Grateful Dead

I love all of these stories! Here is mine: While working at The Nature Company in 1992 I volunteered to work a book signing of "Panther Dream" with Bobby and Wendy Weir. I tried to talk to them at the table, Bobby was fairly unresponsive but Wendy was super cool. I managed to steal all the promotional signs from the store that was announcing the event and had Bobby and Wendy sign them all (even thought is said that they were signing copies of the book only). As the event was wrapping up I went to go get my purse out of the bathroom/storage closet. The door was slightly ajar, I knocked, and pushed the door open. There was Bobby!!!!! Yeah, he was peeing. No, I didn't get to see anything. But dang! Was I embarrassed. That was a day I'll never forget!!! T

There's a bit of intro here before I get to the story..... I met my friend Stuart Kaplan (now Dr. Stuart Kaplan) in line for tickets in early 1986 in Northern Virginia (outside of D.C.). We chatted it up good and he told me about his thousands of hours of soundboards, etc. Sooo, I finally had one of the best tape sources going. Lucky me! ; ) Stu and I became good friends, and his wife Stacy became good friends with my wife Kristen (now ex wife). We did a lot of things together, went to shows together, etc. Even our first born children were born less than a month apart. Stacy worked for Four Seasons Hotels and when the Dead would play DC they stayed there. She was "in charge" of making sure that they were all well accomodated. During the 86 RFK run, Stacy and Stu befriended Stacy Kreutzmann and her dad, Bill the drummer. ; ) They also got to know Dennis McNally, Candice Brightman and a few others. From then on they were pretty much "on the list." Stu invited me to go with him and one of his other friends (can't recall his name) to the Friday night show at the Spectrum, which was a little over 2 hours by car from DC. He said that all was set up for tickets and backstage passes. I'm like, "YES!" So we get to the Spectrum and go to will call and sure enough, tickets and passes are there for us, and FREE to boot. I was all smiles. At will call they told us to enter the arena from the loading dock area, so we walked around the place and got there, and it was roped off and secured by a couple of Spectrum henchmen. Stu is talking to these guys and it is becoming rather heated as they are refusing us even though we have backstage patches stuck to our shirts. After a few minutes of getting nowhere (Specturm security always were as_holes) there is a voice coming from down at the bottom of the loading dock, and the voice say's, "let those guys in, i'm in the band." It was Billy. ; ) We walk down and Billy is like, "hey Stu, good to see you man." And we thanked him for showing up, and he sat and talked with the 3 of us for about 15 minutes. Stu's buddy asked him if he wanted to smoke a doob with us and Bill said, "oh no, I can't go onstage stoned, I don't do that anymore." We laughed about that one considering they were at one time the "acid test house band." Anyway, Bill was a great guy, treated us all as equals, and during the set break, we all hung out in the reception room having some grub and beverages and I got to actually chat with him one on one for awhile. The only other band member who was in there at the time was Bob, who was leaning against a wall looking like a complete space cadet, not talking to anybody. I was fortunate to go backstage many times thanks to Stuart, and aside from this particular instance, getting a massage backstage during drums at Compton Terrace in 1990 was pretty bomb indeed. ; ) Thanks for reading. Go Grateful Dead! Go Bill Kreutzmann, thanks for being cool and down to earth. ~Tom ( The AllTomMitt Drawing Machine)

I got to meet Tom Constanten at a Phish show at the Cow Palace, November of '96. He was sitting a few rows behind me. I said hello during the set break and he gave me an autographed promo card for his Dose Hermanos CD! Nice guy.

Ok kidz I got a few stories of meeting different band members:Met up with Jer in San Rafael, I think it was around 1992, he was riding a moped about 3 blocks from Club Le Front. We followed him to an ice cream store( I think it was Baskin & Robins) Pulled in the spot next to him and waved, he smiled and waved back than proceeded to get his treat. We waited and snapped a picture as he rode off smilin' and eating his cone. Same year, Jer literally knocked me down as he was leaving the rear of the wharfield after the JGB gigs. It was dark, and I had my back to the door as I was tryin' to light a bowl. He said,"sorry man", and hopped into his beemer. Had drinks with Brent in Hamilton Ontario at the Hilton Hotel Bar ( he was smashed and told us he loved us). Saw Billy at the grace slick art opening in SF, chatted w/him for about 5 min about her artwork. Talked with Bobby after the x-mas benefit @ New Georges Nightclub in San Rafael w/sammy hagar, He was trashed and I helped him into his ride! He said afterward,"don't I know you?" The list goes on... You gotta figure that after all those years and shows you're gonna bump into them sometime. LOL... Boy life was crazy back then

