Tom:
Will do, thanks.
I hate to admit that it really took it out of me when Jerry passed, so for years I didn't follow what the rest of the band was doing, and I didn't listen to much Dead. I basically ignored their solo stuff (i.e, Ratdog, PLAF, Drum Planet, etc.), and didn't even bite when The Other Ones toured. As a lark, I bought tix to the first Dead tour in '03...like it was some fatal accident you couldn't help but look at. Once I saw that the vibe was still there, even without Jerry, it was all good! That was my ticket back to all things Dead, and I've been having a blast re-discovering my past glories ever since. I'm sorry that I ignored those guys for so long as they deserve all the support they can get for all they've given to us over the years, plus I gypped myself out of a lot of great music and fun.
I'm definitely trying to make up for it now.
FWIW, I had tears in my eyes when I learned of Jerry's death 10 yrs. past. What made it worse was that I hadn't seen the Dead since that infamous tour when Jerry was recovering from his diabetic coma. The last show I saw (at NYC's MSG) was pathetic...Jerry was enormous and lethargic to an extreme and was, to me, just going thru the motions: worst show I was ever at. I had my ex-wife and two friends (another couple) with me, and it was all their first Dead show. I was mortified and embarassed at bringing those newbies to such a poor showing, even though none of them knew the difference. Regardless, it p*ssed me off so bad, I deliberately never saw them again while Jerry was alive. Talk about biting your nose off to spite your face! I always figured there'd be plenty of time to see 'em...and then Jerry went and O/D'ed. I really felt bad about that ill-fated decision, and once Jerry had died, the regret overcame me as I knew there was no way I could make up for that hasty (and stupid) decision.
