wlewis wrote:



Burt, not saying' there isn't alot of dudes goin' to the shows but, I did meet a really nice girl in Denver. her name is Sara and I'm sure you met her. If I had not gone i would have never met her and that would truely be a shame. Also, I CARE. I love hanging with you at shows and would truely miss not having you around. Say it aint so.

wlewis wrote:

Burt you are 100% correct. It is none of my business if or why you do or don't want to go see shows. I was just having some fun here. Didn't mean to upset you. Sorry if I did.
In the 80's people complained that the band was playing large hockey rinks. Now people are complaining that they are playing concert halls. The one constant is people complaining. If people do not enjoy going to shows then perhaps they should not go to shows. Of course people can always voice their concerns about shows on the bands web sites.

wlewis wrote:


Good thing you moved to the West Coast, won't be bothered by anybody on drugs in the Bay Area

I definitely don't care about the gender mix, that's my reason for going.

I will see Furthur at large arenas, small halls, and every where in between. Ticket prices, and other things, keep me from going to EVERY show, but that doesn't mean I think they're unfair.

As far as drugs, hasn't everyone been there at some point?

wlewis wrote:


soooooo that wasn't you having the late night jam 10 days ago after the furthur CO shows?
soooooo you were completely sober?
soooooo when you announce that you too have "broken up with furthur", you tell NYCdave (who is always a gentleman and even apologized) it's none of his goddamn business when he asks a simple question?

Lay off the sauce my friend

I'm just glad Furthur is still available for the occasional night of romance, dancing and love with an old flame.

Yes we can't boogie like it's 1977 anymore, but if the band wants to play, I'm not going ANYWHERE

philisgod wrote:


Would you say that if you were in the same room as Bob Weir? That any band that contains him fucking blows anymore? That he is a drag to the music?
I'm not a fluffer, just appreciative of what I've got, warts and all.

Kevin writes: "you tell NYCdave (who is always a gentleman..."
Uh, while I appreciate the compliment, it ain't necessarily so. Truth be told, my comments were both sarcastic and baiting. This approach while hinting at humor, has little to do with being kind.
People would like shows and audience behavior at shows to be all about peace, luv and unicorns. While this is a nice idea, if you have been to two or more shows, and take a little walk around, you can't help but notice that the behavior of (some) people doesn't quite fit into the above stated program. I agree with DenverMan when he states " I don't let people ruin what I love most. Some situations are harder and or worse than others but in the end I am going to be there until the bus comes to a screeching halt."
I saw my first GD show in July of 1972. At that show people were complaining that both the band and the audience where not what they used to be. Some things never change.
I don't know Burt, but I remember him playing bass with a talened professional musician (by a pool at a hotel near Red Rocks). After a few songs, said musician (married to a member of our forum) complimented him on his chops.
There is nothing wrong with questioning whether going to shows is a positive thing. Different strokes for different folks. There is also nothing wrong with telling someone off when that person is baiting them. An old boss once told me that just because I think that something is funny, doesn't mean that everyone else shares my opinion. In other words if someone feels that I am bringing up stuff that is none of my business, tell me so. In my universe, two rules ring true. 1) Here's what Ginger says, She always tries to play by the golden rule, She says if you treat other people all right, Other folks probably treat you right too. 2) If you plant ice, you're gonna harvest wind
One last minor point: It's all cool in the bus pool!

i am done going because it's boring and there is nothing fun anymore about being in a room with a bunch of people on drugs. it's annoying. way too many dudes on the furthur scene too. sorry guys!

I could care less if you attend shows. I always went for the music, but sitting around a room with a bunch of friends on drugs is a bad thing? I'll speak for myself and just say the post show regathering of friends usually led to some pretty damn hilarious hijinx and gut splitting laughing good times. Man you would have hated 4 nights of camping at Alpine with all those hippie drug users.

