The Greatest Venue In North American

The Red Rocks Amphitheater is one of the most sought after places to play in front of thousands. Every year there are more and more artists that can happily say they can check Red Rocks off their list of venues. Just recently I went to an electric concert that featured Dillon Francis and Big Gigantic.  The show was outrageous and honestly the best concert I have ever been to.  The light show was top notch, the acoustics and the live saxophone were something not of this world. Almost as if electronic music has always been missing something and it happens to be a jazz instrument. If you can imagine yourself there, as the "raging" is going on around you, if you take a step back and glance at the crowd, it feels as though you are part of a barbarian community that is close to collapsing. But if you look closer you notice that everyone is just like you, and it gives you a sense of belonging and excitement. As the bass continues to drop and the vibrations are shaking your core, there is almost a separation of reality.  What I'm describing sounds like an awesome trip but no drugs are needed to have the time of your life. When the light show comes together and matches the bass perfectly, and the acoustics are giving your ears a new perspective on music, a very distinct and uncommon sound is born, a sound that can only be found at Red Rocks.  This blog will show my experiences and prove that Red Rocks is the greatest Venue in North America and possibly the world.

A Little History

Red Rocks was created over the course of 300 million years.  Denver acquired the Rocks in 1928, and it was a world renowned concert venue by 1941.  The Rocks that are surrounding the amphitheater are called Creation Rock, Ship Rock, and Stage Rock.  The seats and rows of course are hand made, but the rocks that create the amazing surround sound acoustics are one hundred percent natural. That's one of the reasons why Red Rocks is one of the greatest venue.  During the summer while concerts are being held, the Rocks are packed nearly every single day with artists from every genre.  During the day Red Rocks is still an amazing place to visit. The view of the city is spectacular with a 200 mile panoramic view, people often do their workouts in the amphitheater, and the hiking trails are plenty. Regardless if you are in town for a concert or on business and just want to do something for a day, you need to visit red rocks.

Under A Blood Red Sky

Many amazing and talented artists have played at Red Rocks including The Beatles, The Grateful Dead, Willie Nelson, U2, and this is just a few. Not to mention that U2 actually recorded a movie at Red Rocks called Under a Blood Red Sky which included two live songs that they also record in the amphitheater. Under a Blood Red Sky was U2 first video that was release and it made the band recognizable as fantastic live performers.  Because of the amazing acoustics even The Colorado Symphony Orchestra recorded an album called A Night At Red Rocks. Every genre of music and every different style of artist has played at the amphitheater and will continue to "rock" out for many years to come. 

Red Rock!? The Greatest Venue?!

At Red Rocks pre gaming is almost a must, in all of the different lots and there are quite a few, groups surround their cars and blaring the headliners main tunes. This is one of the best parts of seeing a show at Red Rocks. The parking lots feel like little communities and a good place to meet some new friends. You can explore and walk to the different lots where more music is being blasted and more people are getting crazy. After you have had enough partying and want to get the show on the road you have to walk up the extremely steep and long ramp to the entrance. This is the only negative thing about Red Rocks but if you cant buck up and do a little hiking then you will never see the glory of the amphitheater. As you are walking up the enormous ramp to get to the entrance the first thing you notice is the scene around you. To the North are the goliath red rocks that surround the amphitheater and to the East is the gorgeous view of the city and the rest of Colorado. As the Sun is setting behind you and is casts a gorgeous red and orange light on the rocks the feeling is euphoric. The sun amplifies the color of the rocks and in a sense signals the beginning of the evening shenanigans. As you continue the light shows begin and are visible but they look like a haphazard flashing of different colors, but once you get closer the music becomes distinguishable and the miscellaneous lights start to match the beat. The excitement builds as you wait in line, because the amphitheater and the melting faces of all the college kids finally becomes visible.  Once inside the beat takes over. The only thing you have to do is find a spot.  Another aspect of Red Rocks thats perfect is the amount of seating space available. Unless you are at an electronic festival like Global then seating or standing wont be a problem. As you get comfortable and the music is blasting something strange happens. You take a look around and see that everyone is just like you, jumping and throwing that infamous tomahawk chop, and there is a sense of sheer happiness that is felt from the energy in the amphitheater. Nothing is like it. The criteria that makes Red Rocks the best concert venue in the world are first the acoustics. Its very hard to describe how amazing the sounds are when you are between the twin giant Red Rocks. Its almost as if the rocks make the music sound like it should be or that the artists made their beats to be played in the amphitheater. The second criteria is the view from the seats, the city is easily visible and the panoramic view is out of this world. No matter where you are in the amphitheater the music and scene is perfect and that leads me to the last criteria, there is literally not a bad seat in the house. The last concert I attended we started out in the middle of the crowd, then slowly moved our way to the left and the experience did not change even slightly. We eventually made our way to the front of the amphitheater and even then we still had enough room to jump around. Overall the venue is out of this world and there might even be evidence that aliens actually created the red rocks so that we could experience music the way it should be experienced.