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Which would it have been? Most life-changing, for whatever reason.
My first, Aug 6, 1967
1967?
I was a mere stripling of 16 then. I remember that show like it was yesterday. Me and my incipient-hippie friends decided to catch the Jefferson Airplane (who I was really into then, [as I am today]) and the Dead at a free outdoor concert, as the Dead were wont to give back in '67. We arrived about noon, when the free concert was suppose to begin. The Dead opened. I was intrigued by the look of this gang of ugly misfits. ;-D I was also intrigued by the music, though it would take a week for the music to sink in.
Man, what a scene!!!! Hippies as far as the eye could see, and as far as I was concerned it was heaven, for an incipient hippie!!! The gang I was with were all high-school buddies, and no one wanted to let on that the other was smoking weed! ;-) So I moved away from my friends, so I could catch a passing joint. I purposely avoided the passed jugs of Kool-Aid, though! ;-D The Airplane were throwing out small buttons that were marked "Jefferson Airplane Loves You". I got one, but lost it years ago. :-(
Man, what glorious memories!
For a young, eager incipient hippie, that was certainly life-changing!
you all are lucky
Terrapin4203 is not me I walked into my cuzs room this was on,reading all of yaulls tour memories is great for a 30 year old like me.I never got to see the 6 on stage together,my first show was going to be on 10/15/95 in cali,was going to be the greatest thing I had ever done I just knew that in my heart.8/9/95 we all know what happened!The most disheartning thing people loved Elvis I know that but I dont think they had the passion like heads had for Jerry I wasnt alive when elvis died but still dont think it could hold a candle to barage barage of tears our community let out.{sorry side tracked}my first show was Ratdog 12/04/95,welnik on keys,Wasserman on bass,Kelly on the harmonica,Lane on drums,third row is were I sat and it was heaven but tears still fill my eyes,jerry is like a grandpa only seen on pictures fam tells ya he was a good man but never met him,but unlike gramps jerry left recordings {thanksbear and dick}And I love all you heads who had the chance but must admit I enjoyed the futher tours and Phil and Friends and rat dog tours may themusic never stop Jase
9/16/91 MSG
I was first turned on to the Dead when I was 13 in 1988 - Uncle John's Band off Workingman's really grabbed me. I didn't get to attend my first show until 1991 Garden run and that was it. It was the first night I had ever seen the Dead and the first night I had ever done quite a few other things and I was hooked. From that point forward I saw them every chance I could get and it really shaped a lot about my values and personality. In 1994 I took my Dad to a show becasue he wanted to see what my brother and I were so excited about and where we were always going. It was a great thing to share with him and on some level the Dead brought us closer together. I went through a really bad time with drugs but the Dead stayed constant in my life and now I am 8 years sober...but I am still a fanatical Deadhead. I always told everyone that it wasn't about the drugs - it was about the music and the Spirit. I removed the drugs...but the Dead are still a constant in my life and are still at least 75% of what I listen to.
Shoreline 89
I was out so I sat down next to what looked like a tribe gathering and partook of their splif. The GD came out and jerry was jammin but I all of a sudden I needed to get out of there. I thanked my benefactors and went to the beer garden area. I sat down to collect myself and slow my racing mind, One minute everyone was bustling around and the next they were frozen in step. Time had stopped. I stood and began walking around them. I barely bumped into someone but it was like we hit hard and the spell was broken and everyone started moving again, or more correctly - I shifted back into "normal" time. After that I walked up to where the show was going on and looked in at the crowd. Amazingly, they all, 20000 or so people, turned and looked at me as if to say "Did you GET IT?" I shouted back, I GOT IT! What IT was is that this space and time we live in is just a perspective and there are many other ways of looking at the world.
Changed my life? Oh yeah!
My life with the Dead was bookended by unfortunate situations. My first show was Brent's last show. My last show was THE last show. But on one gorgeous late spring/summer night back on June 19, 1993, I found myself in Soldier Field in the 3rd row, "Dead" center. It was there, when I was given my most intense, most emotional, and most joyous moment I've ever experienced in ANY live performance (and I've seen A LOT). The first set was sweet, opening with a Touch, and closing with a Deal. But the second set - Oh the second set! Throw in a China-Rider, Truckin', Smokestack Lightning, and an epic The Other One. All good stuff! But my moment came during Standing on the Moon. Tender, soft, sweet, and loving. Notes from Jerry's guitar falling out of these huge amplifiers like a gentle summer rain. And when he sang "A lovely view of heaven, but I'd rather be with you . . . be with you", chills ran up and down my spine, and permeated my soul. Jer finished singing, bowed his head and stepped back into another beautiful solo - though it was relatively short lived. You see, he stepped back up to the mic, raised his head, locked his eyes on mine, and bellowed "Be with you, I'd rather be with you" etc. He repeated the refrain over and over, while singing some of Hunter's most heartfelt lyrics directly to ME! I became a wreck - a river of tears rolling down my face into my mouth - as the smile extended from coast to coast. I have no idea how I ever came down from that high. I think of that moment often, and every time I do, it lifts me up. Now, he has that lovely view of heaven, and I wish he was with us all! I miss him soooo much!!!
