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Red Rocks catches PhishJam band to play 4 nightsPeter Marcus, DDN Staff WriterWednesday, March 18, 2009 | |
Vermont-based jam band Phish will swim their way to Red Rocks this July for a four-night run.
The iconic jam band will perform July 30 through Aug. 2, band officials announced yesterday morning.
The trip to Red Rocks marks Phish’s first return to the legendary outdoor amphitheater since 1996 when the band was banned from the venue.
Concerns were raised at the time over the large throngs of fans that Phish drew to the relatively small amphitheater in the small town of Morrison. The band was unofficially banned for 10 years.
Red Rocks only holds 9,450 people.
But AEG Live executives, Phish’s management and Morrison and Denver officials were able to reach an agreement for the band to play four nights this coming summer.
Morrison Mayor Allen Williams told the Denver Daily News he is looking forward to the band and its fans coming back through his town. He said he’d even love to take the boys of Phish out for a beer and “welcome them to town officially.”
Williams remembers walking around Morrison with his three sons during one of Phish’s last performances in the town.
“Man, we walked through town and visited with some of the coolest people,” recalled the mayor. “One guy taught my son how to hacky sac, and he thought that was great. We had a good time of it.”
Park to be open to all
Phish’s last concerts at Red Rocks erupted in minor violence as irritated fans without tickets were turned away from Red Rocks Park, which is maintained by Denver. But Williams said that Denver Theatres & Arenas officials have promised to allow ticketless fans into the park to keep overflow traffic into Morrison to a minimum.
Red Rocks is known to have been the site of some of Phish’s more famous and legendary concerts.
The last time the band played Red Rocks was Aug. 7, 1996, which concluded a four-night run. The four nights of music included classics from the band’s “Gamehendge” saga, including “Colonel Forbin’s Ascent,” “Fly Famous Mockingbird,” “The Sloth,” “AC/DC Bag,” and “The Lizards,” to name a few.
The shows also included favorites such as, “Makisupa Policeman,” “Run Like an Antelope,” “Big Black Fury Creatures from Mars,” “Purple Rain,” “Guelah Papyrus,” “Wolfman’s Brother,” “Halley’s Comet,” “Fee,” “The Mango Song,” “Reba,” and “Rocky Top.”
Phish is coming off of three nights at the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, Va. — the first shows the band played since its bittersweet breakup after their two-day farewell music festival in August 2004 in Coventry, Vt.
The band delved deep into their catalogue in Hampton, exceeding the expectations of most fans. In all, the band played 85 songs at the “Mothership” in Virginia. The coliseum is called the “Mothership” for its oval design with surrounding extra-terrestrial-like lights.
Tickets on sale March 26
Tickets for the Red Rocks shows go on sale to the public through Ticketmaster on March 26 at noon here in Colorado. Tickets can be purchased over the phone, via the Internet or at Ticketmaster outlets here in Colorado.
Phish is also taking ticket requests through its online lottery system. The request period is currently underway and will last through Sunday. Visit http://phish.portals.musictoday.com, for more information.
The band also announced yesterday summer concert dates at Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, Calif., The Gorge Amphitheater in George, Wash., Toyota Park in Chicago, Darien Lake Performing Arts Center in Darien Center, N.Y., Meadows Music Theater in Hartford, Conn., Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Md., and Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
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