Suraya Mohamed | August 28, 2025 Known for its panoramic views of Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley, Smuggler Mountain was conveniently a couple of miles from the Aspen Ideas Festival campus. The band Lucius and our crew took a short trek up a dirt road to arrive at the historic Smugger Mine. Once inside, we walked through the cold and damp Clark Tunnel and arrived at a man-made cavern. There Lucius played “Dusty Trails,” perhaps appropriate for the fossilized surroundings.
The subsequent songs come from its latest self-titled album. Performed just outside of the mine entrance, the audience had the good fortune to take in catchy tunes and a gorgeous background overlooking the town. “Final Days” is a reminder that the human experience is filled with unknowns. The sugary “Gold Rush” highlights lead singers Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig’s solid vocal connection. The set ends with “Mad Love,” a beautiful ballad that inspired some grasshoppers to sing along.
SET LIST “Dusty Trails” “Final Days” “Gold Rush” “Mad Love”
MUSICIANS Jess Wolfe: vocals Holly Laessig: vocals Dan Molad: percussion, background vocals Peter Lalish: guitar Jacob Peters: bass
PRODUCTION TEAM Director: Mito Habe-Evans Editor: Nickolai Hammar Videographers: Mito Habe-Evans, Nickolai Hammar, Ryan Lohr, Will Sardinsky Audio Engineer: Neil Tevault Post-Production Coordinator: Tsering Bista Senior Producer, Aspen Institute: Ava Hartmann Program Associate, Aspen Institute: Jacqueline Olivas-Sison Festival Director: Graham Veysey Supervising Editor: Becky Lettenberger Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
SPECIAL THANKS Sean Duty Ben James Samuel Lasater Jay Parker Chris Preusch Smuggler Consolidated Mines, LLC. Fred Wilson Matt Windholz Keith Jenkins