life changing shows
From my first show, Landover 3-14-1990, I always got a wild vibe once I entered the venue for the GD. . . it was a sense of having returned to a place that I just could not remember what it was like until I arrived. I can write of it now, but I have not had the same feeling since from any other experience(s) that I got at pretty much every Dead show.
". . . Music is the best!" (fz)
YMSB
Ive sadly never been to a dead show but probably one of the greater experiences of my life was the first time that I saw the Yonder Mountain String Band in Columbia Missouri in the winter of 06. I cant even begin to describe the Uporia that I felt during and after the show. For a few hours I just loved everything and everyone. Ive been to every Missouri show since.
"You know the one thing we need is a left handed monkey wrench....."
7/9/95
Although history will not look kindly on the performance, there were moments that remind me, almost daily, that the strong connections that are made throughout a lifetime can maintain their ties for decades. Jerry was on, at best, cruise control, the crowds were as disconnected from the Grateful Dead's communal mind-frame that is the core of their the band's greatness, and the entire scene had turned from Human Be-In to mini-Altamonts. And yet, through all the ugliness of the last tour, all of the missed lyrics, half-hearted performances and tragedies, there was still a light of optimism. Beautiful people, beautiful thoughts and the most beautiful thing of all, HOPE - these are the sights, sounds and feelings that I recall from that show. Phil Lesh roaring into Box of Rain after the melencholy beauty of Black Muddy River was a triumph of spirit that, to me, epitomizes the Grateful Dead energy that I went to shows looking for. That is what bouys my mood whenever I may feel loss. It reminds me that if my brother/sister/friend is struggling, I have the power to pick them up. WHEN THERE IS NO SONG OF YOURS, I'LL SING TO YOU!
The Boys @ The Panhandle 1991 I THINK!
The Boys at Golden Gate during the Bill Graham memorial. Walked from our house on Haight & Divisidero, smiled all the way and baby sat my mentor as he melted and sparked his mind. I rubbed my free B&J cherry garcia in his hair as he hid in the bushes from the blue meanies.
HI HO,
Diamondfire
Best show
Has to be Wembley Arena 1972. You see, we unfortunate Europeans only got to see the Dead on their few forays outside of the USA. That show at Wembley ( I queued for tickets at two different venues in different parts of London, each one cancelled as the necessity for a larger space became apparent) was my first experience of the band. I'd seen just about every major band of the late 60's and 70's, but nothing prepared me for this. The wall of sound in full flow was a sonic experience like nothing else. I became a lifelong deadhead, and judge most music by the standards set that night. I last saw the band - again at Wembley - on Halloween 1990 and they were simply awesome. There is / was nothing like a Grateful Dead concert.How about a European tour for The Dead? There is a world beyond the USA.
Fall 89, Brendan Byrne
After these shows I was never the same. Looking back, I'm glad it all happened.
I proposed to my wife of 17 years ( so far ) at these shows.
Shortly after we decided to get married, we decided we would move from Illinois to Oregon.
Since then, we've had 3 incredible kids and more laughs than I can remember.
Phil's Birthday
My second show, 3/15/90 in Landover, MD, was where I got on the bus and had my life irrevocably changed. The whole show had a polish and sheen to it that seemed so "just exactly perfect" that I felt more in the moment than I ever had before. When Jerry sang "I wish I was a headlight," I could SEE that northbound train shining its light through the rain, whistle screamin' as it passed Terrapin Station and roared through a fantastic jam before drums...and I was completely sober the whole night, which was maybe unusual for me (but maybe not, Mr./Ms. Attorney General).By the time Not Fade Away rolled around, I was already completely hooked, but as the boys absolutely cooked through Buddy Holly's time-honored tribute to love, I turned around to view the joyous throngs surrounding me and saw a couple of beautiful blonde girls dancing topless a few rows up. I turned back around nonchalantly and thought "Yep, this is for me." Not that, *ahem*, that really had anything to do with it, because I'm much too cultured and refined to be affected by something like simple nudity, but, hey, I was a 19-year old, red-blooded American boy, you know?
