Making Book On Mile High

Considering it hasn’t even been officially announced, AEG Live Rocky Mountains chief Chuck Morris’ plan to stage a destination festival in Denver in July is drawing a frenzy of attention from local media – not all of it welcome.

The Denver Post reported not only that the proposed Mile High Music and Arts Festival was in fact being staged at a large soccer facility adjacent to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in nearby Commerce City, but that it would be headlined by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. The Post even included a large photo of Petty to accompany its story.

Morris was taken aback by the coverage, but recognizes that the only thing worse than people talking about your show prematurely is if they are not talking about you at all. But that doesn’t mean he is ready to spill the beans.

"There is so much speculation going on right now that I’ve decided to make no comment until we announce at a press conference when and where, which I would say will be within 30 days," Morris told Pollstar. "There is so much speculation about the place, the bands, everything about it, that it brings me a chuckle every day."

It’s hard to blame people for second-guessing. After all, Morris has made it clear that the festival is on, despite a huge setback in securing a location when City Park was taken out of the running because of objections from the Denver Zoo.

He recently told Pollstar that he was now eyeing a large, grassy, open location within 10 minutes of downtown Denver – which apparently served as an irresistible hint for the local media.

Combine that with the fact that Dick’s Sporting Goods Park – and the adjacent 24-field, lit soccer complex – is owned by Morris’s good pal and AEG Live collaborator Stan Kroenke, and it might look like a good bet.

And for those who like to make side bets, Tom Petty’s Web site also lists a TBD tour date in Denver on July 19th – coinciding with the temporarily homeless Mile High fest. Of course, it’s only speculation.