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Jam band icon Phish will trade its Labor Day dates at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park — where it has played annually since 2011 — for a debut run at Boulder’s Folsom Field this summer.
The band said Tuesday it will play three shows, on July 3, 4, and 5, at the University of Colorado’s Folsom Field. A ticket-request period is underway at phish.shop.ticketstoday.com, and general on-sales being at 10 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 28. Ticket prices were not immediately available; see updates at axs.com.
Phish last appeared in Boulder in 1993, and its return feels right, promoter AEG Presents said, given that the band played some of its earliest shows in 1988 and 1990 in Colorado.
“Everyone loves the experience at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, yet sometimes a change in scenery is healthy,” said Don Strasburg, president of AEG Presents Rocky Mountains. “I remember being at their Club 156 show, just steps from Folsom, so it’s a full-circle moment for them and their fans.”
Strasburg said everything AEG Presents does is on a year-by-year approach, so there are no firm plans for 2026. The band itself referred to the lack of Phish-Dick’s shows (as they’re known) as a “break.”
But it’s easy to imagine Phish staying in Boulder. Folsom Field hosts CU’s football games but also concerts from Dead & Co. (which played there July 1-3, 2023) and other favorite Colorado acts. Its concert capacity is roughly 42,000 to 43,000.
Dick’s has a capacity of about 24,000 for concerts, giving its four-day Labor Day run a potential 96,000 tickets to sell. Folsom, on the other hand, can host 120,000 over three days.
Phish had turned its Labor Day concerts at Dick’s into one of the most reliable music events on the calendar, pausing only in 2020 for the pandemic. The tradition — known as Phish Dicks, began 14 years ago and draws fans from around the globe. It also created a micro-economy of businesses in the area, like breweries and dispensaries, that cater specifically to fans of the band.
But the Commerce City venue has grappled with a handful of issues in recent years, including concerns about fleas and prairie dogs infected with the pneumonic plague, which in 2019 forced the venue to cancel camping for about 3,000 ticketholders on its grounds. Parking lots that weekend were also closed, diverting show-goers to an overflow lot about three miles away at The Shops at Northfield mall.
Commerce City officials did not return a request for comment.
Boulder offers a more tightly packed residential and commercial area, but also closer hotels, more diverse public transportation options, and a reputation as a crunchier jam-band haven.
“There are few experiences more special than seeing a concert at Folsom Field on a beautiful summer night underneath the stars and the Flatirons,” said Ryan Gottlieb, CU Athletics senior associate assistant director, in a statement provided to The Denver Post. “I’m certain that Phish’s three shows here will be nothing short of transcendent.”
AEG teased the concerts on social media Monday, posting a picture of band members re-enacting a promo scene from the 1970-’80s sitcom “Mork and Mindy,” which was set in Boulder. Phish is also celebrating its recent nomination for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, class of 2025 which is the band’s first nomination for that honor.
from The Denver Post https://ift.tt/UFTMWb3
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