Conference rdvax::grateful

	DEAD AND GONE

	What happens when up 100,000 people try to crowd into Highgate Vt.,
	a town of 3,000 ? Not much, it turns out. When the good ol' Grateful
	Dead played a concert Wednesday in Highgate, locals joked that for
	the first time, people out numbered the cows in town, prompting the
	band's keyboard player Vince Welnick to say, "I don't know whether
	to be glad or ashamed. I don't want to do the cows out of their 
	thing."
	"It's one, big happy family," said sheriff's deputy Ken Libby, who
	was helping patrol the grounds. "Everybody is having fun." Many
	Highgaters spent the day watching the Deadheads.
	"I'm 77 and I've never seen anything like this," said Vallda 
	Bombardler, sitting at a picnic table near the concert site, watching
	people stream by. "At first we were worried," said a resident 
	identified only as Charlene, who estimated 90 people slept on her
	lawn Tuesday night. "We saw long hair and beards and a guy in a
	skirt. but these are regular people. They've been using our bathrooms.
	We have been thanked and appreciated."
	Charlene said she and her family had not planned on becoming a
	campground. "We let one guy park here for a couple of nights and
	they all came," she said.

	Yesterday's Globe also had a nice article about Highgate
	and how cool things were...  it's nice to see some positive
	press about deadheads instead of what I was seeing a few
	years ago where cops were coming down real heavy due to
	guys in skirts and so forth  :-)

    if ya'll have the time...I'd like to see posts of the positive articles
    form all new england papers..thanks
    
    rfb

Where to start.. Drive up on Tues. afternoon was basically traffic free.
Lake Campri is a nice campground, too bad the DECheads were split between
the A and B provinces.  About a 10-15 minute walk to get from the A terratories
to the B terratories.  A bit of a hike when you're carrying a cooler of beer!

Didn't make it over the BIG bonfire the campground had going on Tues. night.
Watched it from our beach for a while - it was about 3/4 a mile on another
beach.  Seemed like a lot of people around the fire though.  danielle can
tell y'all what went down over there.

Left the campground around noon-ish for the show.  Took a bunch of back roads
over, but hit a dead-end (hah!) and had to get back onto Rt. 78 for a little
while.  But the traffic wasn't too bad and we got a nice parking spot on Rt.
78, close to the access road up into the airport.  It was a good move not
being in that huge parking field.

Wandered around thru the vending scene for a while, but it was quite hot
and dry.  Retired back to the car for more refreshments and shade for the
latter part of the afternoon.

We headed in the show at around 6 PM and were in and at our chose spot about
1/2 hour later.  Going thru the ticket gates wasn't too much of a hassle at
all.  I was kinda paranoid about them finding my sandwiches and fig newtons
(they didn't).  I'm not used to outdoor shows that are actually well-provided
with a decent assortment of food!   Had a pre-show chicken pita that was
tasty.

Youssou D'Nour played pretty well, to my ears, about what expected.  I thought
his music (lotsa percussion, long rythmic jams) was well suited for a Dead
show warm-up.

We plunked our blanket down about 50 feet directly behind the taping section,
as nearly equidistant from the 2nd set of speaker stacks as I could get.
I like to hear the PA with equal volume and presence in both ears, and I could 
definitely hear the difference when 5 or 8 feet off the centerline.

The volume was kinda low for the first set, and seemed plagued by what I thouht
was (literally) the wind blowing the higher frequencies away.  Phil and the
drummers sounded pretty good, but the high end had a very phasey sound, 
like a beat-up old cassette that has a lot of wow in it.  There were spots
of good sound though, and I was able to hear Weir's guitar quite well the 
whole evening.  I thought he didn't seem to dink around with fancy effects too
much.  He had a nice thick, rich sound.  For Let It Grow he put on a nice 
fuzz-tone on the top of his sound, 

Being so far back from the stage (like about 100 yards!) we were glad for the
giant video and rear-projection screens at the sides of of the stage.
I thoght the video was really well done.  I liked the images they showed
during Let It Grow: fast motion film clips of clouds.

Seemed like a pretty long first set, about 1"15" or so?  I liked Althea
and Its All Over Now.  After the show I thought they did nice versions of
Candyman and Dire Wolf, but I think it was that 4-10-78 Fox Theater set
I listened to on the drive up, leaking into my setlist memory... :-)

Long, cold  set break!  Nearly 50 min.  Second set started at about 10 PM.  
Jerry "telegraphed" Truckin, and I was able to call that, but it was a real
treat to hear my first New Speedway Boogie :-)   During Truckin, the PA
started to sound much better.  Then it started to sound as if there was a
joystick on PA, being panned around in circles and front to back, side to 
side, and with a kinda "focus" control too:  The sound could be centered up
tight, and it would sound like a pinpoint, or sometimes it would be "wide-
angle".  I turned to JC and said "do you hear that?" and he agreed, so
by the second set anyway, it definitely wasn't the wind blowing the sound
around, it was Cutler.  During one of the choruse of Truckin the panning
stopped mometarily, in dead-center/wide-open mode, and JC said right then
(as I was thinkin' to myself, wow it sounds f*ckin' GREAT right now!)
"OK just leave it there!"

Garcia really leaned into New Speedway Boogie's lyrics, nice video of close-up 
head shots of him.  Way to Go Home broke the momemtum of the set for me,
sorry, I would have preferred Iko!  Corrina had nice spacy jams to it, though,
and the Dead really got going with UJB.  The sound was excellent by then,
and they really were into the groove.  It just thundered across the field.
Only one little lyric bobble by Jer (or was it Bobby?), but it was funny as 
hell :-)

I usually don't care that all much for drums, but this one had a particular
beat to it, for most of it anyway, till Mickey got to wailing on the Beam,
banging it with his hips.  Boys will be boys :-).  Space was space, and 
was the only time that the PA got too loud for my ears.  Sometime (an amp,
or a speaker) overloaded really badly twice during space, nasty clipping.

Coming out of space I thought I heard bits of Miracle, so I wasn't too 
surprise to hear that come later.  The Beatles "I Want To Tell You" was
the definitely highlight of the show for me, and I really liked it!!!
Once again the PA was tuned up excellently, and the Dead played a straight-
forward, full-out rocking version.  Phil's bass, the whole band, just seemed
to pulse out of the PA.  

Bobby rocker was Miracle, the slow post-drums Jerry was Standing on the Moon
(well played), and end-of-set was Sugar Mag.  Fairly standard, I guess.
I liked the US Blues encore, even if they blew the lyrics big-time :-)

All in all a pretty good show.  It seemed they could have pulled out a few
tunes that would have (to me, anyway) really made it a killer show
(Sugaree, Black Throated Wind, China-Rider, Iko, Terrapin, Playin,...).

Getting out was a very dusty affair!  Could have used a dust filter.
70K people tromping over the same dry ground.... hack hack cough cough.
Traffic getting out wasn't too bad though, we got back to the campground
at about 1AM.  Stoked up the campfile at da ve's campsite for a while,
and finally crashed at 4AM.  

Woke up at 8:30, showered/ate/hung out for the morning, drove back in the
afternoon, fighting to stay awake.  Traffic wasn't too bad :-).

So, when's the next big outdoor New England show?  Not in another 6 years
I hope!

Josh

    
    Got back from Highgate yesterday around noon.
    
    What a zoo! but for the most part...a very mellow scene.
    
    Arrived late Tuesday night (Wed morning) at Carmi.  Saw some DECheads at 
    the locked gate...which was eventually opened.  I heard bongos well into 
    the daylight hours!  Wednesday was gorgeous!  The campground was 
    beautiful, very relaxed and friendly, no cops, and grate swimming!
    
    Traffic to the show was unbelievable, but fun!  The locals were busy 
    sitting out on their porches or in their yards, most of em looking
    completely shocked, but yet, amused!
    
    The show was incredible....besides a couple of Jerry lyric screw-
    ups,  I'd give it a 9.  Speakers were set up differently.  Besides
    the usual 4 or 5 stacks they put out in the fields, they had a couple 
    additional stacks set up very far back....these were cranked loud
    to eliminate any delay that could be heard from stacks up front.
    Bobby sounded incredible!!!!  I could hear his guitar very clear, and 
    his voice sounded like how it did in the 70's....particulary during 
    Sugar Mag.  1st set was a typical arrangement, and it sounded grate.
    Very nice Tennessee Jed!  Second set was arranged very weird!  Phil 
    took lead vocals on most of Truckin, very lively version....Speedway
    was smokin!!!  Jerry ripped!  Long Long Long Way was appropriate,
    Corrina sounded poorer than other verions I've heard.  UJB was
    excellent except for some lyric f+ck-ups....How does that song go???
    Drums was focused on Billy....I got the picture that this show was 
    his doing?  Out of Space into what-ever-that-song-was ;-) and then 
    Miracle, Standing, and Sugar Mag were perfect!!!  I did not expect
    US Blues for an encore, I found it to be a treat! :-)
    
    Traffic on the way out sucked...didn't get out til daylight!!!!
    
    We need more of these country showz!!!!  That's all I know!
    
    Cheers to Highgate next year! :-)
    	  

OK rfb, I picked up a few local papers on my way out and they had a few pages
devoted to the show, so I'll see what I can do.  The first one is from
Fridays Boston Globe, and is just a small column in their normal Friday
music section.  From Rock Notes: (Steve Morse byline)

GRATEFUL IN VERMONT:

The Grateful Dead's outdoor show in Highgate, Vt. on Wednesday went smoothly
enough so that the band may return next year.  "The vibes I get from the
town and the police are good enough that we could well be back," Dead spokesman
Dennis McNally told the Burlington Free Press [I think I have this article],
which reported 100,000 Deadheads in and around the Highgate Fairgrounds
(40 miles north of Burlington) for the event.  Globe staffer Jimmy Cawley
went up and said things were fine except for a nearly two-hour traffic
delay getting from Route 89 to the site.  He said the show was mellow, 
theorizing that the Dead kept it that way because they hope to return.  Still,
the show was filled with Dead standards.  The song list for the opening
set: Let the Good Times Roll; Jack Straw; Althea; Queen Jane Approximately;
Loser; It's All Over Now (the Stones song); Tennessee Jed; Let it Grow.
The second set started had [sic] Truckin'; New Speedway Boogie; Long Way to 
Go Home; Corinna; Uncle John's Band; an unspecified Beatles tune; I Need a 
Miracle; Sugar Magnolia; U.S. Blues.  The Dead are still expected to 
play their annual six dates at Boston Garden in September.

