G.B. 2

On September 21, 1991, I attended the second night of the six-night run of Grateful Dead shows at the Boston Garden. Having stayed at the Holiday Inn in Swampscott, I was becoming accustomed to parking my car outside of the city and taking the train in. My friend, Jason, an Art Institute student in Baltimore, was originally from Marblehead, a nice community on the shore outside of Boston as well, and I was invited along with about 20 others back to his parent's palatial estate.



I had two tickets for the Saturday night show because I had to make a detour to pick up the sixth row ticket that ostensibly seemed a better location to record from than way back in the taper section. By the time I got to the show, it was really late and I gave the extra ticket away as a "Miracle" to a sweet kid holding up her index finger pointing to heaven. It was totally worthwhile just to see the beatific smile -this was good karma in the community having been miracled at other shows during prior tours.

So I arrive to the show and my seat is in the sixth row right in front of Phil Lesh. If we liken the room to an airplane, Phil is the pilot and I am sitting first class in the Zone. The bass was phenomenal and I ended up recording the second set of the show as a "handheld" guerilla taper. What an experience and a tremendously tiresome process to stand almost trancelike - completely still - to make the good tape recording.

09-21-91 Boston Garden, Boston, MA (Sat)
1: Bucket, TLEO, Minglewood, Peggy-O, Tom Thumb Blues, Cassidy> Deal
2: Uncle John's Band> Saint of Circumstance> Eyes of the World> Jam>
Drumz> Other One> Wharf Rat> Saturday Night E: Baby Blue


Of note was the song selection of the first set and the playing of the second set. Phil dropped a mighty bomb before the Other One. Being upfront for the whole show was quite a rush of energy.

So the show was fun and we get back to Jason's house. I go to set up my tapedeck and sit it on top of the wooden cabinet of the 100" television so that playback will be enjoyable for the post-show party. Except one problem. The strong magnetic field of the TV overpowered the DAT recorder and I was SOL. The deck was fried.

DOH!!



I still had four shows left on the tour and the service center was in Maryland. What would I do now that I was in Boston with a broken tape deck and tickets for four shows in Boston. I did what any taper / tourhead would do. Went to the the third night show at the Boston Garden and bought a puddle jumper flight ticket from Boston to Maryland - rented a car at the airport - drove the deck in for service - swapped it out over the counter at Washington Professional Music Systems (thanks Greg Lukens) and caught the plane back up to Boston in time for the show on the 24th.

. . . tour stories to be continued . . .