It’s a bit early yet, but time to take a look at the 2016 schedule. As of today’s list posted at RedRocksOnline.com, there are 109 concerts already scheduled, counting the January event. For the peak months of June, July, August this represents more than 80% of available nights booked, but still leaves room for additions. For the entire mid-April through mid-October season, 60% of the nights are booked. This does not include Film on the Rocks events, which are not yet listed on the online schedule.

2016 Red Rocks Concert Schedule, as of April 2

• April: Two concerts, 4/19 and 4/20
• May: 14 concerts
• June: 24 concerts
• July: 26 concerts
• August: 25 concerts
• September: 14 concerts
• October: 3 concerts

In addition, we understand a 75th Anniversary event is being planned.

Last year, an online sound survey racked up 190 individual ratings for 70 out of the roughly 130 shows. The survey form was more challenging so this is considerably fewer than the nearly 500 responses we received on the 2014 concerts.

To no one’s surprise, Bassnectar topped the chart, with 33 ratings for his three nights yielding an average of 3.9 on a scale of 1-5. Although Bassnectar was going for a record, Global Dance and Smashing Pumpkins rated higher, with a solid 4 and 4.3 respectively, but they received fewer total ratings.

We have not yet heard whether the online sound surveys managed by Arts & Venues will be used this year.

Weather has played havoc with several Red Rocks concerts this season, but these fans are not to be daunted. Although performers are protected by the stage cover, the audience in the amphitheater is pretty much exposed to whatever Mother Nature has to offer. In late May and early June, looks like she’s been pissed. This year, already a season to remember, includes an exciting buffet of lightning, rain, and hail. Our incredible streak of daily deluges did not made it easy at the world-famous venue.

Read on: Does this sound like a workable emergency plan to you? Who decides? Who calls the shots on public safety?

First memorable occasion, we think, was a lightning delay when Decemberists visited on May 27. Tweets from Red Rocks management urged fans to go to the Visitors Center or return to their cars. See our previous post. The Visitor Center probably doesn’t hold 9,000 people (see image left), and it can be a long walk to the parking lots, but this is evidently the plan for emergency shelter.

Lindsay Stirling fared better the following night (May 28), as she was apparently greeted only by lightning and rainbows. Old Crow Medicine Show was similarly lucky on June 3.

Then on June 4, Ryan Adams made it through most of his performance before being cut a few songs short by “a blitzkrieg of lightning”; fans had a good time anyway, it seemed.

The main event came June 5. Weather was great and The Motet made it through, but another delay was called, delaying headliner Lettuce Funk from taking the stage. Conditions were intense, to say the least, with lightning in the area and heavy hail and rushing water in the Amphitheater itself (don’t miss the video). We heard those who made it to the Visitor Center early stayed dry, but others were not allowed to enter. A night to remember.

What we didn’t expect was a tremendous hail and lightning storm, topped off with tornado warnings in effect. In true Colorado fashion, sunny skies turned to ominous storm clouds and rapidfire lightning in a matter of minutes, followed by massive chunks of hail violently pouring down from the sky. It was mayhem as 8,000 patrons pushed to get out to their cars amidst icy landslides all around the historic venue. —Live For Live Music

Tedeschi Trucks Band, on Jun 13, experienced another lightning delay, but, of course, the show must go on, and, as Westword explains, it did. Water on stage, threatening equipment, no big deal.

The rain started coming down in sheets right at showtime, so the music had to be delayed for more than an hour. Then, by the time the downpour tempered into a steady pattering, the wind picked up. Sharp gusts snaked their way through Red Rocks Amphitheatre, and the temperature plummeted. On stage, microphone stands and drum cymbals kept blowing over. And at times, the light riggings and speaker arrays looked like they were about to fall, swaying menacingly above the performers on stage.—Westword, Another Wet Night…

Now you feel like you’ve been there, right? Weather has affected events at Red Rocks before, but we’d be hard pressed to find a string quite as bad as this one. Hosting more concerts every year just increases the chances of encountering rough nights. Stay tuned.

The evening started out pretty mellow last night, noise-wise, in fact surprisingly so. But Bassnectar most likely wasn’t on stage until after 10, and noise escalated some after that. Let us know what you experienced, please!

Tonight’s concert, the third of the series, should at least end by 11:45 p.m., according to the weeknight schedule restriction.

