I knew it was going to happen. And sure enough, shortly after arriving up at Red Rocks last night for the Film on the Rocks show, the heavy clouds rolled in. It rumbled. It thundered. We had a great light show, but it wasn’t coming from the stage. Soon it became a total downpour. Some ran for cover, others danced circles in the rain, but we all stuck it out. Poor Opie Gone Bad played to a sopping wet crowd, but the clouds rolled on out toward the plains and we all settled in to watch Harrison Ford charm us.

Overall, it was a wonderful event. It felt good to cool off, and the rain passed in less than 30 minutes. But be warned – bring a windbreaker or jacket, and an umbrella if you go. (You can bring them in as long as they don’t have pointy metal tips.) I heard that last year it rained at every single one of the shows. On the down side – you can’t get too fussy over the fact that people are supposed to be watching the movie; it bugged me at first that so many people were getting up and down, taking to their friends loudly and chatting on cell phones, which I found to be super annoying. But still, it’s an outdoor family event and I guess I can’t expect people to treat it like an indoor theater. On the plus side, you can buy a beer, smokers can freely light up (and being Red Rocks, there was the typical occassional whiff of pot smoke too) and you can bring your own food.

But the best part is just the venue, of course. Watching the city lights twinkle down below and the thunderstorms light up the sky above the screen made it hard to concentrate on the film, in a really good way.

Next up for me: Monty Python & the Holy Grail, with the Denver Brass Band on July 18.

Just don’t forget your rain gear.