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- [00:01]
Will Ails
This episode of Tales from the Lot is sponsored by Shakedown T shirts.com with unique lot style T shirts, license plate frames, coffee mugs, and all sorts of things for Grateful Dead, Fish Zappa, panic and more. ShakeDownT Shirts.com where all US orders over $35 ship free. And just for Tales from the Lot, listeners use the code lot 20 for 20% off of any order. That's lot two zero. Welcome to a special edition of Tales from the Lot. With this episode, I'm celebrating 25 episodes with over 25 downloads so far. So thank you so much for that. Way more than I ever thought I would ever get. But with that, it's time to take a look back at some memorable moments from the podcast so far. Up first from episode one is Steve Butler telling us about an impromptu Not Fade Away outside in Atlanta.
- [00:50]
Steve Butler
We got there early on the second night. We were walking around the CNN mall and I think it was Easter on April 1st, and, and you know, people had Easter eggs and everything. And someone's walking through the CNN mall with some sticks and they're beating out Not Fade Away.
- [01:07]
Will Ails
Right?
- [01:07]
Steve Butler
Of course, as they walk through the mall, people are starting to pick it up with a little clap in the chant, Love is real. Not Fade Away. And then you got people on the other side going, not fade away. I say no, not fade away. Pretty soon everybody's singing this and staff are coming out and watching all this. And we kept this going for a good 10, 15 minutes. These girls were just walking up and down, you know, beating out the Not Fade Away beat. And we're all just chiming in. And when it broke up, we all just kind of gave ourselves a round of applause. But we were doing.
- [01:43]
Will Ails
Next up is Dave Christian from episode two. He reminds us of all those little moments that we saw or heard at a show that have stuck with us for the rest of our lives.
- [01:52]
Dave Christian
And the crowd was, the crowd was fun too. I mean, there was a. There was a great mix. Give me an anecdote kind of that. The high point of the crowd was during the set break. We were down on the floor. So we're just kind of wandering around, you know, wondering what to do, looking for water, mainly because it was so bloody hot in there. And there was various groups that had broken off into drumming circles. And, you know, there's various groups that are drumming here, sitting around over there. You're kind of watching them. And at one point there's this guy, skinny guy, older than me, long hair and a beard. He was probably, I don't know, 30s, early 30s, maybe, maybe mid-30s. Dressed in a pair of cutoff shorts and nothing else, who stands up, looks out, raises his arms and screams to
- [02:36]
Jeffrey V. Carter
the crowd, has anybody got any bongos?
- [02:40]
Dave Christian
Depended on it.
- [02:43]
Steve Butler
That's great.
- [02:43]
Dave Christian
Maybe did,
- [02:47]
Will Ails
you know, know the people you meet, the things you see, you just never know.
- [02:51]
Jeffrey V. Carter
I don't know if he ever got
- [02:52]
Dave Christian
any bongos, but, but he, he made an appeal that I never forgot.
- [02:57]
Will Ails
That's important. That's important. That's, that's life changing right there. It stuck with you.
- [03:01]
Keith Eaton
Yeah, yeah, it was just, I mean,
- [03:03]
Dave Christian
it was life changing too because after, after the show the, the dead went down and there was two more shows in Eugene, which is another, you know, sort of four or five hours south. And Andrea and I, like I said, this was, you know, sort of technically our honeymoon and, and our plans had been to go to the show and then we're going to go camping up in the Cascades and make our way back up into central B.C. where she had a friend who had a house up in the central interior. And so we were going to do that and as soon as, as soon as the show was over, we go out and I say to her, well, let's say we go to Eugene. And I couldn't convince her. One of my great regrets.
- [03:48]
Will Ails
Hey there music lovers. Are you tired of that post concert grime that just won't fade away? Welcome to a brand new way of cleansing after those legendary concerts and festivals. Introducing Wook Away. Let Wook Away be your ticket to a refreshing new you. Picture this, you've been drinking all day and rocking all night, embracing the free spirit within. Now it's time to wash away that unforgettable experience without losing the memories of. That's where Wook Away comes in. Our legendary gel to foam formula transforms your shower into a magical cleaning ritual. The science is real and the results are pure magic. Crafted with natural botanicals and loads of love. Wook Away is tough on glitter and parking lot dust, yet oh so gentle on your skin. Let the good vibes linger and the grime disappear. You can even share the love with your festival crew. Wookaway is more than just a cleanser. It's a reminder that the music lives on in your heart, not on your skin. Embrace the memories. Relive the magic. It's all possible with Wook Away because when the music fades, the moments stay forever.
