The last time there was a rock concert at CU Boulder's Folsom Field was when the Dave Matthews Band came to town in 2001, played past curfew and got fined $15,000.
Now, the university wants the shows to go on, since $160 million in renovations are complete at the 50,000-seat football stadium, and the first act out of the gate will be Dead & Company on July 2-3.
The band is made up of surviving members of the Grateful Dead -- guitarist Bob Weir and drummers Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart -- joined by guitarist and singer John Mayer, keyboardist Jeff Chimenti and bassist Oteil Burbridge.
Dead & Company toured last year, including a stop at Broomfield's 1st Bank Center in November. And the Grateful Dead played at Folsom in 1972 and 1980.
In each case, Dead Heads, the band's more colorful and dedicated followers, were in tow. This summer, city officials and the university are keen to manage the expected crowds for the two-night stand, reports the Daily Camera:
"It was really important to us to look at all the impacts that would happen, not just to the neighbors but the larger city," Boulder campus spokesman Ryan Huff said. "We want this to be as minimal an impact on the neighborhood as possible."
In the surrounding neighborhoods, stepped up traffic management, and perhaps even discounted tickets to the concerts, will be part of the planning.
Along with Dave Matthews Band, Fleetwood Mac, the Who, Paul McCartney, the Eagles, the Rolling Stones and Van Halen have been among the bands to headline shows at Folsom in the past.
Tickets go on sale Friday.
