The Story of (Us) Holly, Mindy, Chris, and me with Casey in Denver, CO, USA
- ccw824
- Aug 19
- 14 min read
August 2025
August 10
It's not quite my record for quick travel turn arounds but a mere 6 days after arriving home from 10 weeks in Asia and Europe, I'm back at LAX again. This time, Denver awaits. Family road (air!) trip. I'm going with Holly, Chris, and Mindy to see Casey perform at Red Rocks in Denver. To catch up any newbies to the blog--Holly is my aunt, Chris is my brother and Mindy is not family by blood--but otherwise may as well be. And Casey is my cousin. She's been featured in my posts before, most recently last December when Holly, Chris and I went to see her play as an opener for Taylor Swift's Eras concert in Vancouver. Casey is the keyboardist, background vocalist, and musical director for Gracie Abrams. If you are over 20 and don't have kids in the 15--20ish year age range, you might not know who she is. She's a singer and really exploded earlier this year. Gracie was the opening act for Taylor Swift for the North American segment of her Eras tour in 2024. And if I have to explain who SHE is, stop reading now. Seriously, stop. Anyway, it is a HUGE deal that Casey is touring with Gracie Abrams.
And so we are off. It's back to LAX. Oh, how I've missed you so. NOT! I'm heading up the escalator when I hear someone call my name. It's Brian, Casey's husband, flying home from seeing the Gracie show in San Francisco. Small world. I meet up with Holly and Mindy in the security line. For some reason I am not TSA precheck. Sigh. Rather than fuss, I just take my place in line and catch up with them after security. We head to the Delta Lounge which is lovely. Our flight is delayed and we are happy to have a nice place to hang out. When it's time to head to our flight they find out they have both been upgraded to first class. SCORE for them! They are both loyal bajillion mile Delta people so they get perks like automatic upgrades when available. Me, I head back to my comfort plus aisle seat. And then we sit. And sit. The captain tells us that there are thunderstorms in the Denver area and we will be delayed again. And I'm happy as a clam. I have a book to read and lots to watch on my ipad and no one needs anything from me so it's all good. A little bit later, we move from the gate to the tarmac, where we wait again. Then it's offfffff to Denver. After several loooooong flights this summer, this one seems super short. It's just over 2 hours. We pick up the rental car and head to the hotel. By now, it's much later than we had expected to arrive. Luckily, Casey got in earlier so she orders us food to go from the restaurant and it's ready pretty much when we arrive. We have a little lobby picnic, say a quick hello to Casey, and then settle into our rooms.
We are staying at the Limelight in Denver. It's fabulous. And I'm All. By. Myself. After traveling with Dmitri (and Jack on and off and Mia and London at times) all summer and sharing sometimes a hotel room, sometimes an airbnb, and sometimes an 8-bedroom "farmhouse" (oh just WAIT until the blog about the place we stayed in the Cotswolds!! Coming soon) it's nice to have the whole entire room all to my myself. Chris will be arriving tomorrow so I'll have to share but for now, it's heaven.
August 11
Ah, it's lovely to wake up in a hotel room all. by. myself. Lovely lovely lovely. Chris is on his way from San Diego in a few hours and it'll be fun to have him around.
Our hotel doesn't have a pool but there is an arrangement with the beautiful Colorado Athletic Club, a mere 4 blocks away. So Holly and I take off first thing to go swim our laps. In our bathrobes. In downtown Denver. I mean, what do we care. The only people I currently know in Denver are Holly, Mindy, and Casey. We arrive and are thrilled to find the pool empty. Score!!! A guy comes and joins us in the pool for only about 8 minutes but we pretty much have the place to ourselves. When we leave downtown Denver is a bit more bustling and we are now getting a few strange looks. The ladies at the bible table (you know, the people who sit at the table and wait for people to come talk to them about religion) think we are hilarious and the literally laugh out loud at us. Whatevs, we do us.
It's massage time for Holly and Casey. Since we weren't able to make appointments for 4 people all at the same time, the two of them are going in the morning and Mindy and I will go in the afternoon. I have a quick breakfast (steel cut oats with quinoa in golden milk with dried apricots, blueberries and marcona almonds---YUM) and then join Mindy in the hotel's gym.
