I bought tickets on Groupon to see Goo Goo Dolls/Matchbox Twenty. Â We had General Admission lawn seating. Â It had rained the night before so the lawn was damp and there were muddy spots. Â Every one on the lawn ended up standing. Â It was difficult for me to see the small stage.
Parking was free in a lot, but it was quite far away. Â Even after the concert started, the line was very long and unorganized to get in.
The line to the Women's restrooms was long depending on when you went. Â Women were going in the Men's restroom with men standing at the urinals (my husband told me).
Next time, I would pay to have a reserved seat.
This is my absolute least favorite place to see a concert in Denver.
The stage is East-facing... so if you go to a concert that starts anytime before sunset during the summer, be prepared to get an arm workout shielding your eyes from the sun setting right above the stage. It's also near a residential area, so shows are typically over by 10:30. This could be a good thing if I didn't have to squint in pain to see the openers/some of the main act(s).
A beer will set you back $10. OUCH! Seriously??? Even Red Rocks isn't that awful.
Parking is atrocious. If there is free parking, it's nearly impossible to find, and a good hike from the ampitheatre. Otherwise, parking is going to set you back another $10.
With the gouge of ticket prices, the gouge of refreshments, and the gouge of parking, I would much rather completely AVOID any concerts here. Wait until the act you want to see wises up and books a show at Red Rocks! Crazy beautiful, free parking, and no sun in your face! woohoo!
Seeing Iron Maiden in 2012 was my first visit to "Fiddler's Green," the name it will always be remember as by those who have lived here long enough. Iron Maiden was great. It would have been nice if they had made more of an effort to identify the opening band. Pricing on everything is outrageous. $9.75 for a beer? No thanks! T-shirts were generally $40 and posters were $10.
The women's restrooms were mostly clean, and it was nice to not have to wait in line to go. Women also didn't have to wait in line to get frisked, since we were outnumbered 3 to 1 by men waiting to get in. There was a lot of pot smoke in the crowd, which sucks for people who don't smoke it. Blech.
It's too bad that the stage is so small, as bands like Iron Maiden have to make do with what they can. I believe they had 1-2 semis full of stuff they couldn't bring on because the stage was so small. It'd be awesome if they could somehow expand the stage for the bands who come through.
I didn't like standing on the lawn for the whole experience. My socks were pushed back and my feet were sore afterward. Next time, if there is a next time, we'll shell out extra for a seat to stand at.
Comfort Dental/Fiddler's Green is really a "you get what you pay for" kind of venue. I'd never ever get lawn seats here because logic tells me that if you're sitting way out in BFE you won't be able to see or hear the bands at all. Judging by the other reviews, I'm quite right. We always pay a little extra for actual seats (in either 100 or 200 level sections) and at least half the time I have to wear ear plugs it's so loud. And I can actually see the bands.
That being said, they do have their flaws. $5 for water and $11 for beer is a little much, so we don't buy anything once we get here. It's best to do that stuff before you go if you really need to be drunk to watch a band.
it also annoys me when people think that just cause it's outside they can sit there and smoke their cigarettes the whole time. Pretty sure I'd get crap if I brought my cigars with me. And that's not to mention the many many people who smoke weed during the show.
The parking situation here kinda sucks, but if you're smart about it it's not completely terrible. Pretty much anywhere you park has a walk built in to it, so you just need to build that in.
I really like going to concerts here, and definitely will again. You just have to be aware of the caveats here and you'll be fine.
I think we can all agree on one thing about this place - it has one of the stupidest names ever! Â I refuse to call it Comfort Dental Amphitheatre and instead use the old Fiddler's Green.
Personally, I have not had terrible experiences here. Â However, I refuse to pay money to sit/stand on a sloped piece of grass, so I have never had to sit in the outer rims on the lawn. Â I always buy an actual seat and I am generally pretty close. I am usually using earplugs and not complaining about the sound. Â So if you want awesome sound, sit in a reserved seat. Â Plus they make the rows wide enough you don't have to get up to let people go by. Â Now they don't level off each row so it does slope down, resulting in tired feet during a long concert (because let's be honest, we all are going to stand anyways), but at least you have a chair for when you get tired. Â They do have a REALLY early cut off time (it used to be 11p, but at KISS was 10:30p). Â That sucks because you have to start so early and bands are worried about it the whole show (or so it seems).
Yes, it is a livenation venue so you will be killed with fees. Â I hate fees, but I love my summer concerts so I pay up. You will also have shell out an insane amount of cash to have a beer ($9-11), which is highway robbery! Â The bathrooms are plentiful, but not exactly what I would call clean or new. Â I do like that you don't have to pay for parking and it is easy to get to (in the Tech Center). Â We park at the Arapahoe light rail station and walk in - easy in and easy out. Â
I would rather do Red Rocks, but I like this place because it draws some major bands. Â So I will be back!
