Twenty years ago, I was in Vail, Colorado attending a kayaking event called the Teva Games. It was early June and I had began the day, believe it or not, skiing at Arapahoe Basin. After the early morning turns, I decided to attend the festivities taking place along Gore Creek in the heart of Vail Village. As the afternoon wore on, someone mentioned going to the Red Lion Restaurant nearby to go hear a guy named Phil Long play. At the time, I thought Phil Long was the name of an auto dealership in Denver, but I decided to stick around into the evening and check him out. I ended up staying late into the evening that night and had a great time at the show Phil put on.
I would learn that Phil Long not only played music at this place, he owned it. And when I say he owned it, I'm telling you he had to be seen to be believed at how awesome his shows were and still are. Phil has an uncanny knack at making everyone around him feel welcome and part of the scene. He is a musician that plays piano and guitar and sings, but he is really an enormously talented entertainer. Back then at The Red Lion Restaurant, Phil had menus of songs he could play for you to choose from. He drew you in to his performances by inviting you to participate in them. You could request a song, try and throw crumpled up dollars in a bucket for big prizes (shots of alcohol), and dance like a crazy person in front of the stage if you liked.
Fast forward to 2020 and Phil has moved on from his 28 years at The Red Lion and now has been at The Chop House in Vail for the past 5 years. He is still every bit the showman and elite performer, although he has mellowed a little bit. He no longer does his Bruce Springsteen imitation and play until late into the night until complete exhaustion. He schedules his performances at reasonable times and has people reserve tables well in advance. He still makes all who attend feel welcome and invites them to participate in the show.
I highly, highly recommend you make it a point to see one of Phil's performances when you are in Vail and he is in town. As Phil says in his best Michael McDonald imitation voice, "You don't know me but I'm your brother", that pretty much sums up how you'll feel after the show. Here's to 33 years of Phil Long in Vail and sorry Billy Joel, but Phil is the real piano man of Vail.