- [04:49]
Eric Scarceth
People won't look away when you use Wook Away.
- [04:56]
Will Ails
Side effects include headaches, skin rash, nausea, blindness, hair loss and time phasing Look Away is not a replacement for soap or water may cause death. From episode three, it's Scott Barsamian, and I'm sure we can all relate to his enthusiasm of seeing the Grateful Dead for the first time as a young person.
- [05:17]
Scott Barsamian
Yeah, once you're a part of it, you're able to actually. I mean, the happiness is almost palpable from what you're able to see with the people. It's like. It's something that you could almost touch.
- [05:24]
Steve Butler
It's great.
- [05:26]
Will Ails
For sure. Yeah. So, okay, so msg, who did. Who all went with you? How did. So September is probably a mild evening.
- [05:33]
Scott Barsamian
This was September 19, 1990. I mean, I remember this clear as day. It was a Wednesday. And I remember I was in 11th grade. I was 15 years old. And I remember waking up that day, and I'm like, I'm finally gonna get a chance to see the Grateful Dead in person. And I just remember in school that day, I was just buzzing because there was just the anticipation of knowing that we're gonna be going down there. So everybody that I went with was 15 at the time, so nobody was able to drive. So my buddy Mike' drove us down. It was me and about four or five of my other buddies. And I'll never forget this. It was raining that day because normally, once we started seeing the dead at the garden in 90, 91, there was no guard in 92, but they were back there in 93 and eventually 94. Usually that point in September, it was always hot out. You would always get one of those Indian summers. But this particular day, it was raining, and I remember we were driving down the Palisades Parkway, which is like the main parkway that you get to get to the George Washington Bridge. And I remember driving down, we saw a couple of cars that would pass us that had steal your faces or dancing bears with skeletons on them. And it was cool because even though we were getting driven down by my friend's mother, it was that cool feeling that you were a part of something and you were all going to the same place. And so we got dropped off in front of the Garden, and. And right across the street from the Garden is the. The big parking garage, the big parking lot. So we got dropped off in front of there, and we knew some people that were going to be there. So we walked into the garage, and you kind of walk up this big circular driveway to get to the area where there were people that we knew that were going to be there. And we got to the parking lot, and I just Remember getting out of the car, the car that was right in front of us where we got dropped off. They were just blasting a live version of Iko Iko. It was a really good audience tape. And I just remember hearing Garcia's guitar and this copy, particularly the audience tape. You could just hear like the roar and the energy of the crowd. And I just remember just feeling so overwhelmed with, wow, I'm gonna be seeing these guys live soon. And we hung out in the garage for a bit until it was time to go into the garden. But the one thing that really struck me was that I'd never seen the Dead live before. And I remember there were a couple of people, periodically, they're walking by with their fingers up in the air and I'm like, are these people telling us that they're number one? Like, I had no idea that, you know, I had no idea that these were people that were looking for tickets. And then we eventually caught on to, wow, these people need tickets. And like, we felt fortunate that we had tickets. You know, here we are, 15 year old dopey, you know, 11th grade kids in high school, and then we have adults walking around looking for tickets. And at that point I felt kind of fortunate that I'm like, wow, I'm not going to have to be that guy looking for a ticket. But it was just a great, it was a great feeling to know that we were in that night. And once we were, once we were just taking a look at what was going on around us. It was just such a. Such an overwhelming feeling of, I can't wait to get inside the garden. Because at this point we were just still, we were hanging out in the parking lot. We were just watching the people go by. And this, that's when you started to see people with all the different, you know, lot T shirts. This was 1990, so the Simpsons were very big. So like, you know, Bart Simpson was like the big, you know, topic of all the T shirts that were being sold on lot. And you know, if you go by today's standards, I'll never forget this. There were people selling nitrous balloons that looked like punching bags. Two for five, two for five. I'm like, wow, talk about inflation nowadays. We were like, wow, this is really cool. They're selling balloons. And then someone's like, no, this is nitrous oxide. And then, you know, we were 15 years old. So, you know, we experimented and we found out, wow, I guess this is why everybody's chasing after the guy that has the balloons. But it was just you know, as somebody going in for the first time that kind of knew what they were going to expect with the music. It was just such a great feeling, just being young and you know that people have been doing this already for years, and you're like, now, this is my chance to now be a part of that experience. And it was just such a great feeling to know that, you know, in an hour or two, we're going to be walking in there, and then once the lights go out, it's just going to be a matter of whatever the band decides to play, which was just such a great feeling.
