Madison House Drops 2017’s Vertex

The festival drew 8,000 to a farm near Buena Vista in August to rave reviews, according to the Denver Post. However, there were noise complaints followed by “heated, marathon” public meetings with the Chaffee County Commissioners, the paper said, and the organizers ultimately had to push back the upcoming event.

“The recent approval of the permit for Vertex in 2017 is much appreciated,” Madison House said in a statement but “rushing forward could compromise the quality of the festival” and is not in the best interest of the organizers.

A steady stream of NIMBYs attended a five-hour meeting of the commission in October, complaining about noise. The three-member board approved the festival’s 2017 application but denied it a three-year permit and imposed strict rules on noise and an earlier curfew than this year’s event.

Festival director Michael Sampliner called the restrictions “untenable” and could hinder recruitment of top talent but Madison House did tell the commission they would be reapplying for 2018.

The Aug. 5-7 event, southeast of Denver, included Alabama Shakes, Odesza and the Trey Anastasio Band, among others.