A Phish fan has been temporarily banned from Madison Square Garden (MSG) venues after he took a bong hit in the Sphere and posted a video of it on Twitter. The man, who goes by the handle @acid_farts, took the hit to celebrate attending Phish’s four-night show at the megavenue. A letter was subsequently sent to the fan, referring to him as the bong-ripper in question and telling him he was “indefinitely banned” from all MSG venues. The ban meant that law enforcement would be contacted if he attempted to enter any of the venues.
The fan claimed to have “no regrets” in a recent interview with Rolling Stone, joking that the only true regret was missing out on seeing the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall. It was reported on June 6 that MSG Entertainment had claimed there had been a “breakdown in our process” and the fan was not, in fact, banned from the venues. A statement was issued by MSG Entertainment claiming that while the man was not technically banned, drug paraphernalia and glassware were banned from the venues, and it was against policy to disrupt other fans’ enjoyment of events.
The Sphere is an 18,000-capacity dome which hosts residencies from artists such as Phish and Dead & Company. It is complete with a LED screen which wraps around the inside of the dome. Dead & Company is set to perform every night until August this year. Drew Carey recently compared Phish’s residency at the venue to U2 by saying it made the latter “look like a bar band”. The Sphere is an impressive structure, with a total cost of $2.3 billion (£1.8 billion), and is equipped with 160,000 speakers.
Phish’s Trey Anastasio said he had been dreaming of playing at the Sphere and was thrilled to present the unique experience to fans. A recent NME review of their performance described the Sphere as a truly breathtaking canvas that takes your breath away. However, it is against policy and local laws to smoke or bring in prohibited items such as glassware, and disrupt other fans’ enjoyment of events
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