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    marye
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    Okay, it wasn't ALL roses... One of the subjects that came up behind the scenes the other day was how just about everybody had a particular song (usually found in the second set) that they regarded as the perfect opportunity to beat the restroom crowds, purchase another overpriced water bottle, or decide whether they just had to have that T-shirt. The perfect opportunity, in short, to be anywhere but in the hall listening to the tune. In classic Deadhead fashion, it also came out that the same tune that sent one person running for the exits was the show's high point for another. So it goes. What's your experience?

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  • marye
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    rotten, you sorta inspired a new thread here...
    Tales of Shakedown: http://www.dead.net/forum/tales-shakedown
  • marye
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    great tales
    if you were vending, that kinda changed a lot of timing...
  • Rottenclam
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    None (but maybeeee drums and/or space)
    In my opinion, with the actual Grateful Dead playing, there was absolutely no song that could be voluntarily missed, ever. That has since changed with the post-Grateful Dead incarnations. If you have to use the restroom during any song by The Dead, The Other Ones, Phil and Friends, Furthur, Dead & Company, etc - then that is ok. The post-GD incarnations are not to be considered with the level of reverence that the original Grateful Dead had. Of course, if you had a crazy explosive bathroom urge of any variety back when the Grateful Dead were playing, then by all means, rush to the bathroom during a Dark Star. We have all had those moments in life, but hopefully they never struck many of us while the actual Grateful Dead were playing. I will admit that during some of the last songs from what I consider the weakest songbook era, I would not be thrilled (long way to go home, if the shoe fits, childhood's end, wave to the wind, and maybe one or two others), but I would never excuse myself from the immediately vicinity of where the Grateful Dead were performing. Never. Not one time. I either went to the bathroom before the show started, waited until intermission, or did it during drums and/or space. When I was on tour and selling shirts, I would stand near the exit listening to the encore. When the last notes of the encore were played, I would sprint to the car in order to grab my shirts, tarp, lanterns, etc. This was only done to make sure to that I would be ready to sell to the exiting crowd. I realize there was great risk in doing this. There was potential to miss a 2nd encore. With the double-encore at the last show ever played, I was already sold out of stuff, so I stuck around (besides, it was the end of the tour, so I was going to say goodbye to some of my other friend on tour until I saw them again when the Grateful Dead resumed in the Fall....which sadly, never happened). Because of that I did not miss the Box of Rain they played to end their career.
  • vibes
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    Brent tunes
    I must have seen a different Dead than you. Brent and Jerry rocked the house, with no slack and even encouragement from Bobby. I will take you home is one of my Favorites! Goes to show, you just never know. Carina would be my exit song. My friends say "find your shoes" but I love me some US BLUES Shoes can wait!
  • Roczilla
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    What better time to pee,then during Sugeree?
    I mean come on you could,shit,shower and shave during that song!
  • arlauckas1
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    Wuuuuuuuuuuttttttt !?!?!?!?
    Miss a moment of the Grateful God damned Dead to take a pee break ?!?!? Unheard of !!! That's what the set break was for. However, if this is a thinly veiled poll to determine personal Dead duds I'd have to confess to being less excited with any Beatles cover. In my ears those tunes just couldn't be Deadified.
  • mkav
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    wow
    you make excellent points. while i stand by my comments...maybe it was more like too much space/drumz, not that they DID space/drumz. 100% agree their drum solos/duets are the best I've heard, but 5 or 10 minutes would be fine. FTW drums was/were AWESOME, I'll agree and commented on originally. My favorite part of most Dead shows was the jamming and improv, and wondering where they were going to go next.
  • 8-13-75
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    wow...
    Can't agree. Billy and Mickey often gave us the best part of the show. Remember the Beast? The Beam? Their awesome communication, like two brains in one head? Those may have been the best drum solos in rock history. Mickey is really a world class percussionist, and Billy may be the most underrated rock drummer ever. They played together so often that they practically read each other's mind. I remember those intense primal jungle rhythms swooping around the stadiums... just blasting our minds to pieces. You hated space? Ok. That was the Dead at their freest and most creative... the part of the shows that harkened back to their Acid Test roots. Far out music was what made the Dead unique... not C&W rave up covers. I don't mean to be rude, but I think you really missed out on what the band considered its most exploratory work. But you weren't alone. A lot of people just liked to hear them play tunes, and not push the limits... not testing the definitions of music.
