Gillian Welch and David Rawlings performed at Red Rocks Amphitheater on May 2, with a setup that barely filled the stage: two microphones, a handful of instruments and an old patterned rug. Compared to the venue’s scale—9,500 seats terraced into ancient sandstone—the arrangement was markedly spare. Two voices in close harmony, moving with absolute coordination, transformed the amphitheater’s vast space into something unexpectedly intimate.
The duo kicked off a double bill with Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit. As the blue sky faded to twilight, their guitar lines and voices weaved around each other like the swallows catching insects above the stage. Rawlings felt his way through solos that danced up and down the fretboard, shaking flawless runs out of his guitar between phrases of harmony. By the fifth song, Welch had played the banjo and italicized the wistfulness of “Wayside/Back in Time” with harmonica, much to the crowd’s delight.
When the song ended, Rawlings joked that they’d used up all their tricks. “You might take off your jacket,” Welch quipped with a smile.
Though they share three decades of collaboration, 12 albums and countless awards between them, it’s clear they’re not out of tricks. The artists continue to innovate, with the production-heavy orchestral arrangements of their latest release, “Woodland,” winning them “Best Folk Album” at the 2025 GRAMMY awards. Even so, flair has never been a feature of Welch and Rawling’s music. The duo’s wonder comes from timeless lyrics and simple, masterful arrangement. Many of their songs sound unearthed rather than written, as if Welch and Rawlings were the lucky ones who found them and breathed them to life.
“I took a gamble and didn’t wear long underwear tonight,” said Welch in her sleeveless black dress and cowboy boots. “But I think I’ll be alright.”
Rawlings sported a suede jacket and jeans that looked as worn and storied as his 1935 Epiphone Olympic archtop. Grey-haired and lean, the duo nonetheless drove their performance with muscle. Rawlings’ solo on “Revelator” drove forward relentlessly, punctuated with deft harmonics. Welch’s harmonica cut through in plaintive bursts. Their stage presence felt embodied and spirited.
And the crowd was all about it. When David Rawlings finally took off his jacket, they whooped and hollered. The Gillian Welch/Jason Isbell double ticket pulled fans from far and wide—including Ben Pritchett, a high school senior and his family from Calgary, Alberta. Though he came to hear Jason Isbell play “Cover Me Up,” he swayed through Welch and Rawlings’ classics, sometimes with an arm around his mom. Also in attendance, of course, were a lot of Colorado College students.
“I wanted to squeeze in one last venture at Red Rocks,” said Caroline Schlehuber ‘26, who hoped Welch and Rawlings would play “Dry Town (demo),” her current favorite.
“I wanted to celebrate music with my dearest and nearest friends, and I wanted to see Gillian Welch live, because she’s a huge inspiration to me.”
The duo finished their set with Rawlings’ medley of “Method Acting” by Bright Eyes and “Cortez the Killer” by Neil Young, showing the range of their influences.
As night fell, Jason Isbell took the stage and turned up the volume. He took a moment to acknowledge the enduring truth of Welch and Rawlings’ songs in a rare pause between four-minute solos and pounding drums.
“I love music, and I listen to all kinds of stuff,” Isbell said. “But when I really want to listen to music, I put on Gil and Dave.”
Long after the swallows had gone to sleep and the full moon rose over Denver, Welch and Rawlings joined Isbell on stage, sending the crowd home with an encore rendition of John Prine’s “Paradise.”