The legendary jamband Phish took over Las Vegas’ Sphere from April 18 to 21, but one fan celebrated “420” a little too publicly — leading to an “indefinite” ban by the venue. Now, the MSG-owned Sphere is rescinding its ban.
During the show on April 20, the fan posted a now-viral video to social media of him taking a rip on a bong that he had smuggled into the venue. The fan reportedly received a letter from The Sphere on Friday, June 7, following the incident, noting that he would not only be banned indefinitely from the Las Vegas venue, but all of MSG’s venues, including Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, The Beacon Theatre, and The Chicago Theatre.
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“On April 20, 2024, you posted an Instagram video of yourself smoking inside the Sphere with the caption, “First bong hit to ever be ripped in the @spherevegas @phish,'” a letter from The Sphere read. “You Knowingly violated the guest code of conduct by visibly smoking inside the venue. Sphere Entertainment Co. will not tolerate actions that threaten the safety and security of our guests and employees.”
The letter went on to note that the fan was banned from MSG venues and “are not to enter into or remain in any of the MSG Venues at any time in the future.”
“If you enter any of the MSG venues […] law enforcement will be contacted to ensure your expulsion and you will be subject to penalties,” the letter read, signed by MSG Entertianment Senior Vice President and Associate General Counsel Christopher Schimpf.
According to an interview with Rolling Stone, the fan said they had attended 187 Phish concerts in the past, and the night he ripped the bong at the Phish show, he faced no repercussions. Instead, he believes that the notice from The Sphere was triggered by his plans to see Dead and Company at the venue.
“I opened it up and there was the letter saying you’re banned from going to The Sphere,” the fan said. “I was like, ‘I’m literally leaving for The Sphere right now.'”
However, on Saturday, June 8, a representative from the Sphere said the announcement to bar the fan from their venue — as well as all MSG venues — was made “inadvertently,” and the fan is now unbanned.
“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,” a representative for the Sphere said.
As for the fan, he said he has “no regrets.”
