Grateful Dead

dead.net the official site

The first time I heard the Dead was from my twin sister playing American Beauty in our basement as we shot pool, sometime in 1977. When I finally got tickets to see the Dead I was in college upstate (Oneonta). I cannot recall why my sister and I did not see this together. Instead, I went with a roommate - we drove down from school earlier in the day. No doubt he was tripping (he loved acid). He was totally not impressed (he came to hear Dark Star). I was in heaven from the first chords of Jack Straw.

GREAT RELEASE

This was my second show; I was still 16. To get tickets, we didn't have the internet, we had a Ticketron booth in the basement of Haines (sp?) Department Store in Bloomfield, NJ. When we got word of the on-sale date, we would skip school (or cut class, at any rate) to go get in line in the parking lot. I, somehow, was the ONE who was able to go get in line, and of course, had a wad of cash from, like, 4 different friends... so, I get up to the little desk/booth, ask for 4 tickets, and zzziippp, claaaaacxkkk, buzzzzz, here comes four upper-level tickets... WAIT! I forgot to get one for ME! May I have one more, please? Sure! Zzzzzziippp, claaaaacxkkk, buzzzzz... Here you go... WHOA! 9th Row Floor! Serendiptiy, Kharma, or just good luck? At the show, I sat next to a very lovely lady who knew the band and had a backstage pass; she gave me the pass after the show, and I still have it in an album, along with some truly pathetic Kodak Instamatic photos I took of the show; actually, they're kind of trippy... I'll scan and post when I get my scanner working. Great, high-energy show, part of which we were able to memorialize, thanks to the 'King Biscuit Flower Hour' radio program... And now also the 'Go To Nassau' set. Great stuff, very heady times for a 16 year old... oh, and that 9th row floor seat was all of $11.50... Gim