Thundercat at Red Rocks Amphitheatre

Critically-acclaimed musician Stephen Lee Bruner or better known by his stage name, Thundercat, rose to prominence when he joined the thrash metal band, Suicidal Tendencies. Bruner spent approximately nine years as a member of a crossover metal band before burgeoning into a highly-influential solo artist. After leaving the band in 2011, Bruner dropped his debut album, The Golden Age of Apocalypse. Bruner could finally display his flexibility as a musician through his first record, which contained elements of rock, jazz, funk, R&B, electronica, soul, psychedelia, and more. His experimental nature clearly resonated well with fans and critics because the album received wide acclaim. A prominent music journalist even included the record in the Top 5 Los Angeles Albums of 2011. Although Thundercat’s debut effort didn’t make it into the mainstream charts, the album still topped Billboard’s Top Dance/Electronic Albums and peaked at number 18 on the Heatseekers chart.

By 2013, organic word-of-mouth, online marketing, and his relentless touring have brought his sophomore album more traction. Apocalypse, which featured singles “Heartbreaks + Setbacks” and “Oh Sheit It’s X,” entered four Billboard charts, including the Billboard 200. Moreover, the record’s prominent hip-hop and R&B elements made a promising breakthrough into the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, peaking at number 22. But it wasn’t until 2017 that Thundercat found its incredible commercial success. He released his third record, Drunk, four years after Apocalypse. But this time, his record soared to number 50 on the Billboard 200, as well as entering the charts in 11 other countries. This incredible breakthrough comes a year after Thundercat won his first Grammy for participating in Kendrick Lamar’s “These Walls.”

In 2020, Druner dropped his latest album, It Is What It Is. The record became his highest charting effort, peaking at number 38 on the Billboard 200. This time, the album entered the charts in 13 other countries, breaking into new markets like Japan and Ireland. It Is What It Is notably won Bruner his second Grammy, this time for Best Progressive R&B Album.

Catch Thundercat this October as he conquers the Red Rocks Amphitheater with his genre-defying progressive staples! Tickets are now available!