This is more of a trip report than a specific concert review.  Nowadays
that I see only a few shows a year, I'm in less critical show review mode.
I'm usually just glad to get a chance to see them at all.

The theme for this one might be "Don't Follow PeterT (or maybe you should?!)"
or maybe its the "Bridges Freezes Before Road" tour.  Pick a title after
the rap, Jack.

Planning on leaving early Wednesday morning, I wanted to get most things
in the car before going.  So I packed up Tuesday night, and seeing as
how I noticed the bag to pack all my tent stuff in was slightly moldy, 
I put it through the wash twice to try and get rid of any mold smell.
Not that I would have noticed myself, but....  Then went on to the other
items.  Sleeping bag, a change or two of clothes, camera, binoculars,
etc.  The usual Dead show items with some extra stuff for an overnight 
trip.  Then I tried to go to sleep a bit on the early side so I would be
refreshed and awake for the 5+ hour drive.  The only problem:  I couldn't
fall asleep.  Just too wired and not tired enough.  I must have gotten a 
few hours in there, as time seemed to pass too quickly at points,
but for the majority of time, no sleep to be had.  Finally got out of 
bed around 6 or so and took a shower and tried to get the rest of
the stuff together.  Got the bathroom stuff and had some breakfast and
the kids knew I was taking off as they were up bright and early with 
my daughter pleading, in a jovial way, that I should take her with me
(rather than a pleading screaming crying begging that I take her with
me type of thing. ;-)  Got all that stuff together threw it in the car
and after a few unsuccessful attempts to get the camping list for Lake
Carmi from the file I'd saved here through my modem (the net was screwed
up and I kept getting thrown off) head north.
   The trip up was basically uneventful.  Somewhat long (311 miles from front
door to parking site) but the scenery was pleasant and I was still wired 
enough that I didn't feel sleepy.  (Had I been doing the normal work
trip, I probably would have fallen asleep at the wheel.  I'm doing a
good job at the terminal right now!)  Once I made it into Vermont on rte 91,
I started seeing all these yellow signs on the side of the road "Bridges
Freeze Before Roadway"  or something like that.  And since Vermont is 
pretty hilly, and you had at least one of these signs for each bridge
there were an awful lot of these signs.  I had taken the station wagon
as it had air-conditioning and cruise control, which was definitly
usefull.  Unfortunately the gas mileage isn't as good so I had to stop to 
tank up again somwhere near Burlington.  Shortly after that, heading 
up the last leg to Highgate, I remembered my tent.  And it's bag.  Hung out
to dry in the cellar and I KNEW I hadn't packed it.  Sigh... typical Bozo
move.  Then I saw some signs for 105 and I remembered (with my map to 
assist) that Lake Carmi should be reached by 105, but I had misread the
map and thought that there would be another exit soon that would
head that way, (since I had just passed that one) but, lo, it was not to
be.  A few miles from Highgate, I finally ran into the traffic.
And was there for the next hour, hour and a half.  People getting out of 
their cars, partying, walking up and down the road, skateboarding, 
rollerblading.  A general good time, but I was getting worried about getting
to Carmi first.  Finally managed to make it to the exit ramp for 
78 and saw that I couldn't even turn around to head back to 105, as
they were only allowing one direction on 78, towards the concert.
Headed towards the site, and eventually, after moving a few miles in a 
few hours, that any chance of getting to Carmi, and then getting back here
was probably pretty bad, so I pulled into a lot that took my twenty
bucks and allowed overnight stays (with no security.  Park it and lock it,
Not Responsile!)  Oh well, at least I was here and I could look for 
people inside or out in the vending area.
  Got a little settled, rested a bit, found a local phone at the local
Texaco (it turns out they had set up phones inside also, but I wouldn't
find that out till later...) and checked in with Amy to let her know I
had made it OK.  And then wandered through the lots.  Hung out a little
looking for people, but didn't see anyone, so I headed inside about 5:30.

Getting inside was simple without even the patdown that I'd become accostumed
to at Boston area shows.  Very easy on the mind.  I quickly ran into 
Geoff, Robyn and Megann, as Geoff spotted my V2 shirt.  Chatted with them
for a little bit, and then wandered off to look for my friend Bill.  We
had a plan to meet right behind the soundboard, so I headed there first,
but with no luck.  They were just kicking the tapers out from that 
area and moving them back (much to the dismay of the tapers) so I stood in that
opened area for a while.  Couldn't find him so I decided to wander some
more and maybe find some food in the vending areas.  After a somewhat long
wait in line at the water tank, I resumed the food search and came upon 
some garlic chicken in a pita that sounded good.  And tasted REAL good.
I think Josh may have stumbled on the same thing according to his notes.
Definitely a better class of food than just hot dogs or piazza you find at
some venues.  Most things were a bit over-priced but I realized the 
people were trying to make some cash here, so no big problem.
Whilst heading back towards the stage area, someone passed by and noticed
my V2 shirt saying, "Hey I used to be a DECHead!"  He looked vaguely familiar
but I wasn't quite sure until he said "I'm Gerry..." and I said "MOONSHOT!!"
Chatted with him a little bit and mentioned that I had followed his 
AT trip last year with great interest.  He seemed to be pining for it 
a bit himself ;-)  He mentioned that he was among the tapers and where
he had seen a few other DECheads and then headed to get food while I
wandered towards the stage again, and ran into another DEChead, wearing
a V3 shirt.  This turned out to be (either) Don Paul, or Dave Paul (most
likely) or maybe Paul Don or Paul Dave (more unlikely) who was an admitted
lurker.  Don or Dave or Paul, you're going to have to come clear here to 
establish the correct placement of names here (probably another name entirely
which I've missed here ;-)  We chatted for a bit and then I headed stagewards
again, only to shortly hear "There's a guy with a DEChead shirt on!" coming 
from the floor.  Stopped and looked down to see this couple with a few other
people around, and the guy lying on the ground says "It looks like PeterT"
to which I replied "JC?"  Sure enough, Deb and JC and Josh Belkin, and 
John(?)... and another guy who's name I can't even begin to remember (sorry ;-)
so I decided to sit a bit, and that's where I ended up for the rest of the
night.  During this wandering period Yuossour D Nouror (????) was out with
his group.  Didn't much get into his first song, but after that I got into
the beat and it was pretty enjoyable,  though I must admit that at one point
I thought they had stopped and someone had put on some recorded music,
but no, they were still up there.  Sometime after they had left, I decided to
make another swing for my friend towards the area we had agreed on.  Much
crushing of bodies and stepping over (and on) toes and various body 
parts.  After about a 1/2 hour, I had concluded my search unsuccessfully
and given up and thankfully landed back with JC and Josh and the rest
(especially since I had left my binoculars there).  I sat down for another 
five minutes or so when I looked up and saw my friend Bill not 20 yards
away!  Cool.  So I grabbed him and he sat down with us and shortly the
music started and things were good with the world ;-)

Different people notice different things for the same experience, so I've 
already read about how somebody thought this was a pretty lame show and
they'd never do that trip again for a Dead show, and I've seen others who've
said this was definitely at least an 8 out of 10.  A lot of times your
expectations color your experiences, so I always try to remain open to
what can be, and not what I'd like it to be.  Tricky, doesn't always work.
But, it also works very well at times.  All I can say is, heck, I enjoyed
myself.  I'd really been planning on hanging out with other DECheads
at Lake Carmi, and maybe some swimming and canoing, but that never happened
since I never made it to Carmi.  Oh well, no big loss, and nothing to loose 
sleep over.  How was the music itself.  Uhhmmmm, I enjoyed it ;-)  A few 
new songs for me, and a few unexpected ones, but possibly not the best
musically driven show I've seen. But then again, since I only get a few chances
per year, I'm not so critical that it bothers me if it's not absolutely
perfect.  And other things can enhance the experience if you let them.
As the Dead were starting their first set, the sun was setting, a newly
crescent moon was up not too far on the western horizon, and a hot air 
balloon with a Vermont-like painting of rolling hills and mountains for the
balloon itself came drifting towards the concert site.  I had been looking for
Jupiter too, when I saw the moon out, and thought I had found it at first 
to the right of the moon, but something seemed a bit odd about it.  About 
a half hour later, with the sky still darker, the clouds in the
west somewhat cleared up, and the balloon gone, I realized my mistake.
I'd been looking at Venus, and Jupiter was off on the left of the Moon.
That clicked and felt right to me.  As usual, when there's more than one 
planet visible, it was easy to see the plane of the elliptic, basically tracing
a line from Venus to the moon to Jupiter.  The moon was a tad low in that 
line, but that's okay.  Looks nice anyway.  A bit later still, my friend
Bill (aka Fred, or Basic Fred) pointed up at something and said,
"Is that a satellite?"  Sure enough, nice straight path of unwinking light
high overhead, and then a quick fade as it passed into the earths shadow.
Might even have been Mir, but you have to stay on top of where things are to
make that call.

    And then of course, the whole reason, the main thrust of this trip,
listening to the dead.  Nice to hear "Let the Good Times Roll", New Speedway
Boogie, Standing on the Moon, and even Corrina, which I think was my 
first listen to that.  My friend and I were trying to guess what was coming
out of space.  He had "The Other One" and after a little more listening,
I decide that was wrong and said, nope, "Wharf Rat", but Jerry fooled both of 
us by breaking into that Beatle tune, "I want to Tell You"(??).
Towards the end of the 2nd set, you could see the light in the woods 
to the left of the stage that looked like it could be a fire.  Embers could
be seen drifting upwards, but never saw any flames.  But it did seem to be
getting brighter and expanding, so that was causing some worry.  A lot of 
people started streaming out, apparently with that in mind.  But we stayed to 
the end of the encore and the spot may have been growing smaller at that point.
Hard to say.  Didn't see anything in the papers about it, so it must have
been an isolated incident.  After the show, I headed over to Bills car,
and hung out with him and had a beer, and investigated the source of all
that hissing sounds ;-)  A friend of Bills had managed to park right near
his car, and we hung out with them and their dogs for a little bit as
we listened to a DAT copy of the show and Bill finally got to set off some
of his long saved fireworks.  Then I figured it was about time for me
to pack it in.  Headed back to my car, went to the Texaco station for
a little more water to help brush my teeth and then climbed into the
back of my station wagon crawled into my sleeping bag and finally got 
some much deserved sleep!

