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Poster: | He Live's | Date: | Jul 16, 2008 9:20pm |
Forum: | GratefulDead | Subject: | I was losing time, I had nothing to do..... (High Time-related) |
This post was modified by He Live's on 2008-07-17 04:20:03
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Poster: | airgarcia416 | Date: | Jul 17, 2008 5:31am |
Forum: | GratefulDead | Subject: | Re: I was losing time, I had nothing to do..... (High Time-related) |
"I'm having a hard time, living the good life, well I know." Jerry always sang it with the sweetness of a kid getting caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
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Poster: | secret8476 | Date: | Jul 17, 2008 7:03am |
Forum: | GratefulDead | Subject: | Re: I was losing time, I had nothing to do..... (High Time-related story) |
The date was March 16 on a cold Chicago afternoon. I was headed to the Rosemont Horizon (the Gitmo of venues) to see the Grateful Dead start a three night stint that was sure to keep my head buzzing until summer tour rolled around. Upon arrival, the lot scene was fairly vacant of the usuall activity we are accustomed to seeing at a show. While security made most of the lot devoid of all sales (food, stickers, beer,clothes- all were being confiscated at the first sign of vending) literaly driving around in U-hauls to cart off peoples wares, there were places to go - like the parking lot across the street, or even the nearby hotel for a young head to find some fun in.
And fun i did find. I might mention now in my story that i do not promote the use of drugs, but it is an important part of the story i cannot omit. With that said, I walked into the show having digested 3 hits of LSD, 2 large caps of mushrooms, 6-8 imported beers, all the kind i could smoke and a little hash ta'boot. Now i was ready for a concert! ... or so i thought.
After making our way to our seats, i quickly immersed myself in the atmosphere and found i was dancing without the musid having even started yet. Good times! The only drawback was our section. We were in the second balcony, smack dab in the middle. Within the first few songs of the set, it felt like the temperature skyrocketed to up to 100 degrees plus. It was at this point that my body and mind had conflicting desicions to make - stay and dance till i pass out or puke, or make my way to an area where there is cold water, fresh air, and less people. The latter kept running thru my mind over and over until finally my body agreed with my mind and said *shut down the throat- that will make him leave*. Suddenly, i couldn't breathe, and i couldn't stop sweating. My throat choked up to a point that i thought i might throw up! I was in desperate need of water, and to get the hell out of the inferno section that was steadily rising in temperature and must be igniting the poeple in the back rows behind me. I looked in desperation to my friend Nancy and said " i need water!" and in true Nancy fashion, she looked at me, felt around in her pockets, and said, well, i don't have any. It was quite an observation. And one that told me it was time to go. So, out of the section i ran, down the stairs and into a crowded hallway of dancers, vendors, and police officers. i made my way to the bathroom, and ignoring the line of poeple waiting to do their business, i went straight to the sink and doused myself. I ran water all up and down my face and head, and was desperate enough to drink right from the tap. I needed to hydrate and waiting in line with 10 other people, sweating bullets, panting like a dog with officers all over the place was not an option. So i chug-a-lugged.
After about 10 min. of spraying myself down like a muddy dog, i felt like i was ok to make it back to my seat and enjoy the rest of the show. So back up the mountain of stairs i go, thinking all the while i was ascending into hell. I was right. the moment i got back to my seats, the heat overtook me again, and almost more fiercely then the first time. Only now, I'm on a full blown trip. There are all kinds of thoughts running thru my head - like - who is looking out of my eyeballs right now? and who keeps pouring this water over my head? (t'was my own sweat of course). With the dread of the heat taking me over, and now my trip spiriling downward in a bad way, one thought took over all others in my mind. I have to get the hell out of here as fast as i can !!
Down the stairs i ran again- only this time, the psychedelics i ingested were over-riding rational thought. Everyone i looked at was a potential to blow my cover. After all , i have buckets of sweat coming off me, my eyes are as large as moons, and i must have looked as lost as Harold and Kumar trying to make it to White Castle. How could there possibly be a single person look at me and not say " Oh yea ... he's high!." The only thing going thru my head is - I have to go ! So, to the doors i went.
Here's where the story gets good.... with my hands on the rail of the door - ready to punch them open and exit this inferno of a show that almost has me on the edge of sanity, when suddenly, something incredible happened. The slight crack between the double doors were allowing just enough cold winter air to blast thru that i could feel immediate relief. Something in my head said " Doode..... if you leave this show now - there is no coming back in. Relax yourself - there are probably 10,000 other people here in your exact same condition. Just Relax" And with that cold winter air blowing on me, and some voice of reason in my mind telling me not to go, i melted back against the wall and heard all of the commotion in my head melt away into a few sombre notes eeking out of a guitar somehwere. And with my eyes closed, cold wind blowing, and sanity leaking back into my senses.... i heard, oh so softly .... "You told me goodbye..... how was i to know..." coming into my ears.
Here i am , a helpless, huddled mass of quivering sweat sitting right by the exit doors, literaly being soothed and coaxed into staying in the show by High Times. How appropriate. And it worked. When the set break came, I just happened to be sitting in the area where all my friends said they would meet. One friend noticed me off in the corner and like a mad rush they all approached me.
