Grateful Dead

I was 17 at the time, the crowd was small but I went to all the shows in this the first Dead concert. I was able to walk in the dressing room Jerry and Pigpen were walking around and I talked with Phil and he let my friend play his base for a minute. They were all just regular guys and that impressed me. While playing, Mickey's cymbal fell and hit someone in the small crowd. After repairs the show went on. In that time St. Louis was so backwards that you took your life in your hands just walking down the street. It was a bad place to grow up in those days but it got better later on and the Dead played at the Fox Theatre many times.and I saw most.

What a concert!...I knew who these guys were but I had no idea that this concert would change my life permanently which it did...I have never forgotten that show and I can still see Mickey Hart (or somebody) grabbing the mike off the mike stand and smashing it repeatedly onto the the five foot tall gong on a stand...then he would take the mike and scrape it in a circular motion around the gong face making some incredible sounds...an awesome show!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!