Woke up about 7am, got it together about 8, and headed out.  I had considered
dropping by Carmi to check it out, but I weighed that with the possiblity
of getting home before the wife and kids, and somehow, that seemed a 
more attractive offering ;-)  Stopped in Burlington for a bit of breakfast
and wandered around downtown for a little bit.  Nice looking college
town.  Made me very wistful, and started me to think how I could make a 
living in such an area.  Maybe a dedicated line to DEC??  Maybe soon I 
won't have to worry about working at DEC???  Nah, too unlikely ;-)
The drive home was pretty uneventful, though I caught myself drifting at 
times and was glad to finally make it home in one piece.  That was about 
2:45 and I wasn't expecting Amy, Hannah, and Dan for a few hours so
I had a nice shower, rested up and relaxed.

Overall a very nice worthwile trip, and maybe next year I'll make it to
Lake Carmi.  Or, maybe Amy will take off by HERself, and I'll stay with 
the kids.  Actually, I'd take them along, but Amy is not keen on this yet.
But I've got a year to work on it ;-)

PeterT

    Bummer...Sunday night, I'm logged in...vacation must be over :( :( :(
    
    but, a much needed, Grate vacation !!!  Karen and I got to Montreal on
    Saturday the 9th, and as usual, le cite' did not dissapoint..the usual
    post-hockey season thread...  me: "hey you guys, wasn't Game 7 grate
    !!"  them: when was the last time Boston won the cup?"...so it goes...
    
    FYI. the Montreal Jazz Festival is usually held July 1-10, or within
    the first 2 weeks of July...there is a couple week break, then a 10 day
    "Festival of Laughs", the Comedy Festival...we got to the last night of
    the jazz festival...we went with 4 of my cousins, took the Metro in
    from Verdun, got out of the station and a block walk to the first
    outdoor stage with a Smokin' R & B band finishing up...kept walking to
    the beer stands (Labatt Blues...who are a major sponsor of the fest) on 
    Rue St. Catherine and watched a big-band for a while...headed off for
    more Labatt and another outdoor stage
    
    so, if you're interested in the Montreal Jazz Festival, plan on early
    July for that
    
    they actually block about 2-3 blocks on St. Catherine Street, at "Place
    des Arts", and that's where the outdoor stages are, and there are
    indoor performances at Place des Arts and clubs around...
    
    the last band we watched was "Lucky Seven" a Cajun-Zydeco type band
    with an accordion player and a guy playing chest-washboard and tin cans
    etc...while they were on, fireworks were going on as part of the
    International Fireworks Competition held in Montreal yearly...too cool,
    here we are standing in a nice park, groovin' to tunes, watchin'
    fireworks over the bandstand, and drinkin' Labatt...GRATE city indeed
    
    I jammed with a band in a club "Nuit Magique", sang Honky Tonk Woman
    and jammed some blues in A
    
    met with the manager for a band called "The Musical Box" a band from
    Montreal that recreates the 4/21/74 University of Montreal Genesis
    concert...being a major Old Genesis freak, I'd heard of MB, and through
    contacts met their management...I will be coordinating efforts with
    another guy from Boston to try and get MB to Boston...if you are
    familiar at all with the Peter Gabriel era Genesis, costumes, sets,
    etc...this band is a must see...I have a 15 minute video used for
    promotion, and this band is Frightening...this guy Sounds like Peter
    Gabriel...also grabbed a 2-cd set of the 4/21/74 Gensis show that MB
    performs...
    
    this show is from the "Selling England by the Pound" tour, but they
    also perform a "Foxtrot" tour show, and are currently working on "The
    Lamb Lies Down on Broadway"
    
    Karen and I are probably going back to Montreal in September to see The
    Musical Box...can't wait
    
    so, after 4 grate daze (lotsa Black Ice, some Export a few XXX's) we
    headed to Lake Carmi...thanx to Adam for some cool re-routed directions
    thru Quebec to avoid the Rt 89 traffic...good job Adam...got to the
    camp at about 1:30, caught Adam, Geoff, Robyn, Megan, Glen Roy, Beth
    and Patty before they headed off to the show...Karen and I set up camp,
    then chilled a bit and headed for the show
    
    we were in a line of cars on Rt 78 when we chanced upon Adam et al
    walking by us..we ended up parking in the same lot "Highgate
    Elementary School"  and started   W A L K I N G....................
    4 miles to the show...and back
    
    ran into Chris Leblanc and Steve-O Martin on the walk, which was cool..
    was it the Dechead shirt ???  when we got the the airport, we did the
    food thing, and cosmically ran into Adam et al again !!!  we all roamed
    around the parking lot for a while, enjoying the food, beers and
    assorted sites and vending opportunities
    
    the show was grate, for me the highlights were Loser, New Speedway
    Boogie, Jack Straw, Sugar Mag, I Want to Tell You (even tho Jerry
    knew about 1 verse of lyrics :)   LOSER, I was psyched when that came
    out...
    
    what a beautiful night for the show, stars, balloons, dust, video
    screens...can't wait for the tape of that show...Karen and I really
    enjoyed the show, and it is nice to hear that there weren't any real
    problems...
    
    got to say hello to some more Decheads the next morn before heading out
    
    grate time, let's hope the Dead is back to Highgate again next year !!!
    
    Wes

reilly - veteran deadhead, over 120 shows.
kurt - travelling w/reilly, never been to a rock show
roz - travelling w/me, 

Late start, what else is new!
The plan was to leave from reilly's at 1:00pm, tuesday. roz was to meet
me at my house by noon. i called her at 11:00 and left a message on her
machine. called her again at 12:15, then at 12:0, finally leaving a
message at 12:45 that said "sorry, i gotta go. if you get this in the
next 15 minutes call reilly!!" in the time it took to drive to reilly's
in west groton, roz had called. she was running late, but would drive
straight to reilly's. reilly, quite out-of-character, was livid that we
were leaving late.

got on the road at 2:00, only an hour late. i've learned to expect
delays. reilly knew the way as he grew up in the next town over from
highgate. i, on the othe hand, never even looked at a map. we were
following reilly up rte 3 when he went right past rte 89. i told rpz he
knew where he was going, but she had been to the area several times and
was sure we were heading the wrong way. we turned around at the next exit
and doubled back. reilly was at his boiling point by now.

we took the highway 'til we could scoot over through the back roads. it
would have been faster had it not been for the camper we got behind right
away. the two laners in vermont can be grate until your stuck behind
something. after 20 minutes we passed the camper only to get behind a hay
wagon for another 15 minutes. reilly was beyond his boiling point!

we reached lake carmi at 6:45, about right when i expected we would. not
bad given the minor delays. we checked in and set up camp with still
plenty of light to enjoy some fresh smoked mackeral and fruit. we relaxed
a bit and decided to check out the bonfire. luckily, the drumming wasn't
all that good imo, so we decided to hit the sack early. we, fortunately,
missed the "Incident". but we got the full story from reilly who
witnessed the whole ordeal. as shows go, this one was headed for disaster
as far as reilly was concerned.

rose bright and early wednesday morning. a beeeutiful morning. our
campsite was about 100 feet from the water. nite sky viewing and early
morning dips were the balls. after washing off the road and sleep, roz
treated me to a massage (she's a professional massage therapist!!)
reilly, on the other hand, had been talked into going to canada because
kurt HAD to get some pastery. after a 6 hour drive the day before, one
woulc only wonder at why someone would rather ride some more instead of
just relaxing at the campsite. roz and i had a grate breakfast. i had
food enough for several days.

i stoked up the fire (luckily, i talked reilly into donating some of his
stove wood for a campfire, he didn't think we'd need it!) and started
building coals to cook the fresh trout i caught over the weekend (which
were soaking in italian dressing). using fresh cedar branches, i smoked
the fillets 'til they were melt-in-your-mouth done. along with tossed
salad, potato salad, cottage cheese and fruit, made a grateful feast.

we cleaned up by noon and it was time to pack up and head for the show.
reilly and kurt HAD to bring the lawn chairs. i thought packing a cooler
would've made more sense. we left around 1:00pm and got the the show site
with very little traffic. i suggested we pay for parking and park out on
the main road, but kurt kept driving and we ended up in the free lot, as
far back in the corner away from the road as we could possibly be. big,
big mistake.

we wandered around checking out the scene. i bought shirts, and stones
and all kinds of stuff. kurt looked like he wasn't enjoying himself. both
he and reilly were carrying lawn chairs. we wanted to get in line a
little before 4:00, so we didn't cover too much of the scene outside.
getting in was only a minor hassle because the crowd was so large, but of
course reilly and kurt were not allowed to bring in the chairs. again,
reilly was fuming beacuse the tickets and the signs outside the entrance
said nothing about not permitting lawn chairs. reilly chose to run them
back to the car rather than chance them at the entrance. i wouldn't have
bothered.

we set up a large blanket just inside the first set of relay speakers,
with a nice view of the stage. we were on phil's side so we were right in
front of the large screen.

youssou n dour came on at 6:00 and played a grate one hour set. because
of the ga seating, the place was more full for an opening act than i've
ever seen. and everyone seemed to enjoy the show. i had snacks as youssou
started and the effects lasted well into the 2nd dead set.

after a proper pause to break stage and set up for the boys, the sun was
sinking, the moon was rising and the cool breeze (besides sending me from
bouts of sweat to instant chills) kept the mosquitos away. then it was
time. nice opener. the good times were certainly rolling. jack straw and
althea are always nice. queen jane is one of my favs! lose and it's all
over lost me slighlty, 10c jed brought me back and let it grow rounded
out a grate first set.

