Grateful Dead

Took a young friend, Forrest, to see the Grateful Dead for his first & as it turned out, last time. Didn't usually leave during encores, but, did so this night, after the "Brokedown" began... Had an errie feeling as we walked out into the parking lot, listening to that song fading off into the depths of the building.

These 4 nights in Los Angeles we very wierd. Can't put my finger on it, just felt very unsafe out there. A lot of negative vibes surrounded these shows. On a good note, New Speedway and Nobody's Fault were quite incredible.

Nothing groundbreaking at these shows and the vibe was weird. Bums were prowling the lots, looking for booze and spare change (or were those the new generation of Heads? It was sometimes hard to tell the difference). Where the Nobody's Fault came from, I don't know. One cool thing at these shows was the production crew had been filming stuff in the lot and using the footage and images on the projection screen / backdrop during the show. I specifically remember the guy with the two foot tall, bright blue Mohawk, kind of neat to see him on the screen during the show. Really not much to brag about here, I just don't think that L.A. and the Dead really mesh all that well together.

There were wierd vibes at the Sports Arena...the crowds at the Wharf Rats meetings were getting bigger by the second..I had friends who were in the mix...took me another 6 months to go to my first rehab...when Jerry died that summer I was off and running again....finnally got clean for 5 yrs...now im normal???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

After 30 years of fun I threw in the towel here as well. Didn't know for sure till later but I had that same feeling that I just did not like what had become. After the letters from Eileen and the gang as well as the band with warnings-I knew it was toast. The magic was just to hard to see.I couldn't see how we could continue with what was happening-a break/cooling down was needed but Jerry really took it to the extreme. God bless Phil and Bobby for trying to keep the lovelight shining. We still have a home. Peace. Thanks for the best of times GD.Never had such a good time...........

A real sad run of shows from the venue to the heads to the cops got some paranoidlayed in my my friends bus wondering if the cops knew I was high on acid. Peering thru the curtains like a crackehead. No fun at all at these shows.Veryy Saad shows the end was truly near.

After years of checking the couch for gas money to travel to shows for which we had no tickets, four years prior, I had gotten to a place where the band (or Hal Kant) was paying me a lot of money to tour with them. I was one of their att'ys. It's amazing how quickly you become jaded. Actually foumd myself telling Phil (I always sat at the mixing board on his side of stage, that I would likely skip the EOT party, as I was tired, and I had a beautiful woman who needed some private attention. A woman who actually chose to stay with ME than go with Bobby! I can't imagine ever having turned down going to a party where the Dead were, let alone going with them to a party a few years prior. But I did . . .

The last time they ever saw Jerry. They were out playing with the twirlers when I heard New Speedway Boogie and had to run back in leaving my wife with the kids.

good riddance LA this venue and the colosieum next door were home to some of the shittiest shows i saw i hate LA

I sat directly across from the stage in the last row on the very top row...but I had a good time. The parking lot was crazy this night not the typical west cost vibe. I brought a buddy from medical school that never saw the Dead. After the show he was totally hooked I remember driving back to Redondo and hitting the Fat Burger which is always great. To this day, he still talks about that show. We hit the Whiskey for some forgettable shows of someone I can't remember that same week, even Hollywood blvd has changed over the years.