Chautauqua Auditorium — Attraction in Boulder

If I could give zero stars I would. We went for a date night and our first show at the Chautauqua Auditorium tonight to see Kenny G. Kenny G started the show in the center of auditorium and then after a few songs moved to the stage, that's when our terrible experience began. We were seated in the center of the auditorium and when the spotlight on Kenny G hit the drums behind him it created a glaring bright and blinding light aimed straight at our seats. It was horrible and we could hear people around us complaining to each other about it as well. As Kenny G moved in front of the light, it would flash constantly and its the kind of bright light that gives me ocular auras. We were seated in the middle of the row, so to get up would have disrupted the whole row and so we sat there for the show. I ended up "watching" the show with my eyes closed because of it and still managed to get a headache. It was a miserable way to experience the beautiful music. After the show ended, we spoke to several volunteers about our experience and they couldn't have been nicer by apologizing and letting us know that next time to please let them know and they could reseat us. They then brought us to a manager and I unfortunately didn't catch her name. She is the reason we will NEVER attend this venue ever again. We started to explain the situation and to see if there was anything they could do in terms of refunding us for our miserable experience and she didn't event let us finish explaining what had happened before she started yelling at us. Her tone was condescending, disrespectful and defensive. She yelled at us and accused us of lying about our experience because "we sat through the whole show without saying anything". It was out first time there, how were we supposed to know they could reseat us? Her tone was accusatory and she was not even apologetic of our experience. I have been in customer service roles and she needs a BIG lesson on how to speak to people and how to respond when someone has a poor experience at this venue. I was appalled at her disrespectful, loud tone and accusatory response to hearing part of our experience. It is very clear to me that this venue cares very little about their patrons experience once they have your money. Its sad, because it appeared to be a lovely place to catch a show!

Update: We have been in contact with several people from the venue and they have assured us that the way we were treated was not their standard way of operation. My husband and I appreciated the conversations, the apology and hopefully they can retrain this employee to interact with patrons with the same respect and kindness that the...

I planned a vacation to Denver months ago, and saw that an artist I liked was going to be performing at the Chautauqua Auditorium during my stay. I rented a car, so figured the short drive to Boulder would be fine.

When I got within a 1/2 mile of the venue, I realized that parking was not going to be an easy process. There isn't much of a public parking lot - nor dedicated event parking. I stopped my car and spoke with several security people who literally shrugged and said "yea, street parking is pretty sparce, so you just have to keep looking".

I was a full two hours early, but a search of 45 minutes didn't turn up any adequate parking solutions. I looked over the emailed information regarding a shuttle, but the information was lacking the directions and locations of said shuttle pickup/parking. My cell reception was horrible, so web searching was hamstrung. Finally, I called the box office (I had read they were helpful). Several calls all went to voicemail - and I left a single message, asking for a return call. Now, 90 minutes to showtime, with no place to park and no useful information about transit, and no way to contact any live human at the box office, the show might as well have been on the moon. I simply could not find a way to attend, and my tickets sadly went unused.

For lack of candor in their communication regarding the parking situation, lack of a means by which to contact a live person for assistance by phone, and lack of a return phone callin Ithe days following the missed show, I have given a review that reflects my...

We had an exquisite evening attending the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Concert! There is so much to love about this venue! The location at Chautauqua has stunning views of the flat irons, and has views overlooking Boulder/Denver metro area. A small venue (4,000 capacity) makes for an intimate experience. The acoustics are wonderful, seats are comfortable. The venue has been capturing audiences for 125 years. Most of the negative comments I have read in previous reviews (IMHO) do not detract from the artists performances. The restrooms are a few steps outside of the concert hall. Last night was the hottest day of the year (it was 96 degrees), the temperature in the auditorium was warm, but not unbearable. It is worth dressing for the elements (casual) & taking a jacket just in case. Almost all of the 'staff' are volunteers. As always dealing with the public can be a challenge ~ It was obvious that they were doing the best they could! Lots of lovely people (workers & attendees).

We parked on the street (in a nearby neighborhood) and walked about 10 minutes to the auditorium. Leaving was very quick as we were far enough away from the general traffic.

We look forward to our next concert...