- [10:10]
Will Ails
That was such a great feeling, wasn't it? Up next, from episode four is Keith Eaton discussing the power and emotion of some of the songs in the band's catalog and specifically the encore they played for him one night. I purposely left out the title of the song we're talking about because I feel like it could really apply to a lot of songs, frankly. So here we go. And it just erupts. Like, everybody's like, oh, it is that. You know, you could just tell, like, there was just like that tentative, like, a couple of woos. And then as soon as they hit the lyrics and everybody's in there and. And you just hear the place erupt, like they knew.
- [10:48]
Keith Eaton
You know how things are when you're. When you're young, you know, you're a kid, you're, like, on the scene or whatever, and it's like there's thousands of people or this, that, and the other thing that, you know, that when you realize when you're older, like, that none of it matters. And, you know, I saw this guy who I would have thought was like, the. The coolest of the cool, you know, kind of people, and he was just sobbing, and he. And this guy just gave me this huge hug, and we were both, like, sobbing, and I was like, yeah, man. Like, what? You know, wow, what an emotional catharsis. You know, nothing could have punctuated the energy of that night more than, I think, that encore, because that was like. That was like, if we. If we already have you in the boat, we're now gonna club you, right? I was gonna. I was sort of done. I'm like, I've done my, like, summer tours, like, you know, a lot of Dead shows. I'm a Gen X guy. I gotta go to see, like, I go more to Luna shows or something, or the chills, you know, whatever it was I was into and went to that Warlock show, and it was like, whatever else I was interested in, I'm Sorry, it just took a back seat for a while. Yeah, yeah, I was just back on tour.
- [12:24]
Will Ails
Like, wow, I want to go back on tour now. But up next from episode five is Cameron Patrick. And if we learn nothing else from this episode, it's that sling and grilled cheese is way easier than stir fry when you're hitchhiking. Show to show
- [12:43]
Cameron Patrick
by by that time, summer of 90, we. We were big fans and, and I, I had gone through the catalog, you know, new new, all the albums and all the songs, had lots of bootlegs added to my collection by that time. And like I say, my sister and I were living together. So through the years, she, my sister and I were traveling companions all from 90 through 95. She. We went to. Of the 48 shows that I went to, she was my companion for probably 40, 41 of those.
- [13:22]
Will Ails
That's nice to be trust on the road with you.
- [13:25]
Cameron Patrick
Yes, yes. So she was my companion going to. To Bonner Springs, Kansas, that fourth of July. I was working nights at that time and, and so I got off work about 3 in the morning on the 4th of July after working the night of the 3rd, and, and she and I hit the road immediately. And, and this is the better part of the story. I mean, I know the, the podcast is for talking about the shows, but. But for this, It's the events around the show that made this show so special to me. She And I, by 7:00am we were passing through St. Louis, and on the belt outside St. Louis, we were passing a pickup truck. And in that pickup truck, there were two guys holding up a sign from inside the pickup truck saying, can you take us do the show? And she and I were driving a minivan, which was a rented minivan because neither of our cars at that time could. Could handle a long road trip. And so we had this rented minivan, which we had taped a. A Grateful Dead sticker up in the back window. And and so these guys, these guys saw that sticker and, and they held up the sign and so we did. During that, they were, they were doing the whole tour, hitchhiking through the whole tour. And, and they, they were in this truck because that guy had given him a ride, but he was getting ready to take a different road. And so we all pulled over to the side of the road and they hopped out of his truck and into our rented van. And we've been great friends with both of them since that moment. Still are to this day.
- [15:26]
Will Ails
That's awesome. Where are they from?
- [15:29]
Cameron Patrick
From Delaware. Newark, Delaware.
- [15:32]
Will Ails
Okay.
- [15:33]
Steve Butler
And.
