Music festival's mantra: Build it, and they'll come

By Mark Brown, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Originally published 09:26 a.m., July 18, 2008
Updated 09:26 a.m., July 19, 2008

Photo by Ken Papaleo

Brandon Nilles of Bamboo DNA puts the finishing touches on a bamboo sculpture at Dick's Sporting Goods Park for the Mile High Music Festival.

Photo by Ken Papaleo

Crews work on the main stage at Dick's Sporting Goods Park for the Mile High Music Festival.

The phrase "it was a city unto itself" seems like a cliche until you actually see thousands of people building that city on an open piece of land.

With up to 50,000 people expected each day at the first Mile High Music Festival, thousands of workers swarmed over the grounds of Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City for the past week, setting up kitchens, booths, custom art installations, thousands of miles of cable and untold wattages of power to blast music from five different stages.

"A lot of the basic principles I learned at the Fox Theatre carry over," said Rob Thomas, general manager of the festival who years ago used to work at the small Boulder club. "At the end of the day, it's a stage with a band and guests coming out to have a good time."

This, however, is a music event on a scale that Colorado has never seen. The second stage at the festival is bigger than most concert stages. The main stage where Dave Matthews, Tom Petty and even local favorite Meese will appear is simply huge.

Friday, a sea of golf carts shuttled workers doing everything from sound checks to delivering ice for the tens of thousands of bottles of liquid that fans will crave by tonight.

The 24 soccer fields surrounding the main park are dotted with everything from free drinking water kiosks to 20,000 temporary parking spots specially created to add to Dick's parking.

The catering crew, which this week has been feeding just workers, now has to gear up to feed the bands and crews as they descend upon the site. Cots have been set up at the far end of a makeshift kitchen to give workers a break between meals.

About 500 portable toilets dot the site, but the concourse of the actual stadium will be open as well, with food, concessions and permanent bathrooms available for fans. Shade tents, misting areas and other amenities are designed to help fans beat what's supposed to be near 100-degree heat.

"Almost anything can be done. It's like a mini city. The resources and the will are here to do anything it takes," said art organizer Philip Blaine of Goldenvoice/AEG Live. He was overseeing art exhibits built exclusively for the festival to give it an identity beyond just the 50 bands playing. "These things create different personalities and identities for each individual festival," he said.

Thomas had just hours to go before kickoff; gates open at 10:30 a.m. today.

"We've been wanting to do this for a really long time. The stars have finally aligned, and we're here," he said. Then he looked around. "It's gonna be a long night tonight."

• July 18, 2008

  8:26 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  WarrenJimmyBuffett writes:

  There will be a lot of hot, drunk people. I hope Tom Petty sings Running Down A Dream.

• July 18, 2008

  8:51 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  EZBakeOven writes:

  This would be fun if I were in my 20s, but now that I'm, ahem, older, it would just make me miserable. Have fun kids!

• July 18, 2008

  9:17 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  rj1967 writes:

  Ditto EZ

• July 19, 2008

  6:43 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  leroypaula writes:

  Where is the park?

• July 19, 2008

  8:04 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  vudumom writes:

  The criminals in Commerce City have been licking their chops in anticipation. Drunk white people, that's the ticket!

• July 19, 2008

  9:53 a.m.

  potpie writes:

  (This comment was removed by the site staff.)

• July 19, 2008

  11:08 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  ifyem writes:

  What a rip off!! I'll bet the cops, not the criminals, are licking their chops in anticipation of all the DUI's they're gonna write after the show tonight..Why not have it at Civic Center Park next year, or fire the idiot zoo director who kept this from happening at City Park...

• July 19, 2008

  11:33 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  anya writes:

  I dislike the recent habit of naming parks and other public places after commercial products or companies. I know about the money that the cities get for naming rights, but still, we are constantly bombarded with advertising these days, and it would be nice if our parks and sports arenas were just named after someone that did something good for our city or our state.

  California is naming a sewage treatment plant after george bush.

• July 19, 2008

  11:35 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  BSquared writes:

  If you cant handle the heat stay out of the kitchen..
  Or watch it online :)
  http://attblueroom.com/music/Mile-Hig...

• July 19, 2008

  3:55 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  EZBakeOven writes:

  BSquared - thanks for the tip. I feel like I'm there without the sunburn and drunks puking on me :-)

• July 21, 2008

  6:46 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  potpie writes:

  to the rocky mountain news staff- who ever took my post off...
  you cost someone 2 tickets to the event.
  i saw where my post was removecd by staff members...
  give me a break. i know from a recent post you cant't s--k up, even though i'm not referring to anything sexual- you need to get over yorself, and realize you made a mistake and cost 2 people a chance to see, in person, a great day of live music. my friend and i watched on the computer (cause we couldn't make the trip from nc)and loved it- however my taste of the event is somewhat soured by someone on your staff who removed my post. thanks, smooch my, well nevermind... i won't post on your 1984 site again.
  love the friendly people in colorado, not so much the word police.
  potpie