20 APRIL 18-24, 2024 westword.com WESTWORD | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | LETTERS | CONTENTS | ized himself with the land. Red Rocks Amphitheatre — with a real stage and bench seating — offi cially opened on June 15, 1941, with a ceremony featur- ing Native Americans and a chorus singing operatic selections. Later, the venue would be fi lled with a different kind of music: rock and roll. The Beatles were one of the fi rst rock bands to play Red Rocks, on August 26, 1964. The band didn’t sell out the venue, though, managing just 7,000 tickets (at $6.60 a pop); it was the only show that didn’t sell out on the group’s fi rst U.S. tour. It was also the fi rst and the last time the Beatles played in Colorado — perhaps because the mop- topped lads from Liverpool required oxygen canisters on stage. But it didn’t mark the end of rock at Red Rocks, either. As promoter Barry Fey gained power, he brought in the country’s biggest bands, including the Jimi Hendrix Experi- ence, which did sell out the venue with $5 tickets on September 1, 1968. (That same night, Hendrix is said to have written the lyrics for “Have You Even Been (to Electric Ladyland)” at the long-gone Cosmopolitan Hotel.) Also in 1968, Aretha Franklin refused to perform at Red Rocks because of a contract dispute, causing a riot. Fans stormed the stage, destroying a piano in the process, and rock and roll was banned from the venue for the entirety of 1969. But that mob paled in comparison to the “not-so-pleasant evening with Jethro Tull,” as the Los Angeles Free Press called it. After that explosive affair in 1971, Mayor William McNichols banned rock music yet again, a decision that was overturned in 1975 by the courts after Fey sued the city. And that meant the Grateful Dead could grace the venue, playing a total of twenty shows there from 1978 through 1987. It wasn’t until 1996 that another ban oc- curred, this time against Phish (who else?) after a four-night run, but that was mostly because of the jam band’s obsessive fans camping around Morrison. The Phish ban ended in 2009, when the group returned for another four-night run — an annual event that subsequently moved to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. New This Season More than eighty years after Red Rocks held its grand opening, much remains the same — its awe-inspiring beauty, its wildlife and its unbeatable acoustics. But there are always changes, even though they may be subtle. “We’re constantly trying to look at what improvements should be or could be made to improve the experience for people, as well as the aesthetics in the venue itself,” says Tad Bowman, who has been the venue’s director for almost thirty years, after starting as an intern in the marketing department. “But it’s very important to note that it’s done thoughtfully, not willy-nilly. It’s not just modernizing or making something that’s out of place from what [Red Rocks] is. It’s about keeping the character, the landmark status.” Even though these changes are usually just upgrades to the infrastructure — such as lighting, paving or fencing for safety — the adjustments take time. Bowman notes that the new roofi ng for the stage was approved to begin construction in 2017 and was only just completed in 2021. But then, all con- struction is done during the off-season, from November through March. The 2024 concert season kicked off on March 30, with some additions already in place, including a paved road, sidewalks and sleek fencing by the Trading Post; new rails at the south ramp entrance; a streamlined security system; pergolas over porta-potties in some lots; the newly paved circular top; revamped bathrooms in the Visitors Center; and ADA-compliant shifts for the shuttle and parking in the upper south lot. To accommodate changes at the Trad- ing Post, the Colorado Music Hall of Fame, which had an exhibit in the space for eight years, left the building. “When we moved into Red Rocks Trading Post in 2016, that was all part of a partnership with the City of Denver,” says executive director Karen Radman. It was always a temporary agree- ment to have CMHOF at Red Rocks, which was a member of the fi rst class inducted into it; the nonprofi t now has another location in the works. And more changes are coming: A re- vamped loading system behind the stage will be a relief for musicians, and the Ship Rock Grill in the Visitors Center, which has been closed and under renovations since November 2022, will reveal its new look in May or June, Bowman estimates. It includes an outdoor patio and bar, as well as a new mosaic inside, based on a picture of Red Rocks taken by a former Ship Rock cook. These revisions are made possible by funds raised by Red Rocks itself. “We don’t take money from the mayor’s offi ce as part of the general fund,” Kitts notes. “Red Rocks is a fi nancial generator. It pays for itself and, in addition, pays for lots of other stuff that happens in Arts & Venues.” Other stuff happens at Red Rocks, too. After last year’s violent hailstorm during the June 21 Louis Tomlinson show gar- nered national headlines, with eighty people treated for injuries and seven taken to the hospital, some Red Rocks fans thought venue managers might rethink its weather policy. Although they did exercise caution and canceled an April 6 concert when 100 mph winds were projected, at an outdoor venue at the edge of the Rocky Mountains, changing conditions are par for the course. As Bowman puts it: “Weather is going to be something that happens.” The Future of Red Rocks While the weather will always be up in the air, the volume of concerts is only going up. Kitts says that in the decade he’s worked for Arts & Venues, the lineup has gone from 75 ticketed events a year to more than 200, including Film on the Rocks, which began in 2000 through a partnership with Denver Film, and Yoga on the Rocks, which started in 2012. “Touring has changed so much,” he says. “You’re not going to make money just selling records; artists need to hit the road. And Red Rocks is cool. It’s in the middle of the country, and it’s a good, mid-sized venue. We don’t reach out to people; we have a mad scramble for dates when they open up.” While its 9,525-person capacity makes it unlikely that artists like Beyoncé or Tay- lor Swift will play Red Rocks, that’s never stopped the venue from pulling in quality musicians as well as those with star power year after year. Some dates may as well be considered reserved for bands such as Blues Traveler, Big Head Todd and the Monsters, and Widespread Panic, whose concerts have become an annual affair. Widespread will play its seventieth show at the venue this summer, making it the band that’s played Red Rocks the most. Not far behind is the String Cheese Incident, which celebrated its thirtieth anniversary and fi ftieth Red Rocks run last year. “We try to be careful when we work with the promoters on the schedule, because we want those folks who are here on a regular basis like those ones,” Bowman says, “but we also don’t want the same calendar every year.” Booking “is mostly done by our major promoters, AEG and Live Nation, the Colo- rado Symphony, Awakening Events,” Kitts adds. “But the bottom line is that there are more acts out there than we have dates for, and that’s a really nice position to be in. The fact that it’s an iconic venue in a beautiful place in a beautiful state makes it a fun place to play. And I think one of the things that we’re especially looking forward to this year is some real diversity.” While the 2024 lineup includes the usual offerings of jam bands, bluegrass and EDM acts, it also has far more Americana, folk and es- pecially country, with Turnpike Troubadours, Riley Green, Parker McCollum and Dierks Red Rocks continued from page 18 The Utes used the area for musical ceremonies for centuries; performances in 1910 looked (and sounded) a lot different than they do today. DENVER ARTS & VENUES “Th is is not only a terri fi c jewel for the Denver metro area, but it’s also a bucket-list vi sit for a lot of music fans.” DENVER ARTS & VENUES