- [15:34]
Cameron Patrick
And so the. They eventually became the Flying Grilled Cheese Brothers, selling grilled cheeses on lot through the whole tour. Every summer tour, they would do the whole tour hitchhiking and eventually did grilled cheeses. But at that time, that was their first tour of doing that, and they were going to do stir fry that tour. And they found that it was much easier as hitchhikers to go with the grilled cheese rather than the stir fry,
- [16:16]
Will Ails
I'm sure. From episode six, it's Gunnar Hansen reminding us of all the friendly strangers we met along the way.
- [16:25]
Gunnar Hansen
I didn't know what hit me after that first concert. And so I went home and told my best buddy. I said, hey, we got to check this out again. I want to find out what's really going on. And so we wound up going to see another show in Portland, Maine about four months later and got our minds blown again. And. And me and my buddy were like, where are they playing next? Oh, they're in Worcester, Mass. Want to go? Okay. You know, so we're at the next show after that. And I'd seen one more in the spring tour in Providence before this Saratoga thing came around again. And when this Saratoga thing came around it again, I gathered up a crowd of people, a lot of. A lot of newbies. And we drove in a few cars, at least 10 of us, and went out there with enough time to have a really good time. You know, we. We drove the night before and camped out. And so that whole. It was a Sunday show, and that whole day we just had fun with all the friendly strangers we were meeting.
- [17:42]
Will Ails
Nice. I did sort of the same thing after I'd been. I brought a bunch of friends who had no idea about any of it. What was the return percentage after that? So how many people continued to go on their own?
- [17:56]
Gunnar Hansen
Most of them, I think I took
- [17:59]
Will Ails
like six people, and only one of them really caught on, but he caught on hardcore. So it was like the power of six people in this one.
- [18:07]
Gunnar Hansen
Yeah. Most of my friends were blown away and. And it was. It was another life changing event, you know,
- [18:19]
Will Ails
From episode seven, it's Jeffrey V. Carter telling us the story about going from a security guard at Deer Creek to a Deadhead.
- [18:27]
Jeffrey V. Carter
I don't know whether this. This is a story that I tell about it. I can't remember if this is actually the case, but I remember getting the T shirts with the Miller Lite logo. Deer Creek Security in a number. And as I tell the story, you're going to see some drugs. If you see crates of drugs, let People, again, I don't know whether that's, you know, whether that was actually said. But anyway, it was hot. And the first day that I really remember is just going for the first time. You know, this was my first concert. So I've got the security shirt on. I, you know, I'm 165 pounds soaking wet. I'm not looking like any kind of beefy, you know, security guy. And was continuously asked during the day, hey, man, I'll pay you some money for that shirt.
- [19:19]
Steve Butler
Right?
- [19:21]
Jeffrey V. Carter
I mean, so. But it was hot and we were walking around dead, you know, the Village. And there wasn't really, from what I recall, no discernible place. That was the shakedown street. It was just kind of diffuse. And I remember the grilled cheese sandwiches. First time that I saw grilled cheese with sprouts in it. I never saw that as a, as a combo before. And it was delicious. And we wandered around the lot and there was a refrigerated truck. And every once in a while Jeff and I would go and sit in this truck just to, just to cool off. And he was either. Just started, I think this was the summer just before he was to start to be a Airborne ranger at Fort Benning. And he was pretty serious about doing the job that we were supposed to do. I kind of felt like, with having the T shirts that we should try to get into the show because it seems like a ticket. And we were told on the first night, you guys need to stay and walk the lot. And I was tremendously disappointed by that. I didn't, I knew I was getting paid, but I didn't really come here to work.
- [20:43]
Scott Barsamian
Right.
- [20:44]
Jeffrey V. Carter
But, but Jeff was, was much more kind of duty bound. And even though he liked the Dead, and I think that he would have liked to have gone in if that was the job, then he didn't question that. And because we were good friends, I, I, it was disappointing. But when that music started up, it was, it was, it was tremendous. I mean, you, you could hear it pretty good in the lot anyway. Even though you couldn't see it, you couldn't get the energy. And I have to say, there wasn't much that happened in the lot during the whole show. I do, I do have a faint memory of when. And it must have been the do. The do on the second set is an absolute ripper.
- [21:25]
Gary Kerper
Yeah.
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Will Ails
And that whole. Yeah, from, from. Okay, so there's a drum segment, I think, that starts with some, like, odd cackling that I've never.
