Always the best way to ring in the new year!

I still get the chills when I think about my one and only New Year's run, my Deadhead pilgrimage to Mecca. Not the least of reasons for the chills was the fact that the Bay Area had record-breaking cold that entire week, the kind that causes burst pipes and such for those not accustomed to it. I slipped on a patch of ice (in freaking San Francisco!) the morning of the show and suffered for three weeks with a bruised ass (and an ego in a similar condition). But the entire run started on a marvelous high and just ascended from there. The Big Night did not disappoint: I think it has to have been one of the two or three greatest ones ever, perhaps THE greatest if just the quality of the actual playing is considered. The two most intense moments of Dead music I ever experienced were the last two or three minutes of Dark Star before drums this night, and the playing behind Ken Kesey's rap during Dark Star at the Halloween '91 show. When you're floating out of the arena, you don't even notice that bruised backside. They always were the best cured for what ailed ya!

"I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy."

My one and only new Year's Eve show (not for lack of trying!) Ten of us all mail ordered tix for the run. Lucky me, i was dating the only one of us who got THE TIX! After a long drive from the NW we arrived for the first show of the run. Of course we arrived too late to get checked in to our lodging for the stay. With all belongings in the sled we ventured in. After a lovely first show we returned to find the sled ransacked with many valuables missing, including some tix and "essentials." Lo, and behold wonder of wonders, the creeps did not spot the front zipper on my pack. There were those beautiful tix you see above. My gal wanted to sell 'em,to recoup the $ and other losses, but cooler heads prevailed, and we went on New Years! Bungee craziness and stilt walkers at midnight. Truly a wonder we made it!