Plague concerns disrupt Phish fans’ plans

Phish (Image credit: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)

Phish fans hoping to camp out ahead of the band’s three shows at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park close to Denver, Colorado, will have to make other plans after health chiefs shut down the area due to plague fears.

The concerts on August 30, 31 and September 1 will go ahead as planned, but the Tri-County Health Department has restricted parking at the outdoor venue to parking lots, with unpaved areas and grass out of bounds due to cases of plague in prairie dog colonies.

There have been no confirmed cases of plague at the concert site, but the measure has been put in place so that “authorities can continue to treat the prairie dogs’ holes with insecticide to kill any remaining fleas that could transmit the disease to prairie dogs, people and pets,” according to the Denver Post.

Phish say in a statement: “We are sorry to say that there will be no overnight camping allowed for this year’s shows. All camping tickets and RV tickets – and associated service charges – will be automatically refunded within the next few days.

“We recognise the tremendous inconvenience this may cause for those who had planned on camping. While Dick’s Sporting Goods Park has significant asphalt parking on-site, off-site parking will need to be utilised to accommodate all concertgoers.

“We will be providing free off-site parking and free shuttles at nearby locations, and we will be notifying ticket holders of parking and shuttle details once they are finalised over the next week.”

The statement adds: “Also, please note that due to these restrictions, vending will not be permitted on site as the area traditionally set aside for vending is no longer useable.

“Thanks very much for your cooperation. Our goal is to make sure these concerts go off as smoothly as possible while preserving the safety of all attendees.”

Last year, Phish were forced to cancel their own Curveball festival at Watkins Glen International Raceway due to severe flooding.

Scott has spent 37 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in 2014 before moving into e-commerce in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, highlights deals, and reviews headphones, speakers, earplugs and more. Over the last 12 years, Scott has written more than 11,500 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog. He's previously written for publications including IGN, Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from news and features, to tech reviews, video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.