The greatest Red Rocks concerts of all time, according to readers
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The Beatles performing at Red Rocks in August 1964. Photo: Ken Mausolf/Denver Arts & Venues
The rush of hearing live music at a natural mountain amphitheater in a sleepy Colorado town transforms a concert into something closer to a spiritual experience.
Why it matters: That's Red Rocks. Those two words represent countless memories, performances, sounds and unforgettable nights at the crown jewel of American music venues.
As a nod to Colorado's upcoming 150th birthday, we asked our readers what they believe is the most legendary concert in the vaunted venue's history.
- Immortal performances like Rage Against the Machine in 1996, U2 in 1983 and The Beatles in 1964 were repeatedly mentioned.
- Others highlighted more recent shows, including Daft Punk in 2007, Drake in 2014, Zach Bryan in 2022 and Maná in 2025.
But let's be honest: The best show is subjective. And deeply personal.
- It likely involves special nights near and dear to us individually, spent with the right people, that swell our hearts when we remember them. And that alone makes them great.
Here's what our readers picked:
The Beatles (1964)
"My 87 year old neighbor went to the Beatles at Red Rocks!! She took all her nephews and won the "cool aunt" designation for life. That one is definitely hard to top!" — Nancy F.
Bruce Springsteen (1978)
"It was the Boss' first time at RR, and while every one of his shows is an occasion for fans, I think he thought it was pretty special too." — Lynne F.
Dire Straits (1985)
"Most legendary Red Rocks show: Dire Straits, Sept. 4, 1985 with full moon rising." — Al G.
U2 (1983)
"Without question it was U2 on their War tour which became one of the most famous concert films ever 'Under a Blood Red Sky.'" — Tom H.
Rage Against the Machine (1996)
"When they played 'Bulls on Parade' the place went completely bonkers! We were all moshing hardcore trying to recreate the video of that song." — Matt B.
Daft Punk (2007)
"This was the first Red Rocks show I ever [photographed]." — Julio E.
Foo Fighters (2008)
"It was Dave Grohl's first time performing at Red Rocks, and he was loving it so much, he just kept playing...he put down an entire 12-pack of beer during his performance and still sounded coherent and great — ha!" — Kacie R.
Leonard Cohen (2009)
"Leonard Cohen's last show in Colorado. Amazing. Soulful, Cohen looked great, it was magical." — Andy L.
Drake vs. Lil Wayne (2014)
"Pretty epic to see arguably the biggest global rap stars at the time play a venue like Red Rocks instead of the typical indoor Ball Arena (formerly the Pepsi Center)." — Alexa C.
Disclosure (2019)
"I will never forget the 2019 Disclosure show… from openers to close, it was an absolute unreal night." — Taylor B.