  • 8-13-75
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    Some basic GD whiz-dom
    Before I rant, let me note that I love the GD and nearly all of the material not bashed below But, here goes... It is appropriate to take a piss break, cringe, plug your ears, roll your eyes, laugh or vomit when any songs of the following types are played: Anything Brent wrote (i.e., not Hey Pocky Way). Brent was a great keyboardist and could provide some fine scratchy vocals (though, at times, he did sound like the lost Doobie Brother). He was probably their best keyboardist, though I love Keith's early contributions. But Brent's own songs were cheesy as hell. Maybe some fans never bothered to listen to the lyrics. Tons of Steel?!? Terrible analogy to build a song on. Far from Me, Easy to Love You, We Can Run... pure Velveeta. I could just about tolerate Just a Little Light and Blow Away, because they played well in arenas... but you'd think Barlow could've given him some better lyrics! The nadir of Brent's material, though, was I Will Take You Home. It's sweet that he wrote a lullaby was for his daughter, but he should've played it for her birthday party... not in front of stadiums of rock fans, C&W listeners, and tripped-out hippies! The band was too egalitarian about members' contributions, at times... and this is a perfect example of where they ought to have said "no." Any song where Phil sings. I love Box of Rain and Unbroken Chain as compositions, and Phil's a great bassist, but let's get honest... the guy's voice would only be appropriate for a bad karaoke night where everyone is getting bombed and is laughing. The ONLY song Phil could've possibly sung to positive effect was Pride of Cucamonga, and he never performed it with the GD. I never cared for Tom Thumb's Blues, or anything else that brought him to the mic. He provided horrid harmonies on Brown-Eyed Women back in the early 70s. Laughable! Sounded like he was deaf. Phil must be surrounded by "yes men" who would clap at his farts. Phil wrote New Potato Caboose but Bobby sang lead vox. It never really worked well live, but it could've with more practice. Point being... DON'T "Let Phil Sing!" Almost everything written in the 80s and 90s. I liked songs like Touch of Grey, Hell in a Bucket, My Brother Esau and Black Muddy River... but they were nothing to write home about. I didn't eagerly wait for them to appear... ever. West L.A. was legit. Throwing Stones seemed legit back in the day. Listen to the lyrics today. It's not only dated, but it's a pretty boring rant on the insidious forces tearing the world apart. These thought pieces that Bobby and Barlow started writing (e.g., Victim or the Crime) are pretty terrible, lyrically. They just don't fit the GD's apolitical origin, which was one of the things that made them special. [Note: Contrast Uncle John's with the contemporaneous Edwin Starr song, War, if you don't know what I mean.] Goopy songs like Standing on the Moon and Days Between make me shed a tear NOW, but they were a real drag back then. I like Picasso Moon and Victim or the Crime... MUSICALLY. VotC has some truly challenging "out" stuff in the solos, and the use of the tritones is nice. Foolish Heart was met with tons of excitement... The great new hope for a classic! It was mediocre, at best. That lick Brent used to play was hella annoying... all 1980s zippy and cheesy. They never took it to any real heights. Same deal with Built to Last. They played that annoying 7-4-1 progression over and over. A real pill. It brought down the energy of the first set of the final night of Fare Thee Welll, in fact. I barely remember that boring-ass material from the 90s. Easy Answers, Liberty, So Many Roads, Samba in the Rain, Way To Go, Corrina. Lazy River Road was a'ight, I guess. As for other bad material, Loose Lucy, Money Money, Day Job... it wasn't the Dead at their best. Lazy Lightning... stinky (though Supplication was pretty good). Looks Like Rain... a real stinker, unless you and your significant other were there together and liked goopy sad songs about lost love. Barf. I like Blues for Allah. It didn't perform up too good, though. I'm sure there are plenty of others I can't think of. Good rule of thumb: -Jerry... thumbs up (especially old material) -Pigpen... thumbs up -Bobby... thumbs mostly up (especially covers and old material) -Brent and Vince... thumbs up for harmonies, thumbs down for their own songs -Phil... thumbs always down Winner of Best Piss Break Ever Award: I Will Take You Home (aka, I Will Take a Whiz)
  • mkav
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    This one is easy-peezie....so to speak
    Space...drums. although FTW had amazing drumz.May Bob be in fine voice May Jerry find all the right notes May your trip of choice be treating you right And may you be in the bathroom 10 minutes before anyone else realizes the band is playing sapce/drums
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Okay, it wasn't ALL roses... One of the subjects that came up behind the scenes the other day was how just about everybody had a particular song (usually found in the second set) that they regarded as the perfect opportunity to beat the restroom crowds, purchase another overpriced water bottle, or decide whether they just had to have that T-shirt. The perfect opportunity, in short, to be anywhere but in the hall listening to the tune. In classic Deadhead fashion, it also came out that the same tune that sent one person running for the exits was the show's high point for another. So it goes. What's your experience?
