Madison Square Garden Entertainment has permanently banned a concert-goer credited with the “first bong hit to ever be ripped” inside of the Sphere during a Phish concert on April 20th, 2024.

Video of the individual smoking out of a bong prior to Phish’s concert at the $2.3 billion venue in Las Vegas was shared on Phish fan sites and quickly went viral. While the individual became something of a folk hero among the band’s fans, MSG, the owner of Sphere, didn’t seem to find the video as funny.

In a letter sent by Christopher Schimpf, SVP/Associate General Counsel of Madison Square Garden Entertainment on June 3rd, the concert-goer was informed that they had “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.”

As a result, the individual is “hereby indefinitely banned” from attending events at the Sphere and other Madison Square Garden venues. Presumably, MSG will utilize its controversial facial recognition technology to prevent the fan from attending Phish concerts in the future.
https://consequence.net/2024/06/phish-fan-bong-sphere-banned/