BTW you may want to consider getting a girlfriend.. then you can hang post show with her.... and I can say that is usually a good time too.

okay i'll run down the line.

glenn, is it glenn or glen i have to know and i am embarrassed asking but there, it's out there. i did meet her, you introduced me in the smoking section. i have a feeling that's not the last we'll see of her. you will see me again somewhere down the line like red rocks or special venues that will accommodate my needs. it was always a blast to kick it. my goal is to be playing a show somewhere near you, and everybody else. and if i don't stop going to shows right now, it will never happen.

little bear---just because there are drug users in the geographical area of "the bay area" doesn't mean i have to sit in a room with any of them. when i'm at a show, i'm trapped. the only refuge is to leave the place, at which point i would have to ask myself why i ever bought a ticket to begin with. see where i'm going? taking myself away from the show, is actually doing ME a favor.

kevin---me playing my bass is a completely different experience than being at the furthur show, even if they happened one right after the other. i was sober. the only thing i took was my medication that my doctor prescribed me. some grass. i puffed one bowl while that after party happened. i don't even really use hard drugs or alcohol anymore. that was the first realization way before i realized cutting out shows altogether is a better option. my comment to dave probably sounded worse than it was meant to sound. he knew what i meant, i hope he didn't take offense, i also knew he was being a smartass with his question. i've been known to sauce heavily in the past. hardly anymore. i'd like to get whiskey drunk on st patricks day.
--i take delight in the juice of the barley, courtin' pretty women in the mornin' so early--

last but not least but old buddy wits. honestly, thank you. you are the only one who feels the way everybody else should feel. who gives a fuck if i am not on tour anymore. it's not like i just died and one can't come see me in california or red rocks. i am not friends with everybody at the show i don't personally know them. we are cordial but there's a lot of people who aren't acting like my friends act at shows. believe it or not, the FFF is pretty top notch material to be around during a show. i am just kind of over the whole psychadelics thing. there are far better highs out there for me personally, and drugs really aren't in that category anymore. i had a girlfriend for a long time man, it's why i've enjoyed my freedom to the fullest for a while. thanks for the advice though dr. love.

i hope i made myself clear.

i still love y'all, i just need some time to myself.

Burtha...I don't give a shit if you continue to go to shows either but please don't ever stop using drugs.

I figure this thread was started by one of our resident troll allies, not that it really maters. I like ideas to stand on their merit rather than their source being of import. I was considering wlewis as potential alias Afan as well, however have found his posts to be genuine and from heart, not veiled in the least. Funny how I started reading at the beginning break-up letter and finished w/ Burt's synopsis. I'm only happy for Burt's commitment to base, perhaps We'll meet at Red Rocks one day. As for dude who started topic, Adios. Don't let the door . . . I like P&F. Last night's Bobby show was so entertaining. But Futhur get's the Blue ribbon. Oversold Ogden taught me to go in early for small venues, well played show, nothing like the next three progressively better nights, and I missed Sunday. I am shocked to hear anyone like any GD related band better than Furthur, as I haven't fully felt the vibe since Jerry passed, cept Furthur. I would have loved to catch P&F w/ Trey, that album quite good. Funny how this thread started stating why someone was bailing on Furthur, and their expensive ticket prices, etc, and has become forum for so much more. Verbose personages. "Verbosity is akin to idolatry." Boy does that saying get under the skin of Sagittarius types. My four cents.

Burt, I took no offence at all with what you said. People out here complain that there is not enough room to dance at shows, then try to convince everyone they know to take up more room on the dance floor. I met a tourhead back in 1987 who kept complaining about how horrible both the shows and the audience was. Everyone kept asking him the obvious question. If he felt that it was such a god awful experience, why go. I liked both this person and his complaining. IMHO when done well, bitchin' about anything and everything is a true art form. Sunshine Sue may be upset cause she is believes that by Burt being in front of her, it created more dance space. Kevin, perhaps if you dance in front of Sue, you can create the same extra space.
In summation: 1.) Let's only go to shows if we are having fun. 2.) Let's tell everyone we know that the shows are not worth seeing. The goal being less people = more dance room! One of my favorite shows last year was the first east coast Phil and Friends shows at the Welmont Theater in Montclair, NJ. It snowed all day. People couldn't make the show. There was plenty of room all over. It's not that I am antisocial, it's just that more room to dance is a beautiful thing. It also didn't hurt that the first set was the entire Wake of the Flood album.