Phish Bag Millennium Party in Hawaii
Phish-fearing Hawaiians concerned that their
pristine beaches would be awash with dreadlocks and love beads on
the eve of the millennium can rest easy. Over the weekend, Phish
and concert promoter Bill Graham Presents withdrew their
application to stage a millennial rock extravaganza, originally
scheduled to run from Dec. 29 – 31 on Oahu’s sumptuous 4,000-acre
Kualoa Ranch, and have yet to find a replacement site.
Early Saturday morning a missive was posted on the band’s official
Web site, Phish.com, explaining that the band had decided to forgo
their original millennium plans due to the time constraints a
tropical Phish spectacle would pose — namely, time that would
hinder fans’ ability to attend the three-day concert in the middle
of the Pacific. “We’ve decided to withdraw our permit application
because of the distinct possibility that by the time we
realistically put concert tickets on sale, many of the available
plane tickets will be taken,” BGP’s Bob Barsoti
wrote in the statement.
The promoter had hoped to offer tickets late last month, to
coincide with the earliest sale of airline tickets from the
Mainland, but had been unable to secure the proper permits.
Insiders claim, however, that the blessing of the property owners
was secured, and that all systems were “go” until this weekend,
when plans were suddenly halted. Phish’s management would not
comment if the band planned to look for another Hawaiian location
or not, but fans who were once excited about enjoying the Y2K in
the islands now have their eyes set on the continental U.S., where
transport would not pose as big of a problem.