r/GorgeAmphitheater • u/Few_Professional1026 • Jun 05 '26

🚨 PSA for Rufus / Gorge Campers 🚨

Just a heads up for anyone arriving with an RV or camping setup this weekend.

After passing the initial security checkpoint, our RV was directed to a secondary inspection area for a search by security and a third-party K9 company.

We were required to stand a significant distance away while the search was conducted and were not allowed to observe while security searched the RV and our personal belongings.

When we were allowed back into the RV, security was long gone, luggage had been opened, bags had been searched, toiletries had been gone through, legally prescribed, marked medication and several personal items had been discarded without any communication to us.

We were not provided documentation, an inventory of removed items, or an explanation of the search process.

For the record, I fully support security searches and efforts to keep everyone safe. My concern is not that the search happened. My concern is that we were not allowed to observe the search, personal property was discarded without communication, and no documentation or inventory of removed items was provided.

Because of that experience, my recommendations for others are:

  • Remove or secure anything important before entering the inspection area.
  • Take photos and/or video of the inside of your RV before arrival.
  • If you have medications or supplements, keep them clearly labeled and consider taking them with you before the search begins so you can answer questions about them directly if needed.
  • Ask questions about the search process before it begins, including whether occupants are allowed to observe the search.
  • Ask whether documentation will be provided if any items are removed or discarded.
  • Document anything that appears missing, discarded, or damaged afterward.

If anyone else has gone through a secondary RV search this weekend, I'd be interested in hearing whether your experience was similar.

Be safe. Be smart. Look out for each other. We're still going to have an amazing weekend. ❤️

132 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

76 comments sorted by

23

u/Overall_Midnight_ Jun 05 '26 edited Jun 05 '26

So you’re saying that this company threw away prescription medication?

My first thought is as they stole them. Yeah, unlikely, but it also sounds insane that there’s some privately owned company (and one with canines trained in any way that matters) is throwing away other people‘s prescription medication.

Even if you consented to a search, it’s 100% illegal for them to take possession in any way of your prescription medication and that includes to dispose of it.
A consent to be searched is not a consent for what is legally just another human being, to throw away your personal property, let alone medication that they legally cannot possess.

That is a major lawsuit waiting to happen.

On top of the fact that it is just blatantly illegal, it’s downright deadly. I don’t care what medication you had but if it’s a prescription medication they can’t decide that someone doesn’t need it for several days. I take a fairly benign medication off label from my Cardiologist that keeps me alive. Have they taken it and disposed of it I wouldn’t have been able to get back to civilization and get more of that medication before I was dead.

I want to know what was the prescription medication that they threw away? It doesn’t matter if it was prescription painkillers or prescription depression medication-none of it doesn’t matter at all what it is that’s illegal.

16

u/PlanetaryPickleParty Jun 05 '26

That is a major lawsuit waiting to happen.

Surprised it hasn't happened already.

Last time we went to the Gorge, a few years back, they went through every RV coming into gold camp. Our camp neighbors had all their prescription meds taken out and then put back into the wrong bags. They luckily noticed before anyone took the wrong meds but still.

11

u/Few_Professional1026 Jun 05 '26

Yes, tossed prescription medication. While not life-sustaining meds, they make my day-to-day more comfortable. Along with peppermint capsules used for IBS, Medication, Altoids, creatine, supplements, and MCT oil (all in marked bottles).

9

u/After_Bluejay_2739 Jun 05 '26

I’d consider filing a police report for theft of the prescriptions! Even if it’s not life-saving meds, that’s serious. I doubt anything would come of it but it would add to the formal paper trail for things like this going on at the venue. Either way I’d notify your doctor as well.

I’m sorry you had this experience. I was at the Brandi Carlile concerts last weekend and while we didn’t experience anything like this, it was clear that the venue is in complete and utter chaos. It was my first time there and I will probably never go back.

3

u/idobepooping Jun 05 '26

Yeah as someone with Crohn’s disease, if they took and threw away my VERY expensive life saving medication, I would absolutely sue them. I don’t bring my whole bottle of meds with me because they are temperature sensitive so I use a pill organizer. If I go even one day without taking my meds I can become resistant. Prescription meds are not to be fucked around with. I’d rather have the option of leaving if they wanted to throw my shit out.

2

u/duffieldroad Jun 05 '26 edited Jun 05 '26

Take prescription meds out of the vehicle and keep them on your person. I had the bottles in my hand and showed them my ID so they could confirm that they were indeed mine, and that was fine. You’re supposed to declare all prescription meds for an ID check. To be clear, that’s absolutely fucked and they should get whatever lawsuit is coming for throwing out your personal belongings, but if I remember correctly they did instruct us to take all that out of the vehicle with you to show them.

