Chuck Morris said he wasn’t prepared for the kind of decay he saw during his first tour of the Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre in Englewood in January.
He saw construction trailers that had been crumbling in place since the 17,000-seat venue opened more than 30 years ago. Ugly storage structures blocked concession stands. Leaky bathrooms hadn’t been updated since the 1980s, old buildings blocked picturesque views of the nearby Museum of Outdoor Arts and dressing rooms boasted the look and feel of 1950s-era Las Vegas.
But the most shocking sight for Morris, chief of AEG Live Rocky Mountains, was the open-air backstage section where artists gathered to eat meals before and after shows.
“There was a floor that looked like it had bugs in it. Flies came because there was no roof, no air conditioning,” Morris said during a walk around the backstage area at Fiddler’s earlier this week. “These famous artists were eating in the sun, with bugs all over. That was the worst.”
Nearly six months after that first tour, the look and feel of the place was much different. In January, Morris and AEG Live officials signed an agreement with the neighboring nonprofit Museum of Outdoor Arts to run Fiddler’s Green for the next 15 years. They’ve spent the months since pouring millions into the venue for its summer debut.
This week, construction crews were hard at work clearing clutter and putting up new structures. Six days before Fiddler’s would host its first show under AEG management, the amphitheater featured a refurbished sound system, an expanded VIP patio section and a new network of backstage buildings for musicians, touring crews and staff. The main entrances were bigger, and access to the theater’s iconic lawn was more direct.
The stage and sound system were improved, including new speakers, delay towers and state-of-the-art HD video screens. Those upgrades are part of massive renovation project designed to draw in bigger crowds and high-profile musicians. Morris and AEG are pouring $6 million in upgrades into the project, which they say will span several years.
“All the concrete, all the paint, all the finishes, all the bathrooms — it’s all been cleaned or replaced,” said Rob Thomas, an AEG Live vet and the new general manager of Fiddler’s. “The complaint always was, ‘I can’t hear the sound,’” he added, pointing to the newly reconstructed sound towers visible from the venue’s iconic grass lawn. “Now they’re really going to get pounded.”
The season will open with a “Volunteer Jam” concert May 24 featuring the Charlie Daniels Band and dedicated to members of the military, first responders and the Red Cross. The rest of the summer schedule includes shows by Kendrick Lamar, Rascal Flatts, ZZ Top and Keith Urban. Morris has also hinted that the venue may follow the model of the successful off-season “Winter on the Rocks” shows at Red Rocks.
All of these updates and changes are only the latest transformations at an amphitheater that’s seen plenty of owners in the past three decades. The music venue nestled in the middle of the Denver Tech Center in Greenwood Village has cycled through different management and different names. It’s had stints as Comfort Dental Amphitheater and Coors Amphitheater; promoters like MCA Concerts, House of Blues and Live Nation have all had turns running the place.
Morris insisted the most recent management change is a new era for the venue. Fiddler’s will still abide by Greenwood Village curfews — bands have to end by 11:15 p.m. on weekends and 10:45 p.m. on weekdays — but Morris sees great potential in the $6-million investment. With its proximity to I-25 and several different municipalities, Morris and his crew want to draw crowds from Aurora, Centennial, Parker, Denver and beyond.
“I think our track record for all of these years speaks for itself. That’s what we’re doing here,” he added.
Morris’ track record that’s hard to beat.
His résumé as a concert promoter in the Colorado music scene was already the stuff of local legend. Along with peers like Colorado Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Barry Fey, Morris played a key role in establishing the metro area’s best-known music venues, including iconic houses like Red Rocks Amphitheatre and the Fillmore. Morris and AEG were also behind the rescue of the 1stBANK Center in Broomfield. He’s been central in drawing acts such as The Rolling Stones and The Who to Denver.
He credits his durability in the business to his love of “new projects,” and the reinvention of Fiddler’s Green falls into that category. Pursuing those projects has helped Morris survive in an industry that’s seen fundamental changes.
“It takes a lot more architects, a lot more accountants, a lot more lawyers, a lot more city officials, a lot more paperwork. It’s a real business now,” Morris said. “When I first started in 1970, it was a wing and a prayer … I’ve been blessed enough to be able to change with the times.”
Reach reporter Adam Goldstein at 720-449-9707 or agoldstein@aurorasentinel.com