Well.... I'd like to start by discussing the big topic on my mind, and that's the passing of Bob Weir. I have a lot of mixed feelings about his death and what it means to me. First and foremost, I am a fan of the Grateful Dead. Obviously, I went to the 60th anniversary shows in SF, and while I had no regrets afterwards, I would have felt a lot if I'd backed out. I remember thinking Bob looked and sounded a little frail at the show. I assumed it was lack of practice, but know the truth now, and he was pretty sick. Regardless, I'm glad and a lot sad that I'll never get to see him perform again. I just assumed he would be playing more shows.
You see, I came late to the Dead. Yes, I could have seen them with Jerry, but I never did. When I was really into that type of scene none of my friends were deadheads, so nobody asked me to go see them, and when I tried to get tickets, I didn't think driving to Buffalo was a good idea. Not to mention I'd have to convince my "normal" friends that driving to a show hours away was going to be fun.
Later on, when I probably should have gone I was just focused on school and I missed so many shows I would have loved, including shows at MSG, Boston Garden etc...
So I found the dead when D&C started, or maybe they found me. Instead of feeling sorry for myself that I missed out, I took what was available and finally found my tribe. I've often wondered what my life would have been like had I seen them in Foxboro or even Buffalo that summer. C'est la vie.
Thanks for keeping it going as long as you did Bob. I thought I had more to say but I'll leave you all with this:
