Grateful Dead

In my senior year at FIT, my roommate and I scored 4 tickets to the Grateful Dead Concert in Tampa @ the Sun Dome. At the time my roommate's girlfriend was a Kathy, and my new friend was a Kathy. So we started driving, Ron, Kathy1 & Kathy2 but when we were on 192 leaving Melbourne, I realized and remembered that the tickets, were still on my dresser. This was the first glitch. So next, about 30 min out of Temple Terrace, my roommate produced 4 hits of Looney Tunes blotter. I was a total novice with this stuff, had only tried blotter once and it did not do much. So I took a single dose, while the Kathy's split one between them and Ron did one as well. As I pulled into the parking lot, we found a great spot and I pulled in. When we got out of the Car, I started to feel the "Looney Tunes". Suddenly a dead-head strolled up to us and said "Doses?", I replied "We are Dosed" and gave him a Thumbs Up, He just smiled and strolled off in his Tie-Dyed Shirt. When we got in line, we were next to Biff from Squamish, our Anti-Frat, and I figured we would run into someone from Melbourne, that was a nice thing. The show began, and my Looney Tunes started to kick-in Heavy. I had visual hallucinations, every single cigarette smoking person in the Stadium would leave a trail of light when they lifted their arm to draw on their Cig, I just could not stop staring at the hundreds of cigarette light trails, I liked it. Then The Dead started to play their awesome Music, really sounded amazing, but... then, the Music became just sound, a bunch of noises and effects. I had lost my ability to decode continuous music. The rest of the show, had me staring at the Crowd who were dancing & swaying side to side, and they began to oscillate moving in unison to a blurry visual cadence. Then the Phil Lesh Bass Solo blew my Mind, it was like extra terrestrial sounds that became diagrams suspended in the center of the stadium. Geometrical patterns that floated to the cadence of the sounds. I just sat there, scared to go for a Beer, so Kathy1 went for a Beer Run, I did not feel the Beer at all, it tasted great though... Once the concert was over, as I walked the Halls to the stairs, I stood frozen as I cam upon a Door with a sign that said "Caution High Velocity Winds", I just stood there wondering if that sign was me tripping.... Kathy1 grabbed me by my arm, and said, "come on we are leaving". When we got to the Car, I could not find my keys, and this was the second glitch of the evening. What I did not realize, was that I had left the Car open, with the Keys in the ignition. Kathy1, Kathy2 and Ron were already inside, as I cursed myself for having lost the keys. Well when I saw them smiling at me from inside the Car, I said, "Wow I am really losing it", I can see them in the Car but I lost my keys? Well Yes, they were in the Car and got in as the Car was un-locked, without me noticing. I had paced around the Parking Lot as they slipped into the Car without my knowledge. I tried to walk back and forth to see if the keys were on the ground, and I wasn't sure what happened first, heck the Looney Tunes and I were all-in by this time. I then jumped on the roof and stated freaking them out, and finally got in the drivers seat. Kathy1 looked at me and said "Are you OK to Drive?, this can get like a Cartoon!". I said "I'm OK Kathy, just be my co-pilot". So I drove us out of the Stadium and on to Fletcher Ave. headed West, wrong direction. I, for the life of me, could not muster a U-Turn. I kept driving past every intersection, trying to turn, but just could not. I could see fine, I just had a weird feeling I could not release. Then Fletcher dead ends, and I was forced to make a U-Turn, and I did. We pulled into a 7-11 on the Right, and scored some Big Gulp Sodas. The rest of the drive to Melbourne, everyone in the Car was yelling at me telling that I did not know where I was going. Well, they did not know, that my Uncle, lived in Temple Terrace, and I was very familiar with those roads, my best kept secret. Ron was really tripping and laughing out loud, his words were not making sense, but His buzz was great, and I felt great that the Looney Tunes now was not as strong as in the Stadium. So I kept driving below the speed limit, East, on US192 as I knew that this was a one-shot to Melbourne. After what seemed like 4 hours, but closer to 3, everyone fell asleep, and I just drove the rest of the way on US192 with my Big Gulp and the Radio Playing Classic Rock, or whatever the FM gave me. When I finally pulled into Southgate Apts. from Babcock Ave., close to 3am, everyone woke up and said "Wow YOU made it Rich!". So I gave Kathy1 and Kathy2 kisses on their cheeks and went into my dorm, and put on Jefferson Airplane - BARK, then spent the rest of the early morning 3:30 am until 7:00 am spinning records, enjoying the rest of my Looney Tunes Buzz. That was a show where the Dead was not so much for me a Concert, but a total adventure. The Concert itself was a big fog for me, and that was the last time I ever dropped Acid blotter. I figured that I pushed my luck, and survived, with a sign from above that I should be a more responsible driver, than a Tripping College Student. Time distortion is fun, but it is a very special thing, and maybe a Concert is not the place to Trip, a Forest or a Botanical Park is probably the better venue, or maybe attending Mass, to better understand what the Priests are saying.

This was a great show but what stood out for me was the kindness of the Heads in the parking lot scene. I went with my brother and a couple buds and for the 1st time in my adult life, was out of weed. Lo and behold, we were hanging out in lounge chairs in an empty parking spot in the space next to our car, resigned to emptying the cooler of beers we had brought along, when all of a sudden some Phreak comes zooming around our car - headed right for the spot we were lounging in. Luckily, the guy had his wits about him and braked and saved us, but then we found out he had rushed down from Boston for the show and was in a mild panic. We offered him a beer to welcome him and join us in celebration and upon hearing we were weed-dry, he gladly handed us a joint! Problem solved! Later I was wandering thru the lot, grooving on the scene and noticed 2 things at the same time - a Phreak in a car ahead obliviously rolling one and a cop coming in the other direction, scanning cars for "illegal activity". I popped my head in the rolled down window and said "cover it, cop coming" and the dude slid a magazine over his frisbee filled w/weed and we did the fake buddy chat as he approached. "Hey man...gonna be a great one, eh? blah..blah.." and cop, seemingly satisfied, kept walking. The guy was so grateful he handed me a nice nug and thanked me profusely. So...the kind Heads indeed provide for those in need! Just good vibes, good luck, good people and good times! There IS nothing like a Grateful Dead concert!

Thought I would check this one out start to finish this morning. Good show had a lot of fun here. Funny thing happened to me many years later. Around 1995 met this girl here on cape cod she and I started seeing each other and as I always do asked if she ever saw the dead? Her answer floored me because the only show ever went to was this show here . She did not go to the show just to the parking lot to find some things for her and her friends. I am the one she bought those things from. She was a great, GREAT soul, ......Loved her like a sister. Christine was for sure someone very special and fun. God bless you my friend