Western Colorado Remembers First Concerts at Ball Arena

Back in 1999, a massive venue opened its doors a stone's throw away from Elitch Gardens in downtown Denver, Colorado, and that place was called the Pepsi Center.

Over the next 24 years, the 18,000-seat arena would see countless Colorado Avalanche and Denver Nuggets games, as well as live performances from some of the biggest musical acts of all time.

In 2020, the Pepsi Center would see a name change and is currently known as Ball Arena, but not much more than the name has changed over all of these years.

Because of its massive size, a concert at Ball Arena usually involves a pretty famous band or artist, and there's a chance that your seats are so high up that your favorite musicians look like ants.

However, seeing big acts at Ball Arena, or the old Pepsi Center, is usually a memorable experience, to say the least.

Curious, I posted a question on Facebook asking Western Colorado residents what the first concert they ever saw at Ball Arena was, and this is what they said.

Western Colorado Remembers First Concerts at Ball Arena

As mentioned above, if a band is playing Ball Arena (or, as it once was, The Pepsi Center,) it's typically going to be a big band with a big enough draw to justify it.

Unsurprisingly, some of the major acts that Western Colorado residents saw perform during their first time at the venue include rock legends like Metallica, Iron Maiden, and KISS, as well as frontrunners of other genres like country's George Strait, pop music's The Backstreet Boys and hip hop's Jay-Z.

Keep scrolling to reminisce and check out the first concerts these Western Colorado residents ever saw at Ball Arena: