My Summer of Love

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 & 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. The Avalon was
also where I first saw Janis Joplin and Sly and the Family Stone, too. Awhile back I visited
the Fillmore to see Steve Miller ~ 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 I was very pleased happy to see
them still giving apples at the door.

I've a poster of what I believe may have been the
first outdoor Rock Concert up on Mt. Tam.It was the
'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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