Over the past eight years, Jam-band royalty Phish has hosted an annual Labor Day bash. The band descend on Dick’s Sporting Goods Park to perform for three consecutive nights. Unfortunately, the future of this year’s instalment of the festival is in jeopardy.
Prairie dogs infected with bubonic plague-carrying fleas have invaded the Commerce City area. Local officials have attempted to keep the problem at bay by closing areas of Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge and spraying insecticide. Though they warn that the infestation might impact the experience of punters attending the big Phish bush bash.
The show is still set to go ahead, as Dick’s Sporting Goods Park is an asphalt-only venue. However, it’s the hoards of fans that camp at the festival that will cop the brunt of this infection. Unfortunately, Phish fans with a penchant for pitching a tent will not be able to do so this year. This is, undeniably, a sound call — the last thing this earth needs are swathes of Phish fans infected with the plague roaming the streets.
“The area where a lot of the Phish participants will normally be camping they won’t be allowed to be camping,” the city’s Mayor Sean Ford confirmed.
“Shakedown Alley,” the traditional Phish tailgating spot, will also be closed during the festival.
Phish has released a statement addressing the situation. “We are sorry to say that there will be no overnight camping allowed for this year’s shows,” the band wrote on their website. “All camping tickets and RV tickets (and associated service charges) will be automatically refunded within the next few days. We recognize the tremendous inconvenience this may cause for those who had planned on camping.”
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