All, I posted this on the travel board as well but I figured this would be a good place to ask...

I'm going to Red Rocks for the first time this summer to see Joe Bonamassa in concert. Should be a fantastic show. Taking my dad to see his favorite artist.

This will be our first time going to Red Rocks. Does anyone have any tips?

Thanks in advance!

Oh, I have some tips. Renting a car at the Denver airport is ass, my dude.

Painful process every single time i have been there.

Thanks. He's in his mid-60s but is in good physical shape. I think he'll be okay, but good to know there's shuttles just in case.

Thanks. Have you (or anyone else) used one of the shuttle services that take you from downtown to RR?

texasaggie2015 said:

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Thanks. Have you (or anyone else) used one of the shuttle services that take you from downtown to RR?

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A buddy of mine has been to a bunch of shows at Red Rocks and he swears by taking a shuttle. Just shot him a note asking him which one he uses and will report back if I get an answer.

Book the shuttle right now, as the good pickup/drop-off locations sell out. I waited too long and could not get tickets for the shuttle from Union Station, which was a few blocks from my hotel. Had to Uber to a farther location for a different shuttle.

The one I took allowed you to bring a small cooler with beers for the ride. I think a lot of them do.

If you are staying downtown, skip renting a car and take the train from the airport to downtown.

Claude! said:

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texasaggie2015 said:

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Thanks. Have you (or anyone else) used one of the shuttle services that take you from downtown to RR?

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A buddy of mine has been to a bunch of shows at Red Rocks and he swears by taking a shuttle. Just shot him a note asking him which one he uses and will report back if I get an answer.

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He uses https://redrocksshuttle.com/ and highly recommends.

Thanks! That would be much appreciated.

Haha good timing. Awesome.

You aint ever seen traffic until then.

So, you're saying the shuttle is the better option than driving our rental car?

I've been to Red Rocks twice in the last year, but we got an air bnb in the mountains....got a car rental from Turo, Had a blast. Parking was super easy, just got to walk/hike up to the amphitheater, which is pretty cool anyway.

texasaggie2015 said:

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So, you're saying the shuttle is the better option than driving our rental car?

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Dude, we went mid week in the afternoon killing time for our flight home. And it's two way roads in and out.

Ive never seen a show there but I was like, how the hell do they do it?

texasaggie2015 said:

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So, you're saying the shuttle is the better option than driving our rental car?

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Have done Red Rocks a few times and have always done shuttles. I've heard from friends who drove their own car and had good experiences and bad experiences, so YMMV. For the shuttles, you just need to pay attention to which one you're booking. If you're staying in Denver, there are different ones that pick up and drop off several places around Denver. There are different levels of shuttle bus, from non air conditioned school busses to luxury motor coaches. If you're taking your dad, I'd say go with the nicer bus. Also something to pay attention to is where the bus drops you off at RR. There are some that drop off in the lower parking lots and you have to hike up. Others drop off in the upper lots and the hike into the venue is much easier.

Great timing on this thread - my wife and I will be seeing Sarah McLachlan there on Friday night.

We were just planning to Uber or something to the show from our hotel in Golden. Anyone have details on where they normally drop off? TIA

Are you staying downtown? If so, any particular reason? How long are you planning on being in Denver? If it's for the concert, I'd stay in Golden, Morrison or there are even good hotels off C470/Bowles or C470/Ken Caryl. Really easy to get to RR from there and access to hiking and all that.
Edit: and the traffic isn't all that bad. But if you get a shuttle, you are waiting in that traffic anyway, plus waiting for it to fill up. I live just down the road (C470/Bowles) and hit a few shows and I'm never pissed off at traffic.

Best concert experience of life, you will remember it forever.

Awesome venue. Start hydrating now. If you haven't drowned, you haven't had too much.

Maybe I'm an outlier, but I've always had my normal amount of water while in Denver and have never felt any adverse effects.

You don't want to spend a bunch of the show in line for the bathroom.

steve00 said:

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Maybe I'm an outlier, but I've always had my normal amount of water while in Denver and have never felt any adverse effects.

You don't want to spend a bunch of the show in line for the bathroom.

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Denver's ok. It 12k feet plus they gets to me.

Thanks to all for the advice/pointers/suggestions.

CoppellAg93 said:

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Great timing on this thread - my wife and I will be seeing Sarah McLachlan there on Friday night.

We were just planning to Uber or something to the show from our hotel in Golden. Anyone have details on where they normally drop off? TIA

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Yep - appreciate the timing on this thread. I'm going to Red Rocks end of this month for Nas (with the Colorado Symphony) and Tobe Nwigwe.

We went to Red Rocks for the first time last week to see Lord Huron and it was an incredible venue and show. We arrived early (around 4:30) to walk around the park and tailgate before the concert. Didn't start filling up until around 6. We parked in the Upper North Lot, stayed through the encore, and just hustled to our car after the show and were out of the park in 5 mins. This site helped us pick where to park based on what we wanted to do: https://www.festygonuts.com/red-rocks-amphitheatre-parking/#google_vignette

It was amazing, they always put on a great show but was special to see them at RR. They hinted at going back next year, so I would highly recommend- I'd love to make that an annual trip.

I've never been, but Widespread Panic is playing on my bday and I don't have any plans right now...

I think Red Rocks is a really cool venue. I saw Jason Isbell there last month, which is my only RR show. It was a good show, but I probably wouldn't see another show there.

I like smaller shows where you can be close to the artist, and RR is too big a venue for me to fully enjoy the show. I was maybe 25 rows back and often found myself looking at the giant screens instead of the stage. If I was closer to the stage, then I probably wouldn't have had the expansive nature views over the stage.

I really preferred the show the prior night at Mission Ballroom.

The physical venue is cool, but I honestly thought it was cooler 10 years ago when I was hiking around there on a random day and walked the venue with no show going on.

If you enjoy arena shows, I could see where this venue would be the best possible arena show, besides maybe The Gorge.

Take a blanket to "save" your spot. People will show up right before the show starts and try to elbow you out if it's packed in GA. Been to three shows there. Twice took shuttle from Denver. The shuttle offered through the red rocks website is the easiest walk before and after. Those buses also get to cut off some of the traffic. The private shuttle companies pick up in the Uber lot after the show. Leaving from the Uber lot is a nightmare for traffic. Drove once and parked in the upper lot. It was good but plan to leave during the last song to avoid getting stuck in horrible traffic.

G.I.Bro said:

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I've never been, but Widespread Panic is playing on my bday and I don't have any plans right now...

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Panic at Red Rocks is on my bucket list.

You know they're opening for the Stones in Denver just before the RR shows?

Damn. I don't like arena shows at all so hopefully I won't be wasting my time...

texasaggie2015 said:

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Damn. I don't like arena shows at all so hopefully I won't be wasting my time...

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Man. Legal weed. Outdoors in Colorado. If you're high in the stands you can see downtown Denver.
Amazing acoustics.

If you don't enjoy a show there then I got nothing for you.

texasaggie2015 said:

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Damn. I don't like arena shows at all so hopefully I won't be wasting my time...

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You won't be. Every music fan should do Red Rocks at least once. It's amazing.

Nothing to add that hasn't been said so I'll reiterate the hike up is deceptively tiring. Nothing you can't handle though.

I also saw Lord Huron there I think two years ago... Rented a Bronco on Turo and drove in and tailgated with some other fans. Just a great experience across the board.