Pretty much sucks in the end. Â The location is convenient, but a number of things kill my experiences here. Â 1. Â Access. Â Getting in and out is like trying to shove a square peg into a round hole. Â 2. Â The prices of the items inside are INSANE! Â You know you've ended up at a gouging megastore when you wish you were at Mile High or the Pepsi Center only paying $7 a beer instead of $20 for a beer and a water. Â If I wasn't already hammered, I would have been more upset. Â But I wasn't too drunk to actually pay that. Â Sheesh. Â 3. Â The 11pm ending to every show. Â Come one! Â It's a beautiful summer night, everyone is having a good time, and then BAM! Â Show's done. Â Super mellow-harsher/buzzkill moment every damn time.
Honestly, I've been to worse venues, but with the amount of great places to see a show here in Denver, I only go here if I have to. Â Absolutely HAVE to sort of thing.
This is not a review of the concert we saw, Foreigner, Journey and Night Ranger , all three bands were excellent, true they are re-treads of the originals, but the music was solid and fun.
As a music venue, the Comfort Dental Ampitheatre is truly awful.
Organization:
Horrible! We were directed to a rediculously long line (think blocks), but there was not one person, or directional device to keep people in line, so hundreds, perhaps thousands of people would cut the line. Kind of like when signs on the freeway tell you to merge, but there's always some j-off who zips down to where everyone is merging, there-by slowing up the entire line. But in this case people were streaming in from everywhere, creating chaos and slowing the process.
Food and Drink Service:
If you're going to charge $13 for a can of crummy beer, make it accessable so you can really make money on your gouging. Huge lines and just a few stations.
Parking:
Its included in the ticket price, great, but its scattered hap-hazard all over the neighborhood in office building parking lots. This created a weird mass exodus of people stumbing through rock strewn fields (us) and doding prarire dog holes. Also, if you've never been here, you don't know quite how to get to the venue from the parking lot because again, there's no one to asist. Not even a sign with an arrow.
Notrious Grassy Knoll:
The grass area is awful. Its a controlled space and it hasn't rained here in weeks, so why were parts muddy? Also, the website plainly says no lawn chairs, yet a select few people snuck them in . How does that happen? Also, they don't chalk out any walk ways or paths, so everyone piles blankets on top of each other, then tromp their muddy feet across your blanket.
BATHROOMS:
Absoloutely filthy and AGAIN unattended, long lines, but people streaming in the exit to cheat people who had been waiting in long line..
I'd be very fearful of a riot at this venue because I saw few police, who were there for traffic, not patrol,  and vitrtually  no security.
Its pretty awful, I wil never see a concert here again, particularly since its very expensive.
I'm not sure why people like this place so much. We went to a Tim McGraw concert here, and they admitted that they'd oversold the grass by 250%. That's not very smart, and not very cool.
The speakers were dysfunctional in the back of the entire venue for the duration of the shows. It was hot, disorganized, over crowded, and it sucked BIG TIME.
Waste of money!!!! I will NEVER EVER see another show here again! Saw Lady Antebellum & Tim McGraw on 7/31 (not sure of the opener for them because we couldn't hear them and since the concert was oversold we couldn't see either)
But so it really just sounded like we were listening to Lady A on the radio it was that bad sound quality. Being stepped on, and not being able to see the stage were something I figured we would deal with having gotten lawn seats but no even hearing someone we pair $60 to see is BS!
We went and talked to 'Relations' and they would take your complaint down on paper and then someone during the week will 'call you'. WTF ever how about you guys fix the sound or give me a refund? Oh but we are working on the sound for Tim. Seriously it doesn't look like it... and guess what... for Tim... there was not much of an improvement.
Liquor/beer/drinks are $10 which is a little high but oh well.
Overall I felt like we were listening to the radio while we stood trying to catch a 10 second glance @ Lady A, or Tim... plus since the stereo didn't work SOOOOO many people were talking... never had that happen before at a concert.
But like I said.... I don't care if my favorite band is playing here... I will NOT go here again. Overcrowded, bad sound, high beer prices... methinks not!
Just saw Kings of Leon there last night. Despite the rain, the show rocked! I had never been here before to see a show and was pleasantly surprised by its size and ease of access. All of the concessions were very easy, bathrooms were good, and we found plenty of free parking. I'll definitely come back to a show here!
Review Source:I went to Lileth Fair yesterday at Fiddler's (aka the "comfort dental rocks") amphitheater. Â What a poorly managed, money gouging rip off. Â Tickets said the event opened at 2:30 but there was no advance band line-up posted, and it turned out that the bands performing at 2:30 were in a fenced off rocky area outside the amphitheater in the blazing sun -- the amphitheater seats didn't even open for seating till after 4 and the concerts in the amphitheater didn't start till 5:30, so were were left trying to figure out what to do with ourselves for 3-1/2 hours in the 99 degree heat. Â There was no shade; water was $5 for a very small bottle, and you weren't allowed to bring in a bottle to put water into. Â You were faced with either paying huge amounts of money to buy enough bottled water needed to get through the day without a heat stroke or paying $15 to buy one of their nalgene bottles and then standing in line for 20 minutes to refill it from the very limited number of water containers around the grounds. Â There were several people who were being treated by medics for heat stroke, by the way. Â You're not allowed to leave once inside, so we couldn't even escape the sun for a few hours once we found out that the music we came to hear didn't start for many hours. Â Umbrellas weren't allowed inside; festival chairs weren't allowed for lawn seating (but they'd rent you one for an extra $5!), frozen drinks were $14, there were no healthy food options and the food that is sold is very expensive -- like everything at this venue. Â At the very least, for safety's sake -- they should be providing options for shade and plenty of water for their summer concerts.
