South Park's 25th Anniversary Show At Red Rocks Was The Most Money The Historic Venue Ever Spent
Since its grand opening in 1941, Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre in Colorado has welcomed some of the biggest acts of our time, from The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix to Stevie Wonder and Diana Ross. However, for two nights in August 2022, the iconic venue hosted a bit of a different crowd. Thousands showed up sporting unique attire, including a Professor Chaos costume, fake Randy Marsh-esque mustaches, colorful beanies, Mr. Hat hand puppets, and more. All were there for the same purpose — to commemorate the 25th anniversary of "South Park."
On hand at the show were "South Park" co-creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, who, along with guests such as rock bands Primus and Ween, performed an array of tunes from the Comedy Central cartoon. These included "It's Easy, M'Kay?" "Kyle's Mom," and even the show's iconic theme song, as well as a few tracks from their 2004 film, "Team America: World Police." Much to everyone's surprise, Rush even stopped by on the second night for a special appearance.
In addition to the slew of music legends gracing the stage, audiences enjoyed some eye-grabbing visuals, such as massive, talking projections of Cartman, Butters, and the rest of the gang on the mountainous wall of the venue. It's clear that much time and effort went into the concert's creation and it's been revealed that the shows required a record-breaking amount of money.
Red Rocks pulled out all the stops for South Park's Colorado-raised creators
Red Rocks may have once welcomed the leaders of the British Invasion, but the "South Park" 25th-anniversary concert managed to financially surpass every other show in the venue's history. According to Variety, this was the most expensive event ever produced at Red Rocks, as confirmed by a spokesperson of AEG Live, which presented the concert. However, given the fact that Stone and Parker are Colorado natives, it made sense for their hometown venue to pull out all the stops. Also making an appearance at the show was Colorado Governor Jared Polis who called the duo "true sons of Colorado" and declared August 10th, 2022 as "South Park Day."
Prior to the show, NJ.com reported in July that resale tickets were going for over $100 each and it's likely that this price increased as the anniversary shows drew closer. For "South Park" fans who were unable to attend in person, the concert later aired on Comedy Central and is now available for viewing on Paramount+.
No matter how one took in the experience, there seems to be a consensus that this pricey production was worth it. On IMDb, "South Park: The 25th Anniversary Special" boasts a 7.8-star rating with users such as @wasabiteabag writing, "Legends of comedy, this concert is not only a tribute to the masterminds that created it, but a thank you to the fans that stuck with them." Another, @fallenwthyou217, wrote that they got goosebumps watching it. "This was honestly amazing," they wrote. If you're a true 'South Park' fan you'll love this. I didn't want it to stop. I was singing along in my cubicle at work."