Dat to CDR?

Gthirteen,
Love your post. I finally stopped dragging bags-o-gear to shows in 2001, having been doing it since 1985. started with the Sony D5 analog and a pair of mics, ending up with almost as much money in taping equipment as I have in my 2 channel system at home. When you spend your time keeping your gear safe, keeping it from getting stolen, giving out patches, fending off the touch-of-grey-heads wanting to "buy a tape" of the show, and beginning in 2001, going through absurd security checks to get gear into the show..

Even though I had one of the better rigs in the section, I am not a trustifarian, though there were plenty out there.

anyway, thanks for the post as it brought some fond memories back ;)

Jsonic: sorry to hijack your thread.
Gthirteen,
It's so funny to share those stories as we all have them. In July 1999, I'm taping at Phish's Camp Oswego, hanging with all the tapers: Decks, patches, stands, cables blankets and accessories for about 50 of us nicely secured in the designated "taper section". Midway through the 1st set I spy this way-too-high chick weaving her way toward the section, stumbling, bobbing, weaving, talking to herself, stopping along the way to help herself to other folk's water (without asking of course). We decide to send someone to intercept her before she got to the stands cuz you could see what was coming. No luck. She crashes into the section, grabbing mike stands as she stumbles toward the stage. She must have pulled four or five to the ground before another taper tackled her and held on. As she was being escorted out, what do you suppose she yelled over her shoulder? "Which one of you dudes is going to give me MY copy of the show?" Classic, and reason #42 why I got out of taping.