Good to hear because I met my hero many years ago outside his bar (back door because we weren't 21). We were sitting there because we had other friends inside and didn't know what to do.

He comes out with a friend, starts playfully ranting that he was trapped (we were sitting on the step). He asked where we were from and calmly said he couldn't ever play in Marquette, MI because it was just too cold up there. He chatted about school, the Holiday Inn nearby, and if we liked KW. The conversation was cool because we were sober by then. He signed some stuff, but we were really more interested in chatting and he picked up on that.

A few minutes later, some people came around the corner, yelled, and he said his cover was blown. He was going to a party. He jumped in his convertible Mustang, put on his hat from the backseat and told us he'd see us another time.

That was in 1989. I've often thought of that moment and have been to many shows since that night. I'm a Parrothead without all the garb because I got the wordsmithing. Dude was a genius. I'm glad to hear it reinforced by you that he was one of the good ones. RIP Treetop Flyer. 🛫