Might As Well
Page 25
(Sadly, no. I really was kneeling over a borrowed Sony D-6, so a kid wouldn’t lose his signal.)
“What about those girls who came down to the tapers’ section at set break? Were they in on it somehow?”
(Equally sadly no. Your discomfort was sincerely earned.)
(As was theirs.)
“Heaven help the fool.”
STELLA BLUE
(This way, you two.)
(Are sure, Jen, I thought we parked over—)
(What do you take me for? I haven’t been to a show for a little while I grant you, as the great state of New York had other plans for me but I have never made a tactical error when it comes to finding my vehicle after a show.)
(Two words: Buckeye Lake.)
(Well, okay once. That was the night I learned my lesson. Remember when we finally found our car in that corner lot across the street…)
(And we were so hemmed in that you literally fell asleep behind the wheel, woke up and we had moved one car length.)
(If that. Those were the days… A mistake I will not make again. So please trust me, it’s this way. And not to be too heavy-handed with the word mistake but what the hell happened to the two of you?)
“Aunt Jennneeee!”
(Nice to see you’re still with us, Stella.)
(It was an epic catastrophe with a happy ending. Let’s just say that tomorrow night I’m keeping Stell on a short leash.)
“Mommeeee!”
(Not literally. Although I have seen it done.)
(Well, Alison, you deserve a beverage for your troubles.)
“Meeee tooooo?”
(Up to your mom. Here’s a guy. How much?)
“Domestics a buck, nice cold tasty imports a deuce. Soda too. How about a Mountain Dew to go with that ‘Morning Dew.’ Just Dew it.”
(Two Dews for the ‘Dew.’)
(Can do.)
(Here you go, Al, sorry you missed the song. I do have a consolation prize though, this lovely soda.)
(I don’t need a consolidation prize. I may have missed the ‘Dew’ but I found myself an angel. A Stell Belle of my very own.)
(Where was she?)
(Some security office. Indoor arena staff, not yellow jackets. Can we talk about something more pleasant? Are there other groups you’ve been aching to see?)
(I’ve been hearing a bit about the Allman Brothers Band. They’ve just started touring again with this young guitarist who’s apparently on fire. He was in the Dickey Betts Band for a while. The guy next to me was talking them up during set break. Apparently they have a new album coming out, so that’s a good sign.)
(I like it. The Brothers. See, you’re not the only one making a comeback.)
(What do you say, Stella, do you want to come with us and see the Brothers?”
“The brothers?”
(Yes, my darling daughter, what do you think of the brothers?)
“The brothers? Why are they in bread?”
(What?)
“Why are the brothers in bread?”
(Why are the brothers inbred?)
(Why do you say that?)
“Ernie and Berp on Sesame Street. Why are they in bread?”
(Jenny, tomorrow night we’re heading in early. I am suddenly eager to have a conversation with arena management. Plus that way I’m hoping we’ll make it inside with a little less congestion and simulated overpopulation. What you do say to that, Stella?)
“A Dew for the ‘Dew’?”
(Well played, little girl.)
RANDY
“CLEAR OUT OF MY WAY! CLEAR OUT OF MY WAY!
“I NEED A DEAD MED! I NEED A DEAD MED!
“I HAVE A SEVERELY INJURED PERSON WITH ME IN THIS CART!
“I NEED A DEAD MED, I NEED A DEAD MED!”
(Hold on, hold on I’m Dead Med. Well, I’m a Deadhead and a doctor. How can I help?)
(You’re a Deadhead?)
(No time, big bro. Let me take a look at him. Ted, can you run to the car and grab my bag. Hustle! What happened to him?)
“He was hit from behind. I saw it go down, I saw him go down. He hit his head on the edge of a car before he landed. I wasn’t so sure about moving him because of the way he fell. He just didn’t look right. But I didn’t want to leave him there.”
(How long ago would you say this happened?)
“About a half hour, maybe a little less.”
(Okay let’s gently raise his legs in the air. What’s your name?)
“Randy.”
(Can you hold his legs like that for a little while, Randy? It appears he’s gone into a mild shock, he feels a bit clammy.)
“Can do.”
(I’m going to take off his shoes and we’ll see how responsive he is. Over here, Ted! Come on!… Well, there doesn’t appear to be a major spinal injury which is obviously a great sign. Once my brother gets over here with my bag, we’ll be able to learn a little more, but I have a feeling that this guy going is going to owe you a debt of gratitude.)