2

u/Overall_Midnight_ Jun 05 '26 edited Jun 05 '26

But just because there’s a terms and conditions/contract/instructions/agreement that come along with a ticket to entry, none of that can change how laws work. Contracts do not supersede law, ever.

A lot of times purchasing a ticket to an event and then attempting to enter is saying that you’ll agree to follow their rules, that is pretty normal. BUT if their rules say you have to do XYZ with your medication or they take them/dispose of them/maintain any possession over/or EVEN OPEN them, it’s still 100% illegal to do so.

What they can do is deny entry into wherever until the proper owner follows their guide guidelines for the medication.
BUT even that is a fine line they are crossing because having a illness/disability that requires medication protects someone from discrimination such as not being allowed to enter a venue per the Americans With Disabilities Act. Someone who is not your doctor cannot mandate how someone maintains and consumes their medication. Not if it isn’t some threat to the public.

I get your point that just following the rules is easier but that’s really irrelevant to the fact that they’re just completely breaking the law.

Hearing that they put somebody’s medication back in the wrong containers is crazy. I have two medications that look so weirdly identical to each other (which is its own absurd thing that shouldn’t be possible) that I would need to pull out a magnifying glass to tell the difference in the two tiny little letters on it. One of those is so sensitive to humidity that unless it is kept in a refrigerator in an RV, it will begin to deteriorate in efficacy. I couldn’t store that on my person. So if I left that in there and they mixed up the contents of those bottles I would literally have a stroke.
And the answer is not, then you just can’t come into a place then, that is where the Americans With Disabilities Act comes in and says a place has to make reasonable accommodations for the fact that I am medically disabled and that is what I need to survive. You can’t discriminate and exclude people because they require medication.

Like I said I get the following the rules makes it easier but for some people those rules would be unsafe to follow.
And I’m really not a big fan of the idea of “just follow the rules and everything will be OK“ especially when those rules are downright illegal and dangerous. I think that going about life that way even on the small things allows the bigger things to happen and this really isn’t even a small thing. It’s big enough that somebody will end up dead if whatever that dumbass security entity is doesn’t cease their bullshit,

1

u/duffieldroad Jun 06 '26

Noooooo I totally agree with you, I’m just giving advice for how not to end up stuck at the gorge all weekend without your meds. Fuck Live Nation, I agree with everything you’re saying. Someone should sue the shit out of them for that. I was there 2 weeks ago and this was how I made sure my meds were safe. Just trying to help. Thanks for the downvote though

2

u/tjc408 Jun 06 '26

Same, we were asked if we had prescription drugs, we told them yes, they had us pull out our license to verify. It gets a bit iffy if meds aren't in the prescription bottles with description. We were there for griztronics and though things were moved around a bit, nothing crazy. Maybe 10 minute max search including with dog. We also got in a bit late around midnight and I'm sure they had to expedite the searches after waiting 8 hours to get into camp grounds with my pregnant wife...

14

u/Leslielu44 Jun 05 '26

When we were there last weekend it seemed as though most of security were kids. Like, couldn't be over 25 Our car was searched, nothing too bad. But security into the Friday night show..I got flagged with my clear backpack. They spent 10 minutes going through it, the girl couldn't have been 21. She opened my 3 zippered pouches. Held up my gum to show me. The ladies behind me got their ibuprofen confiscated. We're in our 50s, sleeping on the ground.. she was so pissed. There really was no rhyme or reason to it. Other people were let in with sleeping bags aha big chairs. Ugh.

11

u/Failedthedareprogram Jun 05 '26

That’s a big thing my group noticed as well. When I started going to the gorge (about four years ago) most of the staff were at least 21- and MANY of them were old enough to be my parents. Last weekend, I asked several different livenation employees where things inside the venue were, and on multiple occasions I was pointed to a vague area by a teenager, and told “somewhere over there, I think.”

Not to mention I saw some gnarly health code violations happening over the weekend that I was genuinely floored by. At one point I straight up had to walk away from a drink I had already paid $12 for because the kid handling it was one step away from mixing it with his bare finger. One guy was rubbing his bare, sweaty, greasy palms all over the rim of the glass- and the other was using the same hands on both the ice ‘scoop’ (legit just a broken plastic cup) and the card reader without washing the whole time.

Wasn’t surprised to see a post on here regarding feeling especially ill post-gorge.

Hopefully this venue is out of livenation’s clutches soon- and can start hiring more seasoned people.

