Larsman
Man, you do get around. Sure, the Dead stopped and talked and fiddled around during shows, nothing odd there. What was hilarious about this particular show was that they had just started and they stopped and tuned up specifically in response to this group of idiots making fools of themselves right up front. I remember the sentiment from the stage being along the lines of "We really must be bad, damn, they're yelling at us, let's fix this."
I guess you had to be there.
Wait, you were.
Anyway, I haven't seen the Dead but a few times since Pig Pen died. I'm a native San Franciscan so I guess I got used to seeing them for free.
Here's a show you most likely saw, March 8, 1973 in Berkeley, a single guy strode onto stage with his guitar. We, in our ignorance, didn't know who he was but after he got the spotlight on him we figured out that Ramblin' Jack Elliot was something special. He was followed by Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen with the New Riders of the Purple Sage headlining. The New Riders, as you know, were the country wing of the Dead. Great show. Great opening act.
Why is the date significant? Well, we didn't know until later that that was the day that Pig Pen died.
