...And I Got On

As far as collecting goes, this show on that 18th of July in 1990, is my baby. I can put this show in anytime, and it'll bring a huge smile to my face. The setlist alone, as I stated before, speaks for itself. And if I were to just write down a wish-list for a dream show. I couldn't have done better myself.

The most amazing thing, and kinda shitty, is that it was was first show. I was nowhere NEAR prepared to hear a Help>Slip>Frank to open the first set and a China>Rider>LLRain>Terrapin>D/S>Other One>Morning Dew to take care of the second. Are you kidding me? Over the next five years I am not sure I saw a better show. You wanna talk about getting you cherry popped, WOW.

The atmosphere of the Green Acres campground and the parking lot afterwards was incredible. Saying "top-five" and "best show ever". I had so many people tell me I was so lucky to get that as my first. I was just thrilled to be there, ya know - taking it all in. There were a lots of firsts at that show, and not just the songs. I don't think I slept that long, long, crazy night.

The next day we hit the lot in the afternoon again. My mission was to find a copy of the show. I was lucky enough to find this guy who had it on DAT. Mike had been talking with him and worked out a trade of some"kind" and got a 1st generation, as they used to say. For, those that traded, it was obviously better to get a copy from the original. After that, your tapes picked up more static.

Anyway, I couldn't wait to get it home to make a copy. My other mission was to start trading like a mad man. I was going to build up my collection that summer. I got address from other "heads", sent them tapes, etc. I still remember a lot of my tape covers came from a guy who called himself "Marbleized Mike". Each individual cover was different, "just like a show", he used to say. The covers, that fit right into the tape cases had pics of Jerry, the tiger, the shakedown man, etc, and they were hand dipped in tie-die type colors. I put my first cover from him on that Deer Creek show of 1990. You can't even read the writing on it some twenty years later.

There were only a few more shows on this summer leg, so I wanted to get in as many as possible but ultimately I was waiting. The next year was to be a big year (my friends and I would be 16) because we'd be driving, selling, trading...enjoying the ride. Next up...Tragedy Strikes The Dead.