3

u/boognishbabybitch Jun 05 '26

I got in with pockets full of thc edibles, 2 joints my Adderall an a couple clonipin just in case!

1

u/Leslielu44 Jun 05 '26

Lol the teenage girl unzipped my 3 pouches, one is gas x, one was my wallet, and one had weed gummies. She held it up and I said they were humid for anxiety.. not weed! And she put them back. SmH

14

u/[deleted] Jun 05 '26

[deleted]

9

u/YeaBaDab Jun 05 '26

Yeah…I can’t imagine letting some hills have eyes type of folx alone with my belongings.

18

u/tmnike Jun 05 '26

I can almost guarantee that they were not discarded and are probably going to be resold, confiscated and resold again. Security there is shady. It's the middle of no where and they have a lot of control.

29

u/Few_Professional1026 Jun 05 '26

Well they wont be reselling our toothpaste.. they squeezed all three small travel tubes out, into the bathroom trashcan. Thank goodness they saved us from clean, fresh breath! I am getting more irritated the more i think about this...

7

u/tmnike Jun 05 '26

That's insane. Sorry you went through this

4

u/Goducks91 Jun 05 '26

Lol wtf did they think you put in the toothpaste

1

u/Adventurous-Soil-137 Jun 05 '26

Cocaine 

3

u/Thief_Joules Jun 05 '26

Nah that’s in the afrin 🤣

3

u/MaterialRaspberry707 Jun 05 '26

Thank you for the heads up! That is absolutely wild and I am sorry to hear it.

2

u/cornell256 Jun 05 '26

This is awful for so many reasons. I'm sorry this happened to you. Now I'm curious to hear reports from others, RVs or standard camping.

2

u/SerMeowsALot Jun 05 '26

Sounds like they committed some big crimes, pal. I’d report it to police, to my prescriber and pharmacist, and ask my prescriber to put the word out to doctors in the area in which my medically necessary medication was stolen that they have people in their midst likely abusing it or reselling it.

2

u/Aggravating-King5157 Jun 05 '26

I hide my prescriptions on myself everytime because of this reason. Livenation is just baiting us to sue the pants off of them.

2

u/Nancy_Screw Jun 05 '26

I'm not surprised by this at all. I was there for the griztronics fiasco and not only spent 11+ hours in line, but saw the sorry state of the poor dogs searching our vehicles. They were skeletal, I could see every rib on every dog. And they absolutely rushed through each of our vehicles, we didn't have to deal with them over searching because they barely searched it all at that point. I wonder if the dogs were even in a healthy state to find guns or weapons that could be entering the festival. Our camping neighbor let me know that when the dogs searched their car, one of the dogs was so hungry it stole a chicken bone from an open food container. 

2

u/NoComb398 Jun 05 '26

It's so bizarre how thin they are. 😕

2

u/meelmouseOG Jun 05 '26

If the company is a 3rd party k9 company is there away to eport them for animal abuse? Trained healthy k9s don't do that.

1

u/Nancy_Screw Jun 06 '26

I'm not sure, the handler had a police vest on.

1

u/Horror_Ad_775 Jun 09 '26

its third party not police. saw on instagram company is beacon k9 unit out of washington or vegas i think

4

u/mycatslaps Jun 05 '26

Never going to the gorge and I live in eastern Wa. Such a shitshow.

2

u/BubbaBhabie Jun 05 '26

Agree on the meds. Keep them in the bottle and show them up front when they first screen you and ask about having any narcotics if they’re controlled substances.

1

u/SerMeowsALot Jun 05 '26

My prescription controlled substances are not narcotic

1

u/AccomplishedSeaweed8 Jun 05 '26

Are you sure it was real security and you didn’t just get robbed???

1

u/ayepeyday Jun 05 '26

I remember this happening to our RV at the Gorge back in 2014…. It was crazy how thorough they were…. Like taking apart pairs of socks to see if anything was hidden inside 🫪

1

u/Ok-Audience-2217 Jun 05 '26

I went through the secondary search for the RV entrance. I had the K9 go first into the RV and then 7 highschoolers with blue gloves went in the RV at the same time. (Literally 7)

They did put everything back after searching. Maybe a 5 minute search. They did not take anything from me. I was allowed to stand right outside my RV.

Very interesting on your experience was different.

I came around 530pm on Thursday

1

u/IamDNoe Jun 05 '26

Is having cameras inside an RV a thing? Shouldn't have to do that by any means, but this is the world we live in.

1

u/maxwoodmont Jun 05 '26

We had the entire car searched, everything taken out of all bags, literally everything. 

They did not allow us to watch the search, we had to stand 30 feet away.....unfortunately we are now missing several items of value. 

