All eyes (and ears) around the Western Slope will focus on Montrose this summer as a full lineup of music comes to the new, beautifully designed and strikingly large Montrose Rotary Amphitheater in Cerise Park.

Completed last November, the $2.8 million facility, managed by the City of Montrose, can hold upwards of 5,000 people. Unlike other large venues on the Western Slope, the facility’s purpose is not to generate revenue through event ticket sales, but rather, to serve as an asset to the community in the same manner as other city parks and facilities. With its expansive stage, infrastructure built for food and beverage vendors and the space to hold a large crowd, how big can music lovers dream when it comes to hosting popular musical acts?

“I think really big,” says Montrose public works manager Jim Scheid. He compared the venue to Grand Junction’s amphitheater at Las Colonias Park, which has attracted acts like Travis Tritt, ZZ Top, Whiskey Myers and Snoop Dogg. “This venue is different, but I would shoot for those kinds of acts. It’s capable and has a similar size, but there’s a different environment here. Montrose is a hub for Telluride, Ouray, Delta, Gunnison and Crested Butte. We have that regional pull here, and this amphitheater could pull more of those mountain communities in.”

Scheid admits there is a lot to be seen before those kinds of acts take the Rotary Amphitheater stage, but exciting, diverse music is already set to fill the air as the popular Montrose Summer Music Series finds its new home this summer at the amphitheater. The sounds of blues, country, reggae and zydeco will be featured on the first Fridays of June, July, August and September as part of this summer’s free music series. For series Director Dave Bowman, the new venue has unique specifications to attract all kinds of different acts.

“It’s going to offer up the ability to do a lot more than four- and five-piece bands,” he shares. “The stage is big enough to hold symphonies. Really, the only limitation is creativity and imagination. You could hold dance performances and movies. The sky is the limit as far as the type of entertainment you can put out there.

Bowman adds that he’s especially impressed with the architecture of the amphitheater; both the head architect and the electrical engineers are musicians who designed it with a focus on the best audio amplification

The 2022 Montrose Summer Music Series lineup starts on June 3 with blues, funk and soul saxophonist Vanessa Collier with Crazy Like a Fox opening. On July 1, the zydeco sounds of Curley Taylor & Zydeco Trouble will hit the stage with local bluesman Kipori Woods opening. On August 5, Cody Hibbard will take the stage with Ridgway band, Little Giant, opening. Finally, on September 2, reggae grooves from Niceness will be featured with Ghost River band opening. All shows will feature a host of local food and beverage vendors. Doors open at 5 p.m. with the opening act starting at 6 p.m. Headliners start at 7:30 p.m.

“This is going to be our first big test,” Scheid believes, adding that several promoters have toured the facility with the interest in bringing music to the new stage. “It will be great to see what we’ve envisioned become a reality.”

Pickin’ Productions founder Rob Miller echoes Bowman’s excitement for the venue. Pickin’ Productions produces popular concert series throughout the West Slope, including Paonia, Ridgway and Moab. While he couldn’t provide specifics on any scheduled shows for the Rotary Amphitheater, he’s excited about, and in the process of, planning future shows.

“Pickin’ Productions has formed a strong team composed of a handful of music industry people, all independent, all based in Western Colorado,” Miller says. “We’re working on putting together some exciting shows at the new amp!”

Stay tuned for more lineup information from the City of Montrose. Visit the Montrose Summer Music Series Facebook page and Pickin’ Production’s website at pickinproductions.com.

Originally published in the Summer 2022 of Spoke+Blossom.

Big Amphitheater Ready for Big Sounds