2018-07-21 The Gorge - George, WA

[Marmar]

I think the time has come for the community as a whole to turn in to what we hate....

Its time to start hunting the nitrus mafia and narcing them out like there's no tomorrow....because with them around, bringin the trash element that they bring, there won't be a tomorrow....

Also.....time to stop being all "love and light" and time to start being like.....Punch Nazi's In The Eye......there is just no excuse to accept these assclowns being anywhere near the scene.....fuck them....could be the nicest guy with the greatest love for the band, but we need to deal with these assclowns just like we dealt with em in WWII....there is just no room in modern society for shit like this. We outnumber them MASSIVELY, and we as a whole need to stand up for what is right and ostracize these fucks.

Just my .02

PS- Ironic that the violence occurs in a show with PYITE in the set....

[rowjimmy]

Generally speaking, I agree.
We don't know what was going on with the violent incidents but we do know that nitrous dealers who have no regard for our scene need to be excised.
We need to stop patronizing them and start pointing them out to the fuzz.

[mehead]

Generally speaking, I agree.
We don't know what was going on with the violent incidents but we do know that nitrous dealers who have no regard for our scene need to be excised.
We need to stop patronizing them and start pointing them out to the fuzz.

THIS

[Hicks]

The problem this weekend was that the Gorge has trimmed their staff to a skeleton crew that was incapable of dealing with this stuff.

But I agree, the tanks need to go. I think a "stop buying balloons" campaign by the fans would be effective. If it's no longer profitable to bring tanks on lot, they will go away. 

[Marmar]

The problem this weekend was that the Gorge has trimmed their staff to a skeleton crew that was incapable of dealing with this stuff.

But I agree, the tanks need to go. I think a "stop buying balloons" campaign by the fans would be effective. If it's no longer profitable to bring tanks on lot, they will go away.

And when we as a community see this, WE as a community need to step up and police ourselves.....

So far, this summer tour eerily reminds me of Summer '95 that some other band had problems with....lets pray it doesn't digress to that level.

[birdman]

We witnessed a security guard approach a group selling nitrous on the final night. He pleaded with them to take it elsewhere, they ignored him, and began filling balloons for customers right in this guys face. He said "not in front of me" and turned and walked away. As he passed by us Emily yelled "employee of the month" in his direction. He responded "they told us not to engage them." So I yelled back "well then find someone who  fucking will engage them". Seriously red light is at fault for any violence that went along with these thugs. Turning a blind eye, hiring giggling teenage girls for security, the absolute lack of any real police presence, just allowed these guys feee reign in the lots. I'll be sending along a complaint to red light for their absolute ineptness act keeping things under control.

[rowjimmy]

This is not Red Light... It's Live Nation.

Here's a statement from one of the victims:

https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10214014611097186&id=1168249913

Hi Phriends. My name is Samir Poles. I was one of the victims at the Gorge Saturday night. I've been going to see my favorite band Phish since 6/24/95. If you knew me at all you would know that I have 00 love for NO2 any way to Sunday. It takes away from the artist/fan merch and brings a shit element to scene. I'm a guitar player who idolizes Trey and goes  for the music and the best community on Earth. I was having a great f-n night. I was hanging Page-low as always at the gorge. I thought farmhouse was a good time to take a pee obvi;)jk. As I was walking back from the bathroom to meet my friends a really big dude who was waiting in the shadows put a bowling ball sized rock thru my face > I wake up on the ground gushing blood through the whole in my mouth where my teeth used to be. The other victim Joe arrived in the medical tent 2 minutes after me and was very very hurt. This attack had zero to do with nitrous and was coordinated by at least two men at the exact same time in opposite corners of the venue. I know a lot of people saw it but since the police were never alerted we only have a few witness's to give statements but the people I did talk to gave an identical description of the guy that hit me as the big muscular nitrous guy they arrested this weekend for dealing in the lot and the guy that hit Joe as smaller and crazed looking. My friend who saved me and was with me thru to the ambulance gave a statement to security who didn't even write it down. The reason that you haven't seen anything reported is because Live Nation never reported the incident to the Police until the next day, never ran after the guy as my friend who witnessed it pointed and screamed for them to as they drug me away and kept asking what drugs I was on. I'm sorry I'm just getting this message out but I got hit in the head with a giant rock and had to Nancy Drew it myself the last few days with a busted face and a jelly fish head. I am meeting with a detective for the first time this morning right before I go into the first of many surgeries I will need to fix my mouth. If anyone saw anything - either my attack page-low bathroom's or Joe's assault Mike side high please PM me or contact the Grant county Police department. I was gonna be on with all of you! thru SF but that's for sure not happening now  Hoping to be mostly recovered and back Phishin' by festival 11 with all y'all my amazing Phriends and Pham ✨
All Love Shine A Light


ETA: here is a gofundme for Samir: https://www.gofundme.com/ndkbuf-samirs-medical-fund

[Hicks]

Yeah dude Live Nation is at fault here.