Review Source:This, ladies and gentlemen, is what Fiddler's Green has been reduced to. Not content with bearing the name of a local beer baron (indecisive is the head that wears the crown, I guess), this once-beloved local music venue has changed hands yet again. Now in its third (fourth?) namesake, The Comfort Dental Ampitheatre is the kind of place where you wouldn't I normally wouldn't be caught dead at. Unfortunately, every summer, a handful of my favorite bands can ONLY be caught there, and I am faced with a moral dilemma:
Do I wait until they play Red Rocks or Magness, and risk missing out on a great live act, or do I swallow my pride and shell out the thirty-plus dollars for lawn seats and crappy sound? Thus is the life of a pauper music fan in Denver.
Speaking of crappy sound, did you hear that? Probably not, if it's after 9pm. Because the place is in the heart of residential Englewood, many concerts at Fiddler's are prone to a 'volume curfew', and fans are treated to amps with clipped wattage. If you want to rock and roll all nite, looks like you'd better look elsewhere. I even have it on good authority that none other than Bruce 'World Class Fencer' Dickinson of Iron Maiden fame  proclaimed, "We'll never play this corporate shithole (then Coors Amphitheater) again!" after having their amps clipped during a Fiddler's gig a few years back. Unfortunately, Bruce was not as good as his word, and Maiden returned to said "shithole" this summer. And they put on one helluva show, as one might expect--but it was all in SPITE of the venue, in my opinion, certainly not because of it.
I'm sure James Taylor sounds alright in this setting (at least, I HOPE he does--that guy deserves some decent acoustics), but if you're going to see a band that plugs in their guitars, get ready to TURN UP THE SUCK!
If muddy sound isn't a turn-off, maybe the $60-$100 price tag for seats is. Don't forget your $8 Coors Light; leave your shame at the door, party animals. For you tightwads out there, save thirty bucks and enjoy a long night of pulled hamstrings and vertigo while standing on the lawn. No wonder the kids ripped up the grass while Korn played Fiddler's Green a couple summers ago--I would, too, if I had to put up with that combination.
Bottom line: I have seen some amazing rock bands play at this venue over the years. Tool, Nine Inch Nails, Jane's Addiction, Ozzy Osborne, Maiden...and they have all sounded like garbage. Forty dollar garbage. That I couldn't see from two miles away. Some day, either the legendary live acts of the world or the music fans will wise up and stop playing at this forsaken venue. Until then, find me in the chair at a Comfort Dental across town getting my teeth pulled. It'll be a hell of a lot more fun, and probably only put me back a little bit less after you factor in the cost of dignity.
You know this venue is decent compared to red rocks. Believe me, its no red Rocks, but for an ease to serve the residents of the Denver metro area, it is just fine. I went to a couple shows out there and the sound was nice. I actually got a seat,m only because I hate the grass. Nothing is worse than laying in someone else's spit and whatever else they do. The show was very nice, the staff were well trained, and the food was moderately priced. I would go back though, if the band was right.
Review Source:This is the only other substantial outdoor venue that I can think of off the top of my head besides red rocks. Its pretty good. I've seen 1 or two shows here and both were ok. Depending on where you sit chances are you will be a good distance away from the artist playing. However there is a cool hill to chill out on and I would do it if the tickets were cheap. Seems like with each passing year they have fewer and fewer shows here though.
Review Source:This is one of the worst music venues I've ever been to. Never mind the time restrictions, which are ridiculous anyway. The worst part is that it has the worst sound ever.
Part of the problem is the big wall that rings the back, and sound just bounces around like crazy. No kidding, I was catching a KISS show here and couldn't hear the guitars at all. I stepped three feet to the right and heard ALL guitars.
Sure, outdoor venues are great, and Coors has the advantage of the grassy hillside, so you can stretch out on the grass, unlike at Red Rocks. But all this does is make me nostalgic for the great outdoor venues I've been to in other parts of the country.
Fiddlers Green is a great summer concert venue. Â Yes--large and large, Â meaning you will not be able to see anything of substance hehe, except for maybe something like Outkast. Â I can see them performing here. Â Oh wait, have I already seen them perform here? Â I did see Lauryn Hill and she was bomb! Â But the crowd was not diggin' it : (
This venue is, like I said, Â a great summer venue with a great lawn on which to crash. Â Also, I saw the Lilith Fair here [is that still happening?] Â And I dyed the tips of my hair pink in the bathroom and it was...DANK...my hair I mean, not the LIlith fair.