Holly and Casey text us to say that the spa has messed up and has us down for massage appointments for TOMORROW. Ugh. That changes our day. We had PLANS, spa people! And Mindy does NOT get appointments wrong so the onus is on YOU. Without appointments at the place we thought we had booked, the two of them head off in search of this Thai massage place that Casey loves. Mindy gets on the phone with the spa people and gets it sorted. Sort of. She and I will now get our massages tomorrow morning at 10 am. Look at us, being all flexible with our spa appointments. We should get a freaking medal or something, I think.
The Limelight is in a fab location. While Holly and Casey start their Thai massages, Mindy and I walk to the beautiful downtown Whole Foods. Across the street is a Sweetgreen. On the other corner is a Starbucks. There's a CVS a minute away. And many other great restaurants and shops within walking distance. With a pool just down the street, I have almost anything I could need or want.
Casey's call time is 1:15 so she heads off for tonight's show.
Chris' flight has landed. I don't really feel like sitting in a hotel room so I chill in the lobby with my laptop and wait for Chris to arrive. As I wait for him, out of the corner of my eye I think (98% sure) I see Gracie Abrams and Paul Mescal casually stroll by. Not 100% sure. I didn't want to stare because that's weird and I've already strolled downtown Denver in my bathrobe today. Gotta spread the weird out some. But anyway, that just happened.
Living in LA, there are lots and lots of recognizable famous people around. As I walk the earth for the most part in my own head, I don't tend to notice them. There have been times I've been with people who are like, "did you see who that was" and mostly I did not because #1. I am clueless and don't pay attention as much as I should and #2. I don't have the best eyesight without my glasses which I sometimes wear and sometimes don't. But mainly it's the first one.
And then there was the time I met and had a whole conversation with a tv actor who has his own show. Like, literally, he IS the title character. Plus, he's been in some other fairly well-known shows. I met him at a school event for new parents and he was SUPER nice and had (HAS!) the best voice. So when Dmitri and I got in the car I was like that guy has a GREAT voice and he totally should be a voice actor. My husband gives me a look and asks me didn't I think the guy looked familiar. I was like, maybe, kind of. And then he tells me and it's a face-palm moment. Oh well. Long tangent even longer, at the next school thing I saw him again and I told him how I almost was going to tell him he should be a voice actor and he thought that was HILARIOUS. And turns out, he IS a voice actor.
But I digress.
Chris arrives. We head for lunch at Hop Doddy and have a wonderful time. Highly recommend this wonderful burger place if you are lucky to have one near you. And the truffle fries......
There is a lot of laughter and joking. My brother, Chris, is HILARIOUS most of the time and even more so when he's away from the responsibility of taking care of young children, even ones as fab as my nephew and niece. And he and Mindy heckle each other like no one's business while Holly and I enjoy the back and forth banter. He just DNGAF and is totally irreverent towards pretty much everyone regardless of who they are, how old they are, their job, how much money they have, etc. There is also some teasing in Holly's direction, as we are having a 10-person dinner tonight with various people from different areas of her life and she wants to get place card settings for them. We find what she needs in a CVS after walking around a bit. And being silly. And laughing.
We head back to the hotel and relax before getting ready for dinner. Dinner is at a Mexican place called La Loma. We arrive early and they have us set up at a table by the front. It's a very, very loud restaurant and you can barely hear yourself think. The table is also near the front door and it's quite steamy out and so we think probably not the best place for our group. Chris and I head across the street to the famous Brown Palace Hotel to have a gander and leave Mindy to sort out the table sitch. Mindy is FAMOUS within our circle for getting shit done and taking care of what needs to be taken care of. She nicely and calmly and emphatically insists that you bend to her will. By the time we have checked out the beauty of the hotel and the ship bar that has been continuously open since the end of Prohibition, our new table has been set up in a private room. Go Mindy!!!!