but it was the closest interaction I ever had with a band member. Was at a Bobby & The Midnites show at a bar in Reseda, Ca., 1984 I think, and I was packed up against the front of the stage and Billy K. was doing the drumming. I don't remember who the leadguitarist was but he was quite good and during the last song he played a lead that just started tears running down my face. After the song Billy looked at me and threw me one of his drum-sticks and that just made me feel on top of the world. Sadly, I don't have the stick anymore but I've always thought highly of Billy for that one kind act.

I became friends with the band and Ramrod so they informed me about which shows were the good ones to attend while the band was on the road. Ramrod would give me his employee pass to use. About the only thing they actually liked about playing shows in the bay area was they were easy to get to for the most part. They liked NYC and Red Rocks the best. So knowing not to go to the first few shows or the last few shows of a tour was something I had learned. I'd go to Chicago because they always would have a couple nights off without travel and they liked staying at the Ritz Carlton Hotel. Once when I was checking in there this guy wearing chrome reflective sun glasses, a Cubs baseball hat, and a Grateful Dead tee shirt bumps into me in the lobby but I ignored him for the most part and looked at the girl that was with him. Next thing this guy bumps into me again and somewhat harder than the first time, I probably said something to him but don't remember what. Then this guy bumps me again and says "It's me Weir, I'm just testing out my disguise" and tells me he's going to go jogging with his girlfriend and hang out in a nearby park where a bunch of Deadheads are chilling on a summer afternoon before the show that evening. Another time I went to the US Festival and got up early Sunday morning to try and hitch a ride to the show from the hotel. As I was walking down the hall Garcia came out of his room, the two of us nodded at each other, didn't say much if anything and we just walked out the backdoor together not knowing what to really expect around 7:30 AM. Some guy neither one of us have ever seen before comes rushing over and says "everybody else has left, you two are the last ones and there are only 4 seats in the last helicopter leaving this morning, 1 for the pilot, 1 for the copilot, and 2 seats for you guys in the back" This guy probably though I was Jerry's manager or something. Jerry knew exactly what was going down and went right along with the program as we both climbed in the back of the helicopter. Neither one of us said one word to the flight crew or each other the whole flight. Jerry didn't like being up at 7:30 am and having to go for a helicopter ride one bit and I wasn't going to piss him off even more by saying something lame. Later after the show I hung out for a while and then caught a ride back in a hotel shuttle van. The van driver was a young kid and there were two women wearing white dresses, white gloves, and white summer hats and myself riding back to the hotel together. I think U2 was playing at that point but I'd never heard of them. About half way back to the hotel the kid runs the van out of gas, says he's very very sorry and tells us he will go and try and get some gas if we don't mind staying and watching the hotel's van. This kid was really freaked out and I hadn't flashed on the whole situation as to why he was so nervous. The girls tell him that's fine we don't mind at all. Don't worry, we're cool here and besides we don't have to be back to perform until much later tonight. Oh ya, Fleetwood Mac is the closing act and now I realize I'm sitting in a van that's out of gas with Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie somewhere near Ontario, Ca through no fault of my own. luckily no drummers were there. I wasn't sure if they both hated the Grateful Dead or not so I never mentioned anything on that level. They told me they hadn't wanted to hang out at the hotel all afternoon with the rest of Fleetwood Mac so they had come out to the show site just to check it out and kill some time. When we got back to the hotel in Ontario, Bear is in the parking lot doing something to his MG that he was trying to sell to Mick Fleetwood and I just troted right past him with Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie on our way to the lounge. Of course on other occasions things didn't go exactly like that day, like the time security kicked Brent and myself out at the Oakland Auditorium between the 2nd and 3rd sets on New Years eve once. Brent wanted to walk down the street to the nearest bar that time but I convinced him we should try and sneak back in which wasn't easy to do on New Years Eve! 10-4