- [21:35]
Jeffrey V. Carter
Right, right.
- [21:36]
Hippie Crispies Advertiser
Yeah.
- [21:36]
Jeffrey V. Carter
The laughter Stuff.
- [21:37]
Gary Kerper
Laughter.
- [21:37]
Will Ails
And what's funny, I have to tell this little tidbit. I was. I was listening on Archive, and as I'm scrolling through the post, just kind of getting, you know, just seeing if anybody was there and some, you know, tidbits or whatever somebody posted about how they'd gotten the cassette of it back in. You know, as it happens, sometimes we would lose a little bit of drum space in the flip. And evidently the cackling part had been missed on his tape. And so he completely thought that he hallucinated the whole thing until 10, whatever, years later he gets on archive.org and listens to the show and is like, aha. It actually happened. So whoever that was in Archive, great story.
- [22:19]
Jeffrey V. Carter
Well, I don't really remember the laughter per se, but I do remember when, when, when there must have been that solo because the crowd and you could see the whole stadium just was like. I was like outside of it and you could just see that it was the place that you really wanted to be was in there. And it kind of made me a little depressed. The fans came pouring out and I remember, you know, fans just, you know, I don't think that I really knew the power of the Dew as a live vehicle. I knew it on some of the albums, but I don't think I realized how. How unusual it was to get one. And people were almost weeping over how. How great that was.
- [23:04]
Will Ails
There's a mic drop. I mean, there's no love light after it. There's no right. Not fade away.
- [23:10]
Cameron Patrick
Right.
- [23:10]
Will Ails
I mean, as, as typically happens, they're just like, right.
- [23:13]
Eric Scarceth
Blah.
- [23:13]
Will Ails
Later.
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Jeffrey V. Carter
So I remember, you know, we were, you know, part of the job was to clear the lot. And so we were basically making sure that people couldn't camp kind of ridic, because they could. We had to get everyone out by, I think, 12:30 or 1 o' clock, and they could come back in at 6am.
- [23:36]
Hippie Crispies Advertiser
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- [24:25]
Will Ails
Collect all 10, no LSD included.
- [24:28]
Hippie Crispies Advertiser
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- [24:35]
Will Ails
Hippie Krispies taste so good, just like
- [24:39]
Michigan Brian
I knew they would.
- [24:40]
Will Ails
No nutritional value at all. But hey, who cares when we're all
- [24:46]
Hippie Crispies Advertiser
having a eat Hippie Crispies for breakfast
- [24:50]
Will Ails
because it's the most important meal of the day, man. From episode eight, it's Michigan. Brian reminding us, be careful where you go to sleep, because you never know where you'll wake up.
- [25:07]
Michigan Brian
So the second night, we again spent underneath the overpass, and the VW bus right next to us had a little more space for me to sleep on or just for me to sleep, because we were all, you know, sleep in the driver's seat in the passenger seat, really uncomfortable. And so, you know, climbed in there, you know, and passed out pretty much. In the morning, it was blue skies, summer sunshine. We were already on the highway, and I didn't even know who my host was, you know, sort of thing. And I. My eyes started focusing, and the VW bus that I'm in was absolutely immaculate. It was like a vintage early 70s. The woodwork was perfect. All the upholstery, the.
- [25:58]
Hippie Crispies Advertiser
The.
- [25:58]
Michigan Brian
Just everything that the engine purred like a little kitten, unlike the wobbly rust bucket that had taken me.
- [26:07]
Will Ails
When you say on the highway light, you're moving down the highway.
- [26:11]
Michigan Brian
Yeah. So we were headed down to Deer Creek. So I just remember waking up and he's like, you know, the cornfields already. You know, it was. So what is like kind of, we're not in Kansas anymore sort of experience. And I started, you know, painting before I said hello to my host. The driver, I kind of first noticed on his wrist was a real Rolex. I mean, it wasn't a fake Rolex. It was the real deal. It's like, that's a really nice watch. And he starts talking, and I realized, oh, you're not from around here. He was actually from England. And so, yeah, yeah, you know, it was just him. And like a true Englishman, he had a keg of Guinness in the back, too, so.
- [27:04]
Will Ails
Of course you did.
- [27:06]
Michigan Brian
I have never traveled in such style to any musical concert as I did in those early stages in 1993.
