Alright, so I went to see Tom Petty last friday in Atlanta, should be good and awesome right? Wrong! Scariest night of my life, and the most extremely disappointing. Let me first say that I am a huge Tom Petty fan, been listening to him since I can remember, so when I heard he was coming to my hometown of Atlanta I had to get myself there, so I saved up for a month or so and bought a lawn ticket with two of my friends. I know lawn isn't exactly good seating, but the sound would be good and we have binoculars so we were thinking it would be alright, especially since we're all college students and therefore not exactly rich. So, yeah, we get there get in the place and walk onto the lawn as the Strokes start playing "Someday" (I think that's what it's called, I'm more of a Petty fan). So we're grooving with the music and finally find a spot on the middle of the lawn to set down our towels and so we sit, listen to about half of a song, and decide to go ahead and light one up, so that we'll feel a little buzzed by the time Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers come on. Worst move ever! Out of the darkness behind us come 2 cops. They walk up and take the joint from my friend look at it and then proceed to simply tell us to come with them. So we pick up our junk and are followed by the cops off of the lawn, figuring we're completely effed. Not just for the concert mind you, two of us go to Georgia Tech and the other to Georgia State College, and we could all see all of our hopes and dreams slowly fading away into oblivion, all because we wanted to chill and relax and just enjoy a little fairly harmless weed. So we're walking ourselves toward impending doom, when the cop stops and asks us the question we were dreading the most... "Do you guys have any more stuff on you?" Unbeknownst to the two cops, but most certainly known by every one of us is that we put the rest of our stash on one of my friends. So all of us silently knew that he had to say yes because we figured they were going to take us and search us anyway, so my friend says "Yes sir" and proceeds to dump our (mostly my, by the way) nine other joints into the officer's hands. As the joints slowly spill out of the cop's hands the other cop silently busts out laughing and the cop who is having trouble catching the joints gives us the most amazed look. So we figured that we were definitely fucked now, but luckily the cop just said to "Get the f*** out of here" and so we walked out of the arena. Granted things could have been much worse, thank god we were let off, but... and this is a big BUT I didn't get to see Tom Petty, which was the whole point of going to the concert. I just kept thinking that Even The Losers Get Lucky Sometimes, and so we waited outside the gate so that we could at least here Tom Sing a couple. And, of course, the waiting was the hardest part. So we waited for an hour or so through the rest of The Strokes and then the time in between until Tom Petty came on. I'm not so sure what song he opened with, but it sounded amazing and I couldn't help but think that God it's so painful, something that's so close, yet still so far out of reach! And it was definitely painful sitting on the curb just outside the gate, wishing it was the 70's so that we could've seen Tom Petty in his full glory and not have to worry so much about a joint... or two. Then he started to play Mary Jane's last dance, and we were filled with distraught and decided now was the time to leave. We got back into the car wishing we could've found a way to sneak in or something and spent the rest of the night cruising listening to Tom Petty and the Heart Breakers greatest hits and the newest Tom Petty album Highway Companion (which is freaking amazing by the way, I love every bit of it, and I definitely noticed that Jeff Lynne had a hand in production and what not, which makes it even more amazing than my initial interpretations!). And so if anything I hope Tom and his pals get a kick out of hearing this story, I mean it would be amazing if he would come back to Atlanta 'cause we would definitely buy tickets, or even more amazing if he would come back and give us tickets or backstage passes or something, just for taking the time to write this amusing little story. I just hope in the end everyone and anyone who reads this will decide that Hippies need love too, so legalize that which should be legal! Alas, it's tough being a long haired male in this day and age. Especially when you like good music because almost all new "rock" bands produce crap, and rap IS crap that is consumed by the idiocrity (<- I don't know if this is a word, but it should be used to describe the common idiot who actually enjoys rap).

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Tweeter & the Monkey Man,

I feel bad for you. I think it may have been a bit mean-spirited of the cops not to let you back into the arena, after a certain period of time (half and hour or an hour), given that you fully cooperated with them and emptied your pockets of whatever stash you had. Oh well! You'll know better next time not to be so conspicuous.

In NC, they write tickets. I hate that you had such a bad experience.

