(COLORADO SPRINGS)—The Ford Amphitheater officially opened its second season on Wednesday, April 30, with headliner Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit. While fans purchased tickets weeks in advance, the venue’s owners spent the off-season implementing new sound mitigation measures.
Last year, the 8,000-seat amphitheater in North Colorado Springs hosted 35 events, but its opening weekend alone drew around 100 noise complaints.
In the past, FOX21 News spoke with several nearby community neighbors who were concerned about noise. This time, we didn’t hear back from them, but everyone we spoke with on Wednesday expressed support for the venue, including two concertgoers enjoying their fourth or fifth visit.
“We live just over there in Jackson Creek, and sometimes you can hear it, but I never thought that it was that bad or that loud,” Tammy Elliott and her husband said. “But we like the venue for sure.”
Since last season, Ford Amphitheater has implemented additional sound mitigation measures to help make the concert experience more enjoyable for fans and nearby neighbors.
“This place is the place to be this summer and this season,” said Chloe Hoeft, Vice President of Relations and Philanthropy for VENU. “I encourage you all, if you’re in the Colorado Springs area or even in the surrounding area, bring your friends on out here because it truly is something that we want you all to be proud of, and experience it for yourself to see what’s going on.”
The new multi-million dollar measures include additional 28-foot-tall noise walls at the venue’s South and North ends. VENU also added a sound tunnel system at the entrance, designed to redirect sound away from neighborhoods.
In addition to the two noise monitoring stations already required by the approved development plan, VENU also installed three additional sound monitoring stations inside or adjacent to nearby neighborhoods where complaints were registered.
“Our company’s built on two pillars, first is to build incredible venues in the cities where we plant roots, but also to do good by being a great neighbor in the process,” Hoeft said. “We’ve never wavered from that commitment, and we’re not going to start now.”
During opening night, FOX21 spoke with a community member who lives in a nearby apartment complex. We know many people in the area have complained about noise in the past, but others enjoy the free concert.
“We didn’t get tickets to any of the concerts, but we considered living in our apartment being a free concert,” Lexi Ward, who has lived nearby for two years, explained. “We open the windows and enjoy the concert, so we personally don’t mind.”
Those new sound monitoring stations provide real-time data a few days after the concert, which will be reviewed by the city for any violations.
“We’re going to take this as a stride, right?” Hoeft explained. “It’s our second season, we leaned into a lot of data and a lot of feedback. We’re going to continue to be great neighbors, and we’re never going to waver from that. We’re excited about this season, and we’ll take it in stride.”