- [27:15]
Will Ails
I have so many questions, like, did they bring the van with them, or did they bring the van with them? Or did they buy it here or rinse it, or were they just here for two?
- [27:31]
Cameron Patrick
All right.
- [27:31]
Will Ails
My guest, episode 10, was Eric Scarceth. He had a story of learning how to do it right. Talk about strangers stopping strangers.
- [27:39]
Eric Scarceth
I'd been working for like, three weeks straight to get the time off to go to these shows. And I, like, left. I drove to Minneapolis, stayed the Thursday night or whatever it was the night before in Minneapolis. And we left at like 6 in the morning and went straight. Drove straight from Minneapolis to Chicago and went straight to a lot. We. I think we got there at like, noon. And then just watching like, shakedown fill in around us and watching it happen. And I was 21 years old.
- [28:19]
Steve Butler
I.
- [28:23]
Eric Scarceth
It was like my kind of scene. I. There was, you know, like. But I was like, we gotta get beer and stuff. And my buddy was like, oh, no, no, we're gonna buy beer from people on the lot because that's how they support themselves. That's how they make it to the next show. Like, we're not buying T shirts inside. We're not. We're gonna support the lot. And so, like, I had that mentality in my head of like, I'm gonna support these people, you know, and the
- [28:50]
Will Ails
beer's better in the lot too, usually.
- [28:52]
Eric Scarceth
Oh, yeah. I mean, I got. I coming from North Dakota in 95 too. Like, I had no idea what nuggets were like for, if I'm being honest. Yeah, there just weren't. There was just brick in North Dakota. So, like, I think like 10 minutes outside of. Of the car after we stepped out, somebody puffed me down with like, completely the best weed I'd ever even imagined in my life. And then the. The party, like, started at, like, and I was. I was partying. Like, I was like, the. When you see somebody on the lot and you're like, oh, that dude ain't gonna make it to the show. Like, Like, I. I, like, I got lucky in a way because, like. Because people were like, the Jaeger guy, the guy selling Jaeger shots was like. Just kept coming up to me and I. I don't know how many Jaeger shots I did. And then the balloons started coming by and I, like, from like, I. I hit the ground. I laid down on the ground and passed out at like three in the. And I woke up in a lawn chair with like, these old deadheads that were like, you know, they're probably like 55, 60, something like that, you know. And they were like, I had my shirt off and I'm like, I'm laying in a lawn chair. And I was like, what's going? Where's my shirt? You know? And they're like, dude, dude, you. We've been watching you party and you're, like, doing it all wrong, man.
- [30:41]
Will Ails
Like, they're like.
- [30:43]
Eric Scarceth
We watched you, and. And you just, like, you, like, Chuck, this guy, like, handed you a bottle of Jaeger and told you if you finished it, you could have it for free. And you, like, chugged the rest of a handle. And I don't. Like, it was probably like, they're like, you, like, just chugged, like, the last of a bottle of Jaeger, and then you, like, we're walking around, and you had a balloon, and next thing we knew, we, like, looked over. It was these two old deadheads, and they were, like, sitting on each side of me and, like, giving me water. And, like, I was like, where's my shirt, man? And they're like, oh, you, like, puked, and then you laid down, and then you rolled into it kind of. So we, like, took your shirt off. They're like, you have another shirt in your pocket, like, right there. You bought. You bought one, and they're like, you have another shirt in your back pocket. So I, like, had two T shirts sticking, and I was like, oh, sweet.
- [31:36]
Will Ails
Like, planning ahead.
- [31:38]
Eric Scarceth
Yeah. Like, I was on that lot for, like, an hour, and I probably spent, like, a hundred bucks. Like, I was just like, T shirts, shots, beer. Just, like, I lost. I lost. Like, I just got into the party way too hard, and I was 21 and young and dumb. So, like, those dudes were like, dude, you're doing it all wrong. And, like, this is all about the music. Like, this is what you just did. Like, people come here and do that all the time, but it's, like, not cool. Like, you're not gonna even. You weren't like, you got to just drink some water, man. They kept forcing water on me, and. And I, like, barfed up all the Jaegers. So, like, I was, like, starting to come around again, and. And they just sat. And I was. I lost my friends, too. They were, like, looking for a ticket. And I, like, was just hanging out with these old hippies that, like, old deadheads that had been to, like, hundreds of shows. And they were like, you know, like, you're gonna see this thing tonight. You're gonna understand, like, the music is why you come here. Like, the party is, like, a secondary thing. But you'll see tonight. You'll see when you get in there that it's about the music and it's about the community, and it's about, like, you don't have to, like, chug a bottle of Jaeger the first thing you get. And I was like. I felt like, stupid, you know?
