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.

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