Grateful Dead

The night i first met Bill........he was wandering aroung the lot behind the bus station,the camp-out days sure were fun.I got a Miracle ticket,a mail order one that happened to have the same art as the shirt I was wearing.....GD Thinker...What a tour

...to this set of shows in Providence (coming right after my 18th birthday on 9/4) because I got stopped by the cops after my b-day celebration, going 105 mph (in a 55 zone, natch). that was bad enough, but the open beer in the cup holder complicated things (I didn't think it wise to explain that I NEVER drink and drive & had only had a couple of sips to aid the wicked dry mouth I was suffering due to the actual intoxicant in my system). My folks weren't amused at having to pick me up at the police station at 3:30 am (they wouldn't let me drive even though I passed the breathalyzer) and much damage control had to be done to prevent a tour-killing grounding. luckily, my folks believed me when i said i didn't know anyone i could sell my tickets to & they weren't made enough to make me swallow that $, so I got to go. lucky thing, too, as these were some of the funnest shows I ever saw -- even if other shows had been song selections, even better playing, these Providence shows had a great, happy, danceable energy to them that made a huge difference (compare, say, a typical Meadowlands show during this era, or, worse, f'ing Hartford!) La Bamba was much fun -- and set the stage for the Brent-driven bar-band fun of Good Golly/Devil in a Blue Dress later on -- but the standout for me was Stranger>Franklin's.

this was day one of my 1st full on, start to finish fall tour. We celebrated with a lovely XTC/LSD combo. By the time LaBama rolled into earshot, I knew that my college career had come to a close.