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‘Deadheads’ ask to camp out during band’s Chicago concerts

FILE - In this May 9, 2009 file photo, Grateful Dead fans shop for tie-dye T-shirts in the parking lot of the Forum before to a concert of The Dead, performing in the Inglewood section of Los Angeles. Grateful Dead fans want Chicago’s Soldier Field to allow a campout-style atmosphere during a weekend of concerts in July 2015 billed as the band’s very last, but city officials say they won’t be making that decision any time soon. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File) FILE - In this May 9, 2009 file photo, Grateful Dead fans shop for tie-dye T-shirts in the parking lot of the Forum before to a concert of The Dead, performing in the Inglewood section of Los Angeles. Grateful Dead fans want Chicago’s Soldier Field to allow a campout-style atmosphere during a weekend of concerts in July 2015 billed as the band’s very last, but city officials say they won’t be making that decision any time soon. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)

By Associated Press January 24, 2015 1 min read

CHICAGO (AP) – Some Grateful Dead fans are asking for fans to be allowed to camp out overnight in parking lots near Chicago’s Soldier Field during the band’s three concerts there in July.

Soldier Field spokesman Luca Serra says there’ll be an evaluation with police and others over the coming weeks. He says safety is priority.

Fans say it would be safer to let them stay in the area during the band’s 50th anniversary shows.

Jeremy Davis, of Florida, started an online petition asking that overnight parking be allowed in lots surrounding the venue along Lake Michigan. He says it’s a Deadhead tradition and would help reduce traffic congestion. He says fans are willing to pay more and it could be an economic opportunity for Chicago.

His petition had 8,000 signatures by Saturday.