I was out last night

Last night I went to a rock concert at the Lakewood Theatre — the first rock concert I've ever been to in my life. My friend, Paul, who's a "deadhead" (Grateful Dead fan) invited me and I agreed to go. (Paul's been regaling me with "Dead" stories for over 20 years now.)

The name of the band was "Dark Star Orchestra". They're like a cover band, but in a very special way. Each concert attempts to faithfully reproduce one of the Grateful Dead's concerts. Last night's was from 1981, in Madison Square Garden.

I enjoyed it, but I won't be going to any more concerts. At the age of 57 I was already suffering from tinnitus which causes a constant ringing in the ears. After last night, I'm not sure if my left ear will ever recover. Right now it sounds like Niagara Falls. I didn't get home 'til after 1, so I couldn't blog anything before jumping in bed to get a short night's rest.

The band? They were excellent. Paul tells me that the lead guitarist has "an uncanny ability to play just like Jerry Garcia". I guess that's about as high a compliment as you could pay to someone who's mimicing someone else. I never knew much about the Dead before I met Paul, but I like their music. It's kind of a bluesy, western swing rock (if you know what I mean) with some really unique renditions of classics like Good Lovin' and CC Rider.

They'll be at "La Zona Rosa" in Austin tonight and tomorrow night, so if you're a Grateful Dead fan in Austin, you'll want to make plans. (I know. If you're a deadhead, you already have.)

"Normal" blogging will resume today. :-)