How the Bubonic Plague is Affecting Phish’s Labor Day Concerts
To add to the weirdness that’s been 2019, it only seems logical that the bubonic plague has made music headlines this week.
Phish issued a statement to their fans attending their annual Labor Day weekend shows in Colorado that overnight camping will not be allowed this year due to bubonic plague affecting local prairie dogs.
This plague is so bad that it has forced the closure of parts of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge and other parts of Denver suburb Commerce City through Labor Day. Fortunately, no human cases of bubonic plague have been reported according to Executive Director of Tri-County Health Department John M. Douglas, Jr.
The statement in full reads as follows:
“As you may have heard, there have been ongoing cases of plague in prairie dog colonies in the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge this summer. Fortunately, the Tri-County Health Department has advised that Dick’s Sporting Goods Park (DSGP) is safe to host Phish’s concerts over Labor Day weekend. While there have been no confirmed cases of plague on site at DSGP, as an extra measure of caution, the Health Department has restricted parking at the venue to asphalt lots — concertgoers will not be allowed to park on unpaved lots or grass.
As a result, 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 recognize the tremendous inconvenience this may cause for those who had planned on camping.
While DSGP has significant asphalt parking on site, off-site parking will need to be utilized 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 finalized over the next week.
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.”
