With a 2024 lineup packed with popular musicians, including OneRepublic and the Beach Boys, the Sunset Amphitheater has Colorado Springs music fans excited about catching a big show in their very own backyard.
Did you know that even before Sunset Amphitheater landed on the scene, local venues, including the Broadmoor World Arena and the now-defunct Cotton Club, were bringing some of the biggest names in music to Colorado Springs?
The Cotton Club, a trailblazing venue in downtown Colorado Springs, brought a number of notable Black musicians to the Pikes Peak region. Started by Fannie Mae Duncanin the 1950s, the venue catered to patrons of all races during a time when many places in the country were still segregated. Some of the most famous acts to grace the stage included Louis Armstrong, Mahalia Jackson, Duke Ellington, B.B. King, Nat King Cole, Billie Holiday, Etta James, Count Basie, Sammy Davis Jr. and Fats Domino.
Another downtown venue, the City Auditorium, which opened in 1923, hosted a variety of artists through the decades. Headliners included the Beach Boys in 1974, Mötley Crüe in 1984 and Little Richard with his Little Richard Orchestra in 1964.
Fun fact: According to previous reporting by The Gazette, the performance featured guitarist Jimi Hendrix, who was little known at the time. Currently, the century-old City Auditorium faces an uncertain future; it closed its doors to the public indefinitely last year after funding to renovate it fell short.
One venue where you can still catch a concert these days: The World Arena. In 1998, the Colorado Springs World Arena (which became the Broadmoor World Arena in 2014), opened in southwest Colorado Springs with a performance by Bill Cosby — and more big acts followed.
Read on for a list of some of the biggest names in music who have played in Colorado Springs:
The Doors
When: October 21, 1967
Where: Broadmoor Hotel Ballroom
Colorado College hosted rock band The Doors in 1967 for their homecoming dance, according to previous reporting by The Gazette. The Doors have around 11.6 million monthly listeners on Spotify at the time of writing.
Aerosmith
When: April 22, 1998
Where: Colorado Springs World Arena
This 1998 performance was a stop along Aerosmith’s international Nine Lives tour, named after the band’s 1997 album.
NSYNC
When: April 30, 1999
Where: Colorado Springs World Arena
Argued by some as “The Prince of Pop,” Justin Timberlake, was only 18 years old at the time of this World Arena show, and their hit song “Bye Bye Bye” hadn’t come out yet.
Bob Dylan with Paul Simon
When: June 6, 1999
Where: Colorado Springs World Arena
Bob Dylan’s Never Ending Tour covered an impressive couple of decades starting in 1988. Before and after this show, Dylan played in Denver at different venues.
Def Leppard
When: January 16, 2000
Where: Colorado Springs World Arena
This Def Leppard performance in 2000 was a part of the band’s Euphoria tour, based on their album of the same name. Rock singer Joan Jett accompanied the band for this tour leg, including this show. Def Leppard also came to Colorado Springs in 2017.
Snoop Dogg
When: December 6, 2001; December 22, 2022
Where: City Auditorium; Broadmoor World Arena
At this point in 2001, Snoop Dogg had already won “Best Rap Video” for the MTV Video Music Awards and the American Music Award for “Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist.” Snoop Dogg also came to Broadmoor World Arena in December 2022 for his Holidaze of Blaze tour.
Sting
When: December 9, 2001
Where: Colorado Springs World Arena
Several songs Sting played at the Broadmoor World Arena were ones made with The Police, according to Setlist.fm. This concert was part of Sting’s All This Time Tour.
Willie Nelson
When: March 27, 2002
Where: City Auditorium
Willie Nelson has played more than 2,500 live shows with one taking place at the Colorado Springs City Auditorium, according to Setlist.fm and the venue’s website. Nelson has since released 30+ albums and inaugurally received CMA’s Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award.
Cher
When: October 1, 2003
Where: Colorado Springs World Arena
Although her 2003 performance was part of Cher’s Farewell Tour, she would actually come back to play in 2005 at the same venue. This tour also promoted her twenty-fourth studio album Living Proof. The 2003 show sold out with around 7,000 concertgoers.
Journey
When: December 8, 2005
Where: Colorado Springs World Arena
Journey played at the World Arena in 2005 during their 30th Anniversary Tour, according to Setlist.fm. Since the group’s formation in 1973, the band has had 19 top 40 singles and 25 Gold and Platinum albums, according to Spotify.
Carrie Underwood
When: December 2, 2006
Where: Colorado Springs World Arena; Broadmoor World Arena
Carrie Underwood has come to Colorado Springs a couple times over the years. The 2016 concert was a part of The Storyteller Tour, based on the name of her 2015 album.
The Beach Boys
When: March 6, 2009
Where: Arnold Hall, Air Force Academy
There have been various concerts at the Air Force Academy through the years, including this one with The Beach Boys. Kelly Clarkson has also performed at the AFA for the Warrior Games in 2017 and 2018. The Beach Boys are set to perform at the new Sunset Amphitheater this August.
Elton John
When: March 16, 2017
Where: Broadmoor World Arena
According to previous reporting by The Gazette, more than 9,000 people attended this concert at the Broadmoor World Arena in 2017. A number of World Arena records were broken with Elton’s performance including the highest grossing event for a single performance.
Earth, Wind & Fire
When: September 27, 2017
Where: Pikes Peak Center
In a preview to the show by The Gazette, bassist Verdine White talks about not knowing how much impact their hit songs would have throughout the years. At the time of writing, Earth, Wind & Fire have around 21.7 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
Have other big-name musicians in mind? Did you attend any of these shows? Contact the writer at julia.carpenter@gazette.com.
