The Epic of Watkins Glen: The Sound Checks

As we shook the cobwebs and broke camp to make our way to the stage,Pete
and I carried all our stuff and trudged through the mud.We took in the scene as it unfolded.As we made our way towards the stage there were huge pallets of gallon-size spring water place about twenty yards apart.Nobody was taking money,so we took as much as we could carry, and marched on.There were "Porto-
sans" lined up on both sides of the field.Pete remarked that they learned there lesson from Woodstock,and that learning was a great relief.
We picked out a spot about 50 yards from center stage,layed out the canvas
from the lean-to,and settled in.This was around 10:30am...And then we became aware of the sound checks to come.Before it got too crowded, I ventured out
to see if there were any "smokables" available...I told Pete I'd be back in a
few minutes...and he started counting..."one dippie hippie,two dippie hippie.." I eventually found something that looked good at a reasonable price.Looking and being were different....it seemed like we smoked so much,
and got nowhere at the same time;no desired effect.
That wasn't a problem. Around that time, the Allman brothers came out to do their sound check,played for about 40 minutes,then left the stage.There were enough people there that Friday morning to appreciate the sounds,and not too many people there to be unfortable.Some time later,perhaps two hours, The Band took the stage for their sound check...as they did, the young couple from our first ride found us sunning ourselves.They sat and chatted and smoked the lousy herb...The gent said he was going back to their tent, but Nicole stayed with us and enjoyed the time and the company....and the music.The Band also played for about 45 minutes,really wonderful stuff,then left the stage.
The gent with the tent reapeared after and hour,asking Nicole if she was going back to the tent. She had eyes for Pete...and knew we had the hits of acid,so she said nothing to him.He departed never to be seen again.He probably got lost on his way back to his tent.
At nightfall,around 8pm, the Greatful Dead took the stage for their
soundcheck....which lasted about 3 hours.I have seen them many times;at the Manhattan Center concert that became a live album,in the "Nausea Collusium",
even in Brooklyn in an old movie theatre in Bay Ridge[I was 15..and my mom nearly killed me!] This time at Watkins Glen was the very best I ever heard them.Pete and Nicole were tripping and having a ball, and I was focused on
the Dead and the music.They had rigged up an effect....kind of like a delay between the sound towers,that made it seem like Garcia's solo's were an echo
along a line that traveled from the stage to the back of the concert field.
It was long before anyone else thought to do so, and for those souls who were tripping at the time,it must been startling.For me it was "Jerry Nirvana"
In the next chapter,I'll tell the story of things that went bump in the night,and how I dealt with the situation.Being a wise-ass from Brooklyn,one
might guess!
Paulie Blue Micheals
3-1-10