Red Rocks was the most-attended concert venue in the world in 2021, according to Billboard Magazine. And 2022 was even better.

An estimated 1.54 million attended ticketed events at Red Rocks in 2022. That’s up 31.8 percent from 2021, according to Ginger White Brunetti, executive director of Denver Arts & Venues, which manages the iconic amphitheater in Morrison. In 2021, when many indoor venues were under capacity restrictions, that figure was a world-beating 1.17 million.

Most mind-blowingly: The number of events this year was actually down (by two) from the 2021 total of 210. That means 371,000 more people hit a concert, film or ticketed exercise event at Red Rocks in 2022 than the year before. Average attendance surged from 5,088 to 7,383.

That’s better than 2021 by the length of a John Denver country road.

And the 2022 numbers would have been even higher, but the city shut Red Rocks events down on Nov. 12 for the reconstruction of the elevated walkway just south of the stage.

Among the dozens of sold-out events were concerts by Stevie Nicks, Zach Bryan, three nights of the Avett Brothers and Pitbull’s touring Vegas show. Such a blessedly far cry from 2020, when shows were limited to audiences of 250.

“Denver loves live music and Denver loves Red Rocks,” said White Brunetti, who figures the summer of 2021 “was all about people coming out of the pandemic shutdown wanting to get out and see artists in the great outdoors.” The summer of 2022, she said, attracted even more people who were more slowly returning to an outdoor lifestyle. That, and she cited a new slang phenomenon called “revenge travel” — a term for leisure travel that proliferates after a period of being denied that opportunity. Arts & Venues Director of Communications Brian Kitts estimates that in normal times, about 25 percent of Red Rocks visitors are from out of town, but they weren’t traveling much in 2021.

The popular movie series Film on the Rocks drew 22,443 in its return to full programming.

All that increased attendance boosted gross revenue at Red Rocks shows from $45.4 million in 2021 to $59.6 million, an increase of 31.3 percent. Most of that goes to promoters, who gain the most from the increased attendance. White Brunetti estimates the city cleared about $14 million from Red Rocks in 2022, revenue that goes a long way toward making Denver Arts & Venues a self-sustaining city agency.

“That money also subsidizes many other arts programs and cultural events, like the Five Points Jazz Festival,” said Kitts. It also pays for facility upgrades such as restroom repairs.

‘Ginger’ leaving KBCO after 38 years

On Dec. 31, Ginger Havlat turns off the mic after 38 years at 97.3 KBCO. “This has been my dream job, and I’m already emotional thinking about that last show,” Havlat, known to her fans simply as “Ginger,” wrote on Instagram.

Havlat was among the first local radio personalities to interview artists like Jack Johnson, Sheryl Crow and Brandi Carlile early in their careers.

“As a self-proclaimed Beatlemaniac, my most cherished career moment was interviewing Paul McCartney backstage at Folsom Field in 1993,” she said.

Earlier this year, parent company iHeart Radio laid off Robbyn Hart after 25 years on the air, and Bret Saunders marked 25 years at KBCO.

“I recently had a listener say to me, ‘You are us,’ which meant so much, as I always wanted to be a friend on the other side of the speaker,” said Havlat, who will be featuring some of her favorite KBCO Studio C sessions over the next week.

Changes at KTCL as well

Meanwhile, Alf Kremer is leaving as longtime host of 93.3 KTCL’s “Locals Only” program. “Kremer has been a selfless advocate for the Denver music scene, and his presence will be missed on Channel 93.3,” Aimee Giese wrote on her entertainment blog, Greeblehaus. On Jan. 8, Chad Sexton will be picking up the mantle. “I’m thrilled that somebody with a great passion for local music is going to be running the show,” said Kremer.

Benchmark Theater hits pause button

At the close of a year filled with huge changes to the local theater landscape, the scrappy Benchmark Theatre in Lakewood has pressed the pause button.

“We have decided to take some time to carefully plan out our next steps,” said founder Haley Johnson, who launched her company in 2017 to produce provocative, topical new works, often of the company’s own creation. In other words, as distressing as this is to say: The hardest kind of plays to sell.

Benchmark’s 2022 season has been a dream for serious theatergoers (like me) who are thirsting for tough, relevant, issue-oriented stories that bring an urgent context to these confusing, polarizing times. This year alone, Benchmark has taken on the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol attack, colorism, abortion access and COVID, making it easily one of the most useful and even necessary companies in all of Colorado. Problem is, crowds have been abysmal.

And there has been some scuttle that the company is being priced out of its home at 1560 Teller St., but Johnson said the landlord has actually been quite understanding and is not raising the rent anytime soon.

“We decided to give ourselves grace with the reminder that it’s OK to take a moment to reflect and regroup while the rest of the world is rushing by at a meteoric pace,” Johnson said.

But, she promised, Benchmark will be back — “sometime in the new year.” Artistic Director Neil Truglio is developing a documentary-style theatrical piece on the Stonewall riots to be produced in the summer of 2023.

Shane Boris Oscar watch

A local name to watch at the next Oscars is Shane Boris, who produced two films that on Wednesday made the official “shortlist” for next month’s Academy Awards nominations. Boris produced both “Fire of Love” and “Navalny,” which are now among the 15 films eligible to be nominated for Best Documentary Feature Film. Boris is a 2000 graduate of Colorado Academy, and was previously Oscar-nominated in 2020 for “The Edge of Democracy.”

“Fire of Love” is a big-buzz doc about a daring French couple who roamed the planet chasing volcanic eruptions. “Navalny” is about the vociferous jailed Putin critic Alexei Navalny. Two featured selections from the recent Denver Film Festival also made the Academy shortlist: “All that Breathes” and “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed.”

Denver Art Museum to unveil galleries 

The Denver Art Museum will unveil three newly reinstalled permanent collection galleries on May 14, reopening its African Arts; Modern and Contemporary Art; and Arts of Oceania collections to the public for the first time since preparation for the construction of the Hamilton Building began in 2016. The updated installation will feature notable new and recent acquisitions, alongside a selection of collection favorites. The project marks the completion of the DAM’s transformation of its permanent collection installation, the first phase of which was presented in October 2021 with the opening of the Martin Building.

And finally …

Trent Johnson, owner of Greeley Hat Works, has loved headwear of all kinds since he inherited his grandfather’s fedora at age 10.

“When I put it on, I felt like Indiana Jones,” said Johnson, whose skill for building and distressing hundreds of hats has made him popular with the crew behind the streaming hit “Yellowstone.” Actors Kevin Costner and Cole Hauser both wear Johnson’s hats throughout the series, which airs its mid-season finale on New Year’s Day.