Recording Concerts and Intermissions

There was a story about Christopher DeLaurenti who recorded intermissions at classical concerts and has now turned them into a cd.

Grateful Dead, Phish Pink Floyd and Intermissions at classical concerts and all sorts of things have been recorded for our pleasure as well as to save a part of history. There was even a recording of the "parking lot scene" from a Grateful Dead concert. So much has been recorded to give a something to take home and to listen to and to cherish. It is both a pleasure and a passion for someone to record a concert that they go to.

A friend of mine recorded Pink Floyd's concert in Nashville, 1994. It was alive and vibrant during the time I had it on tape and could go back to listen whenever I could. I still have it to this day....

On The Road Again (05-07-81)

Friends on the road...

I have worked in the hospitality industry for many years and part of the reason I enjoyed it so much was that it gave me the ability to meet new and interesting people all the time. It would also give me the freedom to plan trips with vacation time or to use two or three days off at the end of one week and two or three days off at the beginning of a week. I have taken road trips all over, flown around the country and even took a Greyhound to a friends wedding in Omaha once upon a time.

The one and only trip on Greyhound and it is a trip that I will never forget. We went through many small towns and picked people up at gas stations, bus stations, KMart and fast food places. There was this one stop that a guy got off and stood next to the bus before suddenly kicking the sides of the bus. Now the bus driver had gone into the McDonald's and missed this little show and before he could come back out, the guy went running towards McDonald's and around it and than chased a car through a parking lot. Then he did one more lap around the McDonald's and back to the bus which he than climbed on went to his seat and acted completely normal. When the bus driver came out a few people met him outside the bus and told him what happened and he talked to the guy to make sure he was okay and since he seemed normal he let him stay on the bus.

Another leg of that trip we stopped at a truck stop for a pickup and the driver said we could get off for a few minutes to get food, drinks, bathroom breaks, etc. One guy goes inside and comes back out with some food and a few things in his pocket and after getting back on the bus started asking anyone and everyone if he could borrow their ticket which of course nobody would do that. Just as we were getting ready to pull off two of the workers ran out and told the driver the guy didn't pay for his food or the other things. So, the driver ask him about it and he denied it and than he finally admitted it and the was kicked off the bus and the police were called. While all this was going on the guy walked across the parking lot and talked to an old man who let him climb into his pickup truck and away they went. We finally had to get back on the road and we heard that they had caught him shortly afterwards and he was still with the old man.

I met a lady who had been riding the bus, with her 4 kids, since Mexico and was actually going somewhere in Canada and I couldn't help but feel sad for her because she was exhausted and still had a very long way to go. The whole trip seemed like we were going through the twilight zone and to top it all off, as we were coming back into Nashville our driver said he had never driven into Nashville and didn't know where the bus station was. Thankfully a few of us knew and we talked him in and gladly got off the bus and headed for home. I'm glad I did it but I don't know if I ever will again.

I used to run around with some great people named Chad and Leslie, who lived in Shelbyville Kentucky and we spent many days and miles going to see the Grateful Dead here and there. We always had a blast while seeing the country or just staying around their house and having fun. One of the trips from their house back to Nashville I picked up a hitchhiker on the road and while talking his experiences while hitchhiking we saw a cop behind us who after a few minutes turned on his lights and sirens, which freaked us out since we both had long hair, beards, tie-dyes, wild eyes and driving a '65 VW Beetle. He suddenly whipped around us and we saw Ky. State Troopers come out of nowhere and stop this car in the middle of the interstate and get the guy spread eagle on the road. Turned out he had lots of cocaine in his car and I'm sure served many, many years for that.

Chad once gave me a rain stick, that I still have to this day, and soon after that we lost track of each other. He had started to make the rainsticks along with didgeridoos and drums while going to shows and was becoming quite the artist the last time I saw him. I recently did a search online for him and came across his website and as it turns out he went on to became an amazing artist, got married and now him and his wife create these amazing pieces of art. I have yet to touch base with them but I will soon and perhaps think back to our adventures and all the good times we shared. I look forward to buying a didgeridoos from him since I had planned on doing that about 13 years ago.

Well, that is not even the tip of the fun times I have had with friends, family and strangers while traveling around this great country of ours and I hope to have more soon with even better stories to tell.

If anyone has a travel story they would like to share, please feel free. I would love to his quite a few.

