Photo by vitroid
About a week ago, a seemingly spammy twitter post broke the rumor of a possible Phish run on August 9th & 10th at the picturesque Town Park in Telluride, Colorado.
Since then, the story has continued to pick up steam. It started with a cautiously optimistic radio segment on KOTO Community Radio discussing some of the hurdles standing in the way of Phish in Telluride, including among other concerns that the shows would immediately follow the 34th annual Telluride Jazz Celebration.
It's definitely doable.
— Paul Machado, Jazz Fest director
This was quickly followed by a Denver Post article that was equally non-commital.
By the time we would be able to invite them, it might be too late.
— Craig Ferguson, Telluride Bluegrass Festival director
Well here's some good news. As of 12:30 PST today, the Telluride Parks and Recreation Commission gave their okay for the Phish shows in Telluride, leaving just two hurdles in the way of the prospective throwdown in the mountains.
I spoke to the Parks & Rec department to find out a bit more about what stands in the way and here's what I learned.
The first hurdle is a meeting with the Telluride Commission for Community Assistance, Arts and Special Events (CCAASE) who still need to approve the addition of the shows to the Telluride Special Events Calendar. This meeting is on Wed, March 3rd at Noon MST.
From left to right: Craig Ferguson, Planet Bluegrass President; Terry Tice, Telluride Jazz Board President; Jackie Arguelles, Jazz Director of Finances and Special Events; Paul Machado, Jazz Executive Director (Photo by Merrick Chase)
Pictured here are some of the key players in the effort to bring Phish to Telluride this year, as well as some of the other great music festivals in Telluride.
If you see them around, be sure to say thanks!
The second hurdle is yet another meeting, only this time it's with Telluride Mayor Stu Fraser and his six-member Town Council. The council will need to exempt the proposed event from a deadline requirement that passed last Spring. This meeting will take place on Tue, March 9, with the Phish portion at 11:05 MST.
Assuming this meeting is successful it's all downhill from there!
P.S. According to the fine folks at Phish.net, Phish has played 11 shows at 3 different venues in Telluride, the most recent being 10/28/91 at the Elk Ballroom featuring a second set that included Dinner and a Movie, Harpua, and a 149 show Whipping Post bustout. [AUD Part 1 | 2 | 3]
Update: CCAASE Approves (3/3/2010 @ 2:30 pm CST)
Great news… CCAASE, in their infinite wisdom, has unanimously approved the addition of the August Phish shows to the Telluride Special Events Calendar. One more hurdle to go!
Update: Barricades and Tickets in Pairs (3/4/2010 @ 10:30 am CST)
Some interesting tidbits in yesterday's Telluride Daily Planet article. First, CCAASE apparently “discussed the possibility of setting up a barricade at the entrance to town,” though I doubt it'd be anything some crafty w00ks couldn't get around. Second, if it happens, “tickets to these shows will only be sold in pairs, as concertgoers will have to buy Monday and Tuesday tickets together.” I'm sure that won't be a problem for anyone traveling to see the shows, but might hinder locals who just want to check out the band one night.
Update: Town Council Says YES! (3/9/2010 @ 1:18 pm CST)
More good news… moments ago the Mayor and his Town Council amended resolution 11-420 (no joke) and unanimously approved the Phish shows, effectively clearing the way for the town to extend an invitation for the band to play two shows in Telluride on August 9th & 10th.
It’s a windfall for the town of Telluride
— Stu Fraser, Mayor of Telluride
Per the meeting, the tentative showtime is 6 pm with a curfew of 11 pm, and the band would have to pay $100 for every minute they go over. Pretty sure they can afford it. Plus 1,500 tickets would be made available for locals to scalp see the show. Head over to Phish.net for ZZYZX's play-by-play notes on the Town Council meeting.
Now, the big question remains: will the band accept the invitation?
The band is interested in playing Telluride, otherwise they wouldn’t have asked so many kind people to work so hard to get the approvals required. However I have worked harder on things that have not happened. Things change. Things happen. And it’s never done until it’s done.
— Don Strasburg, AEG talent buyer
And perhaps even more importantly, with a rumored 70% of lodging already sold out and 1,500 tickets per night going to local residents, how hard is gonna be to score tickets if they do accept?
