Word on the street is the jam band Phish is performing at Firefly Music Festival‘s stomping grounds (The Woodlands of Dover) next summer.
The source?
Phish made the announcement just before noon Tuesday on Facebook that they’re bringing a new, four-day festival to The Woodlands of Dover on Aug. 15 to 18, 2024.
“More info about tickets, camping, Glen Close and travel packages coming later this fall. Make sure you’re signed up for the Phish Update to hear about it first (via email + our shiny new SMS list). Sign up at phish.com/update,” Phish announced on Facebook.
“Glen Close” is a campground in The Woodlands.
This Phish festival isn’t connected to Firefly.
Phish has ties to Firefly organizers
The legendary band has a pre-existing business relationship with Firefly producers AEG. The Firefly organizers have promoted Phish’s annual events at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado.
Has Phish played Delaware?
It was Feb. 1993 when Phish first performed in Delaware, dedicating the song “Lawn Boy” to First State fans who paid $18 each to get in.
Jerry Garcia was still alive, the Grateful Dead were on the road and Phish hadn’t been unofficially anointed as the scene’s new center point.
The Vermont-bred band led by singer/guitarist Trey Anastasio was building an organic fan base on the road, touring heavily. Phish returned to the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark just 14 months later for another show on April 18, 1994.
Anastasio also returned to Delaware for a solo acoustic show at The Grand in Wilmington on Feb. 13, 2018.
What events are at The Woodlands?
The Woodlands are owned by Dover Motor Speedway, which hosts annual NASCAR festivities at the site. The Speedway also leases the events at the site like Firefly, a festival that took this year off because organizers decided to recalibrate for a return in 2024.
Phish-to-Delaware rumors started weeks ago
Starting on Aug. 14, posts were circulating on Reddit and on the forum section for Phish.net about Phish possibly playing in/throwing their own music festival in The Woodlands in 2024.
A clever Phish fan even fabricated a link to what was touted as a Delaware Online article about the rumor, which was shared on Phish.net on Aug. 14. The fake link actually led to a YouTube video by the Disco Biscuits.
Some fans on both sites thought it smelled Phishy that the jam band would be a part of a new Dover festival in The Woodlands. But they also were holding out hope that it was true.
“Not to be another rumor spreading guy … but my wife and I sat next to a guy at MSG (Madison Square Garden) who told us this exact same thing,” a fan wrote on Phish.net in August.
The Phish fan continued to say, “There’s a high chance it’s total BS,” while pointing out that the buzz from this discussion might encourage Phish to play Delaware in the future.
“This is so out of left field that it makes me think that it might be true,” another fan wrote on Phish.net forum.
Phish fans roast Biden, Delaware
The initial Phish conversation sparked several Delaware jokes across both social forums last month, including a few involving President Joe Biden.
“Biden’s pulling major strings to make this happen. A special counsel will be assigned to investigate,” a Biden conspiracy theorist wrote. “Hunter will be setting up on shake down,” another person replied.
“Delaware still exists?” a commenter added.
“Surprised to find that [Phish rumor] from here in central CT, Dover is the same drive time as Watkins Glen,” a jokester said.
Phish splash on tour
Phish is currently on tour this fall. Their next gig is Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Friday, Oct. 6. They’ll play eight shows and end at the United Center in Chicago on Sunday, Oct. 15.
Meanwhile, Trey Anastasio is also on a fall tour and his next show is at Harvest Music Festival in New Brunswick, Canada, on Wednesday, Sept. 13.
Phish will pick back up for its Riviera Maya 2024 tour. The tour starts on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024 and will feature the band playing four straight nights at Moon Palace Cancun in Mexico.
For information about tickets to Phish’s upcoming Dover event, visit Phish.com.
News Journal reporter Ryan Cormier rcormier@delawareonline.com contributed to this report.
If you have an interesting story idea, email lifestyle reporter Andre Lamar at alamar@gannett.com. Consider signing up for his weekly newsletter, DO Delaware, at delawareonline.com/newsletters.
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