07-12-2015, 02:49 PM
On the Monday after the GD50 shows at Levi's, I had nothing but a hangover. I never planned to go to Chicago at all. The budget is tight this summer and it seemed extravagant. The farthest East I ever went for the Dead was SLC and they paid me to go. I had already said 'fare thee well' during the Brokedown encore that Sunday night.
But GD karma is a trip, and I soon got offers from some dear deadhead friends - we have tix for you and a place to crash. One ticket is even a 'miracle'. Just get yourself to Chicago. I texted S and she replied with 3 words in lieu of 'i love you' - 'go for it'.
Next thing I knew I was on a red-eye out of SFO. The rest was kind of a blur. I used to habitually take notes at the Dead, songlists and random thoughts I hoped to keep - it was so I could write up reports which were part of my consultant job description with the ban. But I didn't this time. I instagrammed and facebooked a little, but for the most part, I just absorbed it all in - the last GD run - my greatest flashback so far.
Chicago was wonderful. This was my first trip there outside of OHare. Rain had been predicted, but in typical GD weather control style, the weather was perfect, sunny with a cool breeze, just lovely. I stayed downtown at the Kimpton Allegro in an extra bed gifted from my primary benefactors, two dear deadhead friends who I will never be able to repay. It was a swanky hotel and a colorful 2 mile walk down Millennium Park to Soldier Field. The place was swarming with deadheads. Chicago understood. Santa Clara didn't have a clue. Santa Clara was the warm-up. It was all about Chicago. Many of my east coast and midwest Deadhead friends have told me over the years that Californians were spoiled when it came to the GD. We got so many shows that we didn't have to work for it. The rest of the country were far more deadicated - they had to travel farther and go harder. I never understood that until now, the end. Chicago went GD in a huge way - special exhibits at the Field Museum, huge banners off the hotels, planes towing GD banners, a blimp with dancing bears and steal-your-face skulls, commemorative pizza boxes from the local chain, even the drug store clerks swapped their usual uniforms for tie-dye. I just stumbled into the Field Museum because it was right next to Soldier Field. They had a small yet delightful display, mostly of the GD50 decorated tickets and some rather trivial odds and ends, but they also had Tiger, Jerry's legendary guitar, displayed with honor in a museum case. The rest of the museum was fun - special exhibits on China and Vikings. I amused myself taking pix of swords scattered throughout their permanent collection, while checking back the the main court where the GD display was, chatting with other deadheads and admiring the displays.
Shakedown street was very formal - large canopies set up all over the lakeside greens of Soldier Field. An old friend, Benjammin, proprietor of Jamming on Haight (best tie-dye shop in the Haight Ashbury) had a major booth and had secured the tie-dye contract for uniforms for both Levi's and Soldier Field. There was a contingent of Rock Med deadheads and we were constantly texting each other, and aiding and abetting each other's mischief.
My seat were on Phil side (now Trey side) way high. I sat there for a few minutes but didn't stay long. Most of this show I spent roaming the halls, running into old friends, and squatting in their much better seats. I never did get to the floor. Nor did I make it to the club level or the boxes. Nevertheless I only missed 3 friends that I knew were there, and two were texting me (they were in the club level for the next two shows).
The show opened with Box of Rain - the finale song they played at Soldier Field 20 years ago, and the last one they played with Jerry. From there, the set took off. A smoking Wheel>Crazy Fingers>Music Never Stopped in the 1st, and then two of their most beloved jams Scarlet>Fire and Help>Slipknot>Franklins in the 2nd, and a surprising Ripple encore. Levi's #1 was the most psychedelic show of the run. Soldier Field was the most danceable.
Being an idiot, I let my iPhone run out of power from too much Instagramming. The problem was that I was to hook up with a buddy at set break who had my Sat ticket. Of course, I couldn't remember his number; it was in my iPhone. I tried emailing him from a friend's phone. It was stressful because it was a stupid stoner mistake. I should have saved enough power, or at least set up a meeting place as my power started to get low.
Getting out was a mess. Dead-lock traffic, on foot no less. They sent us on a ridiculous path to get out of the stadium reminiscent of that scene in Spinal Tap where they couldn't find the stage. Then we were stuck in a mess 'o deadheads, cheering on other deadheads as they tried to hop fences with comic fails and pratfalls. I was still trying to connect with my ticket-holding friend, so eager to get to another friend's hotel room as they could power me back up. When I got there, there was a ton of texts that blew up my phone. S was at the vet because Jingles had a terrible reaction to some inoculations (at least that's what we assumed happened). He had a fever and was severely dehydrated. After some emergency IV fluids, he was better. Poor pom... and poor S having to deal with that in the middle of the night. I reconnected with my ticket holder and he was staying at another hotel just down the street, so we hooked up and made the drop. The hotel lobbys were nuts, crazy with deadheads, lots of n2o balloons.