I used to work security back in the day. the first show I ever worked was the boys at the Providence Civic Center early 80's. I worked the pit, right in front of Bobby. After the show I ran into Micky backstage, and that was it. At a Bobby & the Midnites show at The Living Room in Providence I worked the dressing room door after the show. I ended up sneaking in after things calmed down and hanging out with the 2 Bobbys, and partying with Kenny Gradney for most of the night. Prolly a year later at Lupos Kingfish played, and Billy was drumming for them. It was early, and he was just standing there outside the dressing room door, so I went up & shook his hand. We talked for about a minute and that was that. I never got to meet Jerry, Phil, or Brent unfortunately

The only time I met Jerry was very brieflly at the Aladin Casino in Vegas. The whole band was checking in and I just said Hi and thanks and good to see you and left them alone. After the show at maybe four in the morning, though, I was trying to get a beer at the casino when Bill the drummer showed up and stood right next to me. A guy on the other side of him asked what he wanted and he said something about Jack (I think), so I said, "You shouldn't be drinking whiskey at this hour; you need to play tomorrow." He gave me a dirty look and walked away. It was a struggle the next night at some amphitheater south of LA - what was that place called? Anyway, I couldn't tell if it was the band or just me or both, but it seemed a slow show, and I damn near slept through it. Here's another don't be a dick story. I was outside Oakland Aud. the year they started playing Althea and Sailor/Saint, etc. Weir drives up and a small group are standing around talking with him when some guy yells, "Hey, Bobby, don't play Lost Sailor tonight!" It was NYE and I think they had already played it two or three times in the last four shows. They played it again that night.

We used to run into Hunter in Safeway in Guerneville, usually wandering around looking for some late night snacks. Terrance McKenna used to frequent the general store in Occidental as well. He liked "Cherry Garcia" (tm). His license plate on his old blue Ford said "NNDMT"! We have a picture from the paper in Sebastopol of Mickey with my wife & our (then) baby daughter Cassady Rose at the bookstore. I got to say hello to Jerry at the last Grateful Dead show I attended in Eugene in 1993. Last song he sang that day was "Liberty"...

My buddy Jay and I got tickets to a Colombus show for Bob Dylan/Phil Lesh. Dylan did the first set of the show as Jay and I twirrled towards the back of the arena. 2nd set, Phil comes on..... This is the strangest thing I ever saw.... SHEET MUSIC...... Phil was playing to sheet music and we were probably 2 rows back for floore seats. I distinctly remember jammin to The other one and Phil looking directly at me SMILES and throws his hand in the air Singing "DOIN A CIRCLE!! COMMIN AROUND!!" The eye contact and the smile made me feel that instant that I was a part of something. something BIG. I"ve seen Ratdog and Phil and Friends since then, but I never seen either group use sheet music since then.Phatmoye

Back after a long hiatus....hope you all understand. I eill try and get these vines out today, now that I have the time...please understand. This has been an adventure for sure. Hope you all have a grateful, day, cuz I know i will. Finally, freedom. ~peace~ Critter _____________________________________________ Will you come with me? Once in awhile you can get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right!

NOW God picks(IS) the song" Skip A Rope The Monument Song " . . NOW " Radio Heart " ... all (enough) songs have been written. She just picks one for the moment.. NOW . . . Welcome to GodHeaven,, part 1.. :^)

If only I had been a young, hot, blonde, female, I bet I would have gotten to meet somebody in the band once in 32 years of going to shows. I did get to learn to play guitar and see the country though. Thanks for the music.

Well, it's taken me a while, but after that last post I felt a cleansing freedom come over me. Thank you Deadnet. All the buried anger I've had on a lot of different subjects has been released through these topics. I can't help you with your troubles, if you won't help with mine

You stated u r from Toms River, NJ...I also grw up in Toms River, graduated Toms River Northin 1981, now live in SF bay area...Toms River very small town, well was when I left for CA in 1981, wondering if i know u, my name is Bob Mack, if u do know me email robertmack3944@sbcglobal.net whata trip

they could've taken a minute or two after a show once in a while to shake some hands of regular fans, look 'em in the eye, and say thanks for coming to the show. It would have made me think they cool to give back a little to the fans that have allowed them to live a life of luxury. Oh well. God bless 'em anyways. They say love your brother But you'll catch it when you try

