Beat it! On down the line...

Meeting the Dead was quite literally, a somber experience.

Let's rewind 2 weeks ago: Best Buy in Midtown Manhattan was having a promotion where the first 400 people to purchase The Dead's latest release -- Rocking the Cradle: Egypt 1978 -- would be invited back to meet Bobby [Weir] and Phil [Lesh] on October 14th. We were told that they would sign "one item of your choosing" (and say "howdy," whatever that means). So naturally, I waited in line for 2 hours (beginning at 7 a.m.) to buy the c.d.

Fast-forward to last night: The event ran from 7-9 on the dot. I was literally amongst the last 5 people in line. I figured they would cut some slack for the last few stragglers. I was wrong. The natives were getting restless. Wookies were cursing out security. Hippies were wielding bongo drums at khaki-clad Best Buy employees. The only person missing was Colonel Kurtz. It was nearing the end and everyone was on edge. I had been waiting for almost 1-1/2 hours. Phil and Bobby were finally in plain view. I began making my descent towards the table when suddenly, Kojak seizes the "one item" from my death grip and hands it to the guys (all the while I'm still away from the table). Once signed, he finally gave me the "ok" to approach. Of course, photos were out of the question (although I did manage to sneak one). It was set up like an assembly line straight out of Flint. Anyway, I get to the table, manage to say "howdy," when all of the sudden, pure instinct kicked in. I whipped out two ticket stubs for Phil and Bobby to sign when I felt a large hand on my shoulder [not gently] prodding me away. People kept shouting, "one item," "one item only!" Much to my chagrin, Phil just stared dumbfounded and seemed to mutter "sorry" under his breath as I was being manhandled away. Bobby was just plain dazed -- I doubt he had any clue what was going on.

Moral of the story: Best Buy + The Grateful Dead = MAJOR DISAPPOINTMENT

P.S. I MET BOBBY AND PHIL!!!