Grateful Dead

I was a sophomore in a Department of Defense high school at the time. Dad and I had gotten into the Dead after we saw their appearance on Saturday Night Live in early 1979. There was a time delay back then between when television shows aired in the US and when they made it on AFRTS (Armed Forces Radio Television Services). Mom had purchased the first album during her hippie phase in Colorado back in 1969, but it was not a frequent platter on the turntable until I dug it out of the pile. So...Dad and I were really thrilled to read the announcement of the band's upcoming tour and tickets were duly purchased. It was a great night. Heck, he did not even mind the puddle of red wine and vomit a few rows in front of us. Why should he? Even that was pretty mellow. He was one of those Army officers in attendance, but he continued to serve for another 12 years. What the other attendees wrote is true. No one was far away, the sound was fantastic, and Jerry was on top of it. Sadly, it was the only show I was ever able to attend. But, I cherish the concert memory because of the playing, the attitude of the other concert goers, and the fact that a high-school sophomore got to spend some time with his father; another overworked US Army Lieutenant Colonel.

This show was a huge lift for a bunch of US Army officers nearing the end of their three-year tours in Germany. A small agricultural hall, no seat was far away, and the yellow haze in the lights was as much from the dirt floor that the faithful were circling around on as it was the weed they were freely sharing. "Show me something built to last Or something built to try"