earlier in this thread) Let me tell you my story about an 'encounter', but first grab a cup of coffe (or your preferred beverage) and get comfy, because this will take a little while. Brevity is not my forte', so bear with me on this. The background/ back story is information that will help this all make sense. Back in 1977, my girlfriend (now wife), myself, and two buddies decided to roadtrip from Nebraska to the old Winterland for the New Year's Eve shows in SanFran. I toted along with us a clay scupture that I had made the prior year. It was a one and 1/2 foot (in circumference) dragon that was biting/consuming it's own tail. I had 'scraffitto' (carved designs) into the entire beast's 'hide' and then it was fired and stained. It was the biggest piece of clay sculpture that I have ever made. And I thought it would be fun to give it to the band on New Years. So away we go, get to the venue and secured tickets for the run (12/27-29-30-31-77). The shows were unbefuckinliveable (see DP # 10) and Winterland was a great hall (but I'll save that for another time and thread). But on the 31st, we were sitting on the sidewalk waiting for the doors to open, talking and watching the circus, ready to hurry and get in for the 'activities' ie. freak volleyball and Bill Graham was going to show us movies (Ray Bradbury's Illustrated Man and the original Beatles Magical Mystery tour) before that evening's show. I thought "I better try to unload the dragon aka 'oroboros' now, it's heavy and I don't want to try to talk my way though the front gate with it." I spied a door that said 'Backstage' and began knocking on the door. No answer. The line of people on the side walk started getting up and moving toward the enterance. Banged even harder thinking "I've got to get this dragon in there so I can go in the front and join in before the show", and as I pounded harder, the door yanks open so hard that it yanks me into the doorway. This doorway is immediately filled with a gigantic black man in a red event t-shirt, who puts his hand on my chest and leans forward and bellows "WHAT DO YOU WANT?" Startled, I held out the dragon with both hands and stuttered "to give this to the band". The giant took it in his immense hand and his face curls into a grin as he held it closer to inspect it and I watched my dragon shrink to the size of a key chain. He exclaimed "Wow, what is this, I'd like one" and I explained "it's an oroboros and that is the only one there is." He grinned and said "Cool, who do you want me to give it to?" and I said "to Garcia, give it to Jerry Garcia." The giant disapeared as quickly as he appeared and the door slammed shut like the the first time Dorothy tried to get into the Emerald City in the Wizard of Oz. So, I happily gain entrance to the show and needless to say, it was something, volleyball followed by the movies, the colorful/wonderful crowd, 'rainbow' Rose with an eyedropper of liquid party favor "just one dollar per drop. On your tongue or for the adventurous, a drop in your eye" (I could go on and on, but gotta stick to the background story). Oh and when each person walked through the entrance the staff handed us a piece of paper that had a message about a "surprise at midnight". The New Riders of the Purple Sage started the show and rocked the house. Anticipation was high and the Dead came out for the first set. Awesome, and then I noticed when the house lights went down, and the stage lights went dark inbetween songs, I saw it. On top of a monitor, inbetween Billy and Mickey, there was a flame, it was a white candle sitting in front of a dragon consuming it's tail. It was oroboros, ON STAGE WITH THE DEAD! I watched as Jerry walked over and lit a cig off the candle. They took a break and the surprise for the second half was Uncle BoBo (as Bobby liked to call Graham) dressed up as Uncle Sam on a motorcycle sliding down on a cable suspended high from the back of the hall to the stage. They put spotlights on him as he approached the stage and it ws hilarious as he came to the stage, the weight of the bike and BoBo was too much and the stage hands had to drag him onstage and then the explosion of Sugar Mag, complete with dropping ballons and baby New Years (male and female). I was 'sittin' on top of the world (Dead reference intended). What a night!! We walked out into the cool San Francisco early morning and drove through the fog (!) back to Nebraska. This is not the end of the tale. Fast forward to another road trip to Madison, Wisc. on 2-3-78. The Dead were on a roll (see DP # 18) and it was a killer show. The next morning before I left the hotel, I got a wild hair and called the front desk and asked "Could I have Jerry Garcia's room please?" and the phone rang and Jerry answered! I said "Hey, I'm the guy that brought the dragon to the New Year's show" and Garcia said "Meet you in the coffee shop in 20 minutes". I couldn't believe what was happening but stumbled into the coffee shop at the appointed time and looked around and saw Jerry Garcia seated at a table with a ravishingly beautiful raven-haired gypsy woman. I walked over and introduced myself, and 'shook the hand, that shook the hand, of PT Barnum and Charlie Chan'. Jerry beamed that smile and gestured and said "sit down, man". He asked me "How did you fire that dragon so that it didn't expode in the kiln?" and I explained how I had cut it in half and hollowed it and joined it back together. I told him how I had used a guitar string to 'halve it" and we locked eyes at that moment and he burst into laughter and I said "Ironic, huh?" and Jerry quiped "No, man that makes perfect sense." And then we laughed some more. Then the gypsy/beauty said "where are you from?" and I replied Nebraska. And she shot Garcia a glance and stated "he came all the way up here from Nebraska to see the band!" To which Jerry shrugged his shoulders and retorted "we didn't ask him to come" and looked at me and we both howled with laughter again. No deadhead was she. We talked more about art and the dragon and I didn't know at that time of Garcia's interest and practice in art (this kind anyway). He was completely engaged in the topic of art, but quick witted with 'turn on a dime' twists, turns, and little commentaries on a variety of topics. Jerry was also focused on listening, not acting like he was the important one, giving me time and locked in on our discussion and talking about our shared intersets. The gypsy woman frowned in disbelief as she asked me "You went out to San Francisco for New Years and then came to Wisconson" and I said yes and then I turned to Garcia and asked him "Why don't you come back to Lincoln, Nebraska?" He said "You mean to Perishing Auditorium?" and I corrected him "No, it is Pershing Auditorium, after the army general" and he quickly retorted "No man, it was perishing really!" And we burst out laughing again. At that Lincoln, Ne. Dead show on 2-26-73, there were a bunch of drunk frat boys yelling 'boogie, boogie" at the top of their lungs, but that show is topnotch! ( a DP, really great show) Anyway, I asked Garcia "could you bring the Dead back to Nebraska" and Jerry grinned that chesire cat grin and said "who knows?" I took my leave (their breakfast arrived) and drove home. Then that summer the Dead came back to Omaha, Ne. on 7-5-78, and I taped them with my NAK 550 in FOB, and followed them to their/my first Red Rocks shows. So that is my story, Jerry Garcia was totally gracious, engaging, enthusiastic, and kind to a deadhead who approached him at one moment in time. starsleeper- there are MANY instances of this. Just gotta poke around. The Truth is realized in an instant, the act is practiced step by step.

