What a long strange trip it’s been
I’m sure you know that I grew up in San Francisco. What you might not know is that I went to a ton of Grateful Dead shows both in high school and college.
In 1980, there was a famous run of fifteen shows at the infamous Warfield Theater on Market Street. My friends and I would put on our long skirts, Birkenstocks, and patchouli oil and sneak out of our house and head down to the concerts. I was 16 years old!
I continued to go to see the Dead through college and beyond. I don’t really want to get into how many shows I went to. That is too embarrassing. 😂
Sometime during the early 2000’s, however, I realized maybe I didn’t want to be a deadhead anymore. Steve and I had been married for a few years and I asked him to come with me to a show at Shoreline Amphitheater. A man who was sitting next to me had a full on seizure. I’m sure that it was drug induced. He ended up being fine and just needed a little bit of medical care. Despite the fact that I’m a nurse, I was totally terrified.
Also, UGH! I was disgusted—Steve was even more so. I realize that these things happen when you throw a large group of people together. It did, however, sour my taste. I stopped going.
But then three weeks ago, I woke up and said to Steve, “I HAVE to see them at the Sphere! I mean, I really REALLY HAVE TO SEE THEM, STEVE!!!”
Originally, I had thought I’m not going to travel all the way to Las Vegas to see a band but I’d been hearing about this round building and it sounded super cool. And I have to say, the light show was incredible. I’ve never seen anything like this before.
However, maybe the best part was going with my brother and sister-in-law–and Steve. We flew down to Vegas, hung out by the pool for a little bit and then went to a delicious dinner at a Latin restaurant before the concert. A true family excursion.
The light show started with a bird’s eye view of San Francisco. We could see everything in the city including 6th Avenue. It made me feel like a true San Franciscan and Deadhead. 🤣
To let you in a little bit, sometimes I’ve had a hard time with music particularly around my cancer diagnosis. Listening to music often makes me feel sad. However, I can always listen to Dead music. And that night I loved every minute.
So maybe once a Deadhead, always a Deadhead!
I’m exhausted –and ecstatic!!
