The ongoing campaign against a Colorado Springs amphitheater by some of its neighbors hit a high pitch this week as eight residents filed a lawsuit alleging noise violations that harm their health and quality of life.
Ford Amphitheater, owned by the VENU company, is an 8,000-capacity outdoor music venue that opened in late 2024 and has hosted dozens of concerts over the last two seasons from artists such as OneRepublic, Cypress Hill, Miranda Lambert and Yo-Yo Ma.
Before it even opened, however, some neighbors with noise concerns wanted to hold VENU accountable for any future disturbances. That was followed by the filing of 600 noise complaints in the opening two weeks of the venue, which is located at 95 Spectrum Loop in Colorado Springs, just east of I-25 and the Air Force Academy. The concerts generating the anonymous complaints included shows by The Beach Boys, Walker Hayes, and Iration and Pepper.
The new lawsuit, filed in El Paso County on Jan. 21, alleges Ford and owner VENU are violating the state’s Noise Abatement Act. That includes noise violations ranging from 1,000% to 10,000% above the state’s allowable decibel limits, it alleges. It also says that a charitable foundation connected to Ford Amphitheater is illegitimate.
The complaint asks for new restrictions on noise and increased testing during concerts; accountability for VENU when they violate those; and repayment of residents’ “reasonable costs” as determined by the court.
Roth said he’s 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.
“VENU has never, not one time, been out of compliance with the city, so when they say we violated all these things it’s just factually incorrect and really frustrating,” he said. “Every judge has ruled in our favor and dismissed previous complaints. … This is eight people who have been saying this for the last three years. Compare that with the 200,000 people who came to shows last year and loved it.”
The 43-page lawsuit includes detailed studies and explainers on decibel limits, which Roth said appeared to have been gathered before the venue even opened.
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.
The lawsuit marks an escalation of tactics after dozens of meetings with Ford Amphitheater’s owners, local politicians including Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade, lawyers and other neighbors over the last three years.
“For two concert seasons, residents on the north side of the City of Colorado Springs have contended with harmful noise pollution from an outdoor amphitheater known as the Ford Amphitheater,” according to court documents.
The affected neighborhoods include Gleneagle, Northgate Highlands, and Northgate Estates, among others, the lawsuit said. They existed prior to the amphitheater’s 2024 construction.
“Plaintiffs purchased their homes and raised their families in these communities for years, sometimes decades, before the amphitheater opened,” the lawsuit said. “They did not move to a concert venue; a concert venue moved to them. Now, families who invested in the tranquility of these neighborhoods find themselves unable to escape noise pollution that exceeds state law by multiples — 1,000% to 10,000% in sound level — and that has deprived them of the comfort of their homes.”
The lawsuit alleges serious health issues stemming from the noise: “a mother forced to medicate her autistic son and place him in a sensory room with noise-cancelling headphones during concerts to prevent manic episodes; a disabled veteran with a diagnosed anxiety disorder who must flee his own home for hours on concert nights schoolchildren unable to sleep on school nights because of thumping bass and profanity-laced lyrics audible through closed windows.”
The plaintiffs’ case is led by attorney Laura J. Ellis of Colorado Springs’ First & Fourteenth PLLC, who specializes in civil disputes, according to . She did not immediately return a request for comment. Roth and VENU are represented by Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, as well as attorney Tobin Kern.
VENU on Jan. 21 also released its , featuring artists such as Yo-Yo Ma with the Colorado Symphony, O.A.R., Alison Krauss & Union Station, and Brantley Gilbert. VENU operates the Ford Amphitheater in partnership with promoter AEG Presents Rocky Mountains. The company also owns Phil Long Music Hall, The Hall at Bourbon Brothers, Bourbon Brothers Smokehouse and Tavern, Aikman Owners Clubs, and Roth’s Sea & Steak.