i had to lie down between sets and watch my eyelids for a bit. i remember
tim grady stopping by briefly. decided to walk around for a bit and hit
the head (plenty of porto-potties around!!) i walked all the way back to
the far end of the field, and just as i got there the lights went out! i
turned around, and way off in the distant was this massive lit stage.
quite impressive. as the second set started a brief panic set in about
fining my blanket. but it quickly gave way to a knowing calm. at dead
shows, one need not worry about such things. i danced my way along thru
truckin and new speedway. got to the blanket in time for long way and
then corrina. i like both a lot. during UJB i asked reilly where kurt was
because we needed to start thinking about our escape (being pahked sooo
far back). kurt, as it runs out, was already at the car. he had left in
the first set after feeling sick. i'm not sure he was prepared for the
whole scene. the smoke, the intensity and energy were overwhelming.

drums>space were enjoyable in the open air. my head was in the right
place! right after space i suggested we move towards the gate. and after
making our way around, which took both the next two songs (porbably
because i stopped to dance so mcuh during i need a miracle ;-) by the
time we got around to the gate standing was playing. hourds of people
were exiting and we did someting i've never done at a show: leave before
it was over. 

when we saw how many other people were leaving, we picked up the pace
back to the car, practically running at times. we got to the car and
stared out, and we would have made ti to the road had kurt not gotten
sick. he rolled out of the car onto his knees (kurt niether smoke nor
drank all day, but for some reason decided to eat the pasta salad they
sold at the show). if kurt hadn't got sick we would have gotten out.
instead we sat from midnite until 3:30am. we finally got back to lake
carmi at 5:00am. reilly was again at his boiling point. he insisted that
he and kurt leave right away. roz and i, on the other hand, crawled into
the tent and crashed. afte four hours in the back seat of and old dodge
daytona i needed to be prone for a bit. kurt also needed sleep, but
reilly had had enough. he wanted out of there. after some ranting and
raving, reilly and kurt hit the road. roz and i caught 2 hours sleep,
getting up around 7:00 we broke camp, at some breakfast and packed for
the ride home.

the drive home saw many many heads broken down on the road. each was
being taked care of as we passed, but it seemed like a record number. the
trip home way at a comfortable pace. we arrived back at reilly's around
3:00 and got to live through the hellish times as related by reilly. i,
on the other hand, had no such hells. except for the time we spent trying
to get out after the show, it was a grate trip. i'd do it again in a
heartbeat, and will probably do it again in my mind several times before
it is lost in the depths of my memory.

    interesting reviews! 
    
    so, what was the "indcident"???
    
    rfb
    

 >   so, what was the "indcident"???

Yeah, that's what I want to know!!  Of course, I might call it an "incident" ;-)

PeterT

(or will other Carmi Lakers fill us in???)

PeterT

    
    
    From what I heard, (corroborated by more than one attendee),
    I don't believe anyone will be describing the "incident" due
    to it's other-than-PG rating....
    
    Doe! :-}
    
    (I knew I should've gone to the bonfire)
    

    well then send me personal mail about it!!!
    
    %^)
    
    rfb

    The incident:  
    
    	Somebody got a little too "loose" at the bonfire...;')
    
    At first it was entertainment, nobody really cared...then it got nasty and
    gross and I booked....

The "incident" is what caused lake carmi to be shut down without filling
up the day field. as some mite remember, lake carmi had planned on taking
in the overflow by allowing tents to be set up on their day field. those
who were there mite recall that the day field was less than 1/4 filled.
also, the gate to the park was moved from the park entrance out to the
street and security became a presence.

since this is a family conference, describing the incident will be
tempered. 

the bonfire was grate. stacks of pallets were thrown on and a rippin fire
was going. while we were there, the stupist thing i saw was idgits diving
over the fire and rolling on the other side. not cool, imo. however,
after i left it seems there was a woman who started dancing provocatively
which led to acts of lewd behaviour most inappropriate for a public
place. imo, it was *not* a good or fun thing. it could have gotten out of
hand very easily. and to think people stood around with flashlights
shining on the happenin INSTEAD OF STOPPING IT! i'm just gald i wasn't
there. and because of it, other heads suffered because additional
campsites vanished.

    so I take it the incident was witnessed by security or carmi owners??
    
    regardless of the "taste" of the incident %^), seems like a trivial
    thing to cause an entire campground to be shut down....
    
    
    rfb _less moral than most

	yeah, carmi officials were nearby. it shook them up apparently.
	and, it seemed trivial to me on first thought. but consider that
	the woman may have been under the influence of something: drugs,
	alcohol, the drums, whatever. she was 'gettin it on' with one
	dude while others watched. what if several others decided it was
	their turn? would it constitute rape? in a private setting,
	dancing into a sexual frenzy mite be a fun trip. in VT's largest
	state campground, around a public bonfire it just ain't cool.
	
	and they only stopped the planned extra campsites. anyone who had
	a campsite reserved could still get to it.
	
	other than that, carmi was glad to have us and all in all, they
	were left with a good impression.
	
	Jay

    I hear ya Jay---thank god it was a dead show instead lallapoloser, eh?
    
    rfb

    re:  410.15
    
    Are you sure that the incident caused Lake Carmi to be shut down?  I
    just thought that the overflow lots didn't fill up as much due to
    people camping elsewhere....
    
    >> the stupist thing i saw was idgits diving over the fire and rolling on 
    >> the other side
    
    Saw that too...wasn't too smart was it...;')
    
    >> after i left it seems there was a woman who started dancing
    >> provocatively which led to acts of lewd behaviour most inappropriate 
    >> for a public place. imo, it was *not* a good or fun thing. it could 
    >> have gotten out of hand very easily. and to think people stood around 
    >> with  flashlights shining on the happenin INSTEAD OF STOPPING IT! i'm 
    >> just gald  i wasn't there. and because of it, other heads suffered 
    >> because additional campsites vanished.
    
    The woman started dancing and nobody really paid attention at first. 
    Then she took her shirt off and danced around.  This is stuff that you
    see at Rainbow gatherings and such, so I really didn't pay attention 
    to her.  But it DID get out of hand after that.  
    
    People were not shining flashlights on her, she was dancing in front of 
    the bonfire which illuminated a lot of light.  
    
    As far as stopping her goes, I wouldn't want to touch her with a ten
    foot pole.  All you could do was get up and leave.  Whose right is it
    to walk up to someone and tell them that they can't do it?  The only
    people I saw with those rights were the people who worked at Lake Carmi.
    There was at least one worker from Lake Carmi present, tending the
    bonfire, and she just stood there and watched.  She also didn't know
    what to do.  
    
    Are you sure that the incident caused other campsites to be vanished?
    I saw people checking in on Wednesday, they could've had advanced
    reservations, I guess.  But if they were going to do anything, they
    should've kicked her out, not shut new people out of coming in.  
    
    BTW, she was camping a few cars down from me in the overflow lot and 
    walking around all over the place Wednesday.  If I were her, I would've
    vanished faaaaaaar away from Carmi the next morning.....;')

highgate... i didn't see the "incident" either, but i gotta say that danielle
describes it pretty good!  i wasn't there, so i can't comment...

fun time in highgate.  awesome vending scene... best i've ever seen...
they had more stands making food than anywhere i've seen.  steak tips,
fajitas, saugage sandwiches, burgers, chicken things, veggie sandwiches,
etc,etc,etc,etc.  increduible amount of food and variety.  cops and security
was pretty cool... they weren't hassling people consuming brew openly that
i could see.  one incident i read about in the paper was that the dead
security busted some highgate locals for vending t-shirts that that
the daed security guys though was trademark violation.  the dudes said
they checked it out carefully... the local cops came on down and made the
dead security guys give the shirts back to the locals.  score one for the
locals, which, imo, is alright 'cuz most of the folks up in that neck of
the country are pretty down and out - i think if you were a local, you got
a carte banche to sell anything ya wanted, which is the purpose of the
whole show/mess anyways!!!  

non-stop fun though... from tues night until thurs midday when we left.
great time... too bad life ain't like that all the time.

    
     >>As far as stopping her goes, I wouldn't want to touch her with a ten
     >>foot pole.  All you could do was get up and leave.  Whose right is
    
     	Danielle!!!!  You got me laughin so hard I damn nearly pissed 
    	myself!!!
    
    	Thanks for making this horrid day a little better for me! :-)
    

	I'm sure they stopped filling the day field after that incident.
	And, like I said, I wasn't there so I only relate what Reilly
	told me the next morning.
	
	As for stopping her, well, yeah, I'm not sure what I would've
	done had I been there. Tuff call. I agree, they should've sent
	her packing instead of turning away others.
	
	jc, I think I got one of those shirts. The woman selling them
	said she was being shut down. They were the kind of shirts that
	change color with temp change. All they said was "Grateful Dead,
	Highgate VT" but she got busted cause it said Grateful Dead. I
	bought one cuz it was one of the few I found with Highgate on it.

Wow...quite a show and quite a week overall...

Highgate topped off my vacation, and in fine fashion.  My
new friend Angela showed up (from L.A.) for a visit, and
we explored the entertainment available for the two weeks
or so that she was around.

Indigo Girls at Great Woods was fun - or as fun as they
let it be at that place.  I have to agree with the generally
negative opinion of the venue, but we did have great seats,
sixth row...and it was a fun show.

Phantom of the Opera at the Wang Center was an experience
from the other end of the cultural scale - all dressed up
and the whole bit...  I'm a big fan of live theater, and
used to see quite a bit of it in Tampa.  If you have a chance
to see this show while it's in town (is it still?)  then
do so...

Sliding in another totally different direction, we saw
Phish on the 9th back at Great Woods.  This time the
security really pissed me off, and the sound was TOO
F&*KING LOUD, even in our seats next to the sound board.
The show was fun, but the venue sucks...it'll be a long 
time before I go back there.  Having spent two hours the
week before trying to leave the Indigo Girls show, we
decided to head out a little early, and at least managed
to avoid that mess.  Morons.