After "Revolution" ended and it was time to go, I knew that I was going to go to as many more Grateful Dead concerts as I possibly could, and I'm really glad I did.
All of them
The first time I saw the Grateful Dead I was 8 years old about to turn 9 at a Human Be In in El Camino Park in Palo Alto. It was the beginning of the "Summer of Love". My nickname was Pig Pen as I was a messy kid and when Jerry turned around on the flat bed and called to Pig Pen, I thought he was talking to me. He wasn't, not that time. Then came Maples Pavilion at Stanford six years later. No Pig Pen lots of new material and a bouncing floor. The next biggie was the Cow Palace and the wall of sound. Seeing that mountain of speakers was awesome and they worked it that night. Memorable was the closing of Winterland watching Belushi do back flips across the stage and an end to the SF Dark Star drought. (1195 days since last SF Dark Star) I think it was a June show of '77 at Winterland where the top of the building disappeared and we all went hurtling through the cosmos that I made the decision I would ride this to the end. There was no other thing on the planet that could do this thing and I liked it a lot. It made having a day job a pain in the ass so by the early 80's I figured out many ways to make it work. It was the field trip in '82 where I made the leap. I was now deep in the pudding and surrounded by Grateful Dead family and friends. It became a Grateful Dead world where I would spend years taking care of my fellow Deadheads. Then came the "In The Dark" explosion of '87. Who are all these people?Spinners and twirlers and dirt surfers, gate crashers tweakers, freakers and DEA. Our little villages of happy campers became cities overnight. There were lots of tears and joy over the years as the dark background grew darker to make the stars shine brighter. Death, birth and more death punctuated this journey and cemented us together. At Foxborogh in '89 I met my wife and we have two kids now. Several dozen shows later I would find myself backstage with a hand full of friends who shared the same birthdays and the assembled crowd sang us happy birthday; among the singers was Jerry Garcia. That was the last time I would ever see the Grateful Dead. Those friends who shared this journey are still my best friends in the world. Today our numbers are shrinking. Someday the last Deadhead to ever see a show will perish from this earth. Summer flies and August dies and the world grows dark and mean...
June 17, 1991 Giants Stadium
100+ degrees, good liquid lsd from a visine bottle, Giants Stadium parking lot, good friends, and an Eyes opener and a light rain to cool us down. Felt like I was on another plane of existance. truly marvelous life changing day.
Life-Changing!"!"! Part 1
I would have to say it was the 2/20/71 show at the Capital Theater, aka, the ESP show.
We were four guys from Nowhere, VA who decided at the last minute to drive to New York to see the Grateful Dead. Tickets?? Ha! They aren't that popular, they'll never sell out. We'll just buy tickets when we get there.
Hahahahahaha!!!!!!!
Well, from the get-go, this was a classic long strange trip, beginning with the great wallet hunt.
We went to a party the night before, and my friend Fred lost his wallet somewhere outside the building. So at 4:30 AM, pitch black, we were searching in the dark outside of an apartment building (no one called the police, surprisingly!) for the wallet. And guess what?!? We found it within five minutes! And off we went.
Three hours later. New Jersey.
At the time, the NJ turnpike was notorious for stopping cars with longhairs and performing some pretty aggressive roadside searches. I experiencedthat dubious pleasure myself, two years before.
So as we were finishing a bowl, I glanced in the rearview mirror and saw a cruiser just tearing up the road and getting right on my ass. Now, you have to understand that we were in a beat-up, smoke-filled VW bug with a bumper sticker that said "Don't like your police? Next time you're in trouble, call a hippie!"
So I thought, "OK, this is it! We are all going to jail!"
He pulled up to within about 3 feet of my rear end, suddenly pulls out into the other lane, and blew right by me, without a glance. Naturally, we assumed that we somehow became invisible.
After that, the rest of the drive was uneventful... other than convincing ourselves that we somehow got turned around on the NJ turnpike, and were headed in the wrong direction. Got off the turnpike and turned around, and didn't realize our mistake until we got to the "Welcome to Delaware" sign. Ooops!
Somehow we made it to Port Chester and walked up to the box office to buy our tickets. The guy behind the counter looked at us like we were insane (we were!) and told us the concert had been sold out for months.
