The Red Rock Ramblers returned to perform at Thompson’s Opera House Sept. 1.
Thompson’s Opera House played host to performers, the Red Rock Ramblers Sept. 1. The group’s main focus is bluegrass, but from time to time they’re known to transition into more traditional country, and they’ve even been known to translate rock and pop songs into their signature style.
During this particular show, the Ramblers were greeted by an intimate crowd of roughly twenty people. The low numbers were a surprise to everyone involved in the show, especially considering the amount of publicity that the Opera House put out. The $10 tickets seemed to dissuade some from joining in on the fun, but according to Opera House manager Les Derkovitz, he had never seen a show suffer this way, even on a Sunday. One possible source for the problem may have been a printing error on the posters; they had the right date but the wrong day of the week. Nevertheless, by around two o’clock, the show began.
As the band played, the crowd began to show its excitement by clapping along with the music and joining in. The Ramblers played such bluegrass classics as “Don’t Forget the Coffee” and “Blue Side of the Mountain” as well as Ramblers’ originals like “Night Train.” According to the lead singer, all bluegrass music falls into three categories: trains, moonshine and prison. Songs like “Folsom Prison Blues,” “Good Corn Liquor” and “Somethin’ Comin’ to Me” attested to this fact while also each being showstoppers.
The Ramblers also played bluegrass renditions of rock classics like “Stuck in the Middle With You” and the Beatles classic “I Feel Fine.” These worked well in the style, and made for an interesting change in pace.