And so finally, to Highgate.  At 2:30am Wednesday morning,
we showed up (with Da ve, Rochelle, and GerG) only to find
the Lake Carmi gate locked.  Seems like we missed the big 
action at the bonfire, but at least the rangers came by and 
let us into our site.  It was my first outdoors-camping-style
show in 21 years of Deadshows, and it was just wonderful.
Later on Wednesday we were joined by the remainder of our
crew, Chriso, Jim, Bruce Mandaro and Tina...topping off
our campsite limit of 8. (funny, cuz when I reserved it,
I was expecting to be alone! ;-)...the weather was perfect,
Lake Carmi was wonderful, as were the people who ran it.
We managed to find parking about 1/2 mile from the gate,
and had a fine time throughout the day...the locals were
wonderful, friendly and very, very patient under the
circumstances (not sure I would have done so well myself).

It was a perfect way to wind up a vacation...I just hope
they do it again next year...

tim

    DEAD ROCK A QUIET INVASION	
    
    ----< 100,000 Jam Highgate in psychedelic show of force >----
    
    By Tom Hacker, Free Press Staff Writer
    
    	The worst fears of Franklin County melted away Wednesday as a gentle
    invasion of about 100,000 Grateful Dead fans gathered for a musical
    party in Highgate.
    	While predictions of traffic headaches on roads leading to the Franklin
    County fairgrounds proved true, the potential for more serious
    consequences remained just that.
    	"This is not at all what I expected," said Marge Taylor, 61, of
    Swanton as she toted a home video camera along the road leading to the
    fairground site. "The young people here have all been so nice.  I wish
    I knew a little more about this band.  It would be nice if the radio
    station in St. Albans would play more of their numbers so I would know
    what they sound like."
    	From 8 a.m. to dusk, a river of cars, pedestrians, bicycles, and
    even skateboarders flowed eastward from Interstate 89.  Road shoulders
    on both sides became continuous marketplaces, as small time
    entrepreneurs hawked everything from beer to Ginsing Royal Jelly.
    
    	Property owners cashed in on $25-a-car parking fees and like-priced
    overnight camping spots.  "That was our biggest problem," said concert
    security director Ken Viola.  "All the traffic trouble you see could have 
    been prevented if people had moved into the space we have for them."
    
    	The event went smoothly enough that concert organizers and town
    officials offered tentative predictions that the convention of
    Deadheads at Highgate could become an annual event.
    	"Based on my impression, it's worked well enough, and the vibes
    that I get from the town and the police are good enough, that we could
    well be back," said Grateful Dead publicist Dennis McNally as he
    surveyed the backstage scene shortly before the Dead went on stage.
    	Likewise, Highgate selectboard members, who were backstage guests
    of the band, breathed a sigh of relief and talked about the future.  "The 
    worst is over, but we'll wait until the whole thing's over tomorrow to 
    make any final judgements," Selectman Richard Noel said.  "If none of us 
    are hanging from the trees in the next few days, that means we made out OK."
    
    	The party started early.
    
    	By midmorning, the community of Deadheads in the Franklin County
    Airport parking lot, adjacent to the fairgrounds, were dancing to music
    that spilled out of car windows and portable stereos.  Impromptu
    marketplaces - blanket bazaars of T-shirts, jewelry, leather goods,
    burritos, fruit juice, incense, glass pipes - occupied every available
    patch of ground.
    
    	"Roses.  Roses.  One dollar," shouted Sara Coggio of Burlington as
    she sat in the shade of a camper canopy next to a white plastic bucket
    of American Beauties. "I have a thousand," she said.  "I'm sure we'll 
    sell them all."
    	Nearby, Sage Devino, at 9 weeks one of the littlest Deadheads,
    lounged with his mother in the back seat of a van.  "This is the first
    of many for him, I hope," said Ralph Devino, the baby's father.
    
    	Concert attendees remained mellow despite hours waiting to get to
    parking spaces.  As one youthful fan rode along Vermont 78, he yelled
    out to local residents sitting in front of their homes, "Thank you for
    having us," with a tip of his hat.
    	People walking along and in the middle of Vermont 78, Interstate 89
    and along the concert road entrance were one of the biggest problems,
    said Capt. James Cronan, who is overseeing the event for the Vermont
    State Police.
    	Traffic was backed up for more than five miles at 5 p.m., he said. 
    Motorists reported it took them two hours once they joined the line on
    Interstate 89 until they entered a concert parking lot.
    	At one point, Burlington concert promoter Jay Strausser directed
    traffic onto private land.  "Free parking, free parking," he yelled.
    The incensed landowner got out his deed and argued over the move in the
    road.  Later, the landowner relented and allowed cars onto his
    property.
    
    	"I rollerbladed in from four or five miles away," said Herb
    Sinkinson, of Burlington.
    	
    	But the crush of fans that some residents and local police feard
    might overwhelm security workers at the viewing area gates never
    materialized.  Rather, a steady surge moved quickly through the 50 check 
    stations that flank the stage.
    	Seen from the risers on the east end of the 200-by-90 foot,
    5-story-tall stage, the sea of mostly young fans swayed under a wispy
    cloud of dust kicked up from the pasture floor.
    
    	In the three medical tents spaced around the perimeter of the
    viewing area, more than 300 fans had been treated by 8 p.m., most for
    overdoses of hallucinogenic drugs.  
    	"We've got a lot of LSD.  A lot of mushrooms," said Dr. Donna
    Hosmer, an emergency physician in Northwestern Medical Center in St.
    Albans, the chief medical officer at the site.  "Right now, we've got a 
    burn, five drug overdoses, and a couple of headaches."
    
    	According to local police, the medical tents are where most of the
    headaches stayed.  "Nobody believed it could be this mellow," said Swanton 
    Police Chief Michael McCarthy.  "These people are polite, friendly, and
    cooperative."
    
    	One fan did surprise police as he walked naked across the field to
    the event entrance.  Four state troopers surrounded the oblivious man
    and helped him into his jeans while a mesmerized crowd watched. 
    Handcuffed, he was led away by the troopers.  "Jammin' to the tunes, 
    you've got to drop your drawers," said one border guard as he watched.
    
    	But McCarthy said his most memorable vision of the event came
    yesterday, at a Swanton car wash where a busload of Deadheads had
    stopped.  "They bailed out, hosed each other down, got back in the
    microbus, and left," he said.	
             

    THE DAY OF THE DEAD
    
    As deadheads filled Franklin County on Wednesday for the Grateful Dead
    concert, the sights and sounds ranged from a man offering free
    vegetable stir fry made with grocery store food scraps to a
    disagreement over the legality of laughing gas.
    
    --<<<----- STUPID JOKES ----->>>--
    
    It was supposed to be a gathering to take in a concert by 1960s
    counter-culture icons.  But it looked more like a tribute to capitalism
    with a frenzy of sales.  Hucksters and hippies.  A seemingly complete
    underground economy. 
    	"Everyone's making money.  Selling everything," said Paul Boutin,
    36, of Burlington.  
    	Pete Russo, 24, of Pawtucket, R.I., had never been to a Grateful
    Dead show.  But, after seeing the massive, mobile alternative mall of
    food, clothing, jewelry, incense, stickers, and songbooks, he decided
    to get in on the game.  In 30 minutes, Russo had made about $5 by
    holding up a sign offering to tell stupid jokes for a quarter.  "My
    friends have been to Dead shows before.  And they said I'd make money. 
    And, I know tons of stupid jokes," he said.
    	The local Deadhead economy had standard prices set by noon: 
    grilled cheese sandwich, $1; parking, $20-30 for a car, $50 for a
    recreational vehicle; cold drink, $1; burrito, $3; dress, $15;, concert
    tickets, $20-450; T-shirt, $10 and up; balloon full of nitrous oxide or
    dentist's laughing gas, $5; clean, private-pay toilet, $1 - or 50 cents
    if you wanted to go second in a clean stall; carrot juice, $2.50.
    
    
    --<<<----- LAUGHING GAS: PART I ----->>>--
    
    	Four friends in their early 20's from Plattsburg, N.Y., stood near
    a couple of young entrepreneurs selling laughing gas balloons.  One,
    24-year-old Mike,  who wouldn't give out his last name for fear  his
    father or his boss (he called in sick) would find out he had attended
    the show, suggested taking broken balloon bits up to the tank.  Free
    replacement balloons were offered for broken ones.  "Jump on that
    balloon," he said, pointing to a broken red piece.  "We're going to
    wait until our balloons are low and then take them up to get another
    one."
    	But, by 3:30 p.m., four Lamoille County sheriff's deputies had
    broken up the young laughing gas business.  Deputy Roy Marble
    explained, "It's an illegal substance."  Then, he directed the two
    entrepreneurs to roll the $150 nitrous oxide tank away into police
    custofy.  "C'mon guys."
    
    --<<----- LAUGHING GAS:  PART II ----->>--
    
    	There seemed to be some question about just how illegal nitrous
    oxide is in Vermont.
    	Posessing, selling, and inhaling nitrous oxide - or "laughing gas"
    - was perfectly legal at the Grateful Dead concert Wednesday, according
    to Franklin County State's Attorney Howard Van Benthuysen.  He looked
    over the statutes, including Vermont's updated illegal drug law passed
    by this year's Legislature.  He found that police are not authorized to
    even confiscate the source of the gas, which at Wednesday's concert was
    mostly from balloons.
    	"They ommitted one of the most prevalent and hazardous gases from
    the law," Van Benthuysen said.  "I've already had a discussion with the
    state health commissioner's office. ...An emergency regulation is
    appropriate until we can get this fixed."
    
    --<<----- BELLIES FULL, HEARTS FULL ----->>--
    
    	Not everyone looked for pure profit.  Randy Repass of Manchester
    gave people a break who couldn't afford $2 for the stir fry he made
    from discarded vegetables he found behind local Grand Union and IGA
    stores.  "It's beautiful food," he said.  "You can pretty much live off
    it.  You buy the rice and grains.  Since we were gifted with this
    stuff, we share what we can.  Keep the bellies full, keep the hearts
    full."
    
    --<<----- BUMPERSNICKER ----->>--
    
    	Holly and Quentin Bumps, who live across from the main concert
    site, kept track of license plates as cars traveled down Vermont 78. 
    Holly Bumps said she spotted license plates from 30 different states
    and three Canadian provinces in three hours beginning at 9:30 a.m.
    	A bumper sticket on one of those cars, this one from Albany, N.Y.,
    said: "Who are the Grateful Dead and why do they keep following me?"
    

