Grateful Dead

this was my 1st show and I've been on the bus ever sense.This Eyes is still one of my favorites and the show ending Sugar Mag / Sat Night was great. Its also a Dick's Picks now

Oh my... I was living in Philadelphia and had seen only a few local shows. Someone suggested driving to Rochester. (What a novel idea! WE could drive to where the BAND is, instead of waiting for the band to come where we are! I think I foolishly believed that we had invented the idea...) These guys said that the show was in New York, and I thought, "How far away could New York be? Like 100 miles, right?) Wrong! I was thinking of New York CITY. ROCHESTER, NY is practically in CANADA! I drove EVERYONE in the car nuts on the home, endlessly babbling about how we had actually seen BLACK PETER (while they were bumming out that they had missed the Stephen two nights earlier. I had no idea what they were talking about...) This was the first of MANY shows at the Rochester War Memorial me, an absolutely INSANE place -- small, hot, crowded, and drawing every nut from NYC. It was at this show (or the next one...) where the gate opened and in two seconds someone was pushed through the glass on the door and was running around inside, bleeding, and happy as can be to be INSIDE the show. Years later we saw the doomed '82 Oklahoma City show and walked right to the front row. "I can't believe this -- if we did this at Rochester we would be killed!" (Was this the show where Donna came onstage wearing a country singer wig? Not sure...) Glen

Oops! It was Rochester 11/21/78 where the crowd smashed the glass on the hall's doors. Whee! Glen

Donna did come on stage wearing a wig - no earthly idea why. You sure about being wrong about the person breaking through the glass. I almost got trampled at this one but thanks to my superior balance I kept my feet. I don't remember the next show in 78 being nearly as crazy as this one. This was an absolutely insane night and for over the course of many years it seems pretty clear the band really liked the Rochester War Memorial - never saw a bad show there. Every song was a gem but I'd have to say the peaks were Mississippi 1/2 step and Sugar Magnolia.

I bought tickets for this one for me and a friend who was at SUNY Oswego. I headed out of NYC with my Cousin Pete, and his friends Ron-a-mick and Billy Rhinehart. We broke down a few times on the road, but Billy got us going @ time. We were on the highway in Jersey when we shut down in the left lane and coasted to the right as there was no shoulder on the left. A Jersey State trooper didn't think that manouver was all that kosher, but he still helped us get going again, ignored the obvious substance violations in the car, and told us to go back to NYC or to a Jersey lock up. We chose the former. I still have the unused tickets and tapes of the show tell me it was one I shouldn't have missed. C'est la vie!

I'm really sorry you missed this show because it was absolutely magical. I'm not sure who pumped up who the most but I believe the crowd inspired the band and the band drove the crowd nuts. It was truly "One More Saturday Night." I can still the whole show in my mind's eye like it was yesterday.

Perhaps the tightest show I ever saw. The band was in complete control from start to finish, and the 'Sugar Mags' closer was magical. So was the 'Eyes' to open the second set, with Phil out early to mess around on his bass.But I don't know, maybe it was the mushrooms ...

I was a student at Syracuse University and drove up to see this show with a bunch of friends from school. It was just past Halloween. I swear that night for the "last" encore the band came back out wearing masks and played Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London". At this show there were no psychedelics in use, so I am sure that what I saw and heard was really what I saw and heard. Do any other Heads remember the same?

First show. Rode in the back of a buddy's ancient Ford van from UMASS, and apparently we miscalculated the distance ala gleng1 above. Got in just in time for Deal! heh. Totally loved Eyes and the rest of it though!

They didn't play that until 78 or 79.

I was at Syracuse University. We caught the Colgate show the night before in a gym no larger than a HS gym! This was the 2nd show of an incredible 3 night swing thru Upsate NY. Binghampton the 3rd show may have been the best. The streets were closed off around the arena because there were several thousand DH's that showed up to get in and as it was in those days, they would only open 1 door. I was two people away from that door. The crowd was swelling and pushing to the point that my feet were lifted off the ground. I had tried holding off the masses, but it got insane. We weren't frighted as we were you see, invincible. Now the poor old Security Guard on the inside of the door was. I remember the glass of the door start to bow and then it fell in. Of course,we all went in with it. What a relief. As the throng was pouring in, we all collected ourselves and decided we were going to the seats not the floor. It was 1st come 1st serve. We had great seats and watched the packed floor sway all night! There is a Dick's Pick of this show and to not have this one in your collection is a mistake. It was awesome.

I was arms on the stage right infront of Jerry the whole first set. It was a tight show in the bands playing and the crowd pusing from behind, which got Bobby singing "Take a step back, let the people in the front breath". My buddies in the back had about the only mics in the crowd. I was so pumped when Dick's Picks 34 came out. I think it was one of the tightest shows the boys ever play...Rock-on!!!

What a show!!! SO many memories...Picked up a couple of people on the way, who mixed a little something up in the sink, very interesting effects I must say, so there were 4 of us trying to beat the chartered bus filled with friends up there. When we got there we were just waiting on the steps for them to pull in watching the gargoyles fly off the roof, hehehe. I still have my entire ticket stub (in those days they tore them in half) because the crowd was so intense, and so was the item I ate, that I actually got carried inside, feet never touched the ground, I tried to turn around and my friend caught me and spun me back around so I would not get trampled, my ex-boyfriend who was there with us had his leg in a full cast and was caught up in the door jam. I remember once I got in, I grabbed a seat across stage above the floor section. My friends went to the front and were hanging off the piano while Phil was doing the "take a step back dance". I remember Jerry doing a "Chuck Berry" dance across the stage and Donna coming out in a wig to make everyone think that she had cut her hair.....One of the best memories I have from the early days and I treasure my tape!!!!

