This show was off the fucking hook. I was really into it. We showed up super early and sprinted to the very front of the venue, right up next to the stage.

We set up our sheet right in front of these two older women from South Jersey. Seemed as if they may have been dating, I couldn't tell. One of the ladies told me all about how she'd seen the Dead at Englishtown 1977. This was their first show, and they didn't know what to expect. As the crowd started to form, one of the ladies got real upset about her friend's space being blocked and kept asking people to move because she was short. Shit was getting really tense, and really weird. They wound up leaving after a few songs.

The inflatable animal war became so intense during the first couple of songs that I thought Trey was going to get upset and intervene. It was real chaos and some super drunk girl picked my hat up of the ground and chucked it back into the audience during the melee. I remember shouting 'NOT COOL!' I'd lost my fricking hat! How middle school was that?! Somehow I got the damn thing back, thank God.

This was the first show where I really felt an abundance of community during the actual performance. Prior to this, I'd met cool people in the lot, but usually just did my thing during the music. Some great kids up front kept taking the inflatables and sticking them in this giant pile. This freed up some space as well as kept the focus on the music as opposed to the chaos. These same kids, I believe also reacted really well when this superdrunk douche Sasquatch kept bumping into people. Security was chill too. Good vibes.

The Music: Mike's opener was a great move. Stuff was strong since the very beginning. I remember digging My Friend My Friend as well. Crosseyed was great too, and I loved how everything was woven together. Set break was tough...everything was just a mess...I remember a huge hulabaloo involved in me getting to the bathroom and back. Sanitation was poor, let's put it like that. I was glad that I was able to get so close to the front, because the place just seemed like one giant pit.

I was totally focused this entire show, shaking and dancing with my eyes closed for most of the time. At the very end, one of these kids we'd been talking to set up this kind of cannon thingy then shot this flare filled with confetti at the band. It exploded above them, showering the stage with confetti. Those kids had guts, and I'm glad security didn't like crack skulls trying to find out who was SHOOTING STUFF AT THE STAGE. Vibes were good after the show as well. Too many cops in AC, though.

This is probably the show that's spent the most time in my mind. I loved seeing the Ferris wheel, being near the ocean, being out in the summer night. The band was super on point as well. Great night.