That really sucks! I was at a concert at the Greek Theater in Berkeley about a month ago and a guy next to me got caught smoking a joint. Security just told him to put it out like they were doing with cigarette smokers. It wasn't long before a cloud of smoke hung above the crowd and no security guards were in site.

I never see any police officers inside the Greek. They always seem to stay outside.

I guess it's easier being a Hippie in California.

Thank God I drink alcohol and it's legal.

That's really a shame, because I saw (and smelled and inhaled) a LOT of weed smoked at the Atlanta show, especially on the grass, uh, I mean "the lawn". It's usually pretty safe there if you're low-key and keep an eye out for who's around you. I guess you just had the really bad luck of sparking one at the exact moment that the cops were walking by. I'm really sorry you missed the show, because it was a great one (I'm not trying to rub it in; I'm just expressing my understanding of your disappointment). I hope we all get another chance to see Tom again in Atlanta, the sooner the better!

Well, yea it’s a sad story and I wish it didn’t happen to ya. But COME ON people, we gotta STAND UP and DO SOMETHIN’. Our rights are squashed tighter and tighter everyday livin in this LAND OF THE FREE. For a start we can THROW THE LYIN, THIEVEN BASTARDS OUT. It’s less than 45 days till the next election, but that’s just a start!

OK, so I’m kinda an old fart (TP’s age). We went thru this in the 60s and it took some rantin and ravin, to let’m know WERE NOT GONNA TAKE IT. Ya gotta BE LOUD & VISIBLE. Find the POWER IN NUMBERS….and HAVE FUN DOIN IT!

YIPPEEEEEEE!!!!!!

Gee....guess it's where you sit, lit one up in the front row with security one Dolly in front of me....the smell was heavy around me anyway

That sux! At the Atlanta show in 2002 (?) with Jackson Browne, we had covered seating behind the boxes and a total stranger passed a joint down our row twice! LOL

that has got to be one of the worst tpath concert stories i have ever heard.
next time smoke in the bathroom.
you should have just marched back in.
one time some asshole psychotic security m.f. didn't like the fact that i was dancing just a few too many feet from my seat so he grabbed me hard by the arms and kind of thru me into the standing only crowd,only after i told him to get his fucking hands off of me.
needless to say i went directly back to my seat where i stood and danced thru the rest of the show.
my feeling is that i worked hard to get my ticket and i wasn't doing anything that half the crowd wasn't doing.
too bad they got to you like that.

It was a fucked up night, man. All in all, atleast we got to say we got kicked out of a concert for being rebels, sadly we wish it wouldnt have been a Tom Petty concert. i think we redeemed ourselves afterwareds though, especially with our honky-tonk dance near the front gate during his first song.

Sad story . But well written .
You need a different vice . Chocolate and chewing your toenails?

I don't know what to say. I no longer smoke.
Stories like this make me glad I don't.
See? Everything has a bright side!

What I can leave you with is The Eleventh Commandment. It is, of course, "don't get caught."

Yes, this is a Tom Petty show, but wait until the cover of darkness. Wait until the aroma of burning hemp is pervasive. And finally, when it stings your eyeballs, feel free to light up and move safely about the cabin.

May you truly laugh about this when you get to be my age. Yes, I "enjoyed" a Grateful Dead show in the cold wind with my head on a big piece of granite that was part of the auditorium... Ahhhh...hippee daze.

I have only seen the police a few times in the crowd. But there were 5 of them all walking together so not to get messed with. Bu that was 20 years ago. They must be getting braver.

I'm sorry you missed the concert, but really, you did bring that on yourself. (here comes the lecture...) I mean, pot is illegal, and you brought it into a public place where you knew there were going to be cops. I know there are a lot of other people smoking it, but it still doesn't make it right.

Look on the bright side though- they could've thrown you in prison, and your whole future could've been screwed. Give it up kid- pot's not worth it.

That's the silliest cop story I have heard in a long long time!

Someone had to have complained. Or did you get their badge numbers? Maybe they were just rippin your pot?

That's a story you all will have throughout your lives. I hope you will all have a good laugh about it one day.

I hope your next show may see you in great seats!