Mind you, this was all after a red-eye where I didn't sleep at all. I took a short nap when we got in, but then hit the ground running and spent the afternoon enjoying Millennium park and the museum. We got in like at 2 or 3, and crashed until after lunch.
But GD karma is a trip, and I soon got offers from some dear deadhead friends - we have tix for you and a place to crash. One ticket is even a 'miracle'. Just get yourself to Chicago. I texted S and she replied with 3 words in lieu of 'i love you' - 'go for it'.
Next thing I knew I was on a red-eye out of SFO. The rest was kind of a blur. I used to habitually take notes at the Dead, songlists and random thoughts I hoped to keep - it was so I could write up reports which were part of my consultant job description with the ban. But I didn't this time. I instagrammed and facebooked a little, but for the most part, I just absorbed it all in - the last GD run - my greatest flashback so far.
Chicago was wonderful. This was my first trip there outside of OHare. Rain had been predicted, but in typical GD weather control style, the weather was perfect, sunny with a cool breeze, just lovely. I stayed downtown at the Kimpton Allegro in an extra bed gifted from my primary benefactors, two dear deadhead friends who I will never be able to repay. It was a swanky hotel and a colorful 2 mile walk down Millennium Park to Soldier Field. The place was swarming with deadheads. Chicago understood. Santa Clara didn't have a clue. Santa Clara was the warm-up. It was all about Chicago. Many of my east coast and midwest Deadhead friends have told me over the years that Californians were spoiled when it came to the GD. We got so many shows that we didn't have to work for it. The rest of the country were far more deadicated - they had to travel farther and go harder. I never understood that until now, the end. Chicago went GD in a huge way - special exhibits at the Field Museum, huge banners off the hotels, planes towing GD banners, a blimp with dancing bears and steal-your-face skulls, commemorative pizza boxes from the local chain, even the drug store clerks swapped their usual uniforms for tie-dye. I just stumbled into the Field Museum because it was right next to Soldier Field. They had a small yet delightful display, mostly of the GD50 decorated tickets and some rather trivial odds and ends, but they also had Tiger, Jerry's legendary guitar, displayed with honor in a museum case. The rest of the museum was fun - special exhibits on China and Vikings. I amused myself taking pix of swords scattered throughout their permanent collection, while checking back the the main court where the GD display was, chatting with other deadheads and admiring the displays.
Shakedown street was very formal - large canopies set up all over the lakeside greens of Soldier Field. An old friend, Benjammin, proprietor of Jamming on Haight (best tie-dye shop in the Haight Ashbury) had a major booth and had secured the tie-dye contract for uniforms for both Levi's and Soldier Field. There was a contingent of Rock Med deadheads and we were constantly texting each other, and aiding and abetting each other's mischief.
My seat were on Phil side (now Trey side) way high. I sat there for a few minutes but didn't stay long. Most of this show I spent roaming the halls, running into old friends, and squatting in their much better seats. I never did get to the floor. Nor did I make it to the club level or the boxes. Nevertheless I only missed 3 friends that I knew were there, and two were texting me (they were in the club level for the next two shows).
The show opened with Box of Rain - the finale song they played at Soldier Field 20 years ago, and the last one they played with Jerry. From there, the set took off. A smoking Wheel>Crazy Fingers>Music Never Stopped in the 1st, and then two of their most beloved jams Scarlet>Fire and Help>Slipknot>Franklins in the 2nd, and a surprising Ripple encore. Levi's #1 was the most psychedelic show of the run. Soldier Field was the most danceable.
Being an idiot, I let my iPhone run out of power from too much Instagramming. The problem was that I was to hook up with a buddy at set break who had my Sat ticket. Of course, I couldn't remember his number; it was in my iPhone. I tried emailing him from a friend's phone. It was stressful because it was a stupid stoner mistake. I should have saved enough power, or at least set up a meeting place as my power started to get low.
Getting out was a mess. Dead-lock traffic, on foot no less. They sent us on a ridiculous path to get out of the stadium reminiscent of that scene in Spinal Tap where they couldn't find the stage. Then we were stuck in a mess 'o deadheads, cheering on other deadheads as they tried to hop fences with comic fails and pratfalls. I was still trying to connect with my ticket-holding friend, so eager to get to another friend's hotel room as they could power me back up. When I got there, there was a ton of texts that blew up my phone. S was at the vet because Jingles had a terrible reaction to some inoculations (at least that's what we assumed happened). He had a fever and was severely dehydrated. After some emergency IV fluids, he was better. Poor pom... and poor S having to deal with that in the middle of the night. I reconnected with my ticket holder and he was staying at another hotel just down the street, so we hooked up and made the drop. The hotel lobbys were nuts, crazy with deadheads, lots of n2o balloons.
Mind you, this was all after a red-eye where I didn't sleep at all. I took a short nap when we got in, but then hit the ground running and spent the afternoon enjoying Millennium park and the museum. We got in like at 2 or 3, and crashed until after lunch.
Shadow boxing the apocalypse