Chinacat's Albany Adventure...

SO headed to Albany at 9:00 AM from Rochester..stayed with some great friends that I had met in Jersey '91...
Perfect spring day..finally feels like spring on my way to see the dead and meet some GRATE peeps..
I park in the Holiday Express parking lot..and find BUS sleeping in his car...wake him up with a bowl or 2 and we head to the Knick...at this point its early but we are enjoying the sunshine!! We have no idea where we are going..just wandering...
Walking through one of the parking lots I look down and there is a sparkly object. It's a silver floating heart charm..pretty nice too ... I immediately put it on my chain and wonder how this is all going to tie into my day...as you know it will. Bus asked me if he could touch my arm so some of my luck will rub off on him..so we rub elbows and hope it works! LOL!
So we finally find the Knick and Shakedown..our mission..kind bud. We both find a couple cool shirts...he finds a tour shirt with eyes of the world slogan and I find a Chinacat one. We realize both our shirts have the same message about sowing seeds and awakening flowers..so we go on our way smiling. We bump into someone who happens to have bud too..all this in a span of 15 minutes we find exactly what we are looking for without trying. Happy with our purchase..we head to get something to eat and a beer. We find a pub across from the Knick and chat with a few heads.... Cant wait for the show!!
Bus and I head to the car to put away our purchases and smoke out. I decide to call Michelle . As I am standing in the parking lot calling her..she answers her phone. I tel her yeh we are at the hotel...she says HEY CHINA LOOK UP! Sure enough..there is Michelle waving from her room. She comes down...only for us to all head back up for another smoke session! For some reason I went back down to the car..I think to grab my pipe. Im hearing this great music...looking around going damn where is that music come from. I turn around to find Bus has left his car running with the DEAD blasting and the door open..keys in the ignition... Mind you BUS is up in Michelles room getting BAKED!! Im cracking up laughing as I go to his car to shut it off...and BUS comes running into the parking lot..OMG DID I FORGET MY....Keys....LOL!! Soo funny he is..we had a good laugh about that..what a space!! LOL!!
So onto the Shakedown again to meet up with Snod..who we eventually found with Rabbit... Thank God for cell phones huh? We got some pics and finally signed the banner!! Was awesome signing that thing knowing where it had been and how much farther it had to travel! Great feeling ..showtime ...90 minutes away....CANNOT WAIT..you know how Albany is. The BUZZ only gets more intense as you get closer to the venue. THe cops were on horseback of course...in full force. The first thing that I think of when I go to the Knick is the cops on horseback. LOL! However I must say they were very cool. I guess they like the revenue. The shops around the Knick and surrounding streets had closed..many of them anyway.. Kind of sad really.
So into the Knick we are again...I stashed all my STUFF like I usually do..only to turn to Bus once we got inside to realize something..we never got frisked!! This is a gooood thing friends...
About 5 minutes before the lights go down..I run into a dear old friend.... We were in ALbany 90 together. He says..DO you remember '90? Of course I said.... and I quoted my famous line from that day.. "I need something to put my nose in" You see..my dear friend Sean is also the biggest cokehead known to man....Much to my surprise the band opens with CASEY JONES!! PERFECT considering who I had just seen 5 minutes earlier!!! Synchronicity friends....
I get off some great shots....before it becomes a mob scene.... I head behind the tapers section where I can dance to my hearts content. Amazingly the show was made for me with lots of girly tunes... Brown Eyed Woman (which I am) an INCREDIBLE Viola Lee>Sugaree. Tying in with the heart I had found was my Comes A Time and the Not Fade Away...along with the Unbroken Chain and Into The Mystic..one of my all time favs..."and when that foghorn blows..Ill be coming home.. " I felt home ...being there with everyone with the band..at the Knick...my hometown venue..I truly felt home. What a great show..The Other One.....Not ot mention a funly West La Fade and a 10 minute Cumberland... WOW!!
Was in a daze when I got out of there..but was thirsty and hungry. Head to shakedown....and find some cookies..I was thinking hunger not Ganja..well 5 minutes later I was wrecked!! LOL!! WEEE!! yeh ummmm hmm these are regular cookies are they? DOH!!
Head to the car Bus was there getting ready to go party...me? Well It was 130 AM and this girl was beat...the ganja cookies did me in.. Grabbed my pillow and blanket and passed out in my car!!! LOL! HOw lame! The next morning got up to get some coffee with Bus..met some crazy guy who followed us to the Mickey Ds for Java....wouldnt stop talking...yadda yadda yadda....LOL!!! Went and smoked one last bowl..said goodbye to my new friend Bus...and the crazy coffee dude...and was THIS CLOSE to heading to WOrcester...Had to head the opposite direction and hang with my gram..thats OK... Headed to BUffalo on Tuesday...Ill write more about that later....
Love the shows..love the dead..forever grateful..Miss you Jerry!! >..<
Ill meet you all at the crossroads someday.....Im sure of it..
In light and love...
ChinaCat