COLORADO SPRINGS — Construction crews are putting the final touches on new sound mitigation measures at the Ford Amphitheater in Colorado Springs ahead of its 2025 concert season.
VENU, the company that owns the outdoor venue, said noise complaints and feedback from neighbors led to the required changes outlined in a January agreement with the City of Colorado Springs.
WATCH: How to report noise complaints at the Ford Amphitheater
The multi-million-dollar measures include additional sound walls at the north and south boundaries, a sound tunnel system at the venue's entrance to redirect noise away from neighborhoods, changes to the sound system, and three more sound monitoring devices in neighborhoods where complaints were made.
"Those are real-time, so they give us data, we can see them, and we can actually talk back to the front of house here in the building to speak with them on where the sound levels are outside of the amphitheater," said Chloe Hoeft, Vice President of Relations and Philanthropy for VENU.
The city said the venue remains in full compliance with its approved development plan and has not violated any city noise ordinances.
Mayor Yemi Mobolade and Colorado Springs City Councilmember Tom Bailey met with VENU leaders on Friday to see the changes. Mayor Mobolade sent News5 the following statement about the mitigation efforts:
“After seeing the new infrastructure at the amphitheater today, I’m feeling optimistic about the 2025 season, and I especially take heart in the fact that we have the benefit of a season of learning behind us. The data from the opening season has led to several significant changes, and I’m glad to see all the proposed modifications have been made, and in time for the first concert. I also recognize that this was a significant investment by Venu, and I appreciate how quickly their crews worked – sometimes 150 workers a day – to make it happen. To residents, thank you for your patience and for the valuable feedback you provided to get us to today.”
The city said it received 762 complaints last August about the amphitheater, including 100 complaints on opening weekend. Some neighbors living nearby said more can be done to reduce concert noise near their homes.
“It’s basically completely changed this neighborhood. That’s why we have five houses for sale on our street," said Murray Relf, who has lived in his Northgate Estates home for three years.
“All you hear is this loud distorted noise with all the windows shut," said Dallas Greenberg, who lives about a mile from the venue. "You can hear it all through the house except the basement.”
Shirley Dale, who lives in the Northgate Estates neighborhood, said she doesn't believe the new sound mitigation efforts will have a huge effect on concert noise.
“I think that ultimately to have the sound mitigation that needs to happen here, there’s going to have be some sort of enclosure," she said.
Hoeft said VENU encourages neighbor feedback.
"It's important that neighbors hear that we're committed to being great neighbors," she said.
The Ford Amphitheater kicks off its 2025 season on Wednesday, April 30.
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