Phish 'phans' ignored measures August 7, 1996 - Rocky Mountain News By Lynn Bartels All the planning in the world couldn't prepare this tiny town for the run of Phish phans. Town leaders began meeting in February to plan for overflow crowds when the rock band Phish played its four-day gig at the 9,500-seat Red Rocks Amphitheater. The party began Sunday. Police clashed Monday night with hundreds of ''Phish phans'' or ''Phish heads,'' as they call themselves. Many couldn't get tickets to the sold-out concerts but hung around Morrison anyway, their unwashed long hair and pierced body-parts attracting stares from residents. ''I swear there were 1,000 kids out there, and we're only 2 1/2 blocks long,'' Mayor Mary Poe said Tuesday. Extra police were available for Tuesday night's concert, but the Phish fans' mood was subdued as hundreds milled about the town without causing trouble. Phish attracted huge crowds and problems when it played at Red Rocks two nights last year, so officials tried to head off disaster this year. Phish's security personnel flew to Denver in February for a meeting with Red Rocks employees, Denver police, Morrison's lone full-time police officer, a Morrison town trustee and Barry Fey Concerts, which booked the group. ''We felt we had the best possible plan to deal with the issues,'' said Gary Lane, who oversees Red Rocks for Denver. ''The goal was not to allow the town to be taken over. ''But that happened well before the concert on Sunday.'' Tensions came to a head Monday night after a pickup hit a Phish fan who was crossing Bear Creek Road. ''I saw the truck at the last second,'' said Kari Prassack, 21, of Erie, Pa. ''I flipped, and the next thing I know I'm in the street with my head in my boyfriend's lap and a lot of kids crowding around me.'' She suffered a broken wrist and cuts and scrapes. A group of fans gathered around Prassack, trying to heal her with holistic methods. When Morrison police tried to help, several bottles were thrown. ''The officers went to help her out, and for no reason at all they got bombarded with bottles,'' said Morrison Police Chief Bob Wasko. ''That's what started this whole thing.'' Police said the driver, Jean Gerard, 52, of Bailey won't be charged because witnesses said Prassack didn't look before crossing the road. Some fans contend police overacted and punished the entire crowd for the actions of few troublemakers. ''The cops were a bad scene,'' said Phish head Jarrod Wright, 18, of St. Petersburg, Fla. ''They were talking trash, saying stuff like 'I hate hippies. ' . . . There was a lot of anger coming from the cops.'' © 1996 Denver Publishing Company