Top 5 most-read stories: Foo Fighters close out JAS; Loss of Jimmy Buffett hits close to home
We’ve rounded up the top 5 most-read stories on aspentimes.com from the last week.
1. Foo Fighters will close out JAS Labor Day Experience on Sunday
To really appreciate what you have, it is important to know what got you here.
The natural wonders of Aspen have a way of providing comfort, healing, and rejuvenation. So, anyone familiar with the recent history of Dave Grohl and his bandmates in Foo Fighters would understand if the only thing bringing them to the Roaring Fork Valley this weekend was a well-deserved break to seek solace and continue recovering from the loss of Taylor Hawkins, the band’s beloved, charismatic drummer.
Hawkins’ unexpected death at 50 years old on March 25, 2022, sent shockwaves of grief through the music community and shattered those who were closest to him. As Grohl’s “best friend and partner in crime,” losing him was also a devastating personal blow, which could have understandably brought about the end of Foo Fighters; but the tragedy is something all too sadly familiar to Grohl. Music has always given him tools to forge ahead.
—Paul Pawlowski, Special to The Aspen Times
2. For Aspen, the loss of Jimmy Buffett hits close to home
For many of Jimmy Buffett’s biggest fans, aka “Parrotheads,” what drew them to the artist’s music was his depiction of life as an endless party on a boat in the Florida Keys, with songs like “Margaritaville” and “It’s Five O’clock Somewhere.”
But for Aspen locals, they remember him as someone with a 50-year relationship and deep connection to the Roaring Fork Valley. Someone who lived, married, had a child, and invested in the place we call home.
So it’s no surprise the news of his death at the age of 76 on Friday, Sept. 1, sent shockwaves through the community and a collective mourning began.
—Sarah Girgis
3. Photos: JAS Day 3 with the Foo Fighters and Billy Idol
The Jazz Aspen Snowmass Labor Day Experience came to a close on Sunday with Billy Idol and the Foo Fighters taking the stage.
Jade Jackson opened the evening with a slightly delayed performance after a rainstorm forced JAS to briefly evacuate the venue because of lightning. Despite this, Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters still took to the stage on time in the final act of this year’s event.
Other headliners this year included The Lumineers and Old Dominion.
—Austin Colbert
4. Photos: JAS Day 1 with The Lumineers and Grace Potter
The Jazz Aspen Snowmass Labor Day Experience got underway Friday with Grace Potter again returning to the Snowmass stage after a decade away, followed by Colorado’s own The Lumineers as the headliners.
—Austin Colbert
5. Boebert GOP challenger Russ Andrews has his own stance on abortion and more
Republican Russ Andrews, who’s challenging incumbent U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert to be the GOP nominee for Colorado’s gigantic 3rd Congressional District, says his key campaign adviser warned him not to put anything about abortion on his campaign website.
But Andrews prides himself on being a straight-shooter. So, with no prompting, he tells a reporter he believes abortion should be legal up until 22 weeks into the pregnancy. At 22 weeks, he says the fetal heartbeat can be detected, which indicates a viable life outside the womb.
“I don’t mean to sound like one of those men telling women what they can and can’t do with their bodies,” he adds.
—Lynda Edwards