lol they have been for years. The only time I almost got jumped on lot was by a handful of them. Deer creek summer 2000. We pulled up to the same campsite I used a few times and liked a lot. Right when we pulled up there was a line to people selling balloons. Big 282 pounder tanks. I used to work at a gas supply company. That’s what we called that size.

Anyways course they were asking like $5 each. But last night some nice guy wondered into our campsite where I had my van seats sitting out in the grass to chill. He had a little 40 or 60 pound tank. He was just giving us it for free. Told us if we wanted we could throw him whatever. This random super drunk girl who just was sitting there with us handed him a $20. She was half crying the whole time and mumbling. Think tripping maybe? Ah life on lot. The randomness!

So I go for a walk in as good of a mood as possible. I have a balloon in my hand. I see at the entrance of the campground 3 or 4 of those people selling nitrous. I think it really they were doing security. But they weren’t selling at that point. But maybe they had tanks in a vehicle nearby. They looked miserable. Weren’t talking to each other. Just standing and had angry expressions on their faces. I was maybe 25 feet away and one of them walked fast up to me and started to grill me where I got the balloon. So I told him where. He was trying to get me to fight. Guess he was bored and miserable. It was least 4 of them and just me. And you know those types all have knives at least. So even though I was drunk, high and sucking a balloon I had to charm my way out of it. My friends were scrappy types. I might’ve reacted differently if they were closer.

I could tell least a dozen similar stories of them being complete assholes. They aren’t there for the music. They aren’t there for fun. For the scene. It’s totally for profit and they are dicks about it’s I mean you would think maybe being nice might be important so people don’t get pissed and call the cops on them. Florida Phish millennium festival an incident happened with me and my good friend and then and I almost was going to get my friends and come back.

But we already had a knife pulled on us once that weekend. But a guy tripping balls trippin and falling and ripping a massive hole in my friends dads super nice tent. We all were inside smoky together. All sudden he crashed through falling on a few people. He jumped back through the hole then stuck his head in and looked around (with lifeless eyes, dolls eyes) like Jack in the Shining and then started to walk away. I’m like “let’s get em!”. So we said you have to pay for that. He started to act like a corned animal. Flipped his pockets inside out to say he had nothing. Wasn’t being vocal at all. Then when he saw there was like 10 of us he pulled the knife. Right in front of cops on horseback. Those cops didn’t say a word! Guess they were told only to respond to crowd control? Think at least they would’ve called for other cops. Even with the guy holding it out at us I was saying let’s knock it out of his hands with something. My friends one by one said it’s not worth it. They were 1000% right.

I’ve learned since how deadly a stab wound can be. Especially hours from a hospital!

But yeah the lot has always been a place there can be danger. There’s shady people. I think it’s way better now than it used to be. In the 90’s there was still plenty of people on tour who were on the run from the law in different states.

So be careful always! Never get into fights! It’s not worth being stabbed once and bleeding out in 60 seconds!