This was my first show, I attended with some friends from U of R (my only year enrolled, if not attended...) and some folks from back home Mt. Lebanon. We got there about 2 hours before the doors "opened." Long before the official opening time the ticket takers took their positions behind the glass doors (I don't remember if there were turnstiles) - the War Memorial is a round building with glass doors all the way around. The doors were designed to open outwards not inwards if I recall correctly - that was a disaster. The crowd was pressing and humming/throbbing/oozing and building up a head of steam. The ticket takers were innocently and politely waiting for the word and you could see it dawn on their faces that they were powerless to affect the situation - and in fact their presence insighted the mob to move inward ... We looked at each other and realized we could not control where we went - we massed up and linked arms. I think we were about 8 people. We started to hear soft muffled explosions - this was the sound of the doors bursting, at least 4 that I heard. It was TERRIFYING as we were driven slowly inward by a thick unstoppable human wave. Luckly none of us were injured, but inside the show I saw at least 3 or 4 kids whose blue jeans were purple from their own blood, and one guy with a huge swollen gash in his thigh oblivious to everything around him but still somehow on his feet. The music was amazing, a magical experience. We were about 20 feet from the stage on the floor, and I spent most of the second set continuosly following a small bright red spark that was zipping around on a grid that covered the entire ceiling. How did they do that? hmmm...

It was at this show the doors and glass got smashed, not in 78. I was getting pushed and carried around in the crowd outside for about an hour in line to get in the building, and when they did open the doors, I was about 10 feet away. The door and glass shattered, a bunch of people ran in, and the crowd surged forward. I remember seeing the security guys just bailing to get out of the way and my ticket never got ripped or checked. I have no idea how they must have restored order. We ran down to the front of the stage, but it was waaaaay too crowded and nuts, so we hung out back by the soundboard. Great show. My first.....what a trip.....

This was my first show and the only time I saw them with a "psychadelic" mind set. I remember being right at the stage right in front of Jerry, then it got a bit intense and I had to go to the top of the arena and chill a bit. Will be going to Dick's Pick's to get the music.

This was maybe my 5th show. I was a freshman at Ithaca College and went to this one and Binghampton (the next night), both were fantastic shows and, as it turns out, the last two of the tour (I had no idea at the time). My friends and I decided to get to the arena at about noon. We stood in the crunch all afternoon and things got pretty scary when the doors finally opened. As soon as I got in I was desparte to take a leak and, of course, by the time I got out of the men's room the floor was already packed, making me wonder (to this day) why i stood outside all day long(?). Live and learn I guess.

Excellent, energetic set 1, highlighted by 1/2 Step (aeseome 2 1/2 min solo), Jack Straw (2d solo), and Deal. Set 2 isn't quite as good, but the Other One is a highlight. Overall, Great set 1, VG set 2, 9/10

Yes, all commercial building doors open outward per code in case of a fire, so people can escape! I was there with 20 good friends and two friends and I were right at the first doors that opened (yes outward) and it was a race to the stage front! The entire first set we were in front of Phil as he played with his oscilloscope. We were saying to Phil, "Make them go vertical!" He definitely did during the "Take a Step Back" little jam and we all cracked a smile! The rest of our group were back in front of the board taping and we were one out of only 3 total taping the show, and I still have those masters, but glad Dick Picked the show for his #34 as the tape has seen better days! They were very tight that night and Jerry's jam during "Deal" was so sweet and crisp that I still think it's the best "Deal" I've ever heard out of all the shows I've gone to and listened too!

Made the trip from Syracuse. An absolutely insane scene getting into the venue--a human wave of bodies surging in! If I remember the venue was serving genny cream ale that night--I think! One of my friends scored some purple microdot and I ingested a piece the size of a pencil dot! This show was the best dead show I have ever seen/heard. The energy was electric with the floor crowd pulsing ( I was sitting up on Phils side of the stage ). The sound quality was excellent and Jerry's guitar was rushing me out all night. 1/2 step--Jack Straw-Deal--Eyes--Other One--Sug Mag--all the best versions I have ever heard out of 50 or so shows. Not sure how I got home to Syracuse ;)

Drove up with friends from Long Island. Just turned 16 years old. As part of a wave of very excited fans I flowed right in as the door was broken. Never had my ticket ripped. Made it to within a few feet of the stage and never left. The energy was like nothing I ever experienced. Best Sugar Mag, Jack Straw, Minglewood, Looks Like Rain and Estimated I have ever heard. It was for me the perfect concert in every way. I had seen the Dead twice before that but that was the day I officially became Dead Head and I never looked back. I can even trace my official conversion to a piercing note from Jerry's guitar during the opener New Minglewood Blues. Now I play Jerry Lead in a nice little Dead cover band. Hopefully playing a small part in keeping this indescribable band and the incredible world they created alive. Miss ya Jerry!