    BACKSTAGE PROVES A MILD EXPERIENCE
    
    By Susan Kelley, Free Press Staff Writer
    
    HIGHGATE - Backstage at the Grateful Dead concert was a field of
    business-like calm, in marked contrast to the bobbing carpet of faces
    outside the 8-foot-high fences.
    	Dead keyboardist Vince Welnick was itching to hear Senegalese
    opening act Youssou N'Dour.  "I was nearly in tears on their
    soundcheck," he said.  In a 60's psychedelic orange shirt, he plans on
    sticking around despite the fact that all three of the Dead's
    keyboardists have died.  "I was in (San Francisco band) The Tubes, and
    if that didn't kill me, nothing will," Welnick said.  
    	He's come full circle since he joined the Dead four years ago,
    going from learning the songs, to learning them well, to overplaying
    them, and now he's back to playing them simply.  "So all you have to
    look forward to is the wonder of each new day."
    	The band also is looking forward to returning to this venue, he
    said. "I've never been to Vermont before, and it's a pretty gosh-darn
    beautiful place.  And the vibe is good.  This is much more preferable
    to doing six nights in - well, I won't say which garden. ...There's not
    the ear-death factor."
    	Welnick said he tried out for the band in 1990 by playing on the
    late Brent Mydland's keyboard.  "I went down to Front Street and tried
    out his rack.  Bobby (Weir) and Jerry (Garcia) happened to show.  I met
    Jerry before when I was with The Tubes.  After I talked to them I got
    this vibe that this was it.  Then it was pins and needles to see if
    they wanted me back."
    
    	Inside the fence, Dead publicist Dennis McNally herded the press
    like a high-powered football coach, headphones and all.  "I'd like to
    give you more time," he said to about 20 photographers.  "But you can
    see the zoo I've got here.  There are crates on stage.  Stand on them."
    	Even though he works about 70 shows a year, his work is still
    sometimes play.  "If I can kick back and focus on the music, and
    they're playing well - I'm critical - then it's still fabulous.  Last
    Sunday was smoking."
    
    	Meanwhile, stagehands were donning harnesses to man the spotlights
    hanging over the stage.  Michael Beane of Montpelier, who has traveled
    as a roadie for 20 years, says Dead members are more particular than
    most bands.  "They don't want anyone on stage.  They're very strict
    about what equipment can be touched.  But it's their livelihood, and
    they're protecting it."
    
    	Bob Billings of Bob's Central Heating and Plumbing of Burlington
    saw Jerry Garcia heading into the backstage compound at about 2 p.m. 
    "Jerry's very business-like.  He had two briefcases.  He was very
    well-dressed."
    
    	N-Dour and the band finished their set, and marched across the
    empty backstage field, their purple, yellow, and red African dress
    shimmering against the dun, trampled ground.  As a tape of John
    Coltrane played between sets, N'Dour ate steak and observed that the 
    Vermont audience was different than any other he's played for. 
    "They're very relaxed.  I get a very powerful feeling from people
    here."
    
    	Outside, a bathrobed man played tarot cards on the ground.  An
    angelic-faced child with glitter in his dread-locks inhaled as the Dead
    began to sing, "We're going to stay here 'til we sooth our souls."
    
    	Underneath the five-story stage, roadies scurried in the labyrinth
    of pipes to keep the stage air conditioning running.  Only beach balls
    and the rare hoisted girlfriend punctuated the mosaic of tanned and
    sweaty faces.
    	Security guards sat on the stage during the entire show.  "People
    are a little weird," said guard Rick Busacca.
    
    	Backstage, oakley Clark, 11, and his brother, Nick, 7, were
    listening to the show, thanks to backstage passes that their father
    scored through his friend McNally.  Oakley has seen about 12 shows so
    far.  "This one is like Woodstock," he said, "When they're in stadiums,
    you can't get up and dance."
    	Amy Beth Connell of Colchester was there, too.  "Seventy-eight
    shows and I finally get backstage.  This is 'Tenessee Jed' - Jerry at
    his finest," as the band began a new song.
    
    	At one point, a young man danced onto the stage dressed in
    overalls and the five security guards quickly escorted him off the
    stage.  Each guard had large cans of ice tea to keep cool during the
    evening.
    
    	Into the crowd, people spent the time waiting for the show to begin
    by playing horshoes or hackey sack.  Some poeple dozed in the sun.

    far.  "This one is like Woodstock," he said, "When they're in stadiums,
    you can't get up and dance."

yeah right ;^)


Thanks for all the reviews and articles !!  They've made my monday!

Glennnn

Thanks for entering those Danielle!  Saves me from having to do it ;-)
I've got one other article left, from the local evening paper that
came out Wednesday night.  If I can find it, I'll try to put that one
in.

PeterT

    well, my show experience was different from any other i've ever had...
    
    first, i would echo the sentiments expressed by so many that the locals
    were wonderful, Lake Carmi is a GREAT place (possible DEChead camp trip
    destination?) to camp, and it would be cool if they go back...
    
    secondly i would thank the friends that helped make the trip as cool as
    it was...  :^)
    
    and thirdly, the kind medical folks and police officers that got me
    backstage for the first time ever... :^)   here's the thing...
    
    Rochelle was determined to get a good, up close look at the boys when
    they came out...  and she worked herself up to a good seat-one person 
    away from the rail...  she caught all of Yassou N'Dour's set (cool 
    stuff!) but by the end was starting to feel headachy and ill...  the
    gate gueards had made us dump our water and throw out our fruit
    on the way in so she had headed up to the front with no sustenance...
    once there, she started dehydrating...  by the time we got to Queen
    Jane in the dead's first set, she was lying down on the blanket cuz her
    head was pounding and she was starting to feel sick (she bailed from
    the front and found our blanket again)...  by set break, she was
    feeling pretty bad...  she wouldn't go to the first aid tent at first
    but soon decided that it was a good idea so off we went...  the EMT's
    there were great...  they gave Rochelle some gator-ade type drink and 
    an antacicd to try and settle her stomach...  then helped her to a cot
    to relax (beats laying on the ground!)...  some tylenol for her
    pounding head, and then it was "relax and see how you feel in a few
    minutes"...  after about 30 minutes there, she wasn't feeling any
    better...  as the band started palying truckin', we arranged to "evac"
    Rochelle to the hospital tent to have the dr's look her over...
    
    "evac" means myself and 3 EMT's carried her on a stretcher through the
    crowd...  that was an interesting experience...  two guys with bright
    lights in front shouting "make a path! stretcher coming!!" and heads 
    falling all over themselves to get out of the way... :^)  kinda
    funny...  all the heads got real quiet and mumbled things like "wow,
    bummer man" and "ooohhhhh i hope it's not serious!"...  meanwhile
    Rochelle was trying to hide her face cuz she was real embarrassed that
    they wouldn't let her walk herself (ust as well...  she was feeling 
    pretty weak and it would've taken forever) and she hopeed no one would
    recognize her!  :^)
    
    anyway, first stop for the stretcher was BACKSTAGE!!!  :^)  the easiest
    route to the hospital tent took us right backstage...  once there, they
    set Roche on the ground to wait for a "transport vehicle" (kind of like
    a golf cart that the had a space on the back for carrying stuff, in
    this case, Roche)...  it was pretty funny being bakc there...  for one
    thing, the sound was better (anyone out there besides me who is not
    terribly impressed with Cutler's work so far?)  the med guys had been
    back there before and were getting a big kick out of pointing out stuff
    to us! :^)  "didja ever see anything like that before?"  and "come
    check out this bus!  350,000 to buy and 10,000 per year to insure it!
    it's liek a hotle in there!!"  :^)  it was funny...  been a while since 
    this was that new to me i guess...
    
    golf cart arrived and we got Roche to the hospital tent...  then the
    doctors asked me to wait outside the tent...  then the police made me
    wait behind the barrier... :^(  i didn't want to go too far cuz Roche
    wasn't too happy about being there so i picked a spot where i could 
    wait without being in trouble but she could still see that i was
    waiting on her...  after a few minutes, Dr Donna Hosmer came out and 
    told the police woman that i was chatting with "we are going to
    evacuate that girl to the hospital and try and de-tox her..." at which
    point i jumped in with "EXCUSE ME!!!  WHO ARE YOU  EVACUATING?!?!?!"
    i could see that they were inserting an IV on Rochelle...  i knew she
    was dehydrated and she hadn't been doing any drugs so the de-tox thing
    had me going...  she said "i can't give out that information, but if you 
    tell me who you're here with i'll see if it's her..."  she went in and 
    checked and it wasn't Rochelle...  then she touched my arm and apologized 
    "i'm so sorry! that must have been pretty scary!  not to worry
    though...  yours is going to be just fine...  she's very dehydrated and
    we're just giving her some fluids..." 
    
    a little while later they let me in because Rochelle asked them to, and
    because i was obviously shivering!  i'd given Roche my wamr clothes to
    wear and left the other stuff at the blanket...  so we hung out in the
    hospital tent for most of the second set...  made it bakc to the
    blanket with a better-feeling Rochelle just in time for one of the
    lamest useless blues encores ever...
    
    the hospital tent is an interesting place during a show...  when the dr
    asked Roche if she was doing drugs she said, looking around at some of
    the poor souls nearby "you're probably not going to believe me, but no"
    the doc said "i believe you...  the ones that had too much are quite
    willing to tell us, and they usually offer us some!"  :^)  they brought
    in a couple of folks having really bad, and violent, trips...  one
    man was brought in and had to be restrained by 4 medical people... 
    another girl had to be brought in strapped down and when they moved her
    to a cot she had to be restrained there too...  in both cases, once
    restrained, they gave them both a shot of something with made them
    sleep for a few minutes, and when they woke up they were much calmer,
    very pleasant, and very embarrassed...   there were two kids in a cot
    near Roche who wanted me to explain to them what was going on... "hey
    dude, can you look at me and tell i'm tripping???"  these two were on
    thier first trip...  they got scared when they "never felt like this
    before...  i don't understand it at all... will it stop?"  they got
    pretty freaked when the two heads on bad trips came in...  "this is my
    first time and my last time" he promised...  bad time for a first LSD
    experience...
    
    the police were VERY cool and didn't hassle any of these people who had 
    quite obviously over-indulged...  Dr Donna Hosmer and her staff of
    folks were INCREDIBLE...  htey were patient, kind, understanding and
    helpful, and all the time made it seem liek even being sick at a show
    could be fun!  they gave Rochelle an IV of saline solution and a shot
    of something else (to slow her pulse and something for her stomch...
    fergit what they were)...  they treated lots of contact lens wearers
    for dried out lenses and dust in the eyes...  gave a safe place for 
    tripped out folks to get thier heads together...  solarcane for sun
    burns...  pain relievers for headaches... all kinds of stuff...
    even one guy who got landed on by someone hopping a fence (compromised
    airway...  when fixed up, the guy ran off...  turns out he hopped the
    fence too and thought they'd kick him out...)...
    
    and i even got backstage!  :^)
    
    						da ve

    That's cool da ve!  Sucks though that Rochelle was sick...:(
    
    BTW, if you go to the medical tent, do they send you a bill for it
    afterward?  Or is it free?

