Odd Choice: Colorado Music Venue Named one of Billboard’s Best
There is no shortage of great music venues in Colorado. The Centennial State is home to countless historic theaters including the Mesa Theater and the Avalon Theater in Grand Junction and the Ogden Theater and the Bluebird Theater in Denver, as well as plenty of beautiful outdoor amphitheatres such as Grand Junction’s Las Colonias Amphitheater, Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre in Greenwood Village, and the largely undisputed best venue in the state, Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison.
However, Billboard recently released a list of 2026’s Top Music Venues, and while one Colorado music venue did make the list, it’s likely not one that you’d expect.
Billboard’s Top Colorado Music Venue
Interestingly, the Colorado music venue that made the cut in Billboard’s new list of the top music venues in 2026 is one that is also associated with controversy from complaints from neighbors: Colorado Springs’s Ford Amphitheatre.
Ford Amphitheatre, located at 95 Spectrum Loop in Colorado Springs, held its first concerts in 2024, much to the dismay of people who lived nearby. The 8,000 capacity venue faced lawsuits from neighbors because of noise and parking issues, but the amphitheatre seems to have triumphed.
The new Ford Amphitheatre has also been a topic of confusion, as for many years prior to its construction, Vail has been home to Gerald R. Ford Amphitheatre.
Colorado Springs’s Ford Amphitheatre was also oddly named the “Top West Coast Amphitheatre,” despite being located in a landlocked state.
Read More: Red Rocks honors original 1938 plans with new features
Other venues that made the list include The Sphere in Las Vegas, O2 in London, and Hancher Auditorium in Iowa.
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Gallery Credit: Nate Wilde
Western Colorado Remembers First Concerts at The Mesa Theater
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Western Colorado Remembers First Las Colonias Concerts
Gallery Credit: Nate Wilde