Isleta Amphitheater is a large outdoor concert venue in Albuquerque, New Mexico, built as part of the Mesa del Sol planned community on the city’s south side. It opened in February 2000 and has spent more than two decades as the region’s go-to stop for major touring acts, drawing everyone from classic rock legends to modern pop and hip-hop headliners to the high desert.
The venue is best known by the name Isleta Amphitheater, adopted in 2013 when the Pueblo of Isleta purchased naming rights, though it has carried several different names over its history as sponsors have changed. Operated by Live Nation, it remains one of the largest dedicated outdoor amphitheaters in New Mexico, combining reserved seating close to the stage with a sprawling lawn that fills with blankets and chairs on show nights.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Type: Outdoor amphitheater
- Opened: February 2000
- Capacity: About 15,000 (expanded from 12,000 in 2009)
- Operator: Live Nation Entertainment
- Famous for: Hosting Metallica, Elton John, Santana, and Taylor Swift
The Concert Experience
Isleta Amphitheater pairs a covered, reserved-seating pavilion near the stage with an open lawn that makes up the bulk of its capacity, a layout typical of large regional amphitheaters built in the late 1990s and 2000s. Since opening, it has hosted an enormous range of touring artists, from Steely Dan, Bob Dylan, and Megadeth in its debut year to later shows by Red Hot Chili Peppers, Post Malone, Creed, and Styx, giving it a reputation as Albuquerque’s default venue for arena-scale tours that skip indoor stops in the city.
Set within the Mesa del Sol development southeast of downtown Albuquerque, the venue benefits from open desert surroundings and mountain views that many attendees consider part of the draw, alongside the practical appeal of on-site parking for a facility of its size.
A Venue With Several Names
The amphitheater has changed names five times since it opened as the Mesa del Sol Amphitheater in 2000. It became the ABQ Journal Pavilion in late 2000 under the Albuquerque Journal, then The Pavilion in 2010 after Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Albuquerque bought the rights, before taking the Isleta Amphitheater name in 2013 under sponsorship from the Pueblo of Isleta. As of 2026, the venue operates under yet another sponsor name, First Financial Credit Union Amphitheater, though Isleta Amphitheater remains the name most associated with the venue’s biggest years of shows and the one longtime Albuquerque concertgoers still use.
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Isleta Amphitheater FAQs
Where is Isleta Amphitheater located?
It’s in Albuquerque, New Mexico, within the Mesa del Sol planned community on the city’s south side.
What is the capacity of Isleta Amphitheater?
About 15,000, following a lawn expansion in 2009 that increased capacity from the original 12,000.
Is Isleta Amphitheater still called that?
The venue carried the Isleta Amphitheater name from 2013 to 2025. As of 2026 it operates under a new sponsor name, First Financial Credit Union Amphitheater, but it’s the same physical venue at the same Mesa del Sol location.
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Photo by Nainoa Shizuru on Unsplash.