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Johnman...you sacreligeous oaf, you (I'm just a kidding, you know!) xoxxo Gypsy Cowgirl goofing around again......but, yeh, right on......
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arr......i now be properly chastised...........but...to this day....when the drums start to fade out........i gotta pee........pavlov's deadhead i 'spose
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ok, I'm willing to admit it, I used to take naps during drums / space. funny as shit, my crowd said -- during the touch head era, and sorority gals would ask tour buddies with great shock: 'is he OK?' 'sure he is OK', Al Dente (old tour buddy) would reply, 'he is just taking a nap' as soon as the boys all got back on stage, and as the first chords would be heard, I'd get a boot in the ribs, to wake me, and a "cc, go ahead man, call that tune" which I usually could. ( -:
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all i ever heard was security, sayin' "get 'im outa here, or i will"........but not during drums, so boy i guess i got bit by uh tangent
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I'm a huge Weir fan, but.... Queen Jane, Eternity.... Phrom Phil... Wave To The Wind Even Jerry... Row Jimmy Other than that - I'd hold it as long as possible!!! ~ Pappy www.theCAUSEjams.com "Once in a while you can get shown the light in the strangest of places, if you look at it right." - Robert Hunter
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ROW JIMMY!!!! OYGoh well each 2 their own
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Red Rooster or Walkin Blues, these were also great times for smoking too. Pappy-Row Jimmy, for shame ha ha I really agree with Gypsy though whenever nauter calls. most of the time though was sweating all those Becks and Guiness out.
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Quickly - as I don't want to usurp the thread on Row Jimmy or other songs... BUT - RARELY did they NOT get lost in the solos of this song. I saw several versions at the shows I attended. They hit it ONCE (and I didn't have to go pee!) and I enjoyed it. IMO, Jerry's weakest 1st set tune....other than Day Job (but they were done w/ that tune by the time I hopped aboard). What I can't understand is I get crap for Row Jimmy, but others didn't for saying DARK STAR & PITB jams?!!! THAT WAS the GD - jamming & exploring - getting "out there!" ;) 'Sall good... I LOVED the blues tunes...all of 'em. ~ Pappy "Once in a while you can get shown the light in the strangest of places, if you look at it right." - Robert Hunter
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broken heart don't hurt so badain't got half what you thought you had!
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Pappy just playin man. I didn't care so much for Day Job either, just like grdaed said to each hiss own. I used to leave my seat all the time anyway go get lost in the halls for a while, especially in places that had speakers in the halls. Goe melt in the light for a while. Come to think of never really stayed in one place was always wanderering around. Get back home where you belong And don't you run off no more
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I know, I know you guys were just playin'....just find it funny that Row Jimmy (of all tunes) got ANY reaction, rather than the BIG guns, like Dark Star & Playin'. ;) Shall we go? Through the transitive nightfall of diamonds? ~ Pappy www.theCAUSEjams.coom "Once in a while you can get shown the light in the strangest of places, if you look at it right." - Robert Hunter
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just see the little bunny kicking in the air.. that come back stepgreat lyrics,thx hunter fantastic vocals,thx jerry That's the way it's been in town Ever since they tore the juke box down Two bit piece don't buy no more Not so much as it done before who said darkstar???? some of us waited our whole life for that!! and playing??? i mighta gotten up!! but thats no time for a break : )
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Page 1 of this thread...Dark Star. I couldn't believe it either!! :) Some other tunes of note mentioned, that are some of my FAVORITES: Black Peter Stella Blue (Jerry's FAVORITE original song) Death Don't Have No Mercy (but not because of boredom - because of the "heebie-jeebies" LOL!) Friend Of The Devil Someone else mentioned Row Jimmy on Page 3 of this thread! I'm not alone! I LOVE the song - that's the funny thing. BUT, as I said - they RARELY hit a good one. They'd lose count in the jams, or it was just overall uninspired. I saw ONE good one out of 5 or so live. I only hit 33 GD shows overall from 87-95. ~ Pappy www.theCAUSEjams.com "Once in a while you can get shown the light in the strangest of places, if you look at it right." - Robert Hunter
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Me, I love Dark Star but have some friends that aren't that fond of it. Just like I love the stuff from the 60's especially Pig raps, Anthem of the Sun stuff too. But those same friends don't dig that stuff either. But Row Jimmy was loved, Ok Pappy I'll stop man. FUN,FUN,FUN! Sky was yellow and the sun was blue.