    Stupid question, maybe, but why do they make you throw out
    your water? 

    
    free care...  :^)

    
    	Hey! I saw that evac mission!  Glad everyones ok!
    
   	And thank godness for dem shots they got back there...always a 
    	pleasure....yet always embarrassing!  ;-)
    
    	Deane_whorecalls_someone_d'ing_my_drink_heavily_in_Foxboro_once_
    	and_had_to_go_get_a_shot 
    

so what's in the shot?

    
    I don't know....don't think I want to know! ;-) ;-)
    
	Instant embarrassment!!! ;-)

Thorazine...

    I don't THINK they use thorazine for that anymore. It makes the patient
    'manageable', but Thorazine does worse things to your mind than the
    usual consumables. The cure is worse than the disease.
    
    gary

    
    I always thought it was vitamin C.

hmmm, well I wish I knew -- it'd be handy to be able to stop a bad trip on your
own...

That reminds me...feeling a little burnt out, Angela and
I headed back to the car a little early - listened to
Sugar Magnolia and U.S. Blues on the way.  As we headed
down the street toward the car, we encountered a young
man wearing a towel, who somehow managed to bounce off of
each of the cars parked along the street - on both sides.
I saw him rear-end a VW bus pretty solidly once.

He was in tough shape, and kept repeating very loudly,
"OK.  My name is Jim.  I've done way too much acid. [no
kidding]  I'm stuck in the 60's and I can't get out."

Every five minutes or so, he changed his name, but otherwise
he kept repeating this until he was finally out of range.

Hopefully, he made it home ok...or at least back into the 90's.

;-)

tim

Oh yea, on the subject of those shots....

I remember having a conversation about them at some point,
thinking it would be neat if they had them in a form similar
to the epinephrine 'pens' that are used to counteract 
anaphylactic allergic reactions (like bee stings, etc)...
They'd come in handy at Deadshows, especially for people like
that poor soul 'Jim'...;-)

    I was involved in Ann Arbor's Drug Help (662-HELP) for a few years in
    the late 60s.  Folks that called the Help line that had really lost it
    were taken to University Hospital ER and were almost always given a
    shot of thorazine.  For those who hadn't completely lost it, but were
    very scared (especially the "will I ever come done" folks), we
    administered 50 mg of Librium orally and that almost always took
    enough of the edge off to restore calm, if not tranquility.  Mind you,
    I've not had *any* experience in helping folks on bum trips since 1971,
    so completely different tacks may be taken now.
    
    Sid

    Terros in phx used vit b-12 to mellow out people in the 70's. 
    
    I second the THANKS!! for all the articles and reviews....guess I'll
    get my fix this weekend with SHAKEDOWN STREET at LAURA BELLS LOUNGE. 
    
    rfb

    
    i don't know what was inthe stuff they gave to the seriously dosed
    heads, but it was wonderful stuff! :^)  these people were thrashing
    about, very violently and under restraint (did i mention it took
    4 people to hold one of them down?)...  one shot of this wonderful
    stuff, and it was naptime for 15-20 minutes...  :^)  i've never known 
    vitimin C to have this effect so i suspect it was something else...
    i had wondered about thorazine myself, but was surprised at how quickly
    people came back around and figured it must be something else (or not
    a *lot* of thorazine)...
    
    and no, it was definitley NOT what they gave Rochelle... :^)  i would
    have remembered that...  they gave her ssomething i hadn't heard of 
    before...
    
    					da ve

	thanks for typing the articles danielle. :-)
	
	da ve, i saw the evac also. bummer. glad all was ok.
	my buddy reilly helped a young dude get medical help after a
	large dose. the kid was in rough shape. i like dancing better ;-)

    I think valium/librium or some similar diazepam is more usual now,
    assuming the goal is to help the poor soul rather than stun them. When
    the official explanation of LSD's effect was that it simulated a
    psychotic episode, using an antipsychotic tranq. (thorazine) sort of
    made sense. I supposed it is possible that some ER staff still believe
    this.
    
    Thorazine is one of those drugs that medicos should not be allowed to
    administer until they've experienced it first hand, IMO. Nasty, nasty
    stuff. Used to be quite popular with the KGB.
    
    I worked through my university years as a tech in a clinical pathology
    lab at a local hospital. I used to hate going to the psych ward and
    seeing those people reduced to something less than human by those
    drugs.
    
    Hmmm, having depressed myself and probably everyone else, it must be
    lunchtime.
    
    gary

    I second the 'glad all is ok" sentiment....I've been there before and
    can relate.....
    
    rfb

    >> He was in tough shape, and kept repeating very loudly,
    >> "OK.  My name is Jim.  I've done way too much acid. [no
    >> kidding]  I'm stuck in the 60's and I can't get out."
    
    Thanks for entering that, Tim!  I feel really bad for the guy but it
    gave me a good laugh....:-)

	reminded me of rev jim from taxi !  :-)

    I remember, sorta, being at a party years ago (and I do mean YEARS) 
    where someone who we all knew was mentally unbalanced was passing out 
    these little tiny pills.
    something that small can't hurt ya, right? 
    
    much later all of us were being pulled out of the swimming pool before
    we all drowned....that was my one and only experiance with thorazine
    rfb

    
    Althogh Jim may have been humorous, it is also important to 
    remember he may have not put himself in that state voluntarily and 
    could have easily been hit by a car or attempted suicide.
    
    It is rewarding to assist in talking someone down, as I experienced 
    first hand in 1990.  I met a couple in Foxboro after the show that 
    were having troubles keeping eachother sane.  I offered them food
    and water, but that wasn't enough...they insisted that wanted to 
    go to the hospital together, and they couldn't handle an ambulance.
    So I drove em there, and left the number of a taxi to take them back
    to Foxboro and a few bucks.  
    
    The couple (now married) sent me to four shows at the Boston Garden in 
    the Fall of 1991.  They even came to my house and picked me up! 

    That was very nice of you Deane!  :)
    
    I do realize that it's not a laughing matter, it's really scary, but for 
    some reason reading about Jim made me laugh...:) 
    I'm not a mean person, really! :-)

    I laughed my ass off too....the best thing to tell someone in that
    state (it was vermont, right??) is "It's just a pill, you'll get over
    it, all will be fine."
    
    rfb_never flipped Out, no not me!

I understand, Deane-O, and I usually agree...if I'm on my own.
I wasn't, so priorities prevail.

I've been nurse/savior to dozens of people over the past 25
years...it gets old.  "Jim" (or "Chad", or "Bill" or whatever
his real name was) wasn't really endangering himself.  In 
fact, my impression was that he really needed a videotape of
himself to review in the morning, and at any time in the
future he considers recreational drugs.  I did consider
flagging down a cop, but like I said, there were other
priorities...and he was harmless, and kinda funny...at first. ;-)

The woman at the bonfire on Tuesday night probably should have 
such a videotape too...but that's another story... ;-)

tim

    
    If you flagged a cop...the guy probably would have lost it....
    probably better to let him go!  I noticed that people in that 
    condition rage at the sight of authority.  :-)

    
     At the Vermont show, I was up front, and before the Dead came on,
    security dragged this naked guy over the rail....he started freaking,
    and it took about six guys to hold him down, then some EMT's with 
    rubber gloves and facemasks came at him, once the guy saw them, he
    really started going nuts!......I wonder if that's the same guy 
    you saw Da ve.
    
     every show I went to on this tour, I saw someone naked, two of
    them were really flippin' out and the other guy was just walkin'
    the hallway asking people what time it was...
    
    Sean

    
     >> the hallway asking people what time it was...
    
	Hummmm, I reckon "he didn't know what time it was!!!"
    
    	But, does anybody really know what time it is??????????????

re       <<< Note 410.29 by STRATA::DWEST "riding on Blaine the Mono..." >>>
                          -< another perspective... >-

>    first, i would echo the sentiments expressed by so many that the locals
>    were wonderful, Lake Carmi is a GREAT place (possible DEChead camp trip
>    destination?) to camp, and it would be cool if they go back...
 
no way!!  if people though Moosebrook was too far, they'll think this place
is on the moon!

    
    yeah, i know...  i had thought of that too...
    
    but then again, some of the best camp trips have been lo-turnout... :^)

    When looking at the Highgate setlist, it said 
    
    "*(soundcheck included Childhood's End)*".
    
    What is Childhood's End?
    

    >>    When looking at the Highgate setlist, it said
    
    >>    "*(soundcheck included Childhood's End)*".
    
    >>    What is Childhood's End?
    
    
    D -
    	Childhood's End is a new Phil song they have yet to unleash. Seems
    its been soundchecked a bunch lately so I'd bet it'll be debuting soon.
    