- [33:08]
Will Ails
And, like, you know, but they. But them taking the time out to.
- [33:13]
Eric Scarceth
Oh, yeah, it was. I mean, it was like. It was super cool. And, like, yeah, like, they gave me these. I still have the stickers, but they gave me, like, little tiny stickers that was like, one of them says, we must use our lives to make the world a better place to live, not just acquire things. And an Air Garcia sticker.
- [33:37]
Dave Christian
And.
- [33:39]
Eric Scarceth
And, like, I kept them. And, like, it sunk in with me. Like, holy God. I'm like, I'm a. Like, you know, like, I was sitting there probably for like, an hour, just. They were telling me his stories and, like, nursing me back to health and feeding me and giving me water and. And then I started, like, I. I'm like, like, especially back then, like, I was the master of puke and rally. So, like, I. I was, like, back into it again. Like, had a beer with them, and I was like, thank you guys so much. You know, like. And they're like, yeah, you have the best show tonight, man. You're gonna, like. And, like, that kind of just like, reset my brain a lot, like, in. In life in general, like. Of like, you don't. You don't need to be wasted to, like, enjoy what's happening or whatever, you know? So, like, yeah, for sure. I went into that show, like, feeling, like, all this love and, like, really open to, like, taking it in the music. And. Yeah, like, that night, I, like, I was like, I'm gonna. I'm gonna learn how to play an instrument because I, like, knew how to play guitar. I knew how to play, like, at that point, I didn't even really know all the notes on the guitar. I knew, like, a few chords, and, like, I was like, I'm gonna start a band. I'm gonna learn how to play music. I'm gonna start a band. And, like, that. That was, like, the first time that. That had ever, like, popped in my head of, like, this is something that. That you could do, you know?
- [35:25]
Will Ails
All right. In episode 11, my guest Gary Kerper tells us about the show that never happened in May 77.
- [35:33]
Steve Butler
So.
- [35:33]
Gary Kerper
So then it was the spring, and it was like school was ending. And the one guy who had the older brothers and sisters, he said, you're not going to believe it. The Dead are playing at Cornell on Sunday. Like, the two days after school was ending. And let's go. So I'm like, okay, let's do it. I wasn't rushing to go home to, like, a. Like, a job or something like, that you know, it was my freshman year of college. I don't even know if I was working, you know, if I had a
- [36:08]
Will Ails
job that's not on your radar sometimes at that age.
- [36:12]
Gary Kerper
Yeah, yeah, maybe I was painting houses or something like that, but. So we got permission from the school to stay in the dorms over the weekend because the show was Sunday night. So we just kind of squatted in our dorm the Saturday and the Sunday, and we went up to Cornell on. I forgot who got the tickets. I know I. I personally didn't get them. I think my buddy got them. And we went up there on. At noon on Sunday for the show.
- [36:49]
Will Ails
Gotcha. I looked it up on deadnet just to see if there were notes and other comments on there, and they had the price listed as 750. So, yeah, evidently it was, you know, sub. $8 to go see the Grateful Dead in those days, which is kind of cool. And. And here I was bitching in. In 92 and 93 of spending $25. Yeah, it's all.
- [37:11]
Gary Kerper
It's all relative. Infl.
- [37:13]
Keith Eaton
Short.
- [37:13]
Cameron Patrick
It is.
- [37:14]
Will Ails
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Still going, so. Yeah. So cool. So got the tickets and that's awesome. They let you spend the night at the. In the dorms and.
- [37:23]
Gary Kerper
Yeah, so we went up there like, at noon. We went up there early and we just hung out. So the Barton hall is this big airplane kind of hangar. And we. We went up there and there were three sets of doors on, like, the south end of the. Of the hall where. Where they were letting people in. And some people had sleep. Slept out overnight. I guess they came from Boston from the night before or they just were just whatever. They were there. When we got there at noon, we're like, whoa, you know, there's people here already. You know, we thought we'd be the first people there, but there were some people in front of each door. Not a lot, but there was some.
