop a show when someone goes down between the front row and the sound board, but I’d never seen this level of attention paid by any lead singer.  Not only did she stop the show, she had a quick and effective method of communicating with the group 100′ above the stage.  She asked the group to keep their phone flashlights on and stay still if everyone was OK, or to wave the flashlights back and forth if there was a medical emergency.  Unfortunately, in this case, the fans waved their phones back and forth and, thanks to the quick communication established, Red Rocks’ amazing medical team was seen rushing up 175 stairs to meet the medical situation in less than a minute.  It was brilliant, effective, and garnered a round of applause from those in attendance.

Ending the night with an all-out emotional ballad “Polite Company”, a guest appearance from opener Medium Build performing the tour’s namesake “Thanks For Coming”, plus a cover of party rock veterans Fall Out Boy with surprisingly hella-good rendition of “Sugar, We’re Going Down”, and a nod to O.G. and casual RKS fans alike with “It’s Called: Freefall”,  it’s safe to say nobody left the show with a ‘case of the Mondays’.

In all, I see an upward trajectory for Rainbow Kitten Surprise on every level.  Located somewhere between underground musicians (they only have 1 single that has charted on Billboard), and pop stardom, RKS sold out this 9,000(ish) capacity venue and manages to connect with fans of every background, influence, and identity.  Look no further than the people surrounding my seat: a latino man with tats on his face, an old white man with a 12″ beard wearing a heavy metal shirt, a cis female from Highlands Ranch, and a mixed-race lesbian couple in front of me. All of them lost in music, singing from the top of their lungs. This is what an inclusive community driven by music looks like.

Setlist:
Espionage
Fever Pitch
Matchbox
Our Song
Goodnight Chicago
100 Summers
Hide
Dang
Cold Love
Drop Stop Roll
Devil Like Me
All’s Well That Ends
Friendly Fire (Live debut)
Shameful Company
Painkillers
Tropics
First Class
Cocaine Jesus
Wasted
That’s My Shit
Superstar
When It Lands
Run

Encore:
Polite Company
Thanks for Coming (w/ Medium Build)
Sugar, We’re Goin Down (Fall Out Boy cover) (w/ Medium Build)
It’s Called: Freefall