I must admit these three things: I am not a true fan of camping, festivals or Phish. All of which happened to be the vital components to It, the behemoth of a festival that took place Aug. 1-3 at the former Loring Air Force Base in Limestone. Read More
LIMESTONE – The exodus of more than 60,000 Phish fans started around 11 p.m. Sunday from the Loring Commerce Centre, the LCC, and continued through the night into Monday as people from all over North America made their way home from the two-day It festival. Read More
For two solid days, It breathed life. Undeterred by standing water in parts of the campgrounds and ankle-deep mud in front of the stage, the estimated 70,000 residents of the organic, overnight community ate falafel, went topless and grooved with relatively few problems. Including fans, staff and vendors,… Read More
LIMESTONE – Phish fans have learned to expect the unexpected. At 2 a.m. Sunday, roughly 11/2 hours after the band’s last performance of the night and many of the tent city residents had climbed back into their nylon caves, a purple glow filled the base’s… Read More
LIMESTONE – A building that breathes. Another outfitted with TVs in the windows. A catwalk that winds its way through a cluster of pine trees. A sign that makes suds. Roaming performance artists with helmets shaped like wing nuts and acorns. And one authentic Bob’s Big Boy statue. Read More
LIMESTONE – While It buzzed with rumors that Sunday’s planned road race would be a naked event, only a few brave souls bared all to try to win the “100th Running of the First Annual Runaway Jim Memorial 5K.” The brainchild of the band, the… Read More
LIMESTONE – Saturday and Sunday were described as the calm before the storm or the eye of the hurricane between the traffic snarls of Phish fans on Friday and the expected surge as thousands of cars start leaving the “It” festival Sunday night. Waves of… Read More
LIMESTONE – There were the expected fast food and candy bar wrappers, coffee cups and soda containers, and cardboard that once held 24-packs of beer and soda. But banana peels, pieces of plastic, baby diapers, towels and at least one pair of men’s underwear were more telling of… Read More
Unofficially, the music began late Friday night in Limestone with a few swirls of guitar noise that led to a full-scale jam. It was just a sound check, but it lasted nearly two hours and drew hundreds of people to the outskirts of the gated concert field, creating… Read More
The NEWS asked festival-goers what it means to a true fan. Here are some of their thoughts: “It’s a love of the music and not just the scene.” googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner =… Read More
Getting stuck in traffic is one of life’s unpleasant experiences for most people. Not necessarily for Phish fans, though, who have learned through experience how to turn a traffic jam en route to a concert venue into a happenin’ jam. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
HAMPDEN – State police advisories Friday warned of traffic backups as thousands of cars and vans made their way north for the weekend-long Phish festival expected to draw 60,000 people to Limestone. Two accidents Friday morning in the Bangor area further delayed traffic and closed… Read More
LIMESTONE – Waves of Phish fans – or “Phish phans,” as they’re now known up north – hit Aroostook County on Friday, backing up traffic bumper to bumper for about 20 miles on some roads leading to the festival venue at the Loring Commerce Centre. Read More
LIMESTONE – Just after 8 a.m. Friday morning, the few, the proud and the weary were finally allowed in. That’s how It began. After bag searches for fireworks, weapons and drugs, a dozen fans trickled through the gates on foot across the tarmac at the… Read More
Winterport Rest Stop, Interstate 95-North Chris Bartholomew of Boone, N.C., and Ryan Hughitt of Richmond, Va., had been traveling since 8 p.m. Thursday night when they stopped Friday morning at the Winterport rest stop. They had taken turns driving to Maine. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
Scores of Phish fans in the early wave for the weekend’s “It” festival relaxed Thursday afternoon on a grassy area of the East Gate Trailer Park, half a mile from the gates at Loring Commerce Centre in Limestone, site of the weekend festival featuring the famous jam band. Read More
Wonder about the numbers behind the production? It goes beyond some colored lights and extra guitar strings. In typical Phish fashion – or as “typical” as Phish ever gets – this year’s event has an eclectic tally: ? 60,000-plus tickets sold in all 50 states and… Read More
Maine Turnpike officials have issued a warning to motorists to expect unusually heavy traffic between today and Sunday because of the Phish concert in Limestone and the Lobster Festival in Rockland. The first weekend of August normally is one of the busiest of the year on Interstate 95,… Read More
LIMESTONE – Marked by a tragic start, the Phish wave started rolling in Wednesday as fans of the jam band began to appear in Aroostook County. Police and local business owners expect schools of Phish fans, up to 60,000 of them, to start arriving today… Read More
LIMESTONE – A Phish concert organizer died early Tuesday when his car slammed into an embankment as he was returning to his motel. James Willox, 43, of Dedham, Mass., was returning to the Crown Park Inn in Caribou after working late setting up for the… Read More