Xavier Rudd Explores Planet Mish

Our first outdoor Thursday night show of the summer featured Xavier Rudd & The United Nations. Never before, in all of my time at the Mish, have I ever witnessed a group of musicians come together to collaborate, from all corners of the world, to create what felt like a newly formed country, or better yet, planet… Planet Mish! If you haven’t heard yet, Xavier Rudd hails from Australia. But down under is not the only corner of the planet represented in his band, ‘The United Nations’ are made up of musicians from Australia, Africa, Samoa, Germany and New Guinea.

From my seat it certainly seemed like a big part of this bands message and performance is unity on a global scale. Most of the members were garbed in what Americans might call exotic outfits, which appeared to be traditional to their native cultures; this in addition to worldly sounds of Latin and African percussion, didjeridoo, beautiful vocals and a wide assortment and variations of guitars really created a ‘new world’ vibe. The energy that the band was projecting fantastically complimented the historic Mishawaka vibe, and it was apparent throughout the show.

This Thursday at the Mish couldn’t have been more beautiful, despite the weather in Fort Collins and surrounding areas, the Mish held strong in its magical little pocket in the canyon. Mike Love opened up the night with a set that was impressive to say the least. Mike Love took the stage first and effortlessly mesmerized the audience with a wide range of sounds. I can recall several occasions throughout his set where I stood near the main entrance and watched people as they passed through security, entered the venue, picked their jaw up off of the ground and proceeded to pursue front row. Following Mike Love’s set we went right into a long, healthy and lively set of Xavier Rudd & The United Nations. The crowd drawn to the show was exceptionally engaging, passive and friendly, which from the security/ venue standpoint is like heaven.

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