Noise limit enforced at Red Rocks
January 29, 2015
For years now, Red Rocks Amphitheatre has drawn in hundreds of artists and thousands of fans to enjoy concerts in its unique structure. Performing at Red Rocks is highly regarded as many successful bands and artists have played there over the years such as U2, Coldplay, Stevie Nicks to name a few. Offering concerts catering to nearly every genre of music, it is no surprise that the amphitheater brings in thousands of fans to the small town of Morrison, Colorado where it is located. However, over the years Morrison residents have been petitioning for noise restrictions and more specifically targeting electronic dance music or EDM.
In attempts to satisfy these requests, Denver Arts and Venues have drawn up new noise regulations for Red Rocks in response to complaints from neighboring residents, who say the heavy bass so prevalent in EDM is shaking the ground, rattling windows and affecting their quality of life.
At the start of 2014, Denver released new rules for noise levels and earlier end times of performances, in addition to launching the study of noise levels throughout the year, but residents complained that still was not enough.
One key change in 2015 from the regulations imposed in 2014 is that the noise limits will apply to entire performances, not just to late hours. In order to fit the noise regulations, the ceiling has been lowered in attempts to better control the sound. Also new is a provision that allows Denver to ban any artist that violates the regulation from the subsequent concert season.
“I’ve been to a few concerts at Red Rocks, and the noise obviously is pretty loud but I don’t think it is anything too extreme. I could see how living in a town that hosts so many concerts the noise gets annoying after a while , but they had pre knowledge of this before they chose to live there,” senior, Madison Rorex said.
This new rule has upset many EDM fans who fear that many artists will simply chose not to perform at Red Rocks rather than comply with the noise restrictions. Many are simply angered that it seems EDM is being specifically targeted as no other genre of music will be affected by the rules. A petition, directed at Morrison town officials, has been sweeping social media in an attempt to persuade them to remove the noise restriction
The petition states “We, Respect The Rocks, ask the city of Morrison, Colorado, to remove noise restrictions on Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater, as they hamper the musical experience of all concertgoers at the venue, and unfairly target Electronic Dance Music Events.”
A major point that is stressed in the petition is placing the responsibility on the homeowners.
It states, “With regard to these homes, all have been built after the construction of the the Amphitheater, and thus the homeowners should not be able to complain about the volume of the concerts as they willingly purchased property near a well-known and active musical venue. Future homeowners in the area should be notified of the noise, and be required to sign an agreement with Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater stating that they accept the results of living next to a concert venue, and will not attempt to enact resolutions against the park.”So far, the petition has over 15,000 supporters, but it is unclear as to whether it will be taken into account. A volunteer team is currently being assembled across Colorado to help petition the noise restrictions.