Story of a Road Trip

I was going to see two Grateful Dead concerts in 1993 and a few of us were planning on going up for the shows. I let one guy ride with me and he was going to meet some friends of his at the show and than meet up with me after the second show to get a ride home. I met my friends ,at their house the day before the first concert, where we socialized and prepared ourselves for the concerts.

The day of the first concert we arrived in the parking lot of the arena at around 2:00pm. The reason we always went early was because we wanted to check out the "lot scene." People would set up kitchens and sell food of all kinds such as pastas, grilled cheese, burritos and a wide variety of other options. You could also walk around and find people selling jewelry, t-shirts, hats and all sorts or things. This area was known as "Shakedown Street" and was where most everyone went to meet and see the sights. Here and there around the parking lot you would here music blasting out of stereos or people sitting around making the music themselves. It was like being a part of the circus or a carnival.

We finally made it into the shows and these particular shows were fun but nothing incredible. Nevertheless, we danced, smiled and had such a great time. I remember after the shows walking out into the night air to smell food being cooked, incense burning and saw people hugging and dancing around while talking about the concert. I do remember after the second concert walking out and seeing a school bus that had been converted into a rolling disco with neon lights, disco ball, flashing lights and disco music blasting. The best part about it was that there were people all around it and even on top of it just getting down and shaking their booties to the music.

Well, after enjoying the summer night after the show and all the festivies in the parking lot I decided to head back to meet the guy who would need a ride back to Nashville. I waited and waited until the police started to run everyone out of the parking lot at around 3 or 4 in the morning. I finally gave up and headed South back to Nashville alone.

I was balling that jack to make good time and still feeling so good after a great time with the music, people and the whole scene but I was ready to get home as well. I finally decided to stop at a rest area to use the bathroom, get something to drink and walk around for a minute to stretch my legs. When I got back in the car, it wouldn't start. I tried again and again, I begged with it, I prayed over it, I made deals with it but nothing worked. This was before cell phones were the hot thing and so I made a few calls on the pay phone but no one could help. I was either to far away or they were working or something and thus I had to fend for myself.

So I finally walked over to a big grassy area and layed down to take a nap and to give the car a rest to see if it would work later. After a 2 or 3 hour nap I woke up just in time to watch a VW bus pull into the rest area. When the side door opened 5 or 6 people poured out plus the two in the front seats. They went about doing their business for a bit and than they came over to ask if that was my VW bug. I told them it was, I don't know how they could have known except for the stickers on the back and my long hair, beard and funky clothes, but they seemed to know. I told them what had happened and so down we went to have a look at it. After a few pokes and prods under the hood, one guy said he thought it just got to hot and was cooling itself off. Turns out he was right because it started right up.

They were coming to Nashville for a day or two and than going to continue on down the road and were okay with following me to make sure the car didn't act up again. There was a beautiful young woman who came to me to ask if she could ride to Nashville with me and of course I was more than happy to accomodate. She said it was just to crowded in the VW bus and she needed a break. One of the guys in the group made necklaces, bracelets and peace pipes that he sold at shows.

So we finally headed for Nashville in a two VW convoy. I was relieved to have my car running again and to make it even better I had the company of a stunningly beautiful young woman along with a brand new peace pipe that was a gift to me. The rest of the drive was lots of fun and I went with them over to visit guy in Nashville named "Cowboy." We spent a good day around there just laughing, telling stories of the road and getting to know each other.

Finally everyone had to hit the road again. I drove across town and the crew in the VW bus headed out to who knows where. I never saw any of them after that but that was how we did it back then. We helped each other and made friends with everyone.

Those were truly some magical days.

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The concert setlists:6-15-93 (Tuesday)
Set 1: Feels Like A Stranger, Althea, Wang Dang Doodle, Friend of the Devil, Desolation Row, Don't Ease Me In
Set 2: Victim Or The Crime> Crazy Fingers> Estimated Prophet> Spoonful> He's Gone> Drumz> This Could Be Last Time> Morning Dew
E: Gloria

6-16-93 (Wednesday)
Set 1: Cold Rain & Snow> Same Thing, Peggy-O, Tom Thumb Blues, Ramble On Rose, Eternity, Brown Eyed Women, Easy Answers> Don't Ease Me In Set 2: Foolish Heart, Saint of Circumstance> Lazy River Road, Corinna> Drumz> I Need A Miracle> Stella Blue> Good Lovin E: I Fought The Law