Colorado Springs luxury music venue Ford Amphitheater has been named by Billboard as the Top West Coast Amphitheater in a new ranking of the best concert venues in North America. The 8,000-capacity outdoor complex, which opened in fall 2024 with Colorado pop-rock act OneRepublic, was part of the ind ustry publication’s 2026 Top Music Venues ranking. The 28 venues included in the list were judged “based on editorial insight and Billboard Boxscore performance data,” according to a statement from Ford owner VENU. Those numbers include gross and attendance figures, which were not disclosed in the list, that were reported to Billboard Boxscore from Oct. 1, 2024, to Sept. 30, 2025, magazine editors wrote. The ranking features stadiums and arenas alongside open-air amphitheaters and small clubs ranging from Canada to Mexico, Billboard added. “Think of it as a guided tour of the places where sound, setting and community collide — the stages that turn concerts into memories and local music scenes into legends.” Billboard cites Denver-based promoter AEG Presents Rocky Mountains, which books most of the concerts at Red Rocks and other top Front Range venues, as part of Ford’s success. Related Articles Denver’s UMS indie music fest is back from the dead, but in a new location Yonder Mountain String Band to release an album built for live shows Fans race to learn Spanish before Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show Speed Rack’s back, a ‘cosmic’ musical journey and more things to do in Denver Minions music saga leaves Winter Olympic figure skaters ‘hoping and praying’ Ford inclusion is notable not just because it’s the sole Colorado or Rocky Mountain West venue, but because Ford’s owner, VENU, was sued last month by some neighbors over allegedly excessive noise that allegedly bleeds into their neighborhoods and disrupts their health and quality of life. VENU founder J.W. Roth told The Denver Post last month that always taken neighbors’ concerns seriously and last summer spent $3.5 million on noise abatement efforts, including testing stations and walls. He said he wants to be a good resident, having lived in Colorado Springs himself for 62 years, but that the lawsuit is meritless. He blames the continued resistance to the venue, which began even before it opened, on a small group of disgruntled locals. Ford Amphitheater operates under an agreement with Colorado Springs that allows it to exceed the usual 50-55 decibel (dB) limit placed on outside, human-made sounds in residential areas. Fifty dB is equivalent to normal conversation levels, car traffic or kitchen appliances. But thanks to its Noise Hardship Permit, the city raised that significantly. The complaint alleges the decibels measured from Ford Amphitheater range between 60 and 77. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, In The Know, to get entertainment news sent straight to your inbox. ...read more read less