This was not an honest-to-hoil "run in with the law," but I guess you could call this a "near miss." Deer Creek this past year was truly amazing. The new entrance at the back alleviated much of the traditional cattle herding that goes on at the front entrance. The access to the campground was stellar... it was only about a football field away. 

But there was a sinister aspect to this convenience and comfort. Namely, the first night gave us all a false sense of leniency in that no one was patted down upon entering the show. The second night, on the other hand, was a different story. As we filed through the ticket gates, we noticed several Indiana sheriffs posted at the entrance. They were shaking everybody down. 

One dazed fan had a bag that was easily discovered by the men in black. Before he knew what was going on, he was in cuffs and in the cruiser. While 17-year-old mamas were peddling vials of liquid at the campground that was a matter of yards away, this guy was arrested for having some nugs. Brutal.

My sister-in-law and I were getting pushed closer and closer to the gate as this was happening. We almost forgot that we had a piece as well as a jar of nugs on our persons. Right before we entered, she grabbed me and said, "this is no good, we gotta go."  We turned straight around, snaking in between fans and trying to stay out of the sight of the cops, who were basically surrounding the gate area. 

We made our way across the field to our friends' campsite and thoroughly concealed our wares. Of course, when we returned the bad guys were all gone, apparently having met their quota for the evening (probably meeting their 3 month quota). 

We entered unmolested just as Ya Mar was starting the show and breathed a sigh of relief, realizing how close we had come to being in real trouble, not just "losing your stash" trouble. The point is that it is easy to get away with all kinds of fun illegal stuff at shows. For the most part, the band and the authorities just want us to be safe and self contained. 

The fact that tons of laws are not enforced for the majority of the time can make us forget to be careful at all. It will be a great day when all the cops can leave a Phish show empty-handed.
 

 - Mojo Hamilton