From: fish@lunacity.com (Rob Fish)
Newsgroups: rec.music.gdead
Subject: Oakland 12/92: A first show experience
Date: Sun, 13 Dec 92 13:24:22 PST
Organization: LunaCity BBS - (Clan Zen Relay Network) Mountain View, CA

Michelle saw her first two shows on Friday and Saturday at Oakland.
Thinking about just how wonderful these shows turned out makes me
envious for anyone just seeing the Grateful Dead for the first time.
The sound at the Oakland Coliseum was better than I have ever heard
there and the performance was almost beyound any words; except astonishing.

Since Friday was going to be  Michelle's first show, we decided to
get priority tickets. Well, we did get wonderful seats on Jerry's side,
on the rail just in front of the board; however, the following day we
sat three seats closer by just waiting outside the south parking lot gate.
Bill Graham originally started handing out "priority tickets" because one
day there were deadheads already waiting in line when ticket-holders were
arrived for the scheduled show before the Dead were to perform on the
following day. So he handed out special tickets to let everyone go home;
on the day of the show, priority ticket holders would be allowed in first.

The scene waiting in line for both days was both positive and negative;
on Friday, we sat in the rain for 5 hours and apparently 100 tickets were
already handed out before we finally saw them at 10:00 am in the rain.
The follow-up line inside the gate at 3:00 was not organized as it has been
in the past; priority ticket holders had to "merge" with the existing line
in order to get in when they started calling numbers.

On Saturday, we decided to wait at the South parking lot gate. We were second
in line; however, security opened the gate at 3:00 and by then, we had a
sizable crowd. Unfortunately, we had to walk "en masse" about 150 feet and
then turn to the left through a space wide enough for one or two people. By
the time we the whole group began to turn, the pressure from behind formed a
pool of people trying to get through. I got through with Michelle in hand;
Michelle was pushed forwand and down to my left with me falling in tow
behind her. :(  All of sudden, gravity stopped, we were lifted up in a
second, and the kindness of strangers had saved us and probably those few
behind us. Thank you all for your quick actions and helping hands.

As noted already by a few, both shows were outstanding performances;
despite the events of the day, Michelle's first show was perfect. After an
expected, but slow-paced "Cold Rain and Snow," "Althea," "Stagger Lee,"
and "Deal" all showed what we would be getting tonight: a very tight and
wonderfully improvisational gem. The second set was perhaps the best set
I've seen in five years. Each song was perfect; the "Corrina->Galactic Phil
Jam" was incredible! The following Drumz took us all on a tour inside the
Solar System with a nice stop at the third planet. Jerry, Bobby, Phil, and
Vince then took everyone where no one has been before with Deep Space.

Saturday's show is a keeper. Bobby came out before the first set and
introduced a ten-member Australian aborigine band. This very interesting
blend of an old world beat with new world melodies worked well for a 45
minute set. At about 8:30, the lights dimmed and we started on a very
special magical mystery tour. "Jack Straw" clearly the best I've ever
heard. "Bird Song" ended the set with smiles all around. Michelle remarked
that a Dead show could be very addicting. We shared smiles for the break.
The second set dawned on some planet in a galaxy we've never imagined. One
song after another shined on like the setting moon we all saw waiting in
the priority line the day before through the gray contrast of the morning
light. "Crazy Fingers" left us with the feeling that we had just returned
from a lunar stroll and were now dancing with the delight of the memory.
When "Dark Star" dawned, we once again headed out to deep space and the
feeling that something special was happening seeped out of Michelle's eyes
and the memory of the afternoon in line was swept away and replaced with a
hug and a kiss. I'll always remember the look in her eyes as she smiled.

"Standing on the Moon" polished the shared memories we had already
witnessed together and "One More Saturday Night" while expected, left
us looking for words to find each other again. The "Rain" encore was
beautiful and undoubtably, the perfect conclusion for a new deadhead. :)

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Rob Fish -> (fish@lunacity.com)