The Brown Palace is a really beautiful, old hotel. Check it out if you are in town. And I have it on good intel (Anne Dutia shoutout!) that the afternoon tea is great, even if I didn't have time to experience it myself.
Our gang is the following:
Gayle--Holly's longtime friend and summer campmate from when she was 8 years old
Candy--Holly's former LA dance teacher who is a Broadway legend and now lives in CO
Ralph and Barbara--Howard's nephew and his wife who Holly inherited when she married Howard
Terry and Lori--sister and brother-in-law of Holly's college friend, Gigi
Mindy, Chris, and me
Holly kicks the "6th degrees of separation from Holly" dinner off with a short intro of all the people there as we get to know each other. A wonderful time is had by all. Holly even brings gifts for each of us which is a lovely and thoughtful and quirky treat. The men get glasses cleaners and the women get super fun and cute socks from Free People Movement. We overstay our welcome and the restaurant people practically kick us out long after the restaurant has closed. But it's a lovely evening and we all appreciate Holly getting together an eclectic group of people.
August 12
Concert Night!!!!!
Casey and Holly go to the gym when they wake up and get going, but Mindy and I head off for our hot stone massages at Woodhouse Spa. It's in this adorable Victorian house and they usher us upstairs and into robes and slippers. And my massage is heavenly. Just heavenly. I totally bliss out for 80 minutes. Such a treat.
After massages, we head back to the hotel and meet up with Holly. Casey heads to Red Rocks, Chris is having a pedicure at the same spa later in the morning, and Holly, Mindy and I head out to have lunch at Gayle's house in Evergreen. Or, at least, that's the idea. In reality, Holly, Mindy, and Gayle have lunch. After we arrive, I sit very still on Gayle's couch and try not to either pass out or vomit. Sigh. Ever the consummate guest, I arrive to Gayle's house with both motion and altitude sickness. I was already feeling the altitude a bit in Denver. At 5280 feet I had been getting short of breath and a little head achey, but I was drinking lots of water and doing all the things you do at altitude. I also absolutely know better than to look at screens while riding in a car and probably should have had navigation on for voice commands. Especially when the roads starting winding. Plus, Gayle's house just outside (or I should say, ABOVE) Evergreen is at 8200 feet. Good grief.
Gayle is a lovely hostess and the view is outstanding.
I drink copious amounts of water and pretty much feel better by when it's time to leave. And so, back to Denver we go. This time, I'm in the front seat and I am NOT looking at any screens.
We have just enough time when we return to start getting ready for the show! Holly has her fancy schmancy Dyson and does my hair. Which looks great for like a minute before I put a bandana over it--more on that later. Chris, meanwhile, heckles Mindy some more while she tries to get ready. While we were off with Gayle, he has gotten a pedicure and then met up with Casey's husband, Brian. Brian has flown in from LA to see the show. We worry about how comfortable the benches will be and have sent two of them off to REI to secure something to soften the seating in the venue.
We grab a quick dinner at the hotel's restaurant, Ajax, where we are joined by Candy. All too soon, our driver has arrives to take us to the show. And we realize we have not left early enough because there is terrible, terrible traffic. We fret because we want to get there in enough time for Casey to come see us in the seats before she show. I'm also agitated because I really want to see Griff, the opener. Plus, when you are all hyped up and eager to get some place and are stuck behind a very very long line of cars, it is just. no. fun. Finalllllllly, our driver drops us off and we head in and WOW. Red Rocks Amphitheatre is a-maze-ing. It's so so so beautiful. It's a stunning open-air setting. I have been lucky enough to visit some beautiful and historic venues but this is next level. And the temperature is perfect.
We head to our 11th row seats and catch Griff who is incredible. If you don't know her music, check her out. She's really cool and super interesting, I think. She's half Chinese and half Jamaican and, I believe, was born and raised in London.
As it turns out, we arrive in time for Casey to come say hi and we are buzzing with excitement. Holly--or rather, Casey--has gotten tickets for some friends of the family and we are a group of 11 people. Including 4 VERY THRILLED teen girls. Casey makes their night by bringing over a bag full of Gracie merch.
