Live concerts are sought after for people of all ages for an experience to sing along to their favorite songs, buy merchandise and connect with people who have the same interest. High school students, especially those in a state where entertainment is highly valued, turn concerts into large events to look forward to with their friends and family.
In the next year, artists such as Bruno Mars, Noah Kahan, Tame Impala, Sublime and Ed Sheeran will hold events across the state. Senior Mikah Byrd has a current concert lineup of David Guetta on May 5, Daniel Caesar on July 14 and Bruno Mars September 26. Junior Emma Leishman plans to attend Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Megan Moroney and Noah Kahan in the next few months.
Colorado has been a hub for concerts and venues for decades, with Denver fueling the young population that is geared toward concert attendance. Denver is home to venues such as Fillmore Auditorium, Ogden Theatre, Mission Ballroom, Fiddler’s Green Amphitheater and subsequent stadiums that hosts Denver’s sports teams and large events: Ball Arena, Mile High Stadium and Coor’s Field.
Adjacent to Denver, Morrison is home to the world-renowned Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater, a natural acoustic, open-air venue that has hosted thousands of concerts of some of the most notable artists of all time.
In more recent years, Colorado Springs has entered the concert scene with smaller venues such as Weidner Field and the Pikes Peak Center, and more notably, Ford Amphitheater which was given the title of Top West Coast Amphitheater by Billboard on their “2026 Top Music Venues” list.
The entertainment industry is a large contributor to the state economy. According to Worldmetrics.org, “Colorado’s events industry generated $14.2 billion in economic output in 2023” and “Events in Colorado supported 102,000 direct and indirect jobs in 2023.”
Students not only attend concerts in state but also make plans to travel to other states for artists not making a tour stop in Colorado. Leishman is planning on traveling to New York City to see Harry Styles at a show in his 30-show residency in Madison Square Garden.
Getting tickets for these concerts has been the most notable difficulty in attending concerts for students, based on ticket prices and availability. Leishman described her experiences with ticket purchasing as a tasking event: “Usually my older sister gets them for us, or I do but you have to sit in a queue for hours before. For Harry Styles, my sister was in the queue for four hours and then for Gracie Abram’s last year I was in it for my first three periods of school.”
Some students miss the initial sale of the tickets but manage to get seats by means of resellers or even winning tickets through contests. Senior Morgan Stone said for getting Noah Kahan tickets she “attempted to get tickets on Ticketmaster when they went on sale but ended up not getting any after waiting in the queue for about 3 hours,” but “eventually found some at a reasonable price.”
Radio stations often host local contests through events or call-in queues on air. Junior Kenzie Praytor said that the contests are how she is able to attend some of the concerts she has been to.
Students use concerts to find memorable shared experiences with other people. Stone noted some of her favorite parts of the concert experience: “hearing an artist perform live really elevates the music, you get to sing along as loud as you want, and it is fun getting dressed up. It’s also something that I enjoy doing with my friends, so we get to make a lot of good memories together.”
Another highlight for students who have attended concerts is the musical display. Byrd said, “I think that hearing the music you love live really changes the experience. I’m someone who listens to music full blast in my car so if I can get that same experience but even better, I’m going to be there.”
Reflecting on previous concerts, students shared their most memorable experiences. Praytor’s favorite concert was Justin Bieber because it was a “really exciting, fun and overall, such a memorable experience.”
Leishman recalled her favorite experiences, she said, “Niall Horan because it was my 15th birthday and then we were also first row in the bowl, so we were super close and it was amazing. I also loved Zach Bryan because me and my friend were in the pit at Mile High and there were three people in front of me, so it was so amazing.”
Stone’s favorite concert was with another student, she explained, “Hozier with my cousin Abby last summer. We got pretty cheap pit seats, and Hozier is such a good live performer. The songs he played sounded even better in person than the recorded versions.”
