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Editor’s note: Dustin Lynch’s Red Rocks performance has been rescheduled to April 16, 2025 due to inclement weather. He was originally scheduled to play Wednesday, November 6.
When Dustin Lynch performs at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on November 6, it’ll be the first time the multiplatinum country singer has ever set foot in the iconic venue. Not for lack of invitation, of course. Keith Urban’s Light the Fuse Tour, which Lynch opened for, stopped at Red Rocks in August of 2013, and the Tennessee native was preparing to break the news to Urban.
“It may cause a stew, but I’m not setting foot in that place until we headline,” he said.
Luckily, Lynch was spared the awkward conversation by logistics. The venue isn’t big enough to host two opening acts, which Urban had been rolling with. So Little Big Town primed the Colorado crowd without Lynch on that particular evening.
Lynch has been hard at work in the past decade, cranking out 10 number-one hits on country radio including “Good Girl,” “Seein Red,” “Stars Like Confetti,” and, most recently, “Chevrolet” with Jelly Roll, but he’s still never strummed a single chord at the Morrison venue.
“I kind of treated it like hallowed ground like I did the Grand Ole Opry’s circle,” he said. “It just means that much to me.”
The Colorado pit stop wasn’t even initially a part of the singer’s headlining tour, but then Coors Banquet approached him about adding it as a benefit concert for the Wildland Firefighter Foundation. It was an easy “yes.”
We caught up with the Grand Ole Opry member (and part-time Denver resident) to find out how he’s prepping for one of the biggest nights of his life—and what fans can expect.
Editor’s note: The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
5280: What are you most looking forward to about performing at this landmark venue?
Dustin Lynch: Well, I think I’m just going to be as present as I’ve ever been in my life—just soaking it all in. We’re bringing the biggest show we’ve ever put on, which is gonna be a lot of fun. And I’m flying my original band members from high school [in Tullahoma, Tennessee] and their wives out, and they’re doing a few days in Denver. So they’re going to be sightseeing and hiking and coming to the show. I may even get them up for soundcheck to play one of our original songs we had as a high school band because this was the venue that we always dreamed of playing back then.
What made you want to include them in this moment all these years later?
It’s been on my radar. How do I include these guys that got me into performing live for the first time? We all went our separate ways: One’s an art teacher, one’s a lawyer, one’s an architect, one works for insurance. We all went our separate ways for college and started doing other things, and I’m still here trying to keep the dream alive. And November 6, 2024, we finally get to step in there together.
Some artists say it can be difficult to perform at almost 6,500 feet. Are you doing anything special to prepare for the elevation?
I think if we played at elevation earlier in the year, like in the springtime, it probably would affect me. But this time of the year, my lungs and diaphragm, everything is so well-oiled and dialed in. We’ve played 80 shows or something. I stay in pretty good shape, especially because it’s been elk season, so I’ve been up at altitude [hunting]. What will get me winded is just my adrenaline and how excited I am to be on that stage. If I can control that, I’ll be OK.
Have you done any elk hunting in Colorado?
No. I’ve hunted Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, and Utah, but Colorado is still there to be checked off. I’m hoping one of these days Luke Bryan will ask me to go with him—he’s got a spot out there, but I haven’t gotten that invite yet.
Outside of performing, how much time have you spent in Colorado?
I have a second home in the Denver area, so I’m out there a good amount—at least once a month right now. I just love it. I always wanted a place there, and I figured out a way to pull it off. That’s kind of my West Coast hub.
Will you be hitting the Colorado slopes at all this winter?
I will be. I’ll hit Aspen at some point in December and get the skis back out. I took a hiatus from that just because I wanted to make sure I had some years of touring with healthy knees under my belt. Finally I’m like, OK, at some point, I got to start living. So I got the skis back out earlier this year and was able to control my desire to go on steep stuff.
This concert will benefit the Wildland Firefighter Foundation, a nonprofit that supports the families of firefighters who are injured or killed on the job. What made you want to champion this cause?
There were a handful of years growing up that this was what I wanted to be—a hot spot jumper. Early on in life, it was like the coolest job ever. Maybe I’m a little pyro nut, but that’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to jump out of planes and go fight fires. I would pretend to do that in the fall time when we were burning leaves in the yard. So it’s kind of wild that this opportunity came about. I just think it’s so cool that we get to raise some money for the guys and girls that are out there protecting the great outdoors for us and our property and our family’s lives. This is going to do a lot of good, and I really hope Colorado shows up for that reason.
Dustin Lynch performs at Red Rocks Amphitheatre at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, November 6. Tickets are still available online and start at $65. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Wildland Firefighter Foundation.