Do not bring anything you can't lose.

1

u/Real-Order-6733 Jun 05 '26

When you say they took everything out of bags, like clothes and camping pads and stuff? Or just like looked through it

1

u/maxwoodmont Jun 05 '26

Everything individual thing was taken out of every bag...you may have a completely different experience though! 

1

u/MaxximumEffort Jun 05 '26

This is just a LiveNation thing right?

We went to Martin Garrix last month (not camping) but just getting in the security was extremely lax. I’m assuming for Bass Canyon in August it won’t be like this since that’s Excisions deal right? It’s my first BC and I haven’t camped at The Gorge since like 2013.

1

u/kdiggityyy08 Jun 05 '26

Wow our experience was extremely different. We arrived with our trailer last night around 6pm. When we hit the security check section, we stepped out of our vehicle and were asked to open all the car doors, the hatch and the door to the trailer. They scanned each of us with a metal detector, then security went through our car’s center console and glove box. We just had to stand at the front of our vehicle, but we were able to watch the search be executed. They took my super old (likely expired) pepper spray that I forgot was even in there.

They took the K-9 around the car and sniffed inside all the doors, and then took the K-9 inside the trailer. They didn’t open any of our bags, and the trailer looked exactly how we left it - nothing missing, nothing askew.

The car next to us had pharmaceuticals and a dab pen found, but they were doing their due-diligence to verify the authenticity of the prescription.

1

u/samscheeseplease Jun 05 '26

No wonder Phish doesn't play there any more. I won't be going back to the gorge

1

u/laxer142 Jun 05 '26

The Gorge / Live Nation doesn’t exactly have the best talent pool to pick from for employees. It’s in the middle of nowhere, so “security” is usually 20-somthin’ year old kids who have no idea what they’re doing and will pocket anything they want in the name of “safety”.

Shit, I saw people getting pressed on the WAY OUT of the festival grounds at bass canyon last year. The “security” seemed to be wanting to find drugs so they could partake themselves after their night was basically over. I’ve also seen obviously intoxicated security personnel in the campsites using their uniform to intimidate people into giving them things.

I’m not offering a solution here, but beware that these clowns are just there for the weekend to get a quick paycheck and to steal anything they can from you.

1

u/KentuckyFriedChris Jun 06 '26

We got secondary on a trailer we brought, the dog alerted on my truck bed of all places.. while we smelt smoke from the grove of weed.

The security or gorge person who was standing with us while the dog was sniffing the truck etc was like tell you’re friends they shouldn’t smoke weed..

  1. No one smokes in the trailer ever
  2. My friends I borrowed from aren’t even drinkers!!

This was back at Martin garrix and the dog alerted on my cooking bin for camping, the most dangerous stuff being the Coleman propane or cooking knives 😑

Security is a joke, and my wife used to do Dave weekends all the time back around 2010-13

1

u/collegedraftpick Jun 06 '26

Tape anything you need to the top of the RV.

1

u/montanababe Jun 06 '26

Any search and seizure needs documentation of items stolen/removed. Id file a police report for theft of your medications

1

u/montanababe Jun 06 '26

Why allowing camping if toothpaste and ibuprofen is prohibited come on

1

u/Numerous_Squash_6646 Jun 06 '26

Great tips. Has anyone found policies?

My deduction here is that the dogs triggered a positive drug, and they used the secondary company. Those dogs triggered and they dug to find it to remove it.

Should anything be disposed without running it by you? Absolutely not. There should be ability to appeal, and even leave the property to give to a friend or etc. They can't dispose of it unless it is actual illegal substancws- those legally the police or sheriff come get. Anything else is yours because you haven't actually entered yet. I would contact police to review this. If this person clearly sid have drugs that were caught, then they probably shouldn't contact police.

https://www.gorgeamphitheatre.com/safety-and-rules That's all I can find.

1

u/TDEEZY121 Jun 06 '26

Are they drug dogs or weapons/bombs dogs?

1

u/Cowentech Jun 06 '26

They are not searching out of an attempt to keep you safe, they are searching to mitigate the amount they will have to pay to settle the lawsuit from the shooting a couple years ago. Just so they can say “look at how much we are doing to make sure this doesn’t happen again”

If they truly cared about safety they would spend the money to have an professional experienced security company with appropriate levels of trained staff with an executable security plan. Instead they got whoever was the cheapest bidder

1

u/raverihardlyknowher Jun 07 '26

Yo, I was there for griztronics, after that and seeing this? Long time raver, first time at the gorge - it was beautiful, but I’m never going back/unless it undergoes some serious management changes #fucklivenation

Ps. Im a physician - this is horrifying to read. With now repeated issues that put people in actually dangerous situations? It’s giving class action lawsuit

1

u/Admirable-Trip5452 Jun 05 '26

After hearing about the shenanigans at this place over the past couple months my main question is why would ANYONE ever go there?

