[UPDATE 6/9/24]: Days after Phish fan @acid_farts received notice that he had been banned from all Madison Square Garden properties for sneaking a water pipe into Sphere on 4/20 and taking the alleged “first bong hit” in the Las Vegas, NV venue, Sphere Entertainment has changed its position on the matter: In an official press statement issued by Sphere Entertainment issued on Saturday, a spokeswoman explained, “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.”

As @acid_farts told Live For Live Music about the reinstatement of his MSG/Sphere privileges, “I am relieved to be unbanned. It has been an emotional roller coaster to say the least but at the end of the day I’m here to see the best band in the world every chance I get. The thought of missing that was devastating.”

The fan’s story of stoner glory and its repercussions was widely covered in the media and quickly became one of the biggest viral stories of the week. While the statement from Sphere chalks the initial ban up to a mistake, @acid_farts prefers to picture the chain of events differently: “I’d like to think the band was personally discussing this matter in a break room between a practice session or something being like ‘what should we do about this Acid Farts thing?’ Prob not, but it’s a funny thought.”

As the story broke this week, @acid_farts quickly mobilized to leverage his viral fame for the greater good. On Friday, he launched a product page via Humbles for a t-shirt featuring a drawing of his infamous Sphere bong hit and the words, “No Regrets … Free Acid Farts.” 100% of proceeds from sales of the shirt will be donated to the Divided Sky Foundation, the Trey Anastasio co-founded non profit that provides educational and introspective programming to foster a sober and productive foundation for individuals affected by addiction. Pre-orders for the “Free Acid Farts” shirts benefitting the Divided Sky Foundation are available here through June 14th.

While the last few days have been hectic for @acid_farts, he noted to Live For Live Music that he has been “laughing all week.” He added, quoting an appropriate Phish lyric, “You got one life, blaze on.”

Scroll down to watch videos of the infamous “first bong hit” in the Sphere, see the original ban notice from the venue, and read more about the whole @acid_farts Phish Sphere bong rip saga.

 

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[6/6/24 – “Guy Who Ripped ‘First Bong Hit’ In The Sphere Banned From All MSG Properties“]: One fan’s moment of pothead glory ahead of the April 20th, 2024 Phish show at Las Vegas, NV’s Sphere has earned him a spot on the blacklist: After going semi-viral for smuggling a glass water pipe into the state-of-the-art venue and taking the “first bong hit to ever be ripped in the [Sphere],” the Instagram user who goes by @acid_farts [Editor’s note: lol] has been hit with an indefinite ban from Sphere, as well as all properties owned by Madison Square Garden Entertainment.

It’s clear that discretion was never the intention of the Phish fan in question: In the video, which he quickly posted to his public Instagram, he can be seen taking his hit while standing up and facing the rows of fans behind him, exhaling the rip straight into the air like a dragon, opening his arms wide to accept some praise from onlookers, and chanting, “U.S.A.!” In the caption of his post, he tagged the official accounts of both Phish and Sphere—in addition to Guinness World Records.

 

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Now, however, @acid_farts is left to deal with the blowback of being the Neil Armstrong of Vegas Sphere bongs: This week, he posted a photo of a letter he received from a Madison Square Garden Entertainment executive detailing his indefinite ban from all MSG venues.

Related: As Phish Wraps 4-Night Sphere Run, Plasma Is The (State Of) Matter At Hand [Photos/Videos]

The June 3rd, 2024-dated letter notes, “On April 20, 2024, you posted on Instagram video of yourself smoking inside the Sphere with the caption ‘First bong hit to ever be ripped in the @spherevegas @phish’. You knowingly violated the guest code of conduct by visibly smoking in the venue. Sphere Entertainment Co. will not tolerate actions that threaten the safety and security of our guests, and employes.”

“In light of your conduct,” the letter continues, “you are hereby indefinitely banned from Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, The Beacon Theatre, The Chicago Theatre, Sphere and any other MSG Venue (the ‘MSG Venues’). You 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, including, with respect to Madison Square Garden, the box office, Chase Square and the concierge areas, law enforcement will be contacted to ensure your expulsion and you will be subject to penalties.”

Related: Phish Gifts Drew Carey A New Blender In Response To Viral Sphere Review [Photos]

Despite his ban, @acid_farts appears to have maintained a sense of humor about the situation. When he posted a photo of the aforementioned letter from MSG Entertainment on his Instagram story, he added the caption, “The sphere sent me a plaque to commemorate what is now officially the first bong hit ever taken in the sphere.”

 

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Madison Square Garden Entertainment and the similarly James Dolan-owned Sphere Entertainment, which spun off as its own entity ahead of the venue’s opening, have not been shy about utilizing facial recognition software in policing the attendees at their venues. MSG’s use of facial recognition has been the topic of considerable news coverage over the last several years as fans and experts alike have debated the morality and legality of such applications of the relatively new technology.

Related: Should Phish Fans Be Worried About MSG’s Facial Recognition Software?

While Sphere officials probably didn’t really need sophisticated facial recognition tech to catch the brazen bong-ripper—I mean, he posted a video of his rule violation and tagged the venue—@acid_farts seems to be taking his newfound notoriety in stride: In a subsequent Instagram story post on Wednesday, he shared a screenshot of a Consequence article entitled “It turns out that Juggalo makeup blocks facial recognition technology” with the caption, “So your [sic] saying there’s a chance”.

Dead & Company are scheduled to continue their ongoing 30-show residency at Sphere through the beginning of August. For a look at the setlist numbers from the first nine shows of the run, head here.