…
“Yo.”
I didn’t call for you, Precarious.
“You were gonna.”
Yeah. I was just stunned into silence. Dude, what the fuck?
“Be more specific.”
I cannot. The lack of aesthetics and basic safety requirements is all-pervasive. The stage looks like a Radio Shack, but not a good one; the Radio Shack in the bad mall, where the knife fights break out every so often. The bad mall wasn’t always the bad mall, but the economy and demographics and all that. Used to be a place that sold fancy popcorn. Flavored, seasoned, nice packaging. Now there’s nine stores that sell baseball caps. Time will do her marching, Precarious.
…
“You got a question?”
I asked it: What the fuck?
“Their choice of apparel and instrument is on them.”
Granted. Do you remember why Garcia was wearing his going-to-court jacket on stage?
“I do not.”
Did the road crew make fun of Bobby’s pink guitar?
“Obviously.”
Was there any thought whatsoever given towards purchasing a tie-dyed scrim to hide some of the more unattractive geegaws and wedged monitors?
“Obviously not.”
Why not?
“This way is easiest for us.”
A performance stage shouldn’t be set according to the laziness of the road crew.
“Not lazy. Efficient.”
What about the tower of speakers behind band?
“Yeah, maybe that was a little lazy. We probably should have set up the rigging.”
Wooden palettes and a forklift, right?
“How else would you do that?”
Holy shit, those cabinets at the top aren’t even strapped down, are they?
“I don’t recall anyone dying, so we must have done it right.”
That’s not how that works.
1988? How TF are they playing a show that looks like this in 1988? They’ve been playing stadiums for a year. Is this gig behind a garden supply warehouse?
I had the same thought. I mean, this setup would’ve been questionable in 1978 (or 1968 for that matter), but by the late 80s it seems to be a particuarly odd scenario.
* Maybe the bus broke down & they needed to put on a show to raise money to get ‘er fixed up?
* Maybe Mickey got busted yoinking merch from a local hardware store, & the firm but fair local sheriff offered to let him off if the band pitched in to help save the town carnival?
* Maybe this was a slipshod organization, with apologies to the terms “organization” and “slipshod”?
No, really. Where and when?
Rochester NY, summer of 88. Stormy SPAC show the night before as I remember. Good stuff.
I feel like it was some impromptu thing and the setting is like the back of the Dead offices at club front.
Funny thing is, when you google for Club Front San Rafael, grateful dead, you literally get news about a dumpster fire..
Seriously..
https://patch.com/california/sanrafael/dumpster-fire-breaks-out-at-former-grateful-dead-studio-in-canal-district
It gets even better when you see the uncropped photo. The crew actually put Phil on top of that teeting speaker pile.
Why is Huey Lewis doing security there in the front glasses/orange polo?
This should have been the opening band:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Avy3Dv62DHE