Huh?!?!? For months?
Yeah. Sorry.
We were crushed. Time to regroup and think out this problem. Which in translation meant, time for a bottle of Southern Comfort.
Things began to look more promising at that point, especially when the two derelicts came up to us and told us they were friends of the band and for $10 each, they would get us backstage passes. We wanted to think about it (we were, maybe, naive?) and while we talked about it, passed them the bottle. Big Mistake!!
Between the two of them, they finished the bottle in two swigs.
Depsite the fact that one of the guys said "These guys seem OK. Let's do it.", we took a pass and decided to buy some more beer.
Throughout the afternoon, we kept going back to box office and talking to the guy, not really expecting anything, he just was the only person we "knew". He was actually pretty friendly and didn't have any objections to us slippling him a beer every now and then.
The evening's crowd was filtering in all afternoon, and the area around the Capital Theater was starting to look like a party. We got in the spirit, and after a while it really wasn't that important if we got in or not.
The doors finally opened, and as people were going into the Capital, the guy in the box office motioned us over. He looked around, and lowered his voice and said,
"I'll probably lose my job for this, but I like you guys. I have four tickets I was holding but it doesn't look like they're gonna show up. So you can have 'em for face value!"
Yowww!!!!
We were ecstatic! It was beyond a miracle! It was waaaayyy beyond anything we were even hoping for.
We were jumping around, slugging back brews and generally raising hell! We almost got run over by a U-Haul truck that was trying to park. The driver parked the truck, opened up the back, and there musta been 25 people that jumped out.
One girl had a large plastic container that had a light-colored liquid and she came up to us with a big smile and said "Do you want some apple juice?"
After drinking beer all day>? Sure!!
We all took a big slug, and passed it on. By the time it got to my brother, he was ready and took a deep, deep drink.
"Whooaa, hold one! That's got 30 hits of acid in it!'
Uh oh.
End of Part 1
Life-Changing!"!"! Part Deux
We got off just as we were walking through the front door. In othe rwords, almost instantaneously.
And after drinking all that beer, I had to piss really, really bad. I headed downstairs towards the Men's room but I kept getting distracted by all the cool things on the wall and all of the cool architecture.
When I finally got to a urinal, I had to concetrate really, really hard. I kept forgetting where I was and what I was supposed to be doing.
I finally managed to complete the process without pissing all over myself, and joined the other guys and we went to find out seats... which happened to be second row dead center. Can this really be happening? Are we this lucky?
Right about then, everything turned red... that is, except for the New Riders of the Purple Sage who just walked out on stage... and all the saguaro cactuses that were springing up all over the place...
Garcia was on pedal steel, and the set was excellent... no offense to the NRPS, but in our condition, a constipated polar probably would have sounded pretty good.
When they began "Last Lonely Eagle", Fred threw his cowboy had in the air.... and it never came down. Or, it did, but not near us. And throughout the evening, we could see it floating around the room, on different heads. Someone would wear it for a while and then it would move on to someone else.
So the Dead come on finally. Man, they were on fire that night. Rockin' like there was no tomorrow. And Pigpen was at his most Pigpen, strutting around the stage, barking into the mike, and just... Pigpenning.
At some point, we began to smell a weird smell. And pretty quickly we determined that someone next to us had dropped some ashes into one of these theater seats, and it was smoldering. Most people around us were too loaded to do anything but stare dumbly at it.
It could have been very bad.
But, I happened to have a beer in my jacket that I had been saving for a Pigpen moment. I calmly reached in, pulled the top off and poured it on the seat. Hey, crisis averted, now back to the show.
I guess by now, the ESP experiment is pretty well documented other places, so I won't really go into that other than to say that, in all honesty, I don't remember a whole lot about it. That is, other than the fact that they were projecting some very bizarre pictures (I later discovered that some were Magritte paintings) and asking everyone to concentrate on sending them telepathicaly to a lab in Brooklyn.
I read about the experience later in Psychology Today, among other places, and apparently it either was or wasn't successful, depending on your source of information.
No matter. We were there for the music.
The lights went out and everything turned red again.
The Dead came back for the last set of the night, and once again, blew everyone away. I remember Pigpen stalking around on the stage like a lion looking for prey. He was into one of his raps in the middle of "Lovelight" and was blazing hot! He pulled a couple on stage with him and they were dancers to his puppetmaster.
And then finally, it ended.
I felt like I needed a cigarette... and I didn't smoke!
