Phish “Save the Date” Halloween Festival Update: NOT California? Really?!?

by Justin on Jul 13, 09

in Festivals, News

california

I was up and off to a doctor’s appointment today when my crew started texting me that “California had been removed from the map.” Color me surprised, but it definitely appears that the Phish Halloween Festival will not be in California despite weeks of rumors and research that suggest otherwise. I’m not writing it off yet, especially considering Phish has to be watching the community reaction and reacting accordingly in the way that only they know how. I wouldn’t be surprised if they had their developer write some new flash animations on this long-ass timeline that the band has set to slowly release the news. I love the buildup and excitement, but fans are getting antsy and want to book their travel plans already.

Related Posts with Thumbnails

{ 46 comments }

1 Karl Whitman Jul 15, 09 at 10:37 am

They just updated the map. Pinball knocking out several states.

However, the ball hops up closer on screen and you see a picture of Fishman, and from the looks of it, he is wearing a viking helmet.

Minnesota?

That may seem far fetched since the weather isn’t so warm up there in the fall, but, you never know with Phish.

2 d.c. smith Jul 15, 09 at 12:06 pm

Well, that’s peachy w/ me. Won’t happen, but I’d be tickled pink (hmmm wonder why)

Dan in Minnesota (ROFL)

3 Benji Jul 16, 09 at 3:05 pm

Dano!!

I think the Dome is the place…

4 billy Jul 16, 09 at 4:30 am

Fishman wore the viking helmet during the fall 1998 tour!!! So it has nothing to do with the Vikin’s or their stadium

5 Patrick Jul 16, 09 at 3:38 pm

Possibly Las Vegas then. That’s where they played Halloween 1998.

6 chw Jul 17, 09 at 12:26 am

it was gonna be in cali but it fell through… they were gonna do a guns and roses cover for halloween, but for some reason axl had a problem with it… the new rumor is that they are moving it to florida…

7 chw Jul 17, 09 at 12:31 am

they were/are gonna do a guns and roses cover for halloween… so the rumor is that they can do the cover at big cypress coz it’s a rez and the copyright laws aren’t the same as would apply to the regular U.S. as in cali…

8 Steven Jul 17, 09 at 10:51 am

They don’t have to have Axl’s permission to cover a song.

9 garvey Jul 17, 09 at 1:01 pm

Oh yes they do!!! can explain with one word “PEACHeS’

copyright laws my friend…..

10 JimmyGlitch Jul 19, 09 at 1:02 pm

They need permission to sell a recorded copy of a song–or a portion of a song (ask “The Verve” about that one)–but not to play it. Because of the “Live Phish” series, the band may choose NOT to play a song during a show, due to the fact that they can not sell it later (without an arrangement) but a band can play anything they want during a live show.

11 JimmyGlitch Jul 19, 09 at 1:03 pm

…But I would like to hear about the “Peaches” ordeal.

12 garvey Jul 17, 09 at 1:00 pm

K, 9 more states gone!! its either gonna be at Big cypress (so the can do GnR without worries) or we are goin back to cali…..and a comet is gonna bring cali back in play…..im hopin for FL since im on the Right coast, an coachilla only holds what 30K, but the fun is in not knowin….enjoy the rest…..

13 Paul Kemp Jul 17, 09 at 2:04 pm

@garvey coachella sold 80,000 tickets this year. I think it’s a big enough venue. Also I like the idea of a comet bringing cali back rather than the balloons.

14 jcarter Jul 18, 09 at 5:44 pm

The plot thickens. Washington is back on the map. I bet California will be back up soon, too.

