Ralph Vinci's double-barrelled hash pipe
Ralph Vinci's double-barrelled hash pipe
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A mention of the famed Rolling Stones concert at the Long Beach Arena in 1972 brought back memories of a day etched in Greg memory. We were all experimenting with recreational drugs and looking for thrills in this still hippy era. The word had gone out early and my Dad had fixed us up with lots of tickets for what appeared to be an event of a lifetime with Mick and the Stones, It was May 16, 1972, a glorious Spring day. I had been able to see the boys in 1965 so it was not something I could miss this time around. Everybody who was anybody in the Gate was there which included me, Greg, Bobcat, Niall, Ed, Billy, my brother and other important fellow travellers. The tour was called the "Stones Touring Party" or STP and it is one of the most lauded in rock history. This is all secondary to the pre-concert scene with an old Pius buddy of Greg by the name of Ralph Vinci. Ralph was a flat-out fabulous freak brother who loved drugs and had a head of wild curly hair. There are other great stories about the guy but this one involves the de-luxe suite he rented at the Breaker's Internationl Hotel, a short walk from the concert hall. We heard about it and knew it was a must. Now, the Breakers at that time was mostly filled with senior-citizens who liked the sea air and clean streets of Long Beach. It had been opened as a luxury hotel back in 1926 but ran into trouble after the stock market crash and Long Beach earthquake but was now ragged but regal. However, on this weekend those streets were filled with long-haired Stones fans who were out to get groovy. Greg, Bob, Ed, Zeke and Myself arrived at the Breakers about an hour before the doors were to open and when we walked into Vinci's smoky room there was a mountain of weed on the coffee table and Peyote buttons set out for revelers. Ralph had an exquisite pipe that was double-barrelled where pot was placed in one side and hash in the other. Everyone was righteously stoned for the Stones and I forced down several buttons without puking (part of the experience) and washed them down with a quart of PBR. This went on for the full hour with pipes glowing and suds flowing. Finally we sort of floated over to the hall where the security was very tight because of the violence at Altamont and other venues. When we walked into the packed arena and found our very good seats to the left of the stage I realized my bladder was like a basketball and movement in the mob scene was difficult. There was chaos around the rest rooms. The opening act was the great Stevie Wonder who the stupid crowd was merely polite to since they were just there for the Stones. Finally, the time came and Mick bounded out onto the stage and the crowd lept to their feet along with me who immediately began to pass out from the drugs and bladder extension. Below is the set list and the show was great but not as great as the piss I got to take two hours later.
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