And as the last notes began to fade away, lo and behold, Fred's cowboy hat made it's way back to him. Dunno how it happened, We were startiing to leave, and I turned around and there it was, on top of his head, and all you could see underneath was his glasses and a huge Grateful Dead smile!
But the adventure was not quite over.
We were going to drive back to Virginia, still high from the acid, the Southern Comfort and beer, but mostly from the music.
Somewhere along the line, we picked up a hitchiker who introduced himself as "Gabby".
Never have I met a human being more aptly named. This guy talked non-stop all the way from New York to Virginia when we let him out.
Turns out, that this was a good thing because I was driving and everyone else fell asleep. Gabby's gabbing kept me awake and even helped me navigate through the maze of dwarves with protest signs that kept running acrross the interstate highway all the way through Maryland. These guys musta been picketing Disney, because they all looked like they walked out of "Snow White", beards, hoods, and all.
I had to swerve to miss them, and all the time Gabby kept talking... apparently I was the only one who saw them.
The biggest lessons I learned was to expect the unexpected, things are often not what they seem... and don't take apple juice from strangers.
my first show
roosevelt stadium, jersey city, nj in the mid 70's. jerry's b-day bash. had only been listening to the boys for about six months or so and was loving them. but came the day of the show and i was completely blown away. i sat in the outfield under a blue sky and took in all the sights and sounds of everyone around me. nrps took the stage and set off one of the most memorable experinces of my young adult life. darkness came and jerry and co took the stage and lit me up like an xmas tree. felt like it was xmas morning and i was opening my gifts. the music touched something deep inside my core and has never let go. we wound up at the front of the stage for the second set and i will take that experience to my grave people dancing, gyrating, swaying to and fro. the smoke, the music, the sweat, what an incredible night.
worcester 83'...truckin' up
worcester 83'...truckin' up 495 towards the show and passing a whole group of cars flying their flags...we splurged and got a case of heiniken for the ride...the boys opened with bertha and then it was all over...next year we saw larry bird and bill walton at the show...been grateful deading ever since...didn't know about bootlegs and wondered how everyone had all this great music in the parking lots...bought one of my all time favorite shirts and lost my ticket stub...ahhh, the circus was in town...
Charlotte 3/23/95
Hello, my name is Jason and I am a Deadhead.
I saw 19 shows, started at Soldier Field in '91 and ended there with the last shows. Most of the shows were in the midwest - Alpine, Deer Creek, St. Louis, Memphis and Detroit. I saw a couple shows at Oakland Coliseum in Dec. ‘94 which stand out because I guess you just have to see a favorite band play at their home at least once. Shows in my neck of the woods always still had the usual percentage of "Touch of Grey was kind of cool so let’s see what the fuss is about" folks, but the vibe in the bay was concentrated. 2 memories from there: looking to see where the walking dude with the spinning light wand was throughout the shows and sitting in the parking lot before a show listening to a tape and having someone pull up in the empty spot next to us then call out the date of the show we were listening to.
For me the middle night of a 3 show run in Charlotte, spring tour 1995 was It. I went with my little sister (her first show), one of her friends, 2 friends of mine from high school and a fist full of Blue Ladies. We had great seats to the side of the stage, mid way up, just above stage level. It took a few moments for me to catch up with what the grand piano on the stage meant for our fortunes. Bruce. The 1st set was solid, ending with a huge So Many Roads. Set 2, the stories of the Unbroken Chain in Philadelphia were confirmed and came at us full color to start my favorite set of all-time Scarlet>Fire>Corrina>Matilda>Drums>Days Between>Good Lovin E: The Weight. The feeling of exuberant joy that I felt when I recognized Unbroken Chain’s first notes was the purest excitement I have ever experienced in my life. As the song’s last notes were fading, the room really literally crackled with energy and before I could communicate anything verbally to anyone around me the first notes of Scarlet Begonias danced out of speakers and I, along with everyone I could see around me, started to jump and yell like it was a Beatles concert in 1964. I had seen a couple ScarletFire’s before but Jerry and Bruce together made this one epic. I didn’t like Corrina until this show. My first Matilda that lead into a great pre-Drumz jam with the drummers and Bruce. Best drums/space I ever heard live. A sweet, sweet Days. The most swinging Good Lovin I had ever heard played live, then The Weight.