What a fantastic storyThanks! And the road goes on forever.... BobbaLee

story Oroboros! Thank you for sharing that!********************************** By trying we can easily learn to endure adversity -- another man's I mean. Mark Twain

In the early 80's I was with my girlfriend (now wife ) and on friday nights when everybody was off to SF to go see the name bands we would ride the Harley to Uncle Charlies for jam night, on this particular night Django Grisman was there playing and his dad showed up, not too much longer Jerry showed up and they along with some local musicians started to cover different genre's and were just having one helluva good time . During the evening Jerry would make his rounds and talk to people in the audience, we were so fortunate to be part of that and wound up talking with him for at least 45 minutes he made it seem like we were old friends just talking about anything and nothing in particular. Forward to about 8-9 months later I was working as an apprentice carpenter and as was the norm I never knew where we were going when we loaded into the truck. We drove into Novato and go up this road thru the fog and before I know it we are on top of a knoll above the fog and the view was spectacular almost surreal, while I was taking in the view a man comes walking up beside me and says this was the reason he bought the place, I turned to look at him to respond and it was an OMG moment I stammered out "it's you " to which he replied " hey I remember you, you were at Uncle Charlies" we talked for quite awhile which didn't bother my employer as they were Deadheads too. Just so incredible that someone who has performed in front of thousands upon thousands of people could remember me from just one meeting, just one of those experiences that I will always cherish. To this day still my best experience as a carpenter.

I have only spent a few days along the California coast I don't know how anybody works there. My wife, kids and I would stop every quarter of a mile to look at the gorgeous scenery. It is certainly mesmerizing. Thanks for sharing this nice story. And the road goes on forever.... BobbaLee

I see that at a couple of the Furthur east coast shows any regular ol' fan who wants to support the voting group Headcount can have the opportunity meet Bobby and get a photo taken with him and an autograph. Helping out a good cause and meeting the fans, that's really cool. God bless you Bobby.

At one of those extended runs in the late 80's early 90's after immediately after the show, we were walking in front of the garden, or there abouts, when up from the alley way comes a speeding van. It was an older van, very inconspicuos, but moving at a fast clip, honking the horn. It was coming from under the Garden, so I can only assume that it was the Grateful Dead trying to make their fast clean getaway. This was at the height of their popularity, so I think that was a logical conclusion.

