Sphere Rescinds Ban on Boastful Bong Dude From Phish Show, Saying Lawyer’s Letter Was a Mistake … but Lighting Up Is Still a No-No
variety.comChris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Reps for Sphere in Las Vegas said Saturday that the ban on a man who posted video of himself braggingly taking bong hits at a Phish show is no longer in effect, and that the edict barring him from MSG Entertainment properties was an error due to “a breakdown in our process.” At the same time, the venue reaffirmed that lighting up such a mammoth piece of paraphernalia inside a show violates both venue policy and local law.
The statement from a Sphere Entertainment spokesperson, issued Saturday afternoon, reads: “There was a breakdown in our process due to a change in personnel which resulted in the letter being sent inadvertently.
This customer is not banned from our properties, however, it is still against our policies, which are in accordance with local laws, to smoke, bring glassware into our venues, and disrupt other fans’ enjoyment of the event.” The formerly banned patron’s name has not been publicly identified, but his social media posts under the name Acid Farts drew plenty of attention — first, when he put up video of what he purported was the “first bong hit to ever be ripped in the Sphere” (and tagged the venue in the process), and then as he posted a letter sent to him by an attorney for Sphere.
The letter stated that the concertgoer would be banned “indefinitely” not only from Sphere but from all MSG properties in other cities, including Madison Square Garden and the Beacon in New York.
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