(Opinion) Top 5 Reasons Why Fiddler’s Green Amphitheater is a Horrible Concert Venue

The recent slew of summer concert announcements is exciting.  Unfortunately, if you want to see the Foo Fighters or Dave Matthews, you'll have to do it at Fiddler's Green Amphitheater.

I grew up in the Denver area and I've been going to concerts at Fiddler's Green since I was a teenager.  It was a terrible venue then and it's even worse now.  Admittedly, we're spoiled to have Red Rocks nearby. But even if we weren't so close to one of the world's premiere venues, Fiddler's would still suck.

Here's the Top 5 Reasons Why Fiddler's Green Amphitheater is a horrible concert venue.

1. Traffic - Having a 20,000 capacity concert venue in the most congested area of Denver makes I-25 an even bigger nightmare than it normally is.  You'll be lucky if you spend less than 30 minutes getting off the Orchard exit on I-25, especially for a weeknight show. You're better off taking the light rail.

2. Parking - Yet another reason why the light rail is the only way to do Fiddler's.  Parking around Fiddler's is terrible.  On a good night, you may be able to find a $15 space two miles away in a shopping center.

3.  Sound - If you've ever wanted to hear what your favorite band's bass drum sounds like, Fiddler's is the spot for you.  Sadly, the local noise ordinances and lousy acoustics will make the muffled guitars and vocals difficult to hear, especially if you're stuck on the lawn.

4.  The Curfew - I have seen several bands cut their sets short due to the 10:30 p.m. curfew.  Maybe this rule makes sense on weeknights, but who cuts off a rock show at 10:30 on a Saturday night?  Fiddler's Green does.

5.  The Neighborhood - Looking to pre-game before the concert?  Or maybe do some bar hopping after the show lets out at 10:30?  You might as well just go home.  The restaurants and bars around Fiddler's are nothing special; just your typical, run of the mill, suburban strip mall chains.  And worse yet, you're at least a $50 cab ride from downtown Denver.

Keep in mind, my list didn't include security or concessions, because those are issues at a lot of concert venues.  Let's face it, a beer is going to cost you $10 anywhere you go and the security guard is always going to act like he's running the show.

But there's a feeling you get when a see a concert at Fiddler's.   It's the exact opposite of that feeling you experience at Red Rocks. Before you even enter the venue, you know that you are in a subdued, sterile, suburban, corporate environment.  There's nothing wild and free about it.  And that's the biggest reason why it's a terrible venue to see a show.