"Scarlet Begonias" was my first favorite Grateful Dead song. After years spent resisting the allure of discovering for myself why so many of my fellow Phish fans ranked the Dead just as high (or higher) on their list of favorite bands, I finally gave in and asked a friend to make me a copy of their favorite show. Not surprisingly* (to anyone who traded Dead tapes), the show they gave me was Cornell 5/8/77.

Some readers need to know what's coming in order to feel safe engaging with a story. Others prefer to be surprised. Both approaches are valid, and I want to give you the information you need to make that choice for yourself.

People always want to know: What's real and what's fiction? There's a reason I blur that line, and it has everything to do with how I want you to experience this story.