This is an odd story since it wasn't me that had the close encounter with Bob but a guy who is my co-host for my radio show. JZ waited in line for the new I-Phone 4 back on June 25th 2010, the same day Furthur was playing the Highland Bowl in Rochester NY. 1st show of the summer tour to be exact. He is hanging with Bob and the Drummer for about 3 hours in line at the apple store in Eastview Mall in Victor NY (just outside of Rochester.) He knows I'm a DH but he doesn't know Bob is in the band or pretty much anything about the band. I see his tweeting about the guy he thinks is in a band but by the time he figures it out I'm pre-gaming in the parking lot. We do a show together the next day and he relates his story and I just about flip out! I said "you should have called me" and other same type reactions. Since JZ didn't know Bob, I asked him what he thought of him and he said he was a cool guy and people kept coming up to him during the wait expressing their love for the band. He figured out he was somebody big because of all the people approaching him. There you go!

with enough body and integrity for the serious cabernet lover lol

Jerry - My father told me a story of when he used to be a security guard for a hotel in Syracuse, the Dead played here and he was going up the elevator and and Jerry came on. Jerry lit up a cigarette, and my dad said, "Hey, you can't smoke in here!" And Jerry laughed and blew smoke in my father's face. My dad looks back and laughs about it today. Vince Welnick - My father's business was to rent out his Hammond B3 organ to bands coming to Syracuse and around CNY, and Vince Welnicks group in the late 90's played and he borrowed the organ. Unfortunatley he said he was kind of a jerk, was really drunk and kept yelling at my dad and his friends about the organ. Said he was gonna smash it and stuff like that. During the whole show, Vince left a big crystal rock on the organ. I'm not sure if that was a good luck charm or something... But he left it there on the organ after the show because he stormed out yelling at my dad. I'm not saying Vince was a bad person, but it was just a bad encounter I guess. But anyway, my father gave me his crystal rock, and now it sits on my Marshall stack and I bring it with my at every gig I play. I wonder if anyone else knows about this rock?

It was the summer 2003 tour wnen the dead were playing 5 days at Red Rocks and they had a Wednesday or Thursday off between shows. I was working at a jersey store on the 16th street mall and still a little stoned and hungover from the previous nights show. I was out having a smoke on the side of the building when I hear 3 guys wondering where a baby clothing store is at. I hear one of them say "ask one of the merchants and they can tell you" I look up and its Bobby. I say "can I help you? Hey your'e Bobby!" He said yeah "do you know where a baby store is at?" I said I dont but the other guy I work with does so come on in my store. The other guy was an 18 year old kid and the extent of his music was Jay-Z and Eminem so he had no idea who Bobby was. I say hey man can I get an autograph and kind of looking around for this mob of deadhead who might have been hdidng around the corner to get Bobby. (Man I was high!) He says he will give an autograph. So I go in the back and find DP 18 and he signs it. I say thanks And told him I'll put that with his pick I got at a RD show. He then goes along his business. After he leaves I realize I had a copy of American Beauty with me but I was so out of it he signed a DP. Oh well. I also met Clapton at that store too but thats an entirely different story.

Sometime in the early 80's stepped into the elevator at the Alladin with Jerry, Bob, Bill and Mickey. Six or seven other heads on the elevator yapping away to jerry, I for the first time became tongue tied. Ironically after all those years of Jerry talking to me telapathically down in the front row of countless shows he didn't recognize me in the elevator. lol

At least I thought it was at first. Turns out it was Stefan, but for a minute I thought I had peaked too soon.

everytime they play.

I'm a noblesville Indiana native and I slightly remember the stories of the "gate crashing". Any stories would be greatly appreciated

December 5th, 1979 at the Uptown Theatre in Chicago. I was in radio at the time and got backstage passes to this show. Talked with all except Jerry during the break, Brent was "new" and very open - talked at great length. As I was leaving the theater, there he was - ready to leave out the backstage door. He smiled, I stuck my hand out, he grabbed it and all I could say was "great show". He said "Thanks". It was awesome!! In all my shows, this was the only time I had a chance to see the show backstage.

