I’m sure you heard about the big Phish comeback/reunion set of three shows in Hampton, Virginia over the weekend. Seems like most thought the shows were a big success. But, not everyone. From Billboard…
Police said Monday they confiscated about $1.2 million in illegal drugs and more than $68,000 in cash from concertgoers. Authorities also arrested 194 Phish fans during the three-night celebration of the band’s return to the stage after a nearly five-year absence.
Most of the arrests were for drug possession, use and distribution, police said.
$1.2 Million worth is a lot of dope, even by the inflated standards law enforcement generally uses. But, the other side of that is, they aren’t going to catch everyone selling drugs. So, just taking the figures and running with them; let’s pretend that all 194 arrests were drug busts; that would work out to $6,185 and change worth of drugs that each was carrying. And, that’s a pretty big number to be carrying around.
Tourism officials had estimated 75,000 fans would be coming to the coastal Virginia city. Nearly 200 law enforcement officers worked the weekend event, with the Vermont-based band picking up the tab.
So, Phish was paying out of pocket for the law enforcement. Now, I know there was some press about the band’s concern about bootleg merch before these shows. And, there are a lot of missing details about the security provisions but, the way it reads, the officers were busting drug dealers on Phish’s dime.
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