Grateful Dead

Life-changing on many fronts. Spent the day on line duty with my friend Steve's friend Bennett, who I hardly knew at the time. By the end of the evening we were pals for life. (Bennett, known as rosebody hereabouts, co-founded the Well's Grateful Dead conference with Gans and me.) This is a classic instance where the setlist isn't that much to look at (to me anyway) but the music was incredible. Franklin's Tower, one of my faves then and now, was a straight shot to infinity and beyond. For years Bennett and I used to greet each other with "happy anniversary" on this date. Due to unfortunate world events, we don't dare do this in email any more lest we be branded terrorists.

I found my people!!!!

Even though the band would play in Europe now and then, I'm not a very lucky person, and they seemed to stay away the three years I lived in Germany. The show at the Greek was my first back in the States. Listing the first 13 Dead shows I attended was really easy, and done with 100% certitude. I was living in Southern California during that time, where I counted myself lucky that the Dead played there even once a year. For all but one of my remaining ten shows (for a total of 23 + two post-Jerry shows would make 25), I was living in the Bay Area, which is a whole other story. The frequency of the Deads local appearances, repeatedly in the same small handful of venues, makes it hard for me to really be sure which ones I attended.