This show was my first and absolutely amazing. I came from Iowa and I will never forget jumping out of the car and hearing the call of the drum circle in the parking lot. At first I joined the outside, someone handed me a tabuka and J. I have always been a drummer...suddenly I found myself in the middle of the circle, inhibitions gone; pounding, pounding the rhythm, taking over the lead rhythm. It was HOT, sweat was running down my breasts, my nose, my hands hurt....but I kept drumming. Constantly calling out to the name of my love in my rhythm, I would say his name over and over through my hands. As if G-D would carry my message of love to him through the rhythm of the song. Finally, my hands were twice the original size and black and blue....didn't matter, I felt GREAT! Went in for the concert when it was time. Looks Like Rain was AMAZING! The band and G-D played back and forth with one another. I met someone in Israel at a festival back in 2004. He saw my shirt from this show and we talked about our experience.....the SAME experience. It was at this show we both understood a greater connection and meaning of the universe. Everything was so amazing and.....THE MUSIC NEVER STOPPED!!!! Love you JL, thanks for turning me on to the Dead.

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The first of a 3-day run in Lost Wages: Fear & Loathing indeed! It was my first road trip out of Colorado to see the Dead. That morning I hitched out to the Silver Bowl from Downtown Vegas. After situating myself left of center right within a few feet of the stage. It was blazing Hot: convection oven dry desert heat and me without water. But I did have some prime green and an array of sundry items to destroy whatever was left of my sun sizzled brain. Hell if I was losing my prime spot. I had already taken a few blotter stash just to get me a manageable buzz for the first set. I innocently asked a friendly nearby Head for a pull off his gallon jug of water. I took a healthy chug just as his friendly warning took hold through my already buzzing brain "the water's a little different around here" God only knows what that meant but as the Dead broke into the first notes of Mississipi 1/2 Step the back of my brain started rumbling, a burst of adrenaline shot through my solar plexus, similar to the feeling as you reach the peak of the 1st hill of a rollercoaster and you know there is no turning back. I knew I was in for a bumpy ride. and I tried to relax knowing what i was in for..I held on through Walkin' Blues and amidst the sweetness of Peggy-O I almost downshifted but as Bobby broke into the opening of Black Throated I felt my body go limp..Suddenly Phil's Bass opened up my third eye and independent of what was happening onstage the thunderous rumble of The Other One fast forwarded me sideways into another dimension. The top of head my popped open, I literally felt the back of my feet melting into the ground. I thought I could hear warnings about the Brown Acid over the PA. My heart raced and I became parched. My fight or flight response went into overdrive. Was this the final meltdown? Did I finally go too far? Then as if the whole crowd seemed to rise as one into the beautiful Desert sky. I felt "this must be heaven" all around me the divinity of humanity as one revealed itself. Was this the beginning or the end? It didn't seem to matter. But an undercurrent of panic shot through me. I was dehydrated and I knew I had to move. A sticker that my eye fixed on as I entered the stadium came back to me. Think Pink. I didn't know what it meant but I knew I had to act. I wandered steadily moving my way through the crowd confused from the psychedelic swirling of my wayward synapses sputtering like a bowl of rice krispies. I finally made it to the concession stand and there they were selling great big ice cold paper cups of Pink Lemonade! When I could decipher the denominations from the wad of bills in my sweaty hand I bought the biggest one they had and gulped down the sweet glorious liquid citrus wonder(the best damn lemonade I ever tasted!)And everything was all right again. I started to calm down and wandered back down to the field. This time I drifted toward the back where there was room to dance away some of that excess psychic energy. A glorious LLR into Crazy Fingers, kickass Watchtower and a pristine & personally poignant China Doll marked the 2nd set. The rest of the show and the time I spent in Vegas was a beautiful dream and anyone who says that the 90's Dead had no great moments are either narrow minded revisionists or just weren't there. I am glad I was! May the four winds blow you safely home!

- September 7, 2005Alien Abduction