Remember When David Bowie Was Arrested in Rochester?

David Bowie got arrested in Rochester once. It is one of those tales, kind of the like the Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw incident in Buffalo, that all the locals just know.

After a show he played at the arena (it was called Community War Memorial back then) in 1976, he was arrested with 3 of his friends on marijuana charges. Due to the incident, Bowie never played in Rochester, New York ever again. Eventually, the case was thrown out. 

According to the Democrat + Chronicle:

David Bowie, the English rock singer, was arrested early yesterday at the Americana Rochester Hotel on marijuana charges. Three other persons, including a Rochester woman, were arrested with him.

They were charged with fifth-degree criminal possession of marijuana. Police said they confiscated what they described as about half a pound of marijuana. The charge is a Class C felony, carrying a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.

I mean, a half of a pound is certainly a lot of pot, but the more ironic part is, that 50 years later, we are in the process of making pot legal in New York State. Now I am not an expert on the law, but I'm pretty sure if you have a half of a pound of pot, it still might be a problem, even in 2021.

Bowie passed away in 2016 from cancer.