Rain clouds all around made for a beautiful sunset as the weather held Thursday, giving Canada’s Great Big Sea and Natalie McMaster a beautiful setting for their intimate performances at Denver Botanic Gardens. Those in the audience who braved the potential rain that has plagued the metro area for the past week were treated to rousing performances by the two. McMaster’s opening, with her foot stomping and leg kicking fiddle playing and the full energy of her backing band got the crowd dancing. The main act, hailing from Newfoundland, brought their sea shanties and rollicking tunes to fans eager for more. By the end, the call and response anthems and uptempo favorites, combined with a smattering of new offerings, kept all in attendance enthralled, while nature put on a colorful show of her own all around. Lucky for all, however, the light show this evening at Denver Botanic Gardens was all man-made, except for the wonderful rainbow that colored the sky just as the sun went down. A wonderful show from two bands that don’t tour through Denver often enough.

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Joshua Elioseff is a Boulder based photographer of everything, a self-professed music junkie and regular contributor to Reverb. Check his photos out on Facebook or his website.