    								-jeff

    re: Lake Carmi too far....it is a cruise, but a nice one, and you could
    always do Montreal before or after  :)

re                     <<< Note 410.62 by SLICK1::OSTIGUY >>>
>                        -< Molson XXX   7.3 % alc/vol >-

lemme ask:  is your appeal to Molson XXX purely because of its publisized
high alc. content?  just curious.

    it is for me, it certainly doesn't taste any better than
    other Molson flavors.  it does have a stronger bite
    (alcohol aftertaste) than other, less alcohol content beers.
    This aftertaste is goooood.
    Keep 'em coming!
    
    Steve

    well, JC, to be honest, I've only had about 3 of 'em, and I'm not a big
    fan of the taste yet...I'd have to drink 2-3 in one sitting (stress
    sitting ) to acquire the taste, I've only had 1 at a time....
    
    you definitely can feel it though, my note mentioning those was just
    that...to mention it....but I do have a few put aside ready to consume
    at a dinner to be named later....in 1 sitting  :)
    
    as I've said before, I much prefer the Molson Export (red label) that
    is available above the border, nice effect, and to me a great taste...
    
    drank a bunch of those while up there this last trip, in what my cousin
    called "King Cans Eh ??"  that equal about 2.2 beer eh ??  
    
    and FYI, I drank a bunch of Black Ice's up there too, eh ??  but I
    think they are the same as you can get here, 5.5%  eh ??  maybe due to
    NAFTA EH ??
    
    :)

>    drank a bunch of those while up there this last trip, in what my cousin
>    called "King Cans Eh ??"  that equal about 2.2 beer eh ??  

Right, cause of the crest on the label. Your other choice is "blue boat, eh?"

the reason i ask is regulators in the USA are all up in arms over the new
high alc. beers and the whole business about advertising acl. contents
on commercials and on the label.  the fear is brewers will start an alc.
war, that is, each brewer will "one up" the next brewer, making more and more
potent beers, which in turn becomes a public menace because people will
get more drunk, etc,etc.  so, i was wondering if your draw to the beer was
in fact the high alc. content.

-----------

big time opinion about beer follows.
you've been warned!
press next-unseen now!




	last chance!



IMO, molson, becks, bud, miller, coors, heiniken, etc.  they are all crap
beers and are all on par with each other.  lots of people, imo again,
are under the impression that "imported = better" - the status symbol of
drinking an import vs. a domestic makes some people, imo again, feel like
they are really drinking something specail.  i used to think this myself
in high school... we drank moosehead and molson and thought we were pretty
damn cool.  i even remember marketing tactics used by canadien brewers saying
"green bottled beer is better" ... a mega-produced beer is a mega-produced 
beer, plain and simple.   all that beer, imo, lacks character.  yes, i am a 
beer snob i guess, thanks  to my awareness from brewing myself and having 
the opportunity to drink beer in ireland, scotland, england, germany, 
austria, and micro brewed stuff from boston to seattle.  beer, imo, can 
be persued like wine.  very good beer is hard to find, although HUGE strides 
have been made in the last 5 yrs to bring micro-brewed, fresh beer to your 
local store.  imo on this, so, direct flames to NLA0:

I agree totally with you on this JC.  I never really got into the 
massive quantities stuff in high school (maybe persuing other highs??)
and can't even remember drinking much of anything until well after my
18th birthday (which was the legal age back then).  But I did eventually
develop a taste for beer, and we had a small group that got into the
"German Beer" nights.  Imports, yes, but Heinekens were very low on our
list.  We tended towards the dark beers.  Once micro-brews started up,
I started switching towards these.  Now I tend to experiment and test out
the variety of brands you can find.  There's a lot of interesting stuff 
out there, with an occassional turkey.  There seems to be an interesting
trend, with the major labels coming out with "micro-brew" like beers.
I've seen Miller with Amber beer, and Velvet Stout.  I must admit that
I've been afraid to try these out though!  The very concept boggles the
mind!

PeterT

    
    After sampling your Wheat last night....I must agree! :-)

    Blackened Voodoo is the best, its like food, I could 
    live on it. Ne1 go to the national microbrewers conventions a few 
    months ago in the world trade center in Boston?  Tasty
    samples of over two hundred types of beer from over 75 micro
    breweries.
    Steve

    JC, I agree with you to a point on the Miller's, Bud's etc of the world
    but I like Becks and Heineken Dark beers...imo, they are a cut above
    the average American beer...I do not subscribe to the "imported is
    better" theory, and in fact, I tend to drink only Molson brewed and
    bought in Canada....except for the Black Ice, which I do find to have a
    decent taste here...
    
    the Molson Export I typically don't buy here either, but I would have
    that anytime if it's from the Grate White North...
    
    these days, I'm most inclined to drink Sam Adams, Wicked Pete, or other
    dark beer...unless I run into some homebrew, then I'm always up for
    that...homebrewing isn't something I've gotten into yet, my somewhat
    limited understanding of it is that you need a relatively cool place to
    store the mix during its' "brewing"   well, our apartment doesn't
    really offer that, or the space, so until we move to a place with more
    space, I'll just have to be lucky enough to catch some wherever and
    whenever I can....
    
    hey, if you're gonna drink beer, ya might as well enjoy it, and I just
    can't enjoy Bud etc...it's gotta have a little life and taste....hmm, I
    think I'm gonna stop on the way home and grab some Sam Adams...there is
    a place in Shrewsbury that has had the 22oz Sam Adams bottles for $1.99
    and I have invested heavily in those...  :)

    
    I consider imports to be in two categories: the mass-produced and the
    'better' beers.  Mass produced were already mentioned by JC, and for
    the most part I agree (though I think Becks is a pretty good beer,
    both light and dark.  I never enjoyed Heinekin).  Then there are some
    truly superb imports such as Ayinger, Paulaner, Haacker Pschorr,
    etc....these are more expensive but worth it.  There are lots of good
    imports and domestic, and lots of lousy imports and domestic.  'Import'
    no longer has any real meaning towards quality now.
    
    Hogan

	fwiw, the Miller Amber and Rolling Rock Bock are superior to 
	their weaker cousins, but still pretty poor.  Also fwiw, A-Busch
	has bought a major interest in Red Hook out of Seattle, will
	market that beer for the "microbrew" market, and plans to open
	a Red Hook brewery in Eastern MA.  Good news, I guess.
 	
	And I agree with -1, there's a lot of superb imported beer;
	for example, Spaten.    THere's also a lot of lousy microbrew.	

	/Ken

	HEY!! take it to the freakin beer note!!

    back to Highgate,
    
    Here is a sad story...
    
    My neighboor upstairs from me has/had a beautiful 15 month
    old Rottweiler.  Huge and friendly, 150 lbs and lick your
    face-be my friend type of beast.
    
    My neighboor/friend took the Rotty to Highgate.  Before the
    show, in the field parking lot at the airport, he had the dog
    with him.  People said hello and pet the dog all day, commenting 
    on how beautiful and friendly he was.  
    
    Suddenly, the dog collapsed, two hours later the dog was dead!
    15 months old?  Wazzup?  It wasn't overly hot out and Jude
    (neighboor/friend/dog owner) said he had plenty of water and food.
    
    jude thinks someone slipped the dog some acid.  I could agree, but
    I feel more likely it was that the dog got into some trash and ate it
    or that the dog had a bad-genetically defective heart or something.
    Who knows, I'll miss that friendly little pup.  :(
    
    Steve

    wow, that story is a Drag...especially if someone slipped the dog some
    acid, that would be pretty f*ck*n rotten

    I don't wanna think ne1 would do that, but when I told
    some heads in RFK they told me that they had given their
    dog multiple hits on several occasions and the dog was fine.
    Can you say SPCA?

slippin a dog acid?  

that would be rather STUPID 

... anything with sharp teeth and claws should be kept as sane and calm as
possible.


- jeff

    
    	i'd be very surprised to find it was a dose...  i've heard of
    people who died doing stoopid things on acid, but never about it being
    fatal on uts own...
    
    					da ve

I'm with Jeff on this one - I wouldn't even want my lame
little cocker spaniel dosed, much less a 150lb. Rottweiler,
Jeez!  It would also surprise me if even a few hits of acid
would be fatal to a dog - unless it scared him to death.
:-(

Probably something else...but a shame, nonetheless.

tim

p.s. yes, I'm at work.  Hey, it's air conditioned! ;-)

    according to a friends vet, doses don't kill a dog...they just never
    quite come all the way down...I'd look for a natural cause...
    rfb

Highgate -

Had a great time.  Just got back to work...I got lost on the way home and 
ended up in Raleigh, NC and coastal SC.  :)

RE;  bonfire fornication (can we say that word in a public conf?:)
They must've been the ones that "sat" in front of us during the Bob and Rob
show at Great Woods a few years ago...hard concentrating on a concert with
that going on directly in front of me...Where's that bucket of cold water
when you need it???

The show:  Standing on the Moon was my fave of the show with Corrina about
tied.  (I thought Corrina was the BEST tune of the last Boston run).  Forgotten
words in UJB led to a loud scream from parts of the crowd "how does that
song go?"

I parked on some Vermonsters yard and we traded budweiser for Otter Creeks.
Trade of the day.

Saw lots of DEC folks and ex-deccies.  Had a blast.  A 2nd day would've been
nice.  

:)
bob

I once new a dog named Mouth, a big German shepherd, who inadvertently
ate a bag of about 1000 hits of acid that her owner just happened to 
have carelessly left lying about.
I wasn't there at the time, but apparently Mouth was pretty weird for 
awhile, but eventually came down and returned to be a more-or-less normal
dog (I always thought Mouth was a little strange, but who knows why).
At any rate, the experience was certainly *not* fatal.
Thus, I seriously doubt that a couple of hits of ok stuff would kill a
dog.  
 
       Craig

    I wonder what would make a dog want to eat acid in the first place -
    pretty much tasteless paper (except for that little tingly taste - so
    i've heard). Doesn't seem very appetizing unless ya know the little
    secret behind the paper?!?

    stupid dogs.......

    
    Dogs will eat just about anything that they get their teeth on.....when
    I have my dogs in the car and there is a piece of paper or any kind of
    trash on the floor, they always end up ripping it apart and eating it. 
    Of course, when they hear the key phrase "WHAT are you doing?", the
    rustling and chewing stops for a minute or two ;^)
    
    Hogan
    
    PS: like rfb said......stupid dogs.....