This past Red Rocks season was a fruitful one with a show or event happening nearly every night, and more during the day like Yoga or Fitness on the Rocks. We saw over 100 shows at the historic amphitheater this year but still fell short, as we conquered only about two-thirds of 2017’s lineup (approximately 172 events, including over 140 shows).
But once the main season ended, the venue didn’t take a break. Shows in 2018 are already on the calendar — including Niall Horan, Brandi Carlile, X Ambassadors and more. Also just this week, Denver Arts and Venues disclosed that they will be converting to (nearly) entirely digital tickets. Now, they’re back with more news — this time, the news is that 2017 was their biggest year yet.
READ – Your Red Rocks Ticket Will Be Digital Starting Spring 2018
In 2017, Red Rocks Amphitheatre has seen 1.3 million fans go through their venue — more than ever before and an approximately 150,000 person increase from last year. However, that number does not include ticketed events still to come this season, which was extended to include Red Rocks’ first ever New Year’s Eve show. Also, this doesn’t include visitors during non-ticketed events meaning that the amphitheater saw many more visitors than counted. This isn’t exactly a new trend though since the amphitheater explained they’ve been breaking their records in terms of the number of attendees and events since 2009.
‘“We’ve seen the Red Rocks season grow tremendously over the last several years and the concert season is getting longer – April to October – with even some concerts in January! We attribute this not only to Red Rocks’ iconic status but also to our team who creates a one-of-a-kind concert experience for the fans and musicians who perform there night after night after night,” said Ginger White Brunetti, Arts & Venues Deputy Director.
READ – Staff Picks – The 13 Best Red Rocks We Saw in 2017
It was a big year for Red Rocks musically, too. Landing exclusive shows like the return of Gorillaz, deadmau5’s only US tour stop and one of Tom Petty’s very last performance (unfortunately). Annual stars like GRiZ, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Nightsweats, STS9, Chromeo and more returned.
With all of that said, 2017 is a tough act to follow, but we’re excited to see what else 2018 has in store. Red Rocks has topped their records every year for quite some time now, so we have no doubt that the new year will be a good one.