"Doode are you ok? what are you doing over here?" I said candidly, I can't go up there again. I think i might melt away!=) Lucky for me, my buddy says hey there are like 2 empty seats near us - we'll stub you down into our section. It was a godsend. I coudln't go back to my seats on the upper floor. His seats were on the first lvl, right by an open doorway that had a nice breeze coming thru it.
If anyone knows this show - then you would know had i left the arena that night, i would have missed the first Chicago Dark Star with lyrics in 20 yrs. along with a great scarlet>fire - and a second set LL Rain with Bobby on acoustic mebbe? I can't quite recall at this moment. All i know is, I couldn't have been more grateful for two things that night - the cold winter air - and High Times coaxing me back into reality. This, for me, was the best version ever played.
Hope ya have as much fun reading this as i did typing/reliving the experience.
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Poster: | He Live's | Date: | Jul 17, 2008 8:31am |
Forum: | GratefulDead | Subject: | Re: I was losing time, I had nothing to do..... (High Time-related story) |
thanks for adding your story, and this ain't a bad High Time at all -- especially for 94, jerry sounds alright (though i think he had a cold....)
funny, a review on setlist says this was a COLD show! Rosemont Horizon, 1994.
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Poster: | lobster12 | Date: | Jul 16, 2008 8:24pm |
Forum: | GratefulDead | Subject: | Re: I was losing time, I had nothing to do..... |
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Poster: | He Live's | Date: | Jul 16, 2008 9:14pm |
Forum: | GratefulDead | Subject: | Re: I was losing time, I had nothing to do..... |
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Poster: | Dead Surfer | Date: | Jul 16, 2008 9:35pm |
Forum: | GratefulDead | Subject: | Re: I was losing time, I had nothing to do..... |
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Poster: | He Live's | Date: | Jul 16, 2008 9:43pm |
Forum: | GratefulDead | Subject: | Re: I was losing time, I had nothing to do..... |
thanks for adding this in.....
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Poster: | mcglone | Date: | Jul 17, 2008 10:06am |
Forum: | GratefulDead | Subject: | Re: I was losing time, I had nothing to do..... (High Time-related) |
i echo the prime ministers sentiments - great thread. rare is the day i log in from work, glad i did.
He Live's... what other tunes have you so passionately broken down? links?
ian
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Poster: | jglynn1.2 | Date: | Jul 17, 2008 10:50am |
Forum: | GratefulDead | Subject: | Re: I was losing time, I had nothing to do..... (High Time-related) |
He Lives is one of the best, I for one am always glad of his posts . . . now that William Tell and Dire are a different story, they should get a room!!
;)
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Poster: | He Live's | Date: | Jul 17, 2008 8:54pm |
Forum: | GratefulDead | Subject: | Re: I was losing time, I had nothing to do..... (High Time-related) |
and how bout those METS! 10 in a row!
ATTN: MCGLONE:
BTW, diana tore apart a lot of my old posts because i had been a bad, bad man.... unknowingly making SBDs downloadable to the half-able...?
that's another story....
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Poster: | veblen | Date: | Jul 17, 2008 9:29pm |
Forum: | GratefulDead | Subject: | Re: I was losing time, I had nothing to do..... (High Time-related) |
though I needed an hour plus of be-bop to get my head straight...
regarding the mets: not only ten straight but first place as well...
since it sounded so good last night tonight I am going to listen to all of 69-12-10, the thelma theater in el lay...I like having high time go into easy wind...
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Poster: | He Live's | Date: | Jul 17, 2008 10:37pm |
Forum: | GratefulDead | Subject: | Re: I was losing time, I had nothing to do..... (High Time-related) |
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Poster: | veblen | Date: | Jul 17, 2008 10:47pm |
Forum: | GratefulDead | Subject: | Re: I was losing time, I had nothing to do..... (High Time-related) |
and I forgot that 69-12-10 is the black queen show with stills...not bad, just different...
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Poster: | He Live's | Date: | Jul 18, 2008 12:01am |
Forum: | GratefulDead | Subject: | Re: I was losing time, I had nothing to do..... (High Time-related) |
stay warm over there!
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Poster: | William Tell | Date: | Jul 18, 2008 11:42am |
Forum: | GratefulDead | Subject: | Re: I was losing time, I had nothing to do..... (High Time-related) |
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Poster: | William Tell | Date: | Jul 17, 2008 1:02pm |
Forum: | GratefulDead | Subject: | Re: I was losing time, I had nothing to do..... (High Time-related) |
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Poster: | jglynn1.2 | Date: | Jul 17, 2008 1:11pm |
Forum: | GratefulDead | Subject: | Re: I was losing time, I had nothing to do..... (High Time-related) |
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Poster: | William Tell | Date: | Jul 17, 2008 4:56pm |
Forum: | GratefulDead | Subject: | Re: I was losing time, I had nothing to do..... (High Time-related) |
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Poster: | William Tell | Date: | Jul 17, 2008 7:17am |
Forum: | GratefulDead | Subject: | Re: I was losing time, I had nothing to do..... (High Time-related) |
Always loved this song. Always loved how Jerry could sing it, when he pulled it off, but those were few and far between. Still can't top the album for all I've listened to over the years.
Also loved that Jerry said that he wished someone would do it that could really sing. But for me, it is a pure Jerry tune that I can't imagine that being possible...
Love all your comments above guys--great way to start off the morning.