Wednesday, November 20, 1985

The '80's (for better or worse) was the decade I was seeing Dead shows. I only made it to 12-15 shows, but this one holds a special place for me. I always seemed to miss the shows where special nuggets like "St. Stephen" were pulled out. On this particular night, we got a special treat in the first set in the form of "High Time". The crowd was clearly grateful to be hearing a less "standard" song, and the vibe was religious.

I was 18 and flew out to California from chicago to see these shows. What a trip. I remember playing football of all things with these crazy hippys in front of the kaiser. Right before the dead came on, a joint made it's way past my friend Terry and I. We puffed of course. Then found out it was laced with dust. Jack Straw started and when it got to the part, my ole buddy you're moving much too slow, it felt like I was in slow motion. We recovered and had a great time.