Grateful Dead

convert a jpg or pdf for posting here? You can PM me or make it public. I've got two pics from Playin', end of first set, 28 July 1973, and a pdf of a front page newspaper that will show the extent of the crowd and reveal how close I was. Stories in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...

Great story and great pics. Monarda it is. Lear something new. We are having the weirdest summer ever. Lows in the mid 60's. Raining like crazy. What I save on the utility bill for a/c I spend in gas to mow the lawn.

hendrixfreak, i can't wait any longer, looking forward to your stuff Wordy feels-like travelogue ahead, “bear” with me. Promise not to do it again. Editing this to 11.10.73 PITB> At the appointed hour… 45 years ago, right about now, about 200 miles west of here, near a racetrack, this music. (most interested to read others accounts… how much did I forget or make up…) Three of us took off from central Maine Thursday July 26 mid-day, old Volvo, scenic route across New Hampshire and Vermont.. It would be a ten hour plus run, never mind whatever we ran into on site, so we decided to split it in two, take time to stop and smell the roses, CKR. Anyone exploring central New Hampshire should enjoy the east-west Kancamagus Highway through the central White Mountains, long as your brakes are good. Figured to get there early Friday as we had an inkling things would get crazy, though we had purchased tickets. Two of us college boys ran the campus radio station, we had news off the AP wire and from friends it would likely bust out. Fan of The Dead for five years by then, but first my show came just four months earlier in Baltimore. Not old enough (parents forbid) Woodstock, largest event before Summer Jam was Concert For Bangladesh at MSG summer 1971. This would be big. We listened to cassettes on the way, especially various ABB and the original Europe 72. CDs would not appear for almost ten years. Don’t recall exactly where we camped out Thursday night, somewhere north of Saratoga Springs in the Adirondacks. Besides camping gear, we had a big cooler packed with home-made gazpacho, sandwiches & beer. As noted previously, the dark ages of beer, or maybe the age of dark beer… already snotty snobs about Bud Miller Coors, Ballantine IPA was barely drinkable, about the most exotic thing we could find being Carlsburg Elephant or Spaten Oktoberfest. Next morning we broke camp quickly, provisioned around Saratoga, made the run to the track asap. We were on schedule, goal was to be situated on site for lunch with enhancements. Like the antique cigarette tin box loaded with fine Columbian fatties (nickname of CKR/seeker). No trouble getting close late Friday morning, parked maybe a third mile away from entrance, spot selected for quick egress. Lots of people around, short lines getting in, plenty of room mid field, excitement and anticipation. Quite the scene walking in from parking to gate, many people just hanging out, vendors for about whatever you might want, setting up shop, free floating. Very relaxed, sunny and getting hot. No hustling to get inside. They were taking tickets at the gate, not yet declared free, things were organized. We strolled down towards the stage, past long rows of porta-potties and pallets stacked with gallon water jugs which early on defined the edges of what space they thought they needed. Hah! Most all the way down in front of the stage, we realized it was up in the air some 10-12 feet, we could not see half way back into mid stage. Eased our way back towards and just short of the sound tent on stilts… set our spot just right of dead center forward. Spent the rest of afternoon blissfully hanging out, wandering around, checking the scene, where you from, folks from all over, more and more people all the time. We had space for our small tent and room around it, we spread out a bit. Slowly but surely everything filled up around us, what that would mean later on. Many rumors circulated early afternoon as to some kind of music that night. Heard stories about the soundcheck being planned, or decided when they realized how many people were there, can’t tell other than there was a very high level of expectation, something would happen. They knew it too. Roadies messed around with stage stuff a lot, re- positioning and finishing touches on equipment, mikes tested, then they would vanish for a break back stage… amps were left on. Someone would play, at least a local/regional band. Time out for images… have seen a bunch of different stuff but found a collection on flikr by Grant Gouldon many of which were taken from very close to where we landed Friday. Like if he had turned a slightly different way, there we were. Thanks Grant. Will publish a link here because simple search will open it up anyway, hope this is OK https://www.flickr.com/photos/grantdabassman/sets/72157603224730871/ Somewhere along into early evening there was a flurry of activity… The Band came out and Robbie Robertson leaned into a mike, “do you mind if we tune up a little”. Roar approval, he seemed a bit goofy/tipsy. Started off with The Night they Drove Old Dixie Down. There was a confederate flag unfurled behind them, iirc. A slightly different world back then. They played for maybe 30 minutes, left the stage. People were breaking out their goodies, chowing down, biggest picnic I ever seen. Flow of inbound people looking for spots had just about stopped, didn’t seem to be much room anymore and moving around was a bit chaotic, a few clear paths. Little more time passed then ABB came out, they looked a little tenuous and played briefly, just a couple few songs iirc. If you don’t know iirc, it means I could be making all this up, but don’t think so. Didn’t seem to me that they played long, not for more than 25-30 minutes.They took off and then things went quiet for a while, people got up and moved around though we saw activity on stage, fingers crossed, they were dead roadies. Still plenty daylight, just starting to fade, almost 8 pm or so. The Dead came out to whistles and cheers, they began fiddling with their stuff. IIRC, vivid memory, Jerry walked right out to the front edge of the stage (precarious) and looked around for what seemed like several minutes scanning/surfing the crowd. Folks called out to him of course. He made eye contact with dozens and dozens of people, nodding his head, picking up the scene. Shook his head as he moved back as if to say, woah, just look at all these people out there. They launched into Promised Land, horrible thin audio. Took first part of that tune to dial it in, no Phil in the mix for a minute. By the time they hit Bird Song, everyone was up and dancing. To date, one of my all time favorite Bird Songs even if you had to be there. A great jazzy feel. My recollection was more better music as it got darker and darker. Two solid sets, they finished around 11 pm. The jam was clearly a special departure. We knew they were deep into it, Phil said a couple times, “remember this is just a soundcheck”. Or maybe there was an echo. We were in an afterglow somewhere way north of midnight. The aftermusic scene down front was wild enough to keep going for a while. About as perfect a day as imaginable for this music punk. Saturday was a let down for me after such a day… hate to say, you’ll see. By late morning our position was being overrun with a crush of humanity, we kept shrinking the footprint to no avail. Getting around anywhere about impossible, first time I ever felt a little claustrophobic… no fear, just no room to breathe… you about had to walk over or on top of many many people, relaxed but way crowded. Maybe the bourbon from the day before had gotten to me… We stuck around for the first dead set, however it became more obvious serious storms were headed that way. Great music, maybe not quite the equal to the previous night, we did not want to leave, but…. Plus it was hot, sun seriously beating down, dark roast, powering up the incoming front. Not like we would ever find another decent spot walking out of the sea of humanity. We could not believe the number of people. We had considered how much more we might endure, our provisions were ok to marginal, we just decided to get the heck out of there. Hard to believe perhaps but elbow to elbow going into bad weather and once it hit, felt we would be stuck among potentially tens of thousands seeking shelter, trying to leave or get back to their cars at the same time… spelling chaos. We headed out reluctantly and made it back to the car just as the first big fat raindrops fell… then held back briefly enough to think we were crazy to leave, before the total downpour. We sailed out easily, wipers on high. So grateful to have been there Friday. Sincere thanks to dead.net and archive.org for providing us with all this wonderful music and a place to discuss it.

