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 a 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 included 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 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.
VENU owner JW Roth has told The Denver Post that he’s heard only positive feedback from residents about Ford Amphitheater, and that his company has worked with neighbors, the city and outside companies to test and limit sound bleed from the amphitheater in the surrounding residential areas.
The 43-page lawsuit includes detailed studies and explainers on decibel limits. 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.
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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 First & Fourteenth’s website. She did not immediately return a request for comment. VENU owner JW Roth also did not immediately return a request for comment.
VENU on Jan. 21 also released its first wave of 2026 concerts scheduled for Ford Amphitheater, 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. VENUE also owns Phil Long Music Hall, The Hall at Bourbon Brothers, Bourbon Brothers Smokehouse and Tavern, Aikman Owners Clubs, and Roth’s Sea & Steak.
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