UNIVERSITY OFFICIALS SAY ROCK GROUP WONT BE INVITED BACK

Mississippi State University officials say it's a safe bet the rock
group Widespread Panic will not be invited back on campus after
Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics agents arrested 53 people on drug
charges Wednesday evening at Humphrey Coliseum.

"People follow these bands strictly and solely for the purpose of
distributing illegal products," said Ronnie Frazier, the MBN's
assistant director of operations. "I think parents should know that
when a concert comes into town this is the type of thing that goes
on."

The drug bust ended with 24 people arrested on misdemeanor controlled
substance charges and 19 others on felony charges of selling drugs,
Frazier said.

At least seven MSU students were arrested on charges of drinking beer
out of open containers, misdemeanor drug possession and public
drunkenness, said Joe Farris, director of university relations.

"We don't know how the band got booked on our campus," Farris said.
"We don't condone the activities that took place."

Agents seized $6,856 in cash, a Chevrolet Tahoe, a Nissan Pathfinder,
a Saturn and 329 doses of Ecstasy, 254 grams of marijuana, 101 Xanax
tablets, 45 Oxycotin pills, 38 vials of liquid LSD, 23 LSD blotters,
22.4 grams of hashish, 6.3 grams of opium and four tanks of nitrous
oxide, or laughing gas, Frazier said.

"This guy was blowing up balloons with it and selling them for $5
apiece," Frazier said. "He said he went to a three-day concert and
made $90,000."

The buyer unties the balloon and sucks in the nitrous oxide to feel
euphoric, Frazier said.

Arrests took place primarily in the parking lot as the attorney
general's officers, MSU police, the Tri-County Narcotics Task Force
and Oktibbeha County Sheriff's deputies assisted. Most of those
arrested were not Mississippians, Frazier said.

Cigarette and marijuana smoke wafted above the 6,000 concertgoers
ranging in age from late teens to early 20s, said Craig Taylor,
agent-in-charge of the MBN's Starkville district.

"They were all standing up waving their hands," Taylor said. "It was
like they were all dancing at the same time. They were dressed in
'60s-style clothes. They called each other 'dude' and 'man.' "

In 1985, Widespread Panic formed while some members were students at
the University of Georgia in Athens. On June 29, the group plays at
Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jackson. Arden Barnett, the
promoter of that concert, could not be reached Thursday.