- [38:06]
Will Ails
Yeah, you know, if you were at that Boston show, there's no doubt you were gonna go to the next one. That was a hot one too, you know.
- [38:12]
Gary Kerper
Yeah, it was. It was.
- [38:14]
Will Ails
Yeah. A bunch of people there already, huh?
- [38:19]
Gary Kerper
Not that many. But then as the afternoon got got going, more and more people started milling around in the plaza there. And then by like 5 o', clock, there was a lot. There was a few. There was a few thousand there. So we. We had gone to the bathroom, I think, earlier, and then we. We were like, we better not go anywhere. We better stay by the doors.
- [38:43]
Cameron Patrick
Right.
- [38:44]
Steve Butler
And.
- [38:44]
Gary Kerper
And right. What's that?
- [38:47]
Will Ails
General mission.
- [38:48]
Gary Kerper
Yeah. It was general mission for sure.
- [38:50]
Michigan Brian
Yeah.
- [38:51]
Gary Kerper
And now it's like. It started out as a pretty nice day, and now it's around 5, 30, 6 o', clock, and the clouds start rolling in, and it starts drizzling, and it starts getting a little breezy and chilly, and we're getting cold. And now it's like, when are they going to open up the doors? And then finally, they opened up the doors, and they had these big blue garbage cans, like, on each side of the door to try to funnel the people in. You know, somewhat organized, but let me tell you. Well, when they open up the doors, well, the set of doors that I was in front of, all hell broke loose. There was like a free for all. People were jumping over the garbage cans.
- [39:37]
Will Ails
Oh.
- [39:37]
Gary Kerper
You know, to try to get in first. And then it was like, you know, the animal instinct in you takes over. You just want to get in as fast as you can. You know, it's like the competitive nature and you. So, okay. Okay. Is this how we're gonna do this? Let's get in fast. So finally, when they opened the doors, they were like. There was a short. A flight of steps, and I just beelined it right for the front. So I was right smack in the front against the stage, basically.
- [40:03]
Cameron Patrick
Wow.
- [40:04]
Will Ails
Nice. See, we were one of those getting horribly smashed.
- [40:07]
Gary Kerper
No doubt. No doubt.
- [40:13]
Will Ails
Okay. So in episode 12, my guest was Thomas Shortall, and he gave us the classic story of how the Grateful Dead can reach out and grab us even decades on. After the music was made, first, all
- [40:23]
Thomas Shortall
of us, Jerry would hit, you know, a certain lyric point, come in with a solo, and the crowd would just be right there. That was really, really cool to hear. I actually had. Driving up to my fiance's, I threw on the show. I was like, I got an hour and a half to kill. Let me. Let me just listen. And that hit me, that. That Hell in the Bucket opener. You know what I mean? And hearing the crowd, and I realized I got on the wrong. The wrong highway heading in the complete wrong direction. I went from, you know, the throes of ecstasy to cursing and then starting to get my bearing. Bobby goes. Maybe going to hell in a bucket, but I'm at least enjoying the ride. And it was like. It put everything to perspective. It's like, all these roads. Can I'll just turn around.
- [41:08]
Will Ails
It was really cool.
- [41:09]
Thomas Shortall
Very, very Grateful Dead moment. And, you know, that's awesome. 27 past the point.
- [41:21]
Will Ails
All right, thanks so much for joining me on Greatest Hits, Volume 1. Volume 2 is coming soon. With the remaining however many there are to get us up to 25. I'm not good at math, whatever, but anyway, I hope you enjoyed it and I will talk to you soon. Hey, thanks so much for tuning in. If you enjoyed what you heard today, please consider hitting the subscribe button and leaving a comment. Your feedback and engagement it really goes a long way to supporting and growing the show. And really, this is your show with your stories. So if you have a story or even a few of them from seeing Grateful Dead shows or experiences of how the band has impacted your life in some way, I'd love to hear from you and have you on My email is willails from the lot.org reach out or you could use the new Text me feature that's in the show notes. You can easily reach out and connect with me directly that way. And don't forget to follow on Facebook for updates and exclusive content. And for those who prefer watching, full videos of every episode are available on my YouTube channel. So thanks again and please be kind to yourself and others.