15 sam martin Jul 19, 09 at 4:31 pm

As we watch the map of the States slowly change from a orange map to a black one, phish.com, we are left with with three solid States, excitement, confusion, and apprehension…oh yeah and Arizona, Florida and Nevada. (i still feel California but that’s just my gut, it has been very wrong in the past!), I read a remark at http://www.livemusicblog.com that we don’t even know if this map is a map guiding us, or counting us down to the place where the festival would take place…anyone with much sense would say so, but we know Phish and one certainty with them is expect the unexpected…hasn’t that been the mantra to their songwriting, their venue choices, past shows, even breakups, hiatus’ and reunions? So is it Vegas, I know Trey has been quoted as saying that he wanted at one time, along with the other three to put on a festival in Vegas, where would it be?…..most likely at the Sam Boyd Area, the same place that Vegoose was held for three depreciating years, Trey played at two of them, Mike played…even with Trey at one of them. I checked with UNLV and the only two consecutive weeks the Rebels will be on the road is the weekend before and the weekend of Halloween…Sunday the 31st is a State Holiday in Nevada…it’s Nevada Day. Honored on Nov 1st, growing up in Reno, I always thought Halloween was a day you got off from school. Then I moved to another state and learned it was just a state holiday….but this all being said. People have speculated that there is no room for camping, maybe they don’t want camping…look at the Outside Lands Festival in Golden Gate Park, SF, CA…no camping, still a festival. Also I look at the softball fields, 9 of them I think, all juxtaposed to venue, Perfect camping areas…also, it is kinda outside of town, not miles and miles, but then again Sam Boyd is a 20 Minute car ride to the famous Vegas Strip….
So will it be Vegas for Halloween? Or is this just another story of a ghost?

16 sam martin Jul 19, 09 at 4:50 pm

As we know, in the past Phish has been known to play complete chess matches against the audience lasting entire tours. They love the interaction. They like the game, the sport of it, the EGO that is involved is immense, the fun that it brings to, and anticipation it feeds is genius. Phish is playing chess with their fans via their “SAVE THE DATE” flash. They are marketing geniuses, however they really didn’t need to market a Halloween Festival anymore than say where and when, they have built up so much conversation around these shows, more than any I can ever remember, even Hampton 09 didn’t have the heart felt guesses, arguments, right coast better than left coast, who phish loves most coast???? I love it. The chess match. Hotel rooms sell out in Indio, they promptly remove California, people start to give up hope about California, they show that states can not only go, but come to, in bringing Washington back from the ether….

I love this game. We don’t even know for sure what the map is about. It could be meaningless in the end. The perfect Andy Kaufmanesq prank of all pranks.

I don’t have their number. They surely have mine. But I haven’t heard Check Mate yet…Have you?
http://phishandthedead.blogspot.com/

17 Will E Jul 20, 09 at 12:51 pm

Oh my gosh my head almost exploded when thay filled Washington with sand. That would be Awwsom. I’m crossing my fingers.
My gess is thay don’t know where its going to be eather… and there still trying to figer it out. My gut is still saying Palm Springs. But the Gorge Would Rock! for Holloween.

Will E.
Hansville WA

18 JimmyGlitch Jul 20, 09 at 3:13 pm

Hey, what’s the education system like down there in Hansville?

19 sam martin Jul 20, 09 at 3:24 pm

COME ON BROTHER….WE ALL WISH IT WAS IN OUR BACKYARD…EASY MAKISUPA POLICEMAN.
I WISH IT WOULD BE IN GG PARK BUT WE ALL KNOW THAT’S NOT HAPPENING,
REASONABLY, WE HAVE INDIO, AND VEGAS.
SAMMY

20 dynamo Jul 23, 09 at 10:43 am

lol i was hoping golden gate too but camping would def not work out. maybe quincy or the hog farm? fingers crossed

21 JimmyGlitch Jul 20, 09 at 3:36 pm
22 NolaVoodoo Jul 21, 09 at 10:38 am

Spend HALLOWEEN in NEW ORLEANS for the 2009 Voodoo Music Experience. KISS, Jane’s Addiction, The Flaming Lips, and Widespread Panic are just a few of the bands set to play over the 3-day festival. Check out the full line up here: http://www.thevoodooexperience.com/2009/lineup.php
Tickets are going fast!

23 jason Jul 22, 09 at 8:59 am

To all who may not know….

Even though CA was removed, it never left the map…at least not for a few days.

The balloons* that pulled CA away were holding it just above the upper right hand corner of the map, you couldn’t see it unless you zoomed out and panned up/right. It remained their for several days, but disappeared about the same time that they added the pinball gag.

*note: the balloons all had arrows on them going up and down, the balloon gag would have been equally effective had they all been solid color balloons, so why the arrows? Some speculate that the up and down arrows signify “what goes up must come down”. After seeing the state of CA hovering above the map, and now having seen WA returned to the map from oblivion, I think this speculation may just have some merit to it. I would expect to see these hot air balloons return CA to the map at some point in the next week or two. I’d expect the official announcement to come about the same time the tour commences at Red Rocks. All of my above commentary is based on pure speculation…nothing further.

Comments on this entry are closed.

Previous post:

Next post: