by John Francis, Summerdale, PA

It was the end of ‘68 or beginning of ‘69, when we piled in our cars to Phila to see Big Brother, Chambers Brothers, and Vanilla Fudge, at, I guess, the Spectrum. I was a college freshman, and had a rum and Coke, or 7&7, vodka & tonic, or whatever college kids drank, and I ducked under the velvet rope around the stage area to sit in a folding chair closer to the acts.

I remember The Chambers Brothers doing “Time has Come Today” on the revolving stage (Time…Time…Time…), but when Big Brother went into an instrumental number, Janis came down off the stage, and headed towards me! I remember thinking well, “Here it comes”, without really knowing what “it” would be. She down right beside me and said “Hey,” I offered her my drink, which she eagerly took, and after watching her Holding Company awhile, she handed it back sayin’ “Thanks Maaan.”

I don’t even remember the Fudge after that, but I skipped the ride back to school that night to stay and see Cream at The Electric Factory, ten feet from Eric Clapton, at ground level. That summer I went out to San Francisco when all hell broke loose, I’ll always remember Philly in that earlier period.