Grateful Dead

This was third GD show and I was Sixteen and it was great! But I was hooked ever since my first show in NY State Pavilion Queens NY July 11th 1969! I was Fourteen and scared a little. Went with some older friends and I got lost but found them later before the ride home. Was so happy when I did. Remember hitch hiking down Route 70 from Toms River with my good friend Joanne. We jumped on two rides and were there about seven hours before the show. We had to waste time so we walked around Center and Old City Philadelphia and had a great time seeing most of the historic places like, Ben Franklin and Betsy Ross houses and many other historic homes and places. It was so much fun I went back a lot over the years with friends and family until about four years ago when we moved to Kentucky. Went to many a concert at JFK, Tower Theater and Spectrum to see GD, HT, MTB, LS and many others. The show at the Spectrum was general admission (as most of them were in large venues) and we stood right up front for the hole show and it was hot from everyone standing so close. You could fall asleep and not fall down. We were right in front of Jerry and Bobby and I could remember them to this day looking at me straight in the eyes at times. I remember Jerry’s guitar singing to me at times. The show was great and had to see them again and again and did through the years that I can and can’t remember. We hitched a ride home and was lucky again to get a ride all the way to Lakehurst. They were three GD heads that were at the show too. From Lakehurst we walked the rest of the way home. Was well worth it! I was really tired and crashed in my father’s work shop because I didn’t want to wake my family up. I remember My Pop covered for me and told my Mom I stayed at a friends house. I miss my Pop a real lot. He always wanted to here about the concerts I went to. Went to very many shows in Phila and the Capitol Theater in Passaic NJ. I kept all my t-shirts and concert ticket stubs (my stubs were tacked on my bedroom wall in a circle) but I don’t have them anymore due to my Mom tossed out and my belongings when I left home when I was Seventeen. Sucks. I have had a long strain trip anyway!

I was 14 and my bro was 15, this was a general admission show so we waited to get front row and boy did we wait. Anyhow once the lights went down and the boys came on stage the swell of the crowd just surged forward and practically lifted me off my feet. I was right in front of Jerry and all I remember was watching him switch from finger picking to regular picking like poof! it was flawless. Then there was Bobby spitting all over the place as he sang! We eventually had to get out of there during Big RR Blues because we were right up on the front boards and the crush was massive, Oh but what an experience it was! I'll NEVER forget it!