Ford Amphitheater — Attraction in Colorado Springs

One star, because while the people there are friendly and helpful, and I love live music, this place is not very accessible for wheelchair users, and they do not make sure that ADA accessible ticket are not scalped for unreasonable, extremely high prices.

I could not find a ADA tickets that were not unreasonable for the BECK show. People were asking a minimum of $120-$200 or more for the upper level lawn ADA tickets, which if I’m not mistaken, just like the lawn, should only be $67. I’ve tried to go to other shows. Every single time, the ADA tickets are scooped up early and re-sold and a higher price. It’s rather infuriating, because I’m a single mom, and I can’t afford $200 per ticket to bring my kid to see some music on the upper lawn where we can’t see the stage. I tried to get ADA accessible tickets for Allison Kraus Robert Plant nosebleed ADA lawn tickets. $212. For the lawn. Way up top. Not ok. That is exclusionary for someone such as myself.

Anyway, this time, I waited until the day of and found some “owners club” North Lawn ADA tickets. We entered at the back of the building in the owners club entrance, and lo and behold, there is no wheelchair ramp or elevator to get down to the lower levels from the owners club. Mind. Blowing. The ADA accessible seats that I bought from the owner’s club person was inside a building at a seated table, because they had the LAWN CLOSED. My child could not even see the stage. Hell, I can stand and I could barely see the stage from up there. She could see the sky and the top of the lights on the stage, and that was it. Now. I don’t know how that is an ADA accessible seat. But if I were an “owner” and a wheelchair user, I’d be pretty ticked off that that is the seat y’all offer me. I spoke with an usher who radioed a supervisor who then radioed Guest Services who printed us new tickets and then the supervisor ushered us to our new seats on the First level wheelchair section. Cool. Very nice. Thanks. We had to walk all the way around the building to get in…Because of the lack of elevator on the owners club level.

The chairs they have in the ADA section for non-wheelchair users are AWFUL. For such an expensive venue, y’all could get some better chairs for people to sit in the mobility impaired section along the bottoms of Level 1. As her mom, I had to sit there. My back was aching from those terrible chairs. They are smallest folding chair you can buy, and the seat slopes down at the back and so you’re sitting in a very unnatural position. Your butt isn’t supposed to slope down in a seat. That cause back pain. Next: nowhere to change my child’s brief (diaper). My child is 13 years old and cannot walk. As such, she cannot sit on a toilet. As such, she wears briefs (diapers). There is no adult changing table at this venue. There is only a “Mother’s room” intended for breast feeding and changing the diaper of an infant or maybe a toddler. While I love this for moms with babies and toddlers, how does it help the mom of a teenager who wears diapers and cannot walk?

My daughter is 63” tall. Adult size. She doesn’t fit on a baby changing table. I do not appreciate having to lay my child on the floor to change her diaper. That’s not ok. This amphitheater cost $90 MILLION to build. A project for the community to enjoy, except you’re still excluding some people who use wheelchair and need their brief changed during a concert. And their parents who’d like a nicer chair to sit in, since they are paying lots of money for a “seat”. My kid deserves to be at a concert, like anyone else, and her needs should ALL be met while there. And for the most part, you guys FAILED to be inclusive when you built this place. You did the bare minimum putting in an elevator. Breast feeding moms have more right there than my child who is wheelchair-bound does. I cannot cover my child’s bottom while I’m changing her diaper. Her parts are out there for all to see, just like when you change a baby’s diaper. Except she had grown lady parts. And your venue provides her with no dignity for her...

We attended a concert at the Ford Amphitheater for the first time last night (Toad the Wet Sprocket and Barenaked Ladies). We had no trouble getting there traffic-wise. We parked in the free parking at Bass Pro Shop and walked over, which is not a bad walk (a heck of a lot easier than to Red Rocks from the south lot). Entering was a very smooth process, and we didn't have to wait in any lines.  I walked through the metal detectors with my phone and an external battery pack in my pocket and didn't alert the machines.  They had plenty of staff checking tickets, etc.  The show was not sold out, but it looked like the venue was mostly full.

Inside there are many places to buy canned cocktails and beer, including the locally produced Bristol Brewery Beehive Wheat. There were multiple food trucks with lots of great options. We had an elk brat and fries from one truck and some nachos from another.  The nacho chips were nothing special, but the fresh salsa and pickled  onions you could put on yourself were great. Everything is stadium prices, which is to say ridiculously expensive, but at least there were things we were happy to order.

There were flat seats just in front of the stage, where we sat, then fire pits behind them and higher.  The performers couldn't stop remarking about the firepits, which do look very cool.  Above the section  of firepits, which you have to have a wristband to enter and are heavily "guarded" by staff, there are more seats, these ones raked, and then at the very top a short bit of grassy area where you can spread out a blanket and sit on the ground. Behind the grassy area are where most of the food trucks are located.  We were told when we entered the front seating area that all members of our party had to have copies of our tickets, but then we weren't checked again when making trips to buy concessions or go to the bathroom, so I don't know.

It started raining and rained not too hard but steadily all through the second act, enough that the styrofoam clamshell holding my nachos started collecting water.  We donned a poncho or a raincoat and were fine. I'm an average height female, and I could see nicely. There are big screens on either side of the stage as well. I used the bathroom between the acts and didn't have to wait in line.

We had to leave before the show ended, so we didn't have any trouble leaving the parking lot, but I can't report on how traffic right after a show is.

All in all a nice venue, and I look forward to attending...

The interior of the venue itself is fine - the seating was fine and the aisles were easy to traverse. The screens were fine and sound quality ok (saw King Gizz with the orchestra and while some of the instruments were hard to hear at times, it is difficult to knock this as they had a lot going on on stage).

My biggest gripe was with logistics. It took forever getting into the venue. You get off the highway and come to a stoplight, and as soon as you need to turn to move toward the Loop, there is a line of cars. No signage along the way and no parking attendants until you get to the entrance of the lot, which took about 15-20 minutes to get to. We planned on parking in the Bass Pro Shop lot that the venue recommends for free parking, but when we got to the attendant, he said it was full already. O We were left with the option to park in the exorbitantly priced venue lot ($40) or drive to a nearby hotel and catch a shuttle. After waiting for so long, we ended up just paying for parking, which, after seeing the lines waiting for the shuttle after the show, was the right move, but it still felt pretty shady to handle it that way.

Leaving the venue was also a mess. The attendants were not communicating or directing people very well and were then yelling at people about have usage when it was not obvious what to do. Even being in the nearest lot, it still took a while to leave and when we did, we couldn't even go the right way and we were directed the opposite way, having to turn around at the next light.

I'm just not sure how you can design a brand new venue without thinking of these types of logistics these days, it seems like a massive oversight. I'm just glad it's the type of venue that it is because most of the acts that play there are not who I want to see anyway. Here's hoping none of my favorites choose this logistical nightmare to play at...