I could go on for days about the many musical
experiences I had in San Francisco back in the daze. I saw the
Jefferson Airplane at the first dance Hall concert at the Longshoremen
Hall, and the Grateful Dead at the Trips Festival. My friends and I also
enjoyed the scene at
the Matrix, the Both/And, the Hungry i and
Basin Street West. Loved the great Jazz, R and B. and the
thrilling Flamenco dancers and guitarists at the
El Matador. But that's for some other time,
lets get back to the subject at hand.
I was very lucky to live right around the corner from the
Avalon Ballroom with Dixie from New Orleans and Nathan, a waiter
at the Hungry i so I was up there almost every week-end with free passes and
posters from Teddy Bear. The Avalon was my favorite place. And Chet Helms was one
of the sweetest men to ever grace the planet. It was cozy at the Avalon and that's where I
attended Monday Nite classes with Stephan Gaskin The School of Hippiehood and the Avalon was
also where I first sawJanis Joplin there and Sly and the Family Stone. Awhile back I visited
the Fillmore tosee Steve Miller which certainly a deja-vu experience. I thought of the
times I had seen Bill Graham pushing sound equipment from the Fillmore up
around the corner in the middle of the night to have it in place for the next
night's concert at Winterland. I think the floors at the Fillmore
may be the original sticky floors and felt happy to see
they are still giving out apples at the door.
Wherever there was music, I would go. Saw
Jimi Hendrix at the Winterland and went all the way out to
the Cow Palace and over to Keystone in Berkeley and I remember
the Diggers feeding us in the Panhandle and The Straight Theater, and the
glorious days of music on the meadows in the Park and I still
enjoy wearing the beautiful necklace and the tent
boots from Afghanistan that I bought at
the Phoenix on Haight Street
I've a poster of what I believe may have been the
first outdoor Rock Concert up on Mt. Tam.They called
it 'Magic Mountain Music Festival". The Miracles, Byrds, Doors,
Wilson Pickett, Moby Grape, Country Joe and the Fish , Loading Zone,
Sparrow. Airplane, what a list of groups it reads. Not everyone
listed on the poster showed up but we still had a great
time. It was a benefit for the Hunters Point Child
Care Center and the admission was $2.00.
Yes, my friends those were definitely the days.
We were so sure we could change the world through Peace and Love.
In some ways we did and. I know my own life changed through Peace and Love.
But I was also at Altamont and that was not such a fine day. Too soon, it
was over, the hard people and hard drugs prevailed and many of the
Flower Children started to migrate to Northern California and
Oregon. But not me, I stayed thru it all, continued to
march for Peace and joined in the funeral Parade.
I am very grateful for my wonderful
memories and that I survived those daze with
my mind intact and my heart expanded.
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