This might just sound like a show review but it was the incredible music and energy at this show that ripped me into new territory. Everyone else in our group felt similarly rocked and we all talked about it afterwards in a way that was more wide-eyed than usual. My sister and I have had a closer, more real relationship since this show and we both to this day agree it’s true. I long ago stopped caring whether or not I sound or seem foolish so I’ll say this: I think now that I actually learned what the basic act of loving another human being is all about at this show. I guess up to that point youth still had me a selfish, self-centered person but during that second set I became more aware of the people around me than ever before. I was having the time of my life and the thought or the care that those around me were having the time of his/her life had become important to me for the first time. When everywhere I looked there was amazement like mine happening that made me happier and happier. I lost all sense of myself and my own thoughts, I think I heard other people’s thoughts and I know they heard mine because I got apt responses to statements I’m positive I never spoke. If you’re experienced you know a degree of this was helped by party favors but I’m saying, for the record, that I was clear-headed and sober when I left that place and I had no business to be that way. Whatever consciousness chasm a man made substance can help you build a bridge over I leapt over that AND the bridge with my own energy along with the band’s.
3/22 was a good opening show and 3/24 I zoned out with bad upper level seats but I think I still wore a grin from the previous night. I heard Gans or Latvala played the SBD from the second set of this show at Garcia’s public wake/celebration at Golden Gate Park later that year and I’m not surprised. You know how you can start to feel high just before you light up? Well whatever deep-brain activity that let’s that happen goes crazy when I listen to this set and even now just writing about it. I get a buzz, a really heavy buzz going and whatever is going on in my life at the moment I start to feel a little more human and a little less like a walking “thought machine”. Maybe I should end this post but it’s also at these moments that I think about the possibility of time travel. Not to jump in a time machine to make it back to this or any show per se, but I start to think how time is a fuzzy continuum where numbers never seem to have a great hold on their order. When I listen to this set I think, really believe that it’s happening in real time at this moment and it’s just my current, conscious, physical self that isn’t there. I feel sometimes that I have the ability inside me to somehow get there again. Maybe it’s because I have carried so much of the power of that experience with me the memory feels more present than most others. Or maybe I am really still there now, at this moment, and that’s why I keep changing verb tenses so much.
Life-Changing!"!"! ?? - I love it!
Charlie_Running_Horse, that is one great story, and you are one fine raconteur! I just loved it! (It parallels some of my experiences "back in the day"!)
Alpine 82
Alpine 82 was when all cylinders fired for me. I had seen several shows at the Uptown that were fun and all but Alpine was my first back to back shows. The reverberation of music and drums through out the parking lot, the Shakedown St. with all the vendors, veggie burritos and 2 of my favorite shows all in the rolling green hills in Wisconsin was just soooo incredible. The first night the friend of mine that I was sitting with had a connection with security at Alpine and they let the two of us in before the gates were open. We were the first two people in the entire theater.Just then the square meals were kicking in. 15th row center at Alpine was perfect because the first 13 or 14 rows were on flat ground and then it begins to go up. So we were at about eye level with band looking right over everyone ahead of us. Great show! And then afterwards, I remember these guys next to us in the parking lot dancing around this candle chanting frog candle, frog candle, frog candle... Then one of them picked it up and lifted it over his head and said "Jerry looked at the frog candle". Sounds crazy but we had a few good laughs!
Alpine was the first complete experience with many more to follow.
The other times that are burned into my memory that were also amazing.
The scene at Chief Hosa campground during Red Rocks 84. Red Rocks 85 and then Telluride 87. Some of the best, fun, crazy days of my life.
Then there's McNichols '90
I wrote this shortly after seeing these shows.
"Twas a winters night with Christmas in site
nothing but joy filling the air.
For the Cosmic Clowns were coming to our town
and they were bringing their magical lire.
I new we were in for a treat so to speak,
but knew nothing of our fate,
But on 12/12/90 I was turning 28.
Now you would never know what you would see at a show,
It could have easily been another night
The Star hadn't crashed here in many a year
But there was a chance that it might
The first few notes after 'Jac-a-moe-fino'
The center of the universe seemed to change.
It was the good old Dead, playing Dark Star live.
with the sounds they has arranged
Those beautiful, transcedental notes that had been writen on my head
were for the first time being played before me.
God! I Love The Grateful Dead!
So thanks Boys for one of the best nights of my life.
I wish I could repay.
It won't do it justice, but I'll tell you right now,
That show F*cking blew me away"
ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND, 10/7/73, N.J. State Fairgrounds
To actually feel the rumble of the bass line intro into Whipping Post on my body, and to hear those clear, beautiful voices as they sang out with joy; "I Was Born a Rambling Man...", was enough to get me hooked forever...That was one concert experience that i will never forget!!
