I’d had the Grateful Dead albums ‘Aoxomoxoa’, ‘Live Dead’, ’Workingman’s Dead’, and ‘American Beauty’, when they came out, but I really didn’t understand what they were about. 

One night in Nov of 1970, it was ‘San Francisco Night’ in Rochester, NY, where I was at college, with the Grateful Dead playing at the University of Rochester Palestra and Jefferson Airplane across town at Rochester War Memorial. Promoters should really talk to each other. 

My friends and I couldn’t go to both, so we selected the Grateful Dead, supported by New Riders of the Purple Sage.

NRPS opened, with Jerry on pedal steel. I was so clueless that I saw Jerry and recognized him and thought that was the Grateful Dead! Then there was a break and the Grateful Dead came on. It was a bit confusing with a head full of acid, and I didn’t know what was going on when a roadie would throw a bit of flash paper from behind the amps at varying climaxes - I’d never heard of flash paper!  

After the first set, I figured that was the end of the show and was getting ready to leave! Didn’t know about that ‘2-set’ business…. After the 2nd set, Jorma came over from the just-completed Airplane show and joined in with some blues jamming with the Dead! 

Eventually I saw the Grateful Dead and JGB many dozens of times over the years, even after completely losing interest in them from 1975 - 1985 and ignoring their existence. But I was brought back into the fold in 1986 and remained till the end. These days, my favorite Grateful Dead band is Dark Star Orchestra.