07.10.22 After 33 years I'm calling it quits....I think

     Yep, that's me 33 years ago holding a beer outside the old Giant's Stadium waiting to get into my first Grateful Dead concert. There have been countless other shows with the Grateful Dead, The Dead, Furthur, and lastly Dead and Co. I have enjoyed the last run of the band with John Mayer. Last night the show was, well great on paper, and there were spots of goodness, with the most being Jeff Chementi during Franklin's, but got the crowd going right before the encore. 

 

     But this is a good show to end the run on. It was Erin's first show, ever, after being in earshot of the Grateful Dead since she was in the womb. She got to see some things, things I really hate about the tailgate experience. But Shakedown was the biggest I have ever seen and there was really good vendors. I could have done without the local-gang-thug-wanna-be-mafia-guys running around with nitrous tanks and littering the parking lot with balloons. Well before that, the $30 to park, in these times, well any times, its just wrong. Couple that with a $31 face price ticket that somehow comes out to $59 due to "fees" and $16 beers inside. Maybe I'm just getting old. 

     It was also a first time show for Lauren's bud Brandon. They liked Shakedown and just people watching and of course Lauren and I got our grilled cheese which has become a tradition in a few short years. 

     There's a few things I would say. The venue was too big, a lot of empty seats by design and mixed in the crowd. We were up in the nosebleeds and the people all around us must have had seats with velcro on them because not many got up even when the music got good. It didn't matter

if it was during the day or into the night, they just didn't get up. I was always a Bob guy and it was nice to see him looking a little more polished up then last year. It was only him and Mickey from the original band last night, and boy has Mickey aged, and quick. But the other boys did a great job including the drummer who sat in for Bill, I think it was Jay Lane.  

     At the top of the page are some memories from a scrapbook that including a ticket stub and a pic from my first show, July 9, 1989, and last night's "ticket" is dated July 10, 2022. The set from the

1989 show is was follows, 

Shakedown, Jack Straw, West LA, Victim, Queen Jane, Bird Song- Intermission- China, Rider, Samson and Delilah, Built to Last, Truckin, Drums Space, Gimme, GDTRFB, Throwing Stones, Not Fade Away with a Brokedown encore. 

And last nights show, 

Trucking', Watchtower, Sunshine, Looks Like Rain, Brown Eyed Woman, Estimated - Intermission- Samson and Delilah, Help, Slipknow, China, Rider, Drums Space, Cumberland, Days Between, Franklins Tower with a Brokedown encore. 

Funny how there were a lot of similarities and the Brokedown Palace encore. I watched as Erin maneuvered her car out of the parking lot past the concert goers and past the parking lot hangers sucking the last bit of gas out of the gallons walking amongst traffic. I have done that, driving  

through hordes of people, countless times, and may have done it for the last time. Although, I could be tempted to just go and pay the $30 and tailgate and people watch, get in early, get out early, and get to bed early. Man, I'm getting old. "This could be The Last Time".....