Watch The Revivalists Swing ‘Sledgehammer’ Cover At Red Rocks

The Revivalists closed out a two-night stand near Denver on Thursday (August 15) at the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre. The New Orleans-based rockers ended the night and run by debuting a potent cover of Peter Gabriel's 1986 hit “Sledgehammer.”

Last night’s show was The Revivalists’ ninth at the venue, a history that dates back to 2015. Frontman David Shaw and his bandmates went repeatless over the past two nights by delivering a total of 35 songs for Colorado fans. The Revivalists pulled material from each of their five full-length studio albums at Red Rocks and covered The Who’s “Eminence Front” and Radiohead’s “High And Dry” in addition to “Sledgehammer.”

Peter Gabriel released “Sledgehammer” in April 1986 as the lead single from his So studio album. The song’s video introduced the MTV generation to Peter Gabriel and won a record nine MTV Video Music Awards at the 1987 ceremony. “Sledgehammer” climbed to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart and remains Gabriel’s lone U.S. No. 1.

The Revivalists paired “Only You” with the beloved “Wish I Knew You” as their first encore on Thursday. Shaw & Co. then returned to the stage with a lineup featuring a four-piece horn section for a second encore.

Keyboardist Michael Girardot triggered the signature synth line at the start of “Sledgehammer” and The Revivalists were off and running on the cover debut. The band stayed fairly true to the original with the biggest change being the soaring pedal steel guitar work of Ed Williams.

Check out audience-captured video of The Revivalists’ premiering “Sledgehammer” at Red Rocks: