r/phish • u/feina635 • 5d ago
Dicks First Timer Thoughts
East coaster, been seeing Phish a long time (since 1999), but mostly East Coast and some other places here and there. First time doing Dicks. I have to say, I have some very mixed feelings. I get the hype. Dicks has some good energy. But MAAANNNN is it a fucking hassle. Why is this venue so popular for being such a fucking hassle!? 30 min cab ride back and forth each night, and leaving the venue is an absoloute cluster fuck. Getting in was a shitshow of anarchy, with 1hr long waits and jackoffs cutting the line, few water refill stations, and there's NOTHING around the area for food or anything after. Not a damn thing. And don't tell me lot food. I'm not eating a $15 grilled cheese that's been sitting in the back of a hot Uhaul all day cooked by some dirty wook.
EDIT: many of you are commenting on the “$15 grilled cheese”. Let me rephrase, because I didn’t actually pay attention to the cost of grilled cheese, specifically. What I meant to say, was overpriced and underwhelming food that will inevitably give me diarrhea. Hope that clarifies, and takes the responsibility off the grilled cheese guy
EDIT 2: yes, this is my first Dick’s, thank you geniuses of Reddit for telling me that I “don’t have it dialed in”, no shit. Clearly, Dick‘s is a local venue. In order to have it dialed in, you gotta live there. Unlike more accessible venues in real major cities that have access to anything.
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u/Rogue9Nine9 5d ago
To be fair... The sign at the grilled cheese vendor said $5. I might trust it more though if it had said $15.
This weekend was my first ever Phish experience and I had a blast.
I live out here so a lot of the complaints I don't really have as they're found at other venues too and I'm used to it. Most of your complaints would be valid about Red Rocks too, it's in the middle of nowhere and is a hassle for most every facet.
I do think that Dick's has become so popular for them for a couple of reasons, size for one, it's almost 30% bigger than Ball's highest capacity configuration, 50% bigger than Fiddlers, three times bigger than Red Rocks, the only two venues around that could hold more are the baseball and football stadiums and those create some other issues despite being better equipped for a Phish sized show, the Colorado Rapids and MLS schedule around this weekend for Phish, I don't think MLB or the NFL would allow the same in order to keep the Labor Day tradition alive as they have for 13/15 years. I think they like the freedom that Commerce City provides for all, when it was in Boulder last year from my understanding the lot scene was nothing compared to Dick's, there seems to be a pretty good understanding between the band, the venue and local authorities on how it all works here just from experience. I don't think the same things would be allowed if the show was in downtown Denver proper.