Summary of Proposed Details
- Date: August 9th & 10th, 2010
- Venue: Town Park, Telluride Colorado
- Time: Gates open at 4 pm and music until 11 pm ($100 fine per minute past curfew)
- Attendance: 9,000 tickets per night (1,500 sold locally in singles, all others sold in pairs)
- Law Enforcement: $61,000 est. costs ($2.50 tax per ticket, remainder covered by organizers)
- W00k Control: A barricade at the entrance of town (erected Sunday Aug. 8 at 5 pm)
Update: Phish Says YES! & Phish Telluride Ticket Info (3/16/2010 @ 7:18 pm CDT)
Today Phish announced their 2010 Summer Tour which as you probably already know includes two shows on August 9th and 10th at Telluride Town Park.
A limited number of tickets are available directly through Phish Tickets’ online ticketing system. Tickets for this show are only available as part of a 2-day ticket for both 8/9 and 8/10. You cannot purchase days individually. The ticketing request period is currently underway and will end Friday, March 26th at 11:59pm Eastern Time.
If you get shut out of mailorder, regular tickets go on sale Friday, April 2nd at Noon Mountain time. Tickets can be purchased online at www.tickethorse.com or charge by phone at 866.461.6556. Tickets may also be purchased at the Sheridan Opera House and the Telluride Music Company. Tickets for this show are only available as part of a 2-day ticket for entry to both 8/9 and 8/10. You cannot purchase tickets for individual days.
I'm sure this is going to be a magical two nights, so huge thanks to everyone who worked so hard to make it possible.
Update: Telluride Town Park Venue Photos by Merrick Chase (3/19/2010 @ 9:28 pm CDT)
If these Telluride photos © Merrick Chase of TelluridePhotography.Net don't get you excited about this venue, not sure anything will.
Update: Local Phish Telluride Tickets Will Call Only (3/19/2010 @ 10:12 pm CDT)
Details have started to emerge about the effort to ensure that the locals' Phish Tickets for Telluride do indeed go to locals. First, you'll need to demonstrate proof of local residence in San Miguel County when you purchase the tickets at the Sheridan Opera House and the Telluride Music Company. And second, the tickets will be will-call only, so you'll have limited opportunity to sell them online.
As expected, locals will be able to purchase either one- or two-day tickets, with a maximum of two tickets per show. Once again, props to everyone in charge for the well thought out plan. Visit The Watch for complete details.
Update: Phish Telluride Camping Info & Paperless Tickets (4/1/2010 @ 8:00 pm CDT)
Telluride Paperless Ticketing
This is great. In an effort to prevent scalping of Telluride Phish tickets, the band is introducing paperless, non-transferable tickets for all Phish tickets sold via TicketHorse.com — which basically means you need to swipe your credit card upon entry to the venue at which point you'll receive a 2-day wristband.
It also means you won't have a stub for your collection.
Here's some more info about paperless tickets.
Telluride Camping
There are three official campsites for ticket holders — Telluride Town Park, Telluride High School (tobacco free), and Lawson Hill Campground — all of which are “nearby,” assuming you think 4 miles (the farthest) is nearby.
Camping tickets will be sold separately from concert tickets, though you'll need to have a ticket to the concerts in order to camp.
Camping tickets will be sold on a first come, first served basic (as long as camping tickets remain) during the check-out process on Tickethorse for the official onsale on 4/2.
If you won Telluride tickets via the Phish lottery you should expect receive an email with information (and a code) about purchasing a separate camping pass for Telluride beginning at 1 pm MDT (3 pm EDT / Noon PDT), Friday, April 2nd. Again, these will be first come, first served, so hopefully you actually get the email in time.
Here are more details about Phish Telluride camping.
Best of luck to everyone trying for Telluride Phish tickets tomorrow!
CORRECTION TO PREVIOUS POST (APOLOGIES): The Sheridan Opera House just called me and retracted their previous statement about not selling locals tickets for the Telluride Shows. They will in fact be selling locals tickets, details tentative, but still pending. Sorry about the mixup; it screwed me up, too!
Best,
Merrick Chase