Red Rocks Amphitheatre
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Red Rocks Amphitheatre |
Red Rocks Amphitheatre is a naturally occurring rock structure in
Red Rocks Park near
Morrison,
Colorado (west of
Denver), where concerts are given in the open air
amphitheatre. There is a large, tilted,
disc-shaped rock behind the stage, a huge vertical rock angled outwards from stage right, several large boulders angled outwards from stage left and seating area for up to 9,450 people in between. The amphitheatre is owned and operated by the City and County of
Denver, Colorado.Female
rock icon and
Fleetwood Mac singer
Stevie Nicks released a 60-minute long DVD of her
1986 concert at the amphitheatre, towards the end of her
Rock A Little tour. It is her only live
DVD and is considered her most accomplished work, with the singer herself considering the experience legendary.
One of the notable performances given at Red Rocks was by rock group
U2, who released two tracks from a Red Rocks concert on their 1983 live album,
Under a Blood Red Sky and a full concert-length video of the same appearance, segments of which were frequently shown on
MTV. A steady rain, the large lighted torches surrounding the stage, and the natural wonder of the Red Rocks setting all provided for a dramatic setting for U2's music, and the video helped expand U2's American following. Other Red Rocks material on CD and DVD include
Dave Matthews Band's albums
Live at Red Rocks 8.15.95 and
Weekend On The Rocks,
John Tesh's
Live at Red Rocks and
Worship at Red Rocks, the
Incubus DVD
Alive at Red Rocks,
Steve Martin's comedy album
A Wild and Crazy Guy and
The Moody Blues's
A Night at Red Rocks With the
Colorado Symphony Orchestra. During the
1970s and
1980s, local
folk-rocker John Denver recorded several world-televised concerts at Red Rocks.
A two-volume album,
Carved in Stone, features live performances by various artists at Red Rocks, including
R.E.M.,
Ben Harper,
Coldplay,
The Allman Brothers Band, and
Phish, with proceeds going towards a fund for preservation of the park and amphitheatre. The amphitheatre was the starting and finishing line of the
reality show The Amazing Race 9.
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List of contemporary amphitheatresRed Rocks was created by the workers of the CCC under the New Deal Act.
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Official website