My first show changed my life......
I'd have to say my first show was a life changer. It was at Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) in 83'. I was 16 years old. I don't think I ever heard the Grateful Dead before I was given a ticket to go with my brother. We hung out in the State Park next to the SPAC grounds and it was the most beautiful day ever. What changed me was the crowd! It was electric from the moment I laid eyes on my first deadhead, all decked out in tye-dye. When the band hit the stage, I knew I was about to see something that would change me and it turned out I was right. I remember being blown away by the most spectacular Morning Dew!!! Just absolutely made every hair on my body stand on end!!!! By the time the show was over, I had gotten on the bus and I'm still riding it today! Peace!
Jayare
~Don't lend your hand, to raise no flag, atop no ship of fools!!!~
Worcester Centrum - 10/21/83
It was my fourth show, but only my second "threesome". In other words, I went to see other big bands live between my first set of shows and these at the Centrum. It was then that I really recognized "that sound", and how good they really were. I think that at the first show, or weekend of shows, there is a lot to digest, but when you see them the second time, it really hits home how incredible they are. Not to mention the Scarlet/Fire performed that night was; to me... even to this day... the best piece of music the band ever played.
all of them
buckeye 94 was a ggod one. but st louis 95 changed me for obvious reasons i was under the roof collapse at the farm
First Show
I got on the Bus from my first show 3/06/81, and that was quite life changing for me. I think the most life changing though was going to Madison Square Gardens all by myself, the Oct. 94, run in New York city. I'm from a fairly small town and to go there all by myself was huge for me. My hotel ended up right across the street. No way I could get lost, so I was able to have a ball and felt safe. First day there ran into a close friend of mine whom I knew would be there somewhere, but he had no idea I would be there, that was cool! Out of 41 shows, I'm pretty sure I saw my first and last Scarlet Fire!! That was real cool!! Would never live there, but had a great time sight seeing!!!
My first show
Hi Y'all! I am sharing this in hopes that others will share how the Dead connected them to the Cosmos...... Gawd people! These stories are making me cry!! I have a story too. Here it goes:
I grew up in San Francisco. My Dad is a violinist, and he played with all the greats of the time (Dead, Boz Skaggs, Linda Ronstadt. Merle Saunders, NRPS, CSNY, Van Morrison, etc...) He was a studio rat at the old Wally Heiders studio. My mom went to the first Dead show (Mine troupe Benefit 1965), so you could say I was born right into the heart of the scene. Jerry played at my parents X-mas eve party in 1975. Anyway, I was one of the little kids running around in the mid- '70's. I went to school with Anabelle. Funny thing was, I never understood the magnitude of what I was part of until I was 12.Although my first show was Speedway Meadows, 1975, it wasn't until 1983 that I really understood what this was all about. Here is the story:
My best friend in Kindergarten was named Ben Hitz (If anybody knows him, PM me). We were inseperable.This was 1976 or so. In 1983, we reunited in 6th grade when we both went to Hoover Middle School in SF. Again, we were inseperable. We lived three doors from eachother in Noe Valley, SF. In late October 1983, Ben came to me and asked me if I wanted to go the the Boys on Halloween (The last St. Stephen). I said yes, for sure! Unfortunately I got the flu and could not go. It wasn't until many moons later that I realized that that show was legendary. Anyway, he promised me that the next show there was, I could go. So, 12/27/83 was my first show.
His mother Donya reportedly was the one who introduced Jerry to Mountain Girl in High School, and they were backstage all the time. I went to his house, and we all went down to the show together. I remember getting to the SF Civic Auditorium and seeing total mayhem! Heads were everywhere, most with their fingers sticking up asking for a "Miracle". I didn't get it then, but I do now! I was given my backstage pass, and told to stay close to the group. We were escorted inside, and I found myself backstage at a Grateful Dead show! I was 12 years old. I remember alot of adults in funny tie dyes running around, and then there was the kids area. Ben took me there, and we started playing the hottest video game of the day, Tempest. We didn't even have to put quarters in! It was just on! I was totally blown away by this! Can you imagine? All you can play Tempest for free? I was in Nirvana! There was a closed circuit TV next to us with a live feed from the stage. I remember the lights going down, and hearing the crowd go wild. I turned to Ben and said "Hey, the show is starting, lets go watch!". He was playing Tempest, and said "I see these guys all the time. No biggie. Why dont you go and check it out! I am playing Tempest!" I was hesitant at first, but as soon as Jerry hit the first note of Cold Rain, my soul was awakened. it was an undeniable eruption of cosmic consciousness. I could not control myself. I literally ran out of the cozy confines of backstage and blended into the abyss of my bretheren. it was an instant connection. It was just before I hit puberty, but the soul orgasm I felt that night remains unparalleled in my life.
