The Phish concert experience is in a league of its own, and, thanks to The Smoking Gun, we now have some insight into some of the semantics behind the magic. Phish sends out a rider to every venue they play, detailing how to take tickets, pat down attendees, deal with security issues, and how Phish fans behave at shows. While this rider is an older one, it seems not much has changed in the band’s 3.0 era.
Some of our favorite quotes:
“The pat-down process should be limited to visual and light pat-down checks… staff should be especially alert to the presence of cameras and video equipment as these items are strictly prohibited yet are often present.”
“Phish fans are a peaceful intelligent group of people who respond better to courteous, respectful requests than aggressive bullying.”
“The typical Phish audience does not mosh or body surf. They will, however, dance and twirl in any open area made available to them… They will attempt to dance in any aisles that are not being patrolled regularly by ushers or event staff…”
“If the patrons see that the ushers are being active in checking for tickets and correct seat locations, they will be less likely to move into another area.”
You can read through the whole security rider below:
-David Melamed (@DMelamz)