I was never allowed to see the Grateful Dead live. Jerry died when I was 16. I met the owners of the local hippie shop when I was 12. They knew which shows were epic and which shows were just so-so. They'd spin tapes for me if I brought in blanks, and our conversations about the best and not so great shows were fantastic music lessons that continue to shape my tastes. Though D & J are 15 years older (at least), they aren't old enough (nowhere near) to have been to every Dead show. That never stopped them from having an opinion, and my tape collection, music knowledge, and confidence in sharing my opinions benefitted immensely.

Funny side story, it took years of forcing tapes and CDs on these two by myself and other friends before they'd finally believe going to see Phish wouldn't be completely terrible. 2000 was the first time I ever saw a Phish shirt in their shop. Really, I think they worried they were cheating on Jerry.