Keep an ear out!

To rate any noise from tonight’s concert, here’s the scale we used last year. Please add further comments below if you wish.

1. barely noticeable, not disturbing
2. moderately noisy, somewhat disturbing
3. noisy, annoying, couldn’t be outside
4. kept awake or woke from a sound sleep, significantly disturbing
5. walls and windows rattling, extremely disturbing, even indoors

Arts & Venues asks that you report sound you hear using their survey, or call the concert phone line: 720-865-2494, option 4  and someone will fill it out for you. There may be wait times. Also, at this point, you need to listen to the entire message or most of it before you can select option 4. We hope that will change before the season gets much farther along.

We appreciate a quick report here or by email, too, so we can keep track of the information as well.

Thanks!

We had a number of reports of intolerable noise levels between 11 and 12:30 last night, although early volume was only moderately noisy. Tonight started pretty quiet, but intensity is picking up some now (10:30 p.m.). Keep us posted on your experience; it seems to be spotty around the general area.

To rate any noise from tonight’s concert, here’s the scale we used last year. Please add further comments below if you wish.

1. barely noticeable, not disturbing
2. moderately noisy, somewhat disturbing
3. noisy, annoying, couldn’t be outside
4. kept awake or woke from a sound sleep, significantly disturbing
5. walls and windows rattling, extremely disturbing, even indoors

Arts & Venues asks that you report sound you hear using their survey, or call the concert phone line: 720-865-2494, option 4  and someone will fill it out for you. There may be wait times. Also, at this point, you need to listen to the entire message or most of it before you can select option 4. We hope that will change before the season gets much farther along.

We appreciate a quick report here or by email, too, so we can keep track of the information as well.

Thanks!

One of our top-rated concerts (noise-wise) is back this weekend for the first
of three evenings of performances. Let us know what you think!

To rate any noise from tonight’s concert, here’s the scale we used last year. Please add further comments below if you wish.

1. barely noticeable, not disturbing
2. moderately noisy, somewhat disturbing
3. noisy, annoying, couldn’t be outside
4. kept awake or woke from a sound sleep, significantly disturbing
5. walls and windows rattling, extremely disturbing, even indoors

Arts & Venues asks that you report sound you hear using their survey, or call the concert phone line: 720-865-2494, option 4  and someone will fill it out for you. There may be wait times.

We appreciate a quick report here or by email, too, so we can keep track of the information as well.

Thanks!

Lindsey Stirling is new and different—read about her at RedRocksOnline.com.

To rate any noise from tonight’s concert, here’s the scale we used last year. Please add further comments below if you wish.

1. barely noticeable, not disturbing
2. moderately noisy, somewhat disturbing
3. noisy, annoying, couldn’t be outside
4. kept awake or woke from a sound sleep, significantly disturbing
5. walls and windows rattling, extremely disturbing, even indoors

Arts & Venues asks that you report sound you hear using their survey, or call the concert phone line: 720-865-2494, option 4  and someone will fill it out for you. There may be wait times.

We appreciate a quick report here or by email, too, so we can keep track of the information as well.

Thanks!

It was a rough night for fans last night, as Nature’s light show took center stage between 9 and 10 p.m. Red Rocks Amphitheatre experienced a “rain delay”—more like a lightning, heavy rain, and hail delay from our viewpoint—that kept headliner “Decemberists” off the stage until after 10:30 p.m. A heavy rain of tweets informed concert-goers they should take shelter in the Visitor Center or their cars. Many got to their cars and simply left, no doubt cold and drenched by then.

We’ve captured some of the venue’s tweets in this image. Click to enlarge it, or check it out on twitter.

But the show went on! Let us know if you heard it, or if it seemed to go overtime due to the delay.

To rate any noise from tonight’s concert, here’s the scale we used last year. Please add further comments below if you wish.

1. barely noticeable, not disturbing
2. moderately noisy, somewhat disturbing
3. noisy, annoying, couldn’t be outside
4. kept awake or woke from a sound sleep, significantly disturbing
5. walls and windows rattling, extremely disturbing, even indoors

Arts & Venues asks that you report sound you hear using their survey, or call the concert phone line: 720-865-2494, option 4  and someone will fill it out for you. There may be wait times.

We appreciate a quick report here or by email, too, so we can keep track of the information as well.

Thanks!