So I’ve come to the conclusion that since Phish played Telluride last fall, and it was the hottest ticket around, that scalpers around the world now know what goes on in the mountains. :mad
And it seems as if they all are wanting/getting a piece of it. 
Bring back the index card mail in?
FYI- All is forgiven if Trey makes an appearance 
You may be on to something there!!
I’m not sure you can lay all the blame on Phish.
I think Facebook should get some of the “credit.”
And us as well. We’ve done far too fine of a job popularizing this event and spreading the word and now we’ve shot ourselves in the foot. :argh
At least there’s a cap on attendance. The festival field and the campgrounds are still highly awesome even when they are all full up.
Whaddaya mean? I’ve told everyone the last 12 years that it cold and snowy in them hills.
And it has been (once or twice) 
My standard answer now is, “Honey, I don’t think you’re tough enough for camping at altitude quite yet.”
Roach… " Debbie gibson"?? Really?? C’mon, if I really thought that was true… :lol :lol :lol
I’m surprised that more people aren’t blaming Mumford’s popularity. Still love their music, but no where near as much as I am stoked to see the House Band again, Emmylou, Abby Washburn, TBT, Thile/Daves, Tim O’Brien, Old Crow, Sam Bush, RRE, etc. Now I’m scared that after booking a plane flight and going in with buddies on a condo, that I’m not going to be able to get into the festival while honoring my convictions to support the festival and not pay a scalper.
I think it is likely a combination of Phish introducing a bunch of people to the amazing venue that is Telluride Town Park, Mumford’s spike in popularity, and the addition of perhaps the most legendary man to ever play this festival, Robert Plant (The only guy I can think of to rival him would be Johnny Cash, but I suppose it all depends on who you ask), to the line up.
Tickets to a Robert Plant concert are more expensive than a 1-day pass. Some seats are more expensive than a 4-day pass. So for the price of a 4-day pass, you can see Robert Plant, or you can come to 4 day festival filled with great music and STILL see Robert Plant. I think that has something to do with it.
I’m attending TBF the first time because I got sick of the popularization of fests like All Good which grew way too popular too fast. In just a few short years, We went from camping on a mountaintop with as much space as you needed to an assigned 12 ft x 20 ft space with spray painted lines and 3 hrs of queue traffic just for VIP. And did I mention VIP ticket cost almost $500!
It was time to get out of the East and see what the kind folks are serving up in my favorite state to visit.
^You will not be disappointed.
Wait a min…SaraLee, you booked Plane, condo, etc. BEFORE securing a pass!!! :eek Good luck,vibes and hopes your way! This happened to me for Phish in Hampton in 2009…NEVER AGAIN!
So true, in Trey we trust. Roach, thx for the hook-up to SOH!
Yeah fundirector23 - and to adding to that, I scheduled Step 1 of my med school boards (the one that determines what kind of residency I can get into) for the day before I fly out … which was a week-ish earlier than I would have been most comfortable taking it. This festival is going to be my reward for two years of studying more than any human being should, and now I’m worried I’m going to get skunked. I got a taste of the forbidden fruit last year and re-evaluated my stance that nothing could ever top the Merlefest experience. I’ve been practically hourly checking craigslist and the forum for 2 months now with no luck, and I guess I’ll just keep it going through boards studying and see what happens.
People said the same thing back in '87 when Grateful Dead played. Now, THAT was a cluster and a helluva good time… but the accumulated effects of decades of great shows in Telluride combined with awesome beauty has transformed the valley. You can’t blame Phish. They simply accepted an invitation. As did the rest of us. When I saw my first TBF in the early '80’s I wanted to move there. These days I couldn’t afford a shack.
This is my first time back since the '90’s, and I live in Colorado! What drew me was the younger bands like RRE, Cornmeal, Trampled, Yonder… but I also haven’t seen Sam or Bela in a number of years. I only know Mumford from some videos, and they didn’t excite me much. As for Plant, well… let’s just say come Sunday I’ll either be rolling out early or I’ll still be psyched for more no matter who’s playing.
Personally, I think the fest would do well to avoid too many big names. I’m sure some locals agree that the town would do well to avoid too many shows like Phish or Grateful Dead.
Some locals would agree that they would like to not have ANY festivals there :mad, but too bad. :evil Those are the ones who leave during bluegrass week, film fest, and many others.
I was at the Dead shows in 87, and I was at Phish last year. I feel honored to be a part of that history: for my own personal history, for the bands’ histories, and for Telluride’s history. I don’t think any of it has screwed up the festival. The popularity has increased just like the population of the world, so it is what it is. The airport opened up Telluride to the world, and that did more to increase visitation and visibility than any shows did.
I hope everyone at the festival or any other shows also feels honored to be a part of it, past, present, and future. :cheers
^^Avoiding a Grateful Dead show shouldn’t be a problem.
I definitely feel honored to have been at the Grateful Dead show in Telluride. It was a huge mecca for many friends, and marked kind of an end of an era for me. I’ll never forget drumming down Main with Hart and Olatunji.
Actually, Furthur in Telluride would be a hoot. They likely could pull off a better show. Grateful Dead was a gas, but the shows weren’t exactly stellar. No matter, cuz I was with great friends IN TELLURIDE!
You’re probably right about the airport. Man, to have had money to have invested in property before the market went insane.
:thumbsup :cheers
I don’t think the lineup, although obviously stellar this year, had much to do with the scalping problem.
Seems like many tickets were sold prior to the lineup being announced (at least all the hard to located town park tixs)