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Red Rocks Amphitheatre hosted a record 195 concerts and even more ticketed events from its foothills perch in Morrison in 2023, bringing 1.4 million attendees to the world-famous outdoor venue.
Those numbers and others are included in a new “wrapped” report from the city-owned amphitheater, which also held 14 fitness events, nine high school graduations, six Film on the Rocks movie nights, and a handful of other bookings, according to the year-end report.
“Each night, over 400 employees work hard to make sure you’re concert experience is magical,” officials wrote, adding: “Our top month for events was July, with 35 events!”
The most popular food at the venue? Hot dogs, with a record 65,000 sold. That’s more than twice the number of the next most popular food items, with 31,700 tacos and 30,500 nachos (cheese cups weren’t far behind, with 25,000 sold).
But the most “mind-blowing” numbers, according to the city, include bringing in a record 551 performers in 2023, hosting 133 shows in a row — slightly less than the overall total in an entire season as of 2016, according to Denver Post research — as well as the 69th consecutive sell-out from jam band heroes Widespread Panic, out of a total of 70-plus shows.
Compared with a mere 73 paid events in 2010, this year’s 200-plus bookings represent a 37.4% rise in overall activity in just over a decade. Much of that is due to the growth and dominance of Denver mega-promoter AEG Presents Rocky Mountains, the company founded by Colorado billionaire Philip Anschutz.
While Red Rocks can be rented by anyone, including AEG rival Live Nation and independent promoters, AEG books the overwhelming majority of shows at the venue — and in the immediate Rocky Mountain region. The expansion of the company has also led to the expansion of Red Rocks’ season, which formerly lasted from May to October. Now it stretches March to November, inviting both inclement weather and additional revenue for all involved.
In October, the first-ever economic impact study of the venue found that Red Rocks concert-goers and shows pumped $717 million into Colorado in 2022. The city-sponsored study also found that out-of-state visitors, who comprised about half of all attendees at Red Rocks last year, spent $305 million in the Denver metro area before and after concerts.
However, major and ongoing renovations, a class-action lawsuit over tickets for people with disabilities — settled for $48,000 last year — and severe weather that injured dozens of fans at a Louis Tomlinson have dominated the conversation as much as the stunning takeover of electronic dance music bookings at the venue.
The roughly 9,250 seat venue officially opened in June 1941. In 2021 it was the world’s most-attended concert venue, according to Billboard.
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