When I look back at year with over seventy-five shows in twelve different states and probably more than a hundred bands, it’s hard for me to pick one essential musical moment. Certainly Bonnaroo had an impact, and I thought the Grateful Dead Family Reunion at Alpine was magnificent in many ways. Still when I think back to 2002 it’s String Cheese Incident that burbles to the surface. Beginning with their Winter Carnival shows, which had a number of cool collaborations and the sight of the band skiing into the Telluride gig. The Tenacious D show down in Austin was a trip (documented in on the On The Road Series, a real gift to the fans). Above all else, I enjoy the band’s sense of humor, the community vibe it fosters as well as its thing for the Eye Candy. All of this came together at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco on New Year’s Eve 2002. I appreciate the relationship that the band has developed with the Peak Experience people and while I didn’t actively participate in the Time Travel theme I do appreciate how it turned a show into an event. The Keller Williams Incident that opened. was a trip back to the 70’s with Bee Gees aplenty (and Keller looked dapper in the white suit). The NYE "Time Warp" with lasers, balloons, dancers and yes Rocky Horror Picture Show costumes was something to behold, words and pictures fail as they only appeal to a few of the senses. This one went deeper.