Ten Miles High

While being very productive here at my office I was thinking about the most wasted I have ever been at a Ten Mile Tide show. Then I started to feel better about Chico because I have been WAY more wasted than I was on Saturday evening. I decided to type out the top three most wasted Tide experiences.

#3 – I think there are a few shows that could qualify as the 3rd most wasted ever at a Tide show – last weekend in Chico definitely being one of them – However, I am going to go with the 2nd time ever seeing Ten Mile Tide as the third most wasted I have ever been at a Tide show. It was 2002 (six years ago) and Tamara had Flow on repeat in her car…non stop. We had seen Ten Mile Tide once before at a String Cheese after party at Blakes in Berkeley. I was walking downtown and saw that Ten Mile Tide was opening up for Tea Leaf Green at SLO Brew in downtown San Luis Obispo. I told Tamara and she was fired up. Of course, I did some massive pre partying at The Balboa before the show. Tequila was once again my best friend. I made it down to the show, completely wasted, and caught Ten Mile Tide’s last few songs. The guys finished and I remember trying to make some conversation with Steve but being totally incoherent. I talked with Marc, Justin, and Jason a bit while we had a beer. This was 2002 and TLG was not who they are now so the venue was not even very crowded. Well, I was hammered and invited the band to stay at our place in Shell Beach for the night…they said cool. Tamara arrived a few songs into the Tea Leaf Green set and I told her that I invited the band whom she had on repeat in her car over to our house to spend the night. Tamara freaked out. She was so embarrassed that I would get soooo drunk and do something like invite these rock stars over to our house. She thought that the guys in the band must think that I was some sort of stocker psycho. Tamara was so embarrassed that she made me leave the show, sneak out the back door, and leave the Tide hanging without even letting them know we were leaving. I hope they found somewhere to stay. The next day I called in sick to work.

#2 – Tamara and I were heading to the City to see another Tide show at the Connecticut Yankee. We were stoked because Stacy had called and said we could stay with her and Jeff at the Hilton just off of Union Square. It was a rainy day surely would be a rainy night…but we were stoked to see Ten Mile Tide. We got to town early enough to meet up some friends and check out the Oyster and Beer festival at Fort Mason. Beer after Beer after Beer followed by oysters. We figured that we had enough oysters and would not need to eat dinner. I arrived at the Tide show…wasted…and the first thing that happened was Alex bought me a shot of whiskey…first off…I do not take shots of whiskey. What is one without two…right? Lots of dancing and partying continued. I remember Tamara and Deb jumping up on the stage sometime late second set…they were both rock stars. The show ended and I spent 20 minutes thinking that I lost my keys forgetting that I took a taxi to the Yankee. It was raining outside and things seemed hopeless. Well, I guess we should start walking. We got about two blocks from the venue when a sweet Lexus pulled up and the driver said jump in. Holy shit, Alex was going to save the day. His dad, drunk, was in the front passenger seat and Tamara and I jumped into the back seat with a passed out Deb. Alex asks where our hotel is…I had no clue. I think we are at the Hilton…or Hyatt…I could not remember but I knew I would be able to recognize it. Alex drove us around San Francisco for what seemed like 40 minutes until we found the place. He dropped us right in front. Tamara passed out in bed and I decided that I was hungry…I wandered downstairs and out into the rainy street. Some bum starts walking with me and ends up giving me something to try. WOW that worked…I went solo to an Irish bar next to hotel…last call…more whiskey. I make it up to our room just as Jeff and Stacy make it back from the Yankee. Thanks Alex…I love the Tide Family!

#1 – My 29th Birthday Party at Whole Earth Festival with Blue Turtle Seduction, Ten Mile Tide, and Home at Last - back to back to back on the main stage. The Patron was flowing and I was up on stage giving the audio engineer a margarita before I got busted the first time by campus security. I told them it was my birthday and they let me off. About 20 minutes later I got busted again back stage talking to the turtle guys with yet another margarita. After the third time I got busted they said that I was in danger of being escorted off of campus as this was a dry festival. It got dark between the Ten Mile Tide and Lost at Last set. I made it through most of Lost at Last and remember being blown away by Sean’s sick guitar work….then things went dark…people were looking for me everywhere and were worried that I was finally escorted off campus. Steve, Justin and Jason were all checking the porta-potties to see if I had passed out in one. Tamara and my parents were starting to get frightened. All of a sudden I am awakened by a celebratory yell from Jeff saying “hey guys, I found him, he is right here, I got him.” Apparently I had climbed into the drivers seat of the red tide van and passed out there for nearly an hour. However, I redeemed myself by waking up early the next morning and driving from Sacramento up to Tahoe to see Tide play outside on the ski deck at Alpine Meadows.

I hope to leave the list at that for a while and not break back into the top three…but…you never know when you are going to need a great rendition of “Never Gonna Drink Again”