so this time of year... Monarda? hummers here love Monarda ceptin' deer got much of it first... so very fragrant when leaves crushed, like a minty basil aromatic some of those cute fauna eat way too many things intended for food or visual pleasures i offer a free, all expenses paid trip via a havahart trap for chipmunks to the local state park

do they force 'em to listen to Justin Bieber! Okay, I'm making a liquor store run, then gonna do some ramblin' here. Back in a few.

I sit in my fun room looking out the window. Yes yes when the family migrated from Europe to found this country they cleared and blasted their way through the wilderness, practically hunting the pests into extinction. Now the pendulum has swung the other way with the environmentalists. As I stare out the window, wheels spinning in my head, I look out on this rejuvenated nature. Last year, a young red tailed hawk matured in the trees in my back yard. Now I am looking out at what looks like 10-12 youngins. Just 10 feet away, there is a baby rabbit gnawing on some clover. Little does the rabbit realize that in just a few months he will be lunch for one of these red tails. Precious! Also, have a few hummingbirds feasting on the nectar of some red budded plant. They are literally just 5 feet from me, if they only knew...

When the warmth of my medicine kicks in. Mmmmm

I remember reading once that Bill K had listened to the 9/14/74 Munich show and being excited how well it sounded... around the time of the Winterland October 74 shows...

Wasn't suppose to arrive until Monday!!!

Hendrixfreak - guilty as charged. Sentence: 120 hours of continuous forced listening to Justin Bieber and Rick Astley. But seriously, I (and many others) wanna hear your stories.