SHARING THE SHOWS
So this was Day 1 of my jaunt across the country: Philadelphia, El Paso, and Red Rocks. After a quick bus ride and nap at the City House Hostel, I walked around Philly solo for a bit. There’s a used bookstore next to the hostel, so I easily dropped $25 on two books and a DVD of Ryan Gosling’s Half Nelson. From there, I walked over to Penn’s Landing to buy a ticket for the ferry going across to Camden (didn’t want to have to cut it so close to showtime). It's federal law that if you're not a vegetarian, you have a Philly cheesesteak at least once while in Philly. I went with Sonny's, the place Amy and I went to last year before Phish (8/7/18) None around, so I gave it to the clerk at the hostel.
I had 90 minutes to kill before showtime, so I spent 10 minutes working on my book and 15 on my screenplay. Even on vacation, I have to write; “working” is the wrong word to use in this case, it’s just in my bloodstream. The ferry ride over to Camden was easy; the line going inside, not so much. In our age of terrorist attacks, I suppose security can’t be too careful. At any rate, I found a nice spot on the lawn up top with that view of the Philly skyline I love. They opened with “The Music Never Stopped,” followed by “Dancing in the Streets,” with another beautiful Cornell 77esque jam. “Row Jimmy” and “Tennessee Jed” followed, and then a rare “If I Had the World To Give.” Upon the opening notes, I had to check Setlist.fm. I had heard the song on Shakedown Street a bunch of times, but never live. It was a cool treat. Mayer sounded great on “Brown-Eyed Woman.” The “Lost Sailor-Saint of Circumstance” combo closed the set. Around setbreak, I flipped to extrovert mode and chatted with a young lady named Lauren from Washington who was traveling the East Coast. She informed me that 20-minute wait I had was nothing compared to the three hours some folks were waiting to get into the Gorge shows. She was pondering whether to write a review for the web; Lauren, if you’re reading this, please do. The showgoing public needs to know! See? Told you you’d make the blog! I also talked to bartender named Chris, who named Plattsburgh as his place of origin (the Monopole came up in our conversation). On the ferry back, I talked to a guy named Wayne, an upstate New Yorker and graduate of Clarkson, right near my fraternity’s chapter in Canton (TGs!). Although I don’t drink anymore, we agreed on the intensity of Canadian beer (Labatt’s Blue and Molson Brador, the latter being the champagne of beers). “Truckin’” opened the set, followed by “Estimated Prophet.” During the latter, I talked to a budding musician from Newark, Delaware named Ty Mathis, who told me about his band Rooftop Farming. I promised I’d plug his band on the blog, so here it is (note to self: consider business cards with your blog titles on it). It was his first Dead show; I say “Welcome, brother!” “Ship of Fools” was next, and I think “China Cat Sunflower” may be replacing “Passenger” as my new favorite song; that jam was off the hook. “I Know You Rider” naturally followed, and then the usual “Drums/Space” deal. Question: I wonder what would happen if the boys ever decided to do just “Drums” or just “Space.” Would that throw the universe out of balance? After what felt like an hour waiting on the porta potty line, I headed back to the lawn, and I saw a bunch of people sitting solo, just staring at the skyline. The “Space” jam was perfect for that, so I joined them. Introvert Row (or, in some cases, Tripping Row). “Throwing Stones,” “Black Peter,” and “Good Lovin” closed the set, and the “Touch of Grey” encore represented the shortest gap I’ve ever seen between a second-set closer and an encore (curfew?). I reflected on my book project during “Touch of Grey” (can’t stop thinking about it) and came to the epiphany that it really fills a need and it can change the world. The world needs this book, it’s in my blood, I thought. I felt motivated to write – write then and there. That motivation ended once I got on the line to the ferry. I did my New York walking thing to get there quickly, but others apparently had the same idea, as the line extended for what felt like a mile. Still, I had that conversation with Wayne, a lady from Massachusetts, and I overheard a young lady talk about this new job she was going to start in Jordan. After getting back to the hostel, I looked forward to crashing, but alas, that sleep was broken by a loud snorer. I’ve shared beds and rooms with snorers before, but this dude had a variety of pitches, worthy of a “Space” jam (second note to self: noise-cancelling headphones may be a good investment). I’m a little tired and grumpy as I write, but the bliss of that show (and convenience of location) was worth it. And I suppose I can sleep on the plane to El Paso.
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