The first concert I saw at Red Rocks when I moved to Colorado in 2010 was MGMT.
It's fitting because just 4 months prior - I was on a ski vacation in Steamboat Springs - where "KIDS" by MGMT was a constant song in the background - and to this day reminds me of the trip. That trip - as I flew back home to Massachusetts - I said I'm moving to Colorado!
Fast forward to almost 10 years - I try to get to at least 1 show a year - but sometimes 3 or 4 just happen! I've seen Kenny Chesney, Miranda Lambert, Lauryn Hill, Ray LaMontagne and more. HERE is the 2020 season!
Red Rocks is not just for concerts! Over the summer - they feature "Film on the Rocks"! A band and a comedian are usually performing while you get your seats and while the sun sets. Last year they showed "Top Gun", "Titanic" and "The Mighty Ducks". Believe it or not - I saw "Goonies" for the first time here and over 30 years after the movie came out - I was probably the only person that is my age that had not seen it growing up - and didn't yell out "HEYYYY YOU GUUUUUYS when that scene happened! Bring a blanket - as you want to get a little bit cozier than when you are there for a concert.
What can you do at Red Rocks during the day? Hike around the trails. Climb the stairs - and take your heart rate at the top... there is a 100 foot difference in elevation from the stage to the top row! Workout. Classes are held there - including organized "Yoga on the Rocks" which you have to buy tickets for. There are also people who just head up there to do some "free" self motivated routines at a slightly higher altitude than Denver and surrounding areas. The 8700 seats add up to about 2.5 miles in length - so some folks run or walk in a zig zag - and then do push ups or squats between the rows.
Did you know:
The rocks are "RED" because of iron oxide - which also occurs in blood and rust!
Up to 20 bands try to play a given day on their schedule!
The City of Denver owns Red Rocks - but it is located in Morrison!
An estimated 750,000 non-concertgoers visit each year
.... and many many more HERE!
So most people want to go to a concert there - I know people who have flown out just for a concert - as its a "Bucket List" activity. An activity that is a tradition in many families is their "Easter Sunrise Service". Since Easter varies in the week that it falls - the weather can be quite different. Last year, my friend and I decided to go for the 72nd annual service. Wake up time was 4am. We called each other - not really wanting to get up! But it was April 21, and it was 50 degrees - so we agreed that this may be the best weather we could get in the coming years! So we joined thousands of others wait in the darkness for the "Son" to rise.
Whether at sunrise or sunset - if you look past the stage to the northeast - you can see the airplanes hovering and waiting in line to land at Denver International Airport - which is 39 miles away!
WINTER - Weather conditions apply to all the above…. - but its Colorado - so try again tomorrow!
SPRING - Easter Sunrise Service!
SUMMER - All the above - sweat during the day - bring a blanket at night!
FALL - Hike - bike and check out the dinosaur trails!