The crowd is very similar to that at the Eras tour. Mostly young girls in the 13-19 age range. Super friendly. VERY excited. Years ago when she was starting out (I think!) Gracie wore hair bows and so now the crowd is packed with young fans sporting bows. Earlier in the summer, Gracie began wearing a bandana and Casey gave us a few to wear to the show tonight--and also to pass along to the young girls in our group. These are very special bandanas that are part of a Gracie collab with a designer so we feel totally trendy and in.
Just before the show starts, we take a quick bathroom run and while in line I announce to the people around us who Holly is. I point her out and say she is the mother of Casey, the keyboardist and vocalist in Gracie's band. A girl behind me is like, duh. We know who Casey is. And she names off the other band members and references Casey's other musical endeavor, Little Monarch. And speaking of music you should listen to.......HIGHLY recommend. Destroy is one of my faves. Actually, that's under Casey Kalmenson on Spotify. Omg, soooooo good. For Little Monarch go here. And Holly has a starring role in the music video of another GREAT tune, Same Old. See here. Fun fact--keeping it all in the family, Mia is a production assistant on that video.
Annnnnnnnnnnyyyyyyywho. The show. Gracie Abrams. The Story of Us tour. At long last, it starts and WOW. It's a magical evening. The red rocks. The air and the perfect temperature. Seeing Casey perform and being so close to the stage. Gracie KILLING IT. The fans bringing the energy. Being with my aunt and my brother and Mindy. It's such an exceptional experience. With each song, the fans become more lively and louder. Holly, Mindy, Chris and I enjoy ourselves, but are more than just a lil eager to hear the song that Casey cowrote with Gracie. Because while the headliner of the tour is Gracie Abrams, this is my blog and so the night (for those of us in my group!) is all about Casey. We wait and finally they play Out of Nowhere. And. Just. Wow. This must be how it feels when Lisa, one of my Michigan besties, watches her son play in the NFL. I am just so happy and proud and feel so privileged to be along with Casey on this magical and crazy ride.
At one point, Gracie brings out Griff to sing a song with her and I love this. Women in the music business helping other women. #respect
Casey gets lots of time on the big vision board and during a video that plays in the background of one of the songs, we even get to see her dog, Elvis, which delights us to no end.
It's time for the aftershow and since we are lucky enough to have the magical green wrist bands we are granted access.
We are led under the stage and we wander a warren of halls past dressing rooms and equipment areas until we get to a homey area where the friends and family members of the band are hanging out.
And it really is low key and chill and a family atmosphere. There are hugs with Mel, Gracie's Pilates instructor on the tour who I met earlier and I say hi to Cooper's dad, who I met in Vancouver at the Eras tour. I meet Vinnie, who Mia interned with at Beehive, and he sings her praises.
I get a hug from Mac, Gracie's tour manager. I also met her in Vancouver and Mia ALSO worked with her.
Mia has worked with Mac on several occasions, most recently last week on Gracie's LA shows at the Forum. Can I just stop right now and say how happy it makes me as a mom for Mia to be around all these bad ass women--Casey, Mac, Gracie. As well as her wonderful great-aunt, who introduced her to show tunes from a very early age.
There's food and drink and we marvel at the pictures of all the bands who have played Red Rocks.
And even Elvis makes an appearance, having traveled with Brian from LA to chill backstage in his carrier during the concert, blissfully unaware that his image has been projected to thousands.
It's late and we fly home tomorrow so we say good night to Casey and Brian and Elvis and head back to crash at the hotel.
August 13
All too soon Chris is waking up and getting showered and ready to go for his morning flight home to San Diego. I have breakfast by myself in the hotel and meet Mindy and Holly and off we head to the airport. I am stupid tired. But so incredibly grateful to have had this once in a lifetime experience with these lovely women--and Chris, of course. On the plane we are amused to see Elle, Gracie's bassist in the seat across the aisle from us. Mel is a few rows ahead of us and there are a few other of Gracie's people on our flight.
Wow, what a trip. I would say can't wait for the next, but maybe I'll stay home a bit......ah, who we kidding?????
