String Cheese Incident at Red Rocks Amphitheatre

The String Cheese Incident has grown to become one of the most significant independent bands in America. Since being formed in 1993 in Colorado's Rocky Mountains, SCI has released 12 albums and several live recordings while touring the nation nonstop. They have been honored for their commitment to musical invention and purity, as well as for their altruism, sense of community, and originality in the music business.

Always raising curiosity as to their band name, SCI explained that their name was borne out of the incident that occurred at a restaurant when salsa, beans, and jack cheese ended up everywhere. They also thought the name was a good reference to the various stringed instruments that each member plays.

As the group became more well-known, spectacles and stage displays were a common feature of their live performances. Peak Experience Productions was brought in to enhance larger "Incidents" like Halloween and New Year's Eve (called "Hulaween" because of the band's early involvement in the current hooping movement) with a variety of visual psychedelic effects and crowd engagement activities. A few themed parties are "Dancing Around the Wheel of Time," "Time Traveler's Ball," "Subway Ride Through New York City," as well as "Full Moon Dream Dance, Evolution."

The band also started holding a summer performance at Horning's Hideout in Oregon every year in the 2000s, hoping to reinforce the connection and cyclical energy between the band and its supporters.

While on their spring tour in April 2002, SCI recorded 19 gigs; those live three-CD sets were later released. They are thought to have improved the concept in this way by taking cues from the Live Phish Series by Phish.

Not one to let the spring tour finish, SCI has posted almost every song they have performed live on, excluding those that have been hindered by contractual issues or technical issues with visiting artists. Those without the time or resources to actively swap cassettes can nevertheless enjoy the series, renamed "On the Road," with episodes available on the SCI Fidelity label.

After more than 30 years of performing, the band never ceases to wow its devoted followers and even draws in new ones from the younger demographic.