Like I said, my take is this whole weekend was a hail mary to try to keep the lights on at the venue and hiring adequate security doesn't seem like it fit into the equation. 

That was painfully apparent when there wasn't even enough staff to direct traffic on the way in.

I'm just thankful those morons shooting off fireworks Sunday night didn't start a fire in the campground, because no way that would've been an orderly evac.   

[mbw]

I'm in for no gas huffing.

[mattstick]

I think a "stop buying balloons" campaign by the fans would be effective.

I've got $20 for anyone who wants to make stickers and give them away at shows.

[cactusfan]

This is all seriously fucked up and sad. Thanks for getting all the details posted here. I'm sharing them with some other Phish friends...

[alcoholandcoffeebeans]

super sad... I hope curveball has the same love that magnaball did.

if this shit happens...  :|

[Bobafett]

I'll never touch that shit again unless it's for the dentist.   Fuck those shady fucks and anyone who is into racist/random acts of violence.  However, if there is ever a need for retaliation or retribution, and violence is the answer, count me in!

Thank you Rj for continued reporting on these incidents:

[anthrax]

this specific situation takes on a whole other sad state of the world we live in, the president, racism, political party division, all that shit, but i'm going to stick to the actual concert aspect because that is what i know best.

it is indeed livenation who is at fault here, and honestly, i'm surprised there have been so few incidents throughout the years.  it was clear to anyone who went to these shows there was not enough staff working.  and no, a 16 year old girl who has a bright green or pink t-shirt on is NOT security.  i've seen this at live nation venues across the country for years now and it appears to be getting worse.  there's no shortage of people at the gate who will tell you you can't bring in that water bottle or that sandwich or that joint or that beer, but those parking lots and campgrounds are completely lawless.  and this needs to be dealt with.  you cannot have 20,000 people in one place for 3-4 days without adequate staff and security...not in this day and age we live in.  that's the size of a town and it's like they are just hoping everyone behaves themselves.

i'm not exactly afraid of confrontation, but a lot of those nitrous crackheads are scary as shit.  i don't blame the lone security guard making minimum wage who doesn't want to engage them.  i blame the gorge.  i blame live nation.  i blame them for being greedy.  i blame them for not being concerned about the safety of their customers.  i blame them for not having a plan.  nitrous is pretty easy to spot.  it's loud and it's big.  we should not have to put up with this shit.

our "group" buys a lot of concert tickets.  it's time we push for change.  maybe these awful incidents will be the catalyst for that change.     

[alcoholandcoffeebeans]

this specific situation takes on a whole other sad state of the world we live in, the president, racism, political party division, all that shit, but i'm going to stick to the actual concert aspect because that is what i know best.

it is indeed livenation who is at fault here, and honestly, i'm surprised there have been so few incidents throughout the years.  it was clear to anyone who went to these shows there was not enough staff working.  and no, a 16 year old girl who has a bright green or pink t-shirt on is NOT security.  i've seen this at live nation venues across the country for years now and it appears to be getting worse.  there's no shortage of people at the gate who will tell you you can't bring in that water bottle or that sandwich or that joint or that beer, but those parking lots and campgrounds are completely lawless.  and this needs to be dealt with.  you cannot have 20,000 people in one place for 3-4 days without adequate staff and security...not in this day and age we live in.  that's the size of a town and it's like they are just hoping everyone behaves themselves.

i'm not exactly afraid of confrontation, but a lot of those nitrous crackheads are scary as shit.  i don't blame the lone security guard making minimum wage who doesn't want to engage them.  i blame the gorge.  i blame live nation.  i blame them for being greedy.  i blame them for not being concerned about the safety of their customers.  i blame them for not having a plan.  nitrous is pretty easy to spot.  it's loud and it's big.  we should not have to put up with this shit.

our "group" buys a lot of concert tickets.  it's time we push for change.  maybe these awful incidents will be the catalyst for that change.