This would be the last time ...
Trip Start
Apr 18, 1989
1
6
13
Trip End
Ongoing
Where I stayed
Shoreline Amphitheater
Mountain View, California
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Before taking you on my journey back to New York ... I had a short journey north of Monterey, CA ... to the town of Mountain View, CA. It was on this night that I would see my favorite band, The Grateful Dead. Little did I know, this would be the last time I would see them in their original line-up, and more importantly, with Jerry Garcia. He died a short two years later ... but that's a whole different ball of wax entirely!
So, I got out of class as soon as I could. I still had to wait for the friend that I was going to the show with. He seemed to take forever to get ready ... for what, I don't know ... unless you're trying to impress a bunch of hippies with how you're dressed! Anyway, to make a long story short ... we got on the road pretty late. Couple that with traffic and the crowd at the show ... we damn near missed the entire 1st Set. I could hear "Loose Lucy" as we walked through the mingling folks, with no tickets, in the parking lot ... frantically pushing my way to the front of the line.
By the time we got in, I was able to see a couple of songs, before Bobby told the crowd it was "break time". I was pissed ... and even to this day, looking back in hindsight ... knowing now that it was in fact my last time seeing them, I'm even more pissed that we missed so much of the show.
The Dead came out for a rockin', but chill second set ... I was thrilled to shake my bones to some good music, and especially on the grassy, green hills of the Shoreline Amp! I always loved it there ... such wonderful sunsets, with music playing ... it couldn't get any better for me at that time!
When the second set ended, I knew they would come back out for an encore ... and that they did! Unfortunately for me, my friend (who did the driving) insisted that we leave to beat the crowd. Again, I was pissed considering how much we missed at the beginning. So, as we walked out ... hearing the band play "I fought the law" ... I had mixed emotions. I always loved seeing the Dead ... and when I knew it was over, it made me sad everytime!
It was my last time ...
Take advantage of what you have in your life. Hold the ones you love ... show your appreciation! You never know when it could be your last time. I would never compare music to a real, live person. But I do hope you see my point.
To The Grateful Dead ... thank you, boys ...
Forever Grateful!!!
