New Colorado Springs Venue, The Sunset Amphitheater, Announces First Show

The Sunset Amphitheater, the new 8,000-capacity venue in Colorado Springs, is set to open this summer, and the first show at the new shed will be a performance by Colorado Springs-born pop rock band OneRepublic.

First announced back in April 2022, the $40 million amphitheater will offer unparalleled views of the sunset over Pikes Peak, with a general admission lawn and pavilion seating, as well as 60 VIP suites, each equipped with its own fire pit to keep warm once the sun goes down. The complex will also house four- and five-star restaurants and a chophouse housing “over 150 of the rarest bourbons in the world.”

Builder of the venue Notes Live received final approval from city officials earlier this year and said last month that it “plans to be moving dirt on the project within the next few weeks.”

“I’m not building this to be competitive with Red Rocks, or to be competitive with anybody,” said Notes Live founder JW Roth after initial comparisons with the Morrison, CO venue. “I’m building it to be complementary to the music culture and to the arts culture. … I want it to be something the community enjoys. And [I’m] in no way trying to be competitive with Denver. Colorado Springs doesn’t have anything quite like this.”

Though Colorado Springs is barely an hour’s drive from The Centennial State’s musical mecca of Denver, Roth referred to the city of 483,000 as an “entertainment desert.” Notes Live also has plans to open new venues in what it sees as similarly underserved markets in Gainesville, GA and Murfreesboro, TN.

“These are some of the fastest-growing cities in America, but the live entertainment options haven’t caught up to the population,” Roth said. “Notes Live venues will cater to these upscale demographics looking for a place where the overall experience is as good as the music itself.”

Notes Live plans to announce The Sunset’s full inaugural season lineup over the coming weeks.

Fair AXS Pre-sale registration for the grand opening concert is now open. Tickets will go on sale to the public on Saturday, February 10th here.