In 1957, the American Institute of Architects selected Red Rocks to be Colorado's entry at the National Gallery of Art for the AIA's Centennial Exhibition.

[2] Construction began in October 2020 to replace the existing stage roof and expand the structure's rigging capacity; the work was completed the following summer.

While the grounds were likely used by the Ute tribe in earlier times, an Army expedition led by Stephen Long rediscovered present-day Red Rocks in 1820.

Nearly 30 years later, Eicholtz sold Red Rocks to famed magazine editor John Brisben Walker in 1906.

By enlisting the help of Denver architect Burnham F. Hoyt and Stanley E. Morse, along with labor and materials provided by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) as part of the New Deal program, construction of the amphitheater began in 1936 and was formally dedicated on June 15, 1941, with a performance by Helen Jepson.

The earliest documented performance at the amphitheater was the Grand Opening of the Garden of the Titans, put on by publisher John Brisben Walker on May 31, 1906.

Featuring Pietro Satriano and his 25-piece brass band, it was the formal opening of the natural amphitheater for use by the general public after Walker purchased it with the proceeds of his sale of Cosmopolitan.

Renowned opera singer Mary Garden put Red Rocks on the world musical map with her performance on May 10, 1911.

[11] Upon the full construction of the amphitheater to its present form by the Civilian Conservation Corps, the venue was formally dedicated on June 15, 1941.

They were giving us hits from oxygen canisters.”[15] When Starr returned to Red Rocks with his All-Starr Band on June 28, 2000, he asked if anyone in the crowd had been at the Beatles concert thirty-six years earlier.

On August 26, 2004, the East-Coast-based Beatles-tribute band 1964 was flown to Denver to re-enact the Beatles concert held at the site exactly forty years earlier.

[15] The unique setting has led to the venue's becoming a favorite for many performers: Jimi Hendrix played at Red Rocks on September 1, 1968, along with Vanilla Fudge and Soft Machine.

For the next five years, shows at Red Rocks were limited to softer acts, such as John Denver, Sonny & Cher, The Carpenters, Pat Boone, Seals & Crofts and Carole King.

The ban on rock and roll was finally lifted through legal action taken by Barry Fey, who tried to book the band America at the venue in 1975.

Those who braved the weather and showed up were told personally by Bono, who came to the parking lot and into the crowd more than once, to ignore their seat assignments, and to move as forward as they wished to make the house seem full, since the show was being filmed for what became the group's concert film U2 Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky.

Before Louis Tomlinson was scheduled to perform, a hailstorm with apple sized hail injured over 90 people, including 7 who were hospitalized.

[37][38][39] On October 8, 2023, Noah Kahan played a sold-out show at Red Rocks Amphitheatre as part of his Stick Season Tour.

Fleetwood Mac singer Stevie Nicks released a 60-minute-long DVD of her August 1986 concert at the amphitheatre, towards the end of her Rock a Little tour.

A two-volume 2003 album, Carved In Stone– Volume 1, featured live recordings of 10 artists including R.E.M., Ben Harper, Coldplay, The Allman Brothers Band, and Phish,[40] with proceeds benefiting "Preserve The Rocks Fund", a donation-driven reserve dedicated to the rehabilitation and preservation of the historic Red Rocks Amphitheatre.

[42] Erik Dyce, Trevor Pryce of Outlook Music Co., and Jeff Giarraputo of Factory Labs were the executive producers, making it the first venue to issue a CD and the first commercial release of these live tunes.

[citation needed] Phish frontman Trey Anastasio included excerpts from his 2005 performance at Red Rocks on the DVD that accompanied his album Shine.

Country musician Gary Allan filmed the music video for his song "Watching Airplanes" during a live, sold-out concert at Red Rocks in August 2007.

Insane Clown Posse played with Twiztid, Blaze Ya Dead Homie, Boondox, the Axe Murder Boyz, Grave Plott, The ROC, and Motown Rage in May 2008 at Red Rocks at perform the 'first annual' Hatchet Attacks Super Show, for which they released a video later that year.

Country singer Kenny Chesney included a live version of "You and Tequila", a duet with Grace Potter, on his album Welcome to the Fishbowl.

The recording has a segment with audience participation singing the chorus "You and Tequila make me crazy, run like poison in my blood, one more night could kill me baby, one is one too many, one more is never enough".

On September 1, 2014, OneRepublic, a band hailing from Colorado Springs, announced they would be heading back to Red Rocks for a special performance to close out the North American leg of their Native Summer Tour.

[45] The American pop-punk band Nofx released a live recording of their full 18-minute song "The Decline (EP)" featuring Baz's orchestra in a 2019 performance at the venue.

[citation needed] Comedian Bill Burr filmed a comedy special at Red Rocks in September 2021.