Drums ~ Shoreline, CA

Marie's take on it...

Excerpt from an email explaining when she "got it"
Hi all,
Drums was kind of a defining moment for me as a head,
but not a moment, more of a process.
I, like Marisande used to see shows alone.
First show in 87 was with a friend,
but then early 90's
I'd fly or drive to Shoreline alone,
go see the show on the lawn alone,
wander the lot alone and come home to Seattle.
Not that this is all that sad,
I like myself and so spending time alone
isn't a trajedy, but there were definitely times
waiting in line for the bathroom at shoreline,
when all these girls would run into their friends,
and I kinda thought, hmm, that'd be nice.

Fall of 92 I moved to SF for law school.
That year I again would go to Shoreline/Oakland shows by myself,
occassionally waving to someone I knew from school.
Great thing about this time is I got to see
a lot more shows since
it was just a matter of hopping on Bart or driving 45mins.

Winter of 93 I went to my first shows
(since the very first and a smattering of friends from out of town)
with some people from school. I had a good time,
started dancing more, knowing songs and it was somewhere during this time
that I'd start to hear the songs before the words/main melody began.
93-95 went with these folks. They were mostly a few years younger then me.
Somewhere in this time frame is where the drums thing hit me.
One day, standing on the lawn at Shoreline, instead of thinking of taking a bathroom break when drums started,
or discussing what drugs where to be or had been ingested,
I was just up dancing my ass off. Drums is great,
on the lawn people are sitting down,
you can have a much more direct line to the sound from the speakers.
Anyway, dancing hard during drums, friends muttering look at her go,
I decided that hmm, guess I'm really a Deadhead.
Not that I'd ever been one to dis the term as some do,
more of a I didn't think I had really earned it up to that point
(whatever the heck that is supposed to mean).

Anyway, around this same time I was getting into Phish more, and seeing Jambay at bars in San Francisco
(a very golden time in music consumption appreciation I now realize).
I'm not practicing law actively, but when people ask me about law school
my immediate response is that I saw a lot of shows and had a lot of fun.

Spring of 95 I was finishing up law school, turning 30,
moving and going through a weird energetic transformative time.
Saw last night of Vegas, Seattle shows and then went down to Shoreline.
Some sort of weird shit went down with the people I had been seeing shows with,
went to the Friday night show alone.
Saturday I picked up a friend in Berkeley and drove down to Shoreline with her.
She introduced me to her group of friends and her new boyfriend.
The one couple had just moved into an apartment near Shoreline
and I was invited to crash on the floor with her and friends.
I went to the show on Saturday night with these folks.
They all gave good show hugs before the show which I was kinda not weirded out by
but standoffish about at the time.
The show started, I confided in my friend that I wanted to drop some acid,
even though I had only done it once before at about 16
and was a little apprehensive about it and would she watch me.
She said sure, I dropped. Had a beautiful time.
I went off at set break for a pretzel for one woman
(there was a group of about 10-15 of us)
wandered the vending area, never found a pretzel, got really hungry,
bought veggie chilli and fries,
I was walking back to the blanket and just crouched down and
started eating fries and dipping them in chilli and getting it all over
my face like a 2 year old and laughing at myself.
The music started, it was getting dark and I started
to get a little concerned about finding them again.
China-> Rider was playing, Jerry's head big as day,
wish I was a headlight,
I thought I was around the right spot,
saw some people in silly rainbow glasses just like
some of the people I was with.
Pause pause, oh hey wait,
those are the people I'm with.
Got back to the blanket, felt good.
After the show laughed and laughed at myself and the stupid chilli
(forever after know as silly chilli).
Went back to my new friends' apartment,
slept on the floor with about 10 other people,
was up most of the night, tried to be real quiet
and not get too turned on listening to one couple have sex very near me.
Sunday was very good too.
X'ed and had a seat and felt much more comfortable
then I had just 24 hours ago with this group of people.

Those were my last Dead shows, and for most of us
(a few of that group were at some easternmore shows, but the last for most).

So anyway, the apartment is occupied by one different person,
but is the same one (Dan and Doug's)
that Tyler and Shava and Marisande and Elizabeth and I crashed at.
Dan's response to my "I kinda invited 2 people to sleep at your place"
and then the "I sort of invited 2 more people to stay at your place"
(all in addition to me mind you) was OK, sure, cool,
never who are these people or anything like that.

Anyway most of those friends with some additions and subtractions
over the past 3 years have become close to me.
I only really see them all when I travel down for shows
(which in the summer is quite often granted).

The Other Ones show last weekend filled that need to bring it all full circle since 95.
The vibe was wonderful. Bruce can sing!
(this was major surprise for me).
Saturday I sat with some of those friends from the 95 shows,
saw many others, and just in general felt that nice homey vibe.
Phish rocks my world still, but for family feel
there is nothing quite like a dead show.

~Marie

Next Review