Hey now. The phenomenal "faretheewell" shows were amazing. Yeah! I went to Saturday Night's show in Santa Clara - yep, the opener. I thought they looked great, and enjoyed the song selection. I had to explain about the heavy weirdness during the second set. Some casual fans left during the big drone thing, and more got up when it appeared they were really getting lost...and some really seemed to be panicking up there, (on a club level), during the epic, "only", version of Aoxomoxoa's very experimental song, "What's Become Of The Baby". My copy of that record is well worn, uh, except for that track: near mint. I told of few people not to worry, they were seeing what will undoubtedly be the only performance of a rare track... Although, while witnessing the thing, at the time, I could not be certain the original Grateful Dead hadn't attempted the track in 1968 or early 1969. Had to check on that for confirmation. Had the original GD ever played it? Not according to my old well worn copy of Dead Base Volume 9. Anyway. Some funny looks out there in the club seats near the fan's main entrance (on the left if looking from the stage), which were probably slightly more filled by the regular guests new pro-football stadiums get. Footbal fans, who are season ticket holders enjoying the privileges of their status, but a bit baffled by some of our scene. Grateful Dead, oh they're nice aren't they? Touch Of Grey was a top ten hit in 1987-88 right? What was all this then? You had to expect that, but I'll tell you, the music was sounding very far out for sure. From up there a licking echo was happening, curling around the other side and back. And a lot of the kids now really like more experimental music, so I was proud of Phil for trying the song, and the whole band, getting so gone. And it worked well out of the music Mickey and Bill created. So good they could expand their universe into a 6th decade! Congrats! Keep it going. By the end of the show after Trey sang us to the exits with his easy Casey Jones encore, I was ready to call the band, "The Treyful Dead" forevermore. In fact I did, holler it out a few times "Treyful Dead!" to the amusement of exiting Phish-heads, (which I have never been), and not the squirmy stadium security, but I am hopeful the Garcia Gals were not too alarmed, as I yelled the phrase in the direction of the path we trod together, opposite direction... after show. Huh? I wanted to hug them one at a time, but I knew I might have blown the ever important first impression! With all the other nice moments, not the least of which was our special treat: a local rainbow exactly over Phil Lesh, who seemed to be in the center of the stage. I was not too surprised by the huge throng singing all the breaks to St. Stephen, "One man gathers what another man spills...". It was like we were at a Rolling Stones show sing the "Hey" in Brown Sugar and Satisfaction. We expected it. What did surprise me was to hear some of the many other spots the crowd was audibly singing along: Casey Jones, Truckin, Other One, Born Cross Eyed, Cryptacal Envelopment, Dark Star... We all sang right along. I also attended the Redwood City Century Theatre's live screening for the next to last and last shows from Chicago. The picture and sound were nearly completely flawless. Happy New Year. Shiney Mike. 1/20/16.

i know you posted 5+ years ago, but I just saw this...and appreciate it! thanks

Grateful Dead at Red Rocks Amphitheatre Morrison, Colorado on 8-11-1987 https://www.flickr.com/photos_user.gne?rb=1&path=salmo_gairdneri&nsid=&…

Got pulled into a circle on front deck before the show started by a giant sized Hell's Angel , after looking away from scary guy , (Passed the jay to )Jerry ,who was standing right next to me , Parrish asked me who I was, and the Angel told him to pipe down . I was with him . I didnt know him at all . Jerry told me to relax and enjoy. Blown out and scared shit all at once

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Got something a good friend made and want to share. What's a good place to post it?

Ran into Jerry and Bobby in a bar called La Strada in the French Quarter after the show in '80. Bobby signed my ticket. Oh the tails about that road trip :).

You catch this reply, it’s been awhile since you posted it, but great story! I imagine you lived everyday from New Year’s 77/78 forward with great pride in not only the art work but having met Jerry Garcia in such an intimate discussion! Very cool indeed.

I would love to talk to you more about this. I'm writing a book for my senior project in school about interviews with deadheads. Let me know if you would like to talk about your experience.

At the head shop I work at we get "samples" all the time of merchandise people are pushing.

We got bottles of cleaner in the other day (for glass ware), most of the cleaners are nothing but alcohol with salt mixed in. So I pay little attention to it.

A few days later I'm standing there and I see on the back of the bottle "-R Weir". Don't think much about it and smiled quietly to myself. Then I realized it was at the end of a quote. It was the line "the heat came round and busted me for smiling on a cloudy day"

Now I really looking at this bottle, I check the front and the product called "TO1". Underneath in smaller text "The Other One"!!

The product is out of Baltimore, I doubt the Dead organization has anything to do with it.

But I was surprised.