How Red Rocks Concerts Boost the Brain
Activity boosts your brain power and music activates almost the entire brain.
Feeling the wind dance through Red Rocks Amphitheater while listening to Alison Krauss scale the siren chorus of Fortune Teller was an experience that went deep into the soul. That may sound like wacky woo woo fluff, but research consistently finds cognitive benefits from interacting with nature and the arts, including music. The compound effect of both together has drawn crowds for over 90 years to see legendary musicians of all genres.
Why is music so good for the brain?
Andrew E. Budson, MD, in a Harvard Health blog explains.
Music activates diverse networks in almost all of the brain.
Auditory (hearing) cortex
The emotional areas of the brain
Memory centers
Motor system (foot tapping groove moves!)
Summer is full of music and festivals, no matter where you live, but Colorado has an insane summer music scene. It is easy to find free concerts every evening of the week.
I dedicated myself to engaging with that brain booster last week. Tuesday night was bluegrass picking at Oskar Blues Brewery, Wednesday was the Lionel Young Band with Erica Brown at the Sandstone Summer Concert Series and Friday it was Red Wanting Blue in downtown Erie, Colorado. My auditory cortex was activated every time and emotions of interest, novelty, awe, and surprise were certainly part of the show. (To learn more about how those emotions improve your wellness subscribe to my Brain Health Initiative email list)
Attending a downtown concert and arts events are linked with better mental health and happiness. Nearly 8 in 10 adults have gone to a musical or dance performance, but the polling shows they were more apt to have done so in their younger years. For respondents who currently go to musical performances, 69 percent rated their brain health as excellent or very good, compared to a lower 58 percent for those who went in the past and 52 percent who never attended.
The 2020 Music and Brain Health Survey suggests that music nourishes and delights. When you experience strong emotions, your memory centers are also fired up, not to mention the motor cortex of the mind.
At Red Rocks, the climb from the stage to the merchandise deck is 193 steps, ascending 100 feet in elevation. This is a popular spot during the week for fitness buffs that like a good natural challenge at 6,450 feet above sea level. Warnings abound for newcomers about the necessity to be in good shape to access it. I witnessed an older gentleman pale and shaking near the top as a medic tended to him. My own heart was pounding by the time I reached the top and it was another piece of what makes this venue so incredible. The walk up to the amphitheater alone gets your blood pumping and your mind functioning at an elevated level.
The surreal kinship of the 9,524 people around me all dancing and whooping to the performance that melded into a rallying cry signified brain synchrony. Add the neuroscience benefits of play to the mix and you have a perfect brain cocktail served up at this incredible venue.
At 6,450 feet above sea level, I was surrounded by 738 acres of deer, dinosaur footprints, pine trees, spectacular rock formations and a skyline view of Denver’s downtown that twinkled like the stars above my head.
I am not alone in feeling the magic generated by the Red Rocks Amphitheater, “From Sting and The Beatles, to opera stars and U2, every artist aspires to play on this magical, spiritual and emotional stage.”
Brain health need not be a chore. Music is one of many entertaining ways to enhance your mind. Enjoying it with like-minded fans is simply one of the best ways to enjoy being human.
Add a trip to Red Rocks Amphitheater to your Brain Bucket list and relish the incredible cognitive cocktail it provides.
