Hampton Arrests Make Phish Phans Look Ridiculous

March 10, 12:20 PMMusic Festivals ExaminerRain Blanken

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Looks suspicious to me. Photo by atalou

For those that consider yourselves Phish 'Phans', here is a peek at how you're going to be represented after last weekend's big Hampton, VA show.

Of the 75,000 concert goers, 240 were arrested. Most of the arrests were related to drug possession. $68,000 in cash was confiscated as well as 1.2 million dollars worth of illegal drugs. Compare these numbers to Phish's last show in Vermont and similar events:

• Out of the 65,000 people in attendance at Coventry in 2004, only 25 were arrested.

• Even the mega-festival, Bonnaroo, which Phish will play this year, held it's record number of 73 arrests out of 80,000 ticket holders in 2008.

• In January, 2003, the Daily Press reported a much lower 99 arrests when Phish played the Hampton Coliseum for three back-to-back nights.

Many dedicated Phish fans are disappointed that these numbers are making headlines that overshadow the big return of the Phab Four in Hampton. When you compare them to festivals large and small in the past, the numbers just don't add up. Many fans are disappointed because the police are the ones who are going to be reviewing these numbers and comparing them in exactly the same way...to past music events.

Whether the percentage is low or not, the cops will see it as a dramatic increase. This means they may charge Phish venues more money to attend. When their rate increases, so does your ticket price to a festival.

Employers will also be seeing these numbers in the paper. If I were you, I wouldn't go into the office on Monday and admit to being a Phish fan. The fans are getting off on the wrong foot with law enforcement, even though it is a misrepresentation of the majority.

Eyewitness accounts of the Phish show in Hampton, VA have had time to accumulate this week, facing an aftermath of media attention to the arrests made in and around the venue. This number seemed surprisingly high to fans who didn't see many busts happening inside or around the show. There is a more complicated picture coming to the surface that depicts hotel room parties and local drug dealers as the main culprits.

While most of the offenders were likely local dealers and non-Phish fans trying to get in on the action to make a buck, they are still lumped in with the Phish crowd in police reports. As for the 1.2 million, many people believe that this number is an over-estimate of the drugs taken at the show. Is it possible that the Hampton Police padded the numbers to make a better looking bust?

What do you think?

Do you think the Phish drug scene was out of hand? Are the numbers a big deal?