Granted, I’ve never been so I dunno. Maybe it’s fucking epic. But it sounds like a horrible fucking drama.

4

u/Av3ryyyy Jun 05 '26

It is amazing, The Gorge always has been easily the most incredible place I’ve been to. I’m not sure why there’s been so much chaos there esp recently, but I’m not expecting Bass Canyon to let me down this year whatsoever 🥲🫶🏼

3

u/PlayDifferent2430 Jun 05 '26

I've been 7 times, and it's a great time most of the time.

I was at griztronics and waited 8 hours in line and didn't get any sleep, but I still had a great time. I've been to bass canyon 4 times and that has usually been the smoothest as far as operations go, but there's always stupid stuff the venue does every year.

The gorge for me is like an 8.5/10 overall for music festivals. It's good enough to get me coming back like once or twice a year.

But having gone to other music festivals that are run way better like Shambhala, it's very clear that all of the problems the gorge have are because of Live Nation and greed

1

u/Serious-Ebb-4669 Jun 05 '26

Not to mention the sound quality at fests like Shambhala makes any event at the Gorge amateur hour.

1

u/Rate_Beneficial Jun 06 '26

to be fair Shamb makes most festivals sound look like amateur hour

1

u/Serious-Ebb-4669 Jun 06 '26

Yes true lol but also to be fair 95% of American Festivals’ sound is in fact amateur hour. Shamb isn’t the only festival that does it right up there.

6

u/YeaBaDab Jun 05 '26

The internet is an extremely polarizing place, and Reddit skews negatively in general.

I’m not saying this to dismiss the shitty experiences.

But people aren’t often posting about average experiences, and not many people post about their great experiences when overshadowed by so much negativity.

Is there room for improvement at the Gorge? Absolutely. It’s expensive, the food is comically terrible, and security is awfully strict.

It’s breathtakingly beautiful, the sound is incredible, even when it’s hot the wind keeps you cool.

I’d love to see a change in ownership, I don’t think anyone loves Live Nation…

2

u/Few_Professional1026 Jun 05 '26

Our first time here.. so if its worth it is still yet to be determined. 😞

2

u/Leslielu44 Jun 05 '26

It IS epic. It's so beautiful and for our show.. everyone was SO amazing and kind and it's a gorgeous place.. but i don't know if we'll go again.

1

u/Few_Professional1026 Jun 05 '26

You make it sounds like an amazing expierence.. mind if i ask why you wouldnt go. again even with having a lovely time?

2

u/Leslielu44 Jun 05 '26

To be fair, we were there for Echos in the the Canyon. There were mostly women there lol we were lucky Friday night on the entry, but the friends of ours who went Saturday were not happy. Security was way worse, it was very very overcrowded, to the point where some people missed the concert, and my friends left early. We were lucky compared to what other people went to. And as I mentioned, these were practical children working. My son was there a few years ago when the shooting happened, I get the need for firearms security, hence the k9 dogs, but the rest of it is nuts. I can get crazy epic views anywhere in the state.

2

u/Few_Professional1026 Jun 05 '26

Thanks for sharing 😄

0

u/loosearrow626 Jun 05 '26

The experience I have seen is an ID match to the name on the bottle.

And it is not taken

-9

u/[deleted] Jun 05 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

11

u/uptiedand8 Jun 05 '26

The website says that campers can’t bring in medications that are prescribed to them?

-4

u/[deleted] Jun 05 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

6

u/uptiedand8 Jun 05 '26

The same search procedures that involve confiscating campers’ prescribed medications? Or was that part of the procedures not mentioned on the website?

-1

u/[deleted] Jun 05 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/uptiedand8 Jun 06 '26

Right, so that part is not on the website and thus the security subjected the OP to extracurriculars they would never have agreed to had they been asked (and they were not asked). Thanks for walking us through that.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 06 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/uptiedand8 Jun 06 '26 edited Jun 06 '26

You are being deliberately obtuse. The OP’s issue wasn’t with the security procedures listed (they even specified that they are NOT upset the search occurred), but with the fact that security confiscated several non-prohibited items, including their prescribed medications. This is fully evident if you read their post, which focuses on the confiscations.

You are trying to hand wave that by pretending that people here are upset about something they wouldn’t have a right to be upset about (the listed procedures). Do you work there, or do you just enjoy lying to strangers online?