But this tranquil scene was punctured, if not broken, after Bowie’s show at Rochester’s Community War Memorial Arena on March 21, 1976. After the concert, according to an article in the Cannabist, Bowie, Pop and a couple of friends were busted at 2:25AM in their hotel suite by four vice squad detectives and a state police investigator who confiscated “about half a pound of marijuana.”

“Bowie paid all four bonds and then hit the road before his arraignment — for gigs in Springfield, Mass., and New Haven, Conn. — returning a few days later to plead innocent in Rochester City Court,” noted the Cannabist. “A crowd of about 200 police, fans and reporters looked on” as the alleged offenders were marched into the Public Safety Building. The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reported that “the biggest greeting was the screams of about a half-dozen suspected prostitutes awaiting arraignment in the rear of the corridor outside the courtroom.”

The newspapers also reported that Bowie, Pop and their friends were facing “a minimum of 15 years’ imprisonment on the drug charge but could get as little as five years’ probation if convicted.” But the charges were dismissed by a grand jury following a preliminary hearing on, of all days, April 20, which today stands as the preeminent “holiday” for celebrating marijuana in the U.S.

And that was pretty much the end of the incident. Bowie’s only interview on record on the subject, conducted at his lawyer’s office, found him complimenting the local law enforcement. “They were very courteous and very gentle,” he said. “They’ve been just super.” Still, it should be noted that Bowie never again performed in Rochester, according to the Cannabist.

http://ultimateclassicrock.com/david-bowie-iggy-pop-marijuana-bust/