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Phish Fan Survives Fall, Remains In ICU
By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 20, 2010
Modified Aug 20, 2010
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By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 20, 2010
Modified Aug 20, 2010
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Friends of the Phish fan who jumped off the mezzanine at Jones Beach amphitheater during the band's setbreak Wednesday night say he's going to pull through. Speaking to the Post outside Nassau University Medical Center, one friend says, "It's really a miracle, man. He's just got some broken bones, but he's going to be fine. He's talking; he's sedated, he's sort of out of it. But surprisingly, he was able to talk."
According to witnesses, the jumper intentionally launched himself from the mezzanine, saying, "Fuck it" before he leaped. (We personally witnessed him in midflight from our spot at Jones Beach. And yes, we like Phish.) One person in that landing area suffered minor injuries, and there's message board chatter that he might file a lawsuit against the jumper.
The identity of the injured man has not been disclosed by police or hospital officials. The Post reports that the unidentified jumper is a 30-year-old from Maine, and there was speculation on the Phish messageboard Phantasy Tour that it was a 25-year-old Colorado resident, but the Colorado resident's friends insist it was not him. Yesterday, we were told by a concertgoer that the jumper was named "Luke" and that he was in ICU but in stable condition, "Think positive thoughts for our friend."
The incident has gotten widespread attention because there's nothing easier than making fun of Phish fans, but Hipster Runoff's take is the only legitimately funny one we've read. It poses such pressing questions as: "Should this post make some sort of joke about Phish 'sounding shitty,' inspiring people to kill themselves? R u praying for this bro? Do u hope he gets a second chance to go to a Phish show? R u pissed at him for ruining the vibes at the show? If u were gonna commit suicide during a buzzband show, which band would u commit suicide during?" And the most hilarious of all: "Is Phish gonna write the album of the year for 2k10?"
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Jumper
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John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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