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I always seemed to run during these...Walkin Blues (this song at times was great but after so many...) Memphis Blues (same, same, same) Eternity (Jerry actually made this song paletable) Cheesy Answers (nope) Queen Jane (same, same, same) Don't Ease (I wonder what the difference in timing is for the longest version vs. the shortest version... 20 seconds... maybe?) Long, Long, Long, Long, Long, Long Way to go Home On the other hand I always tried to stay through Drums/Space
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I was too young to ever see the grateful dead but i know enough about the band to say i like every song except me and bobby mcgee. i love all the stuff pigpen sang on and i love the time with brent ps the concert at penn state was magical pss dead tour 2009 will be epic
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When I left, it was usually during Victim or during Eternity. I'd go to the bathroom and wander around a bit then come back in time for the next song. I read in the beginning of this thread about the one Head who would nap during Space, I was usually that person too. Especially if I wasn't driving and in big time Tour Haze. My friends would always be amazed how I would doze off long enough to get up and groove as they were coming out of it, but those naps helped a lot since sleep didn't always come on Tour easy for me.
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some of the tunes people take a walk on black peter r u kidding omg thats one of the best!!
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I can't remember where I was, but in the early 80's and me being new to the scene .about 1/3 of the people got up and started to walk out.I asked the people I was with if the show was over.Thats when I found out about the pee break songs :) Drums Day job even now when I here day job I have to go.......... Peace
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Drumz seemed like the time everybody who was in a cramped space or just had to go, moved. Inevitably, this and set breaks were the longest lines at the bathroom! Estimated was another perennial favorite, especially those years when Bobby got totally out of hand with the "Bobby Hahs", ya' know what I mean -- Hahh, hah, ha, ha hahhhhhh! Na, nah, na, na Nahhhhh, Na! My apologies to anybody who enjoyed those moments.
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Hmmmmmm.....Wow!! Tis hard because I pretty much like all the dead songs. But if I had to pick a song it would involve Donna. Ive got it SUNRISE. yep it would be SUNRISE for sure. Phatmoye
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DEFINATELY DONNAPhatmoye
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Never liked that one-Oh yeah and "artificial flowers" for Weir solo-also(IMO) "Knockin'" is a snoozefest.
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for me it was any dylan song....it wasn't like i was holding it in till then..... i just can stand dylan songs specialy when the dead do them...i think dylan should ben a poet not a musican....that was my time to wonder the halls maybe bump into people i know....i noticed alot of people said drums and space..i would sit and meditate through that part... let your life proceed by its own design
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I know I know :-) but it always felt like the longest song in the world. "When the smoke has cleared, she said, that's what she said to me. You're gonna want a bed to lay your head and a little sympathy"
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SPACE.........
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First was outside, no problem. Second, great sound in Boston Garden bathroom!
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The only time I was relieved (pun intended) by Little Red Rooster... but even then.. I danced all the way to can... and back! Seek the Truth, Appreciate Beauty in all Things, Try to do Better
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Never met a Dead song I didn't like, but Rat Dog's Mama Said (or whatever the name is) is a perfect time for me to recycle my beer...
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Without a doubt, "Drums/Space" would be enough to make me head for the lobby.
