TIH: Deer Creek, 7/15/89

https://archive.org/details/gd1989-07-15.139107.UltraMatrixSBD.miller.fl...

Set 1

Bertha, Greatest Story Ever Told, Candyman, Walkin' Blues, Peggy-O, Queen Jane Approximately, We Can Run But We Can't Hide, Bird Song

Set 2

Foolish Heart, Victim Or The Crime, Crazy Fingers > Truckin' > Smokestack Lightning > Drums > Jam > China Doll > All Along The Watchtower > Stella Blue > Sugar Magnolia

E: Brokedown Palace

Not the best show I ever saw, but one of the most fun times I had.

Te backstory: Somehow or another we had a suite at a 4 star hotel in DC, at it was total bacchanalia, including crystal wash, tanks, accelerants and decelerants. Somehow or another we managed to keep the room until around sunset on the 14th. The plan was to caravan throughout the night to Deer Creek. The caravan consisted of 2 VW campers and 1 early-80s Subaru. Although I hadn't slept in going on 48 hours, I drove one of the busses through the night.

Just outside Indianapolis we pulled over and played musical cars, just to switch things up. I ended up in the Subie, still driving. After 10 hours in the bus, topping out at 55, I was a bit heavy-footed. A while down the road I pulled over to rest, and to let the rest of the caravan catch up. They were gone. So, me and my buddy made our way to Deer Creek. Mind you, it was a brand new venue, and even the locals didn't really know where it was. We found it, and figured that the rest of the caravan would show up sooner or later.

I was as "au natural" as it could get. Other than my shorts that I was wearing, everything was in the bus. No shirt, shoes, wallet with cash and ticket, or cooler with Gatorade and water to sell. It was a beautiful day, so I didn't care.

Just as the show started someone handed me a lawn ticket through the fence. At that point I figured it was time to megadose. A big reason was that I figured that everyone would realize I was too high to drive after the show and I could finally get some rest. The road to hell...but more on that later.

I spent Set I with some friends on the lawn. During set break I saw that there was no security in the pavilion, and I casually strolled down to the first row and parked myself right in front of Brent. I had never been that close before, and being kind of short I really had never tried. Crazily enough, once the set started, the seats around me never filled in. I literally had 5 spaces, right in the front row. And that's where the fun really started.

The Crazy Fingers was quintessential Jerry. The vocals were a trainwreck and a half, but he made up for it with some sick jams. By that point I was flying, and once Smokestack started I knew we were in for a ride.

Although not listed on any setlists, there was a Close Encounters jam in Space (at about 8:00). Candace had that round light thing flip around, and I swear, it was just like the movie and I was right under it. Oh shit, game on!

China Doll > Watchtower > Stella Blue. Now I was in a psychedelic la-la land. Holy shit! As an FYI, the 90 minute tapes cut off during Stella, that's how long the show was.

Okay, now for Sugar Mags. In all the shows I've ever seen, I don't think I've ever danced that hard. I had room and I had energy, and damn, I needed that release. For me, the Brokedown was the perfect way to come back to a semblance of reality.

Somehow or another I found the car in the lot. We took some time to help out a lost and very high local, Misty (I kept singing "Misty," in a Bobby voice, so I remember). I also managed to score a fat bag of road nugs. So, now it was on to Alpine.

Another friend was in our car, so I figured I'd be all set for not driving. My plan backfired. "Brian is flying and we're all exhausted. He can drive." There I was, at least 3 nights without sleep, high as a kite, and behind the wheel. No problem. I drove through the night and at sunrise pulled over at a massive rest area and crashed. THe whole Deer Creek 89 experience was really in a top 3 for me, maybe even top 2.

To close out the story, we found our caravan as soon as we pulled into the Alpine lot (I was still driving). I immediately saw another friend who invited me to his room at the Alpine Inn, so I got a hot tub, shower, shave, and clean clothes. It was a great way to start the next chapter, which, being multiple nights in one lot, was crazy as always.