STEVEN
Uhhhh…
(Who are you? What your name? What happened?)
“Su-St-Steven.”
(Saint Stephen, huh?)
“Su-Spelled different.”
(Okay, well at least you can still spell. That’s a good sign even though someone did a number on you and then it sounds like you clipped your head on a car. Ted, can you help me, keep a compress right here?)
(Will do.)
(He doesn’t look so good and certainly doesn’t smell so good but I think he’s going to be fine. You’re going to be fine. Some scars and a rager of a headache but you’ll be okay.)
“Suhloney”
(What’s that?)
“Solonely.”
(Nah that’s a Police song. No police here, just the Grateful Dead. And us Deadheads. You should be glad we’ve met because my big bro here, Taper Ted, is going to hook you up with tapes of tonight’s show, tomorrow night’s show, maybe all the shows. Right, Taper Ted?)
(Well—)
“Th-thanks.”
(Yeah, Steven, he’s got you covered. We’ve got you covered. We’re family here. All of us. Remember that. We’re Deadheads. We are everywhere.)
ZEB
The foot traffic’s really picking up.
“Nice cold tasty imports. Domestics a buck, imports two. Nothing better than washing down that ‘Sugar Magnolia’ with a nice cold tasty import. Kind Beck’s. I’ve got your kind Beck’s. Soda too. How about a Mountain Dew to go with that ‘Morning Dew’? Just Dew it.”
Another show. With the “Dew.” There should be a star after all the shows I’ve seen with a “Dew.”
“Nice cold tasty imports. Domestics a buck, imports two. Kind Bud-weiser. Kind Beck’s… Yeah, just reach in there and take one yourself. Whichever one calls out to you. There you go.”
There’s another sale, something to put towards tomorrow’s ticket. Tough ticket too. One More Saturday Night.
They’re gonna be scarce. Gotta get started early.
Seventh row, Craig side would be right on for sure but nothing’s ever guaranteed, especially out here with the Jersey devils.
“Kind Bud-weiser. Kind Beck’s. Domestics a buck, nice cold tasty imports a deuce. And I need one. I need one ticket for tomorrow.”
Making my move, could get lucky while I’m earning my tour. Then I gotta find somewhere to crash and something to eat.
Because tomorrow’s another dawn.
Another day of the Dead.
I’ll be out here.
Might as well.
Acknowledgments
The inspiration for this book was the announcement of the summer 2015 Fare Thee Well shows. The pairing of Trey Anastasio with the Grateful Dead Core Four brought things full circle, as I thought back t
o the late eighties and a period of time when I would catch my fair share of Grateful Dead and Phish shows (even if at that time each fanbase could be somewhat contemptuous of the other). As I reflected on that era, I recalled not only that dark night at the Brendan Byrne Arena on October 14, 1989 when Adam Katz lost his life, but the totality of my experience on tour reveling in the music and experiencing America during a singular moment of social and cultural history.
I wish to thank agent Paul Lucas (who I later met in Chicago at Fare Thee Well) for suggesting Tyson Cornell and Rare Bird as the ideal home for Might As Well. Alice Marsh-Elmer, Julia Callahan, and Winona Leon were supportive throughout the process, as were my dandy and delightful wife and kids, Leanne, Caroline, and Quinn. Relix was important to me during the era in which this book takes place, just as it is now. Above all else, a special thanks to everyone who shared a show with me and offered help on the way, in particular my late sister Stacy. Sometimes the songs that we hear are just songs of our own…
Dean Budnick is the editor-in-chief of Relix magazine and the coauthor of John Popper’s autobiography Suck and Blow: And other Stories I’m Not Supposed to Tell. Budnick is the founder of jambands.com, cocreator of the Jammy Awards, and director of the documentary Wetlands Preserved: The Story of an Activist Rock Club, which earned film festival laurels, opened nationally via First Run Features, and then aired on the Sundance Channel. His previous books include Ticket Masters: The Rise of the Concert Industry and How the Public Got Scalped, Jambands, and The Phishing Manual. He has written for The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard and for many years cohosted Jam Nation, a radio show that aired weekly on SiriusXM. Budnick, who holds a PhD from Harvard’s History of American Civilization program and a JD from Columbia Law School, also teaches in the history department at the University of Rhode Island.