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Usually by the time drumz and space comes on, i'm to messed up to move anywhere...LOL, but that would probably be the best time to go tinkle if you had too.:)Peace- Moye
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I have been a "head" now since at least 1974 [and before] & I've seen alot of shows & I think I can honestly say [maybe it has something to do with being a musician too] that I have NEVER EVER "run for an exit" because of ANY Grateful Dead tune ! [even when the boys were at their absolute worst !] You all should be ashamed of yourselves for even THINKING ANYTHING like that ! Shame on you ! SHAME ON YOU !! Where has the true Deadhead experience gone ? Am I the only true Deadhead left ??
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I've grown to love a lot of songs after hearing them live, but I'm not a fan of the Cowboy songs - I mean El Paso is a cool song, Me and my Uncle, not so much - it's WEIRd when it feels like Bobby is playing Let's Pretend up there. But the one song that really gets on my nerves is Mexicali Blues. At my first show we were tripping hard and the whole night was full of magical songs: Brown-Eyed, Bird Song, Althea, Shakedown, DARK STAR - but when that Mexicali came around I just couldn't believe how ill-fitting it was. I gotta say that Jerry's midi sounds could be awful at times and the phony mariachi trumpet tone is one of the worst. Talk about wrenching you out of warp-space. I didn't run for the can, I just sort of smiled at all the crazy heads grooving down and getting into it - it sounded like the musical equivalent of a prozak overdose and it felt creepy that everyone could love it so much... Each to her own! I've always been a lover of drumz>space - I come to the shows with that part in mind. Don't get me wrong, I'm a melody and harmony freak, but NO ONE else out there is doing this, especially to an appreciative audience. Even if many go for a pee break, lots stick around for the most transcendental experience they'll have, possibly ever. Love all you heads out there and your individual tastes. This thread is funny! K
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At one point, I told my wife that I have to go. They started DDHNM so I stood for it. At the end of the song, I was sure I have time to go and come back for the next one. The bathroom was CROWDED. Just came back for the beginning of Lost Sailor. Missed " Don't ease me in", one of my favorite. Just thingkin about it. funny, thought. Same show, a guy fall down his beer on our heads, the band start "Looks like rain". Some of those memories. Grate. Richard.
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I'm with Faron...I never run for the door...and Drums/Space is my favorite, especially last week at the Forum...I love all the spacey way out shit. As far as songs go, well...they are always different and I love the jams...so...I usually just piss on the floor.
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I don't think I've ever been to the bathroom at a Dead show. I did go to the toilet frequently at the Warfield during JGB set breaks but that was because they sold beer inside.
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Am apalled! That's disgusting! Selling beer in the bathroom? am intrigued-never heard of that.********************************** Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society. Mark Twain
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of the words floor pisser, Incognito does not come to mind. Beware the Jig is UP! ha ha I've been telling people for years frothy beer tastes like Piss, imagine cashing in on that..... To each his own :) PEACE
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or Desolation Row if I have to shit. "In a bed, in a bed, by the waterside I will lay my head. Listen to the river sing sweet songs, to rock my soul."
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Hey...I was just joking....iknowurider was right...Never trust a Merry Prankster...
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Guaranteed pee break tunes... Easy Answers, Corinna, Victim or the Crime, Mexicali Blue's, Walkin' Blue's, Picasso Moon, Any song attempted by Vince Welnick other than Baba O'Riley, I Will Take You Home, I Fought the Law, Gentleman Start Your Engines, Wave to the Wind, Broken Arrow, KC Moan, Eternity
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me & my uncle or mexicali blues or big river or another good one, little red rooster. HaHa easy answers.
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CC Rider is so horrible luckily they never played it for me! Same for Day Job.______________________________________________________________ I think I'll go up on a mountain, I'll fling myself off into space I'm not doing it because I'm desperate, I'm just trying to save some space...
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Why not pee BEFORE a concert? It just seems really odd to me that there are 24 hrs in a day, correct? If you are aware you are on your way to a concert that YOU KNOW is gonna be around 3-hours long, why would you not pee beforehand? I'm too young to have seen the Grateful Dead in concert but I one thing I know 100% for sure is I did have that amazing opportunity I certainly wouldn't miss some of it to use the bathroom. I have been to hundreds of shows and never peed once during a concert. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see a group of musicians you love/admire perform in front of you...and you're gonna leave to go pee?No offense, just sounds crazy to me. I'd wanna spend every second at a Dead show enjoying the music and watching the performing. "What we do is as American as lynch mobs." - Jerome Garcia