I found my way up to the upper deck of the Civic, and was befriended by a group of heads who saw my backstage pass. They were asking me all these questions about who I was, etc... I then said "Who are you? Where are you from?" They said that they were all from Boston. I said "You mean you came all the way here to see them?" They yelled "Yeah bro! The Dead are the shit!" It was that moment that my small minded San Francisco world crashed with the rest of the globe! For the first time, I realized that this small band that my Dad played with and whose leader played at my house X-mas eve 1975, was revered by the rest of the world. It was greater than any A**d trip. I really UNDERSTOOD the magnitude of the energy that I was a part of, and that it was a serious entity- an orgy of cosmic energy that connected me with Great Spirit. All of a sudden,it didnt matter to me how old I was. I was a hippie. I was shaking my bones with my community. At 12 yeard old! I cried the whole time! I finally understood that I WAS PART OF SOMETHING GREATER THAN MYSELF!!! THAT THIS BAND WAS A CONNECTION TO GREAT SPIRIT!!!!!
During Sugar Mag, I remember just dancing my ass off! During the encore, one of my friends from Boston turned to me and said "If you go backstage right now, you might meet Jerry!" I bolted for backstage, and I found myself in a long white hallway. At the other end of the hallway, I saw Bobby and Jerry walking towards me. I tried to get to Jerry, but he took a quick right out of the Civic and into his red pickup truck. I ran up to Bobby, and said "That was great Bobby!" He ruffled my hair and said "Thanks kid!" It was like that Coke commercial with Mean Joe Green. Remember that? It was as if I was annointed by Bobby!
On our way home, we were recalling all the songs they played. "Remember that song, sunshine Daydream? Yeah! Sugar Magnolia!" It was second hat to my friend Ben, but deep inside me, I held the great secret. That my soul was awakened that night, and it was on fire. I had so much global revelation. The world was bigger than my own small surroundings! I began to dream about the limits (Its dizzying, the possibilities!) the world had to offer, and there were none. I kept this special secret close to my heart.
It wasnt until 1985, when I was 14, that I started to do tour. And for the next ten years, the Boys dictated were and when I went anywhere in the world. I am so glad that this post prompted me to share. It feels so good! That is why GOTV is so close to my heart. I felt really connected to that first night in Dead land while I was there. We are a true tribe, and I am proud to be a part of the collective consciousness that remains (only the strange remain!!).
IF YOU WERE AT THAT SHOW, OR IF YOU WERE THERE FROM BOSTON, I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!!! I would really love to reconnect with those people from Boston. So, if you were there from Boston and remember a 12 yeart old with a backstage pass, PM me. Aw hell, PM me anyway!! Go tribe!!! Thanks for listening! Remember, WHAT WE HAVE IS REAL!!!!
Midnight on a carousel ride, reaching for that gold ring down inside. Never could reach it. It just slips away. BUT I TRY!
My Only Show
It was October, 1988. I had just started my senior year in high school, and just got my first job working concessions at the Houston Summit arena, where the Rockets play. I had worked a few concerts at this point and was going thru a major classic rock phase thanks to PBS showing lots of documentaries on the 60's, my so far 2 year subscription that a year earlier had celebrated the 20th anniversary of The Summer of Love. Pink Floyd was my passion at this point, but I had not heard the Dead yet other than "Touch of Grey". I was open to hearing them. As we were preparing for the show, I noticed a couple of hippies walking along the grass between the arena and the rush hour traffic of the freeway. "Wow, check it out! Cool! I didn't know anyone dressed like that anymore!" Most kids in my high school were punks, new wavers, heavy metalers, stoners, rap fans, etc. The hippie look was just starting to come back in the late 80's. I found it really cool, a nice change from the preps and suburban outcast looks. About five minutes later, there was an ocean of people who looked exactly the same completely covering the courtyard outside. I knew this night would be different from the other concerts I had worked.
An older heavy metal guy working with me told me that I would love The Dead if I liked Pink Floyd. Since I thought of the Dead as a San Fran band from the 60's, I was expecting something like Piper at the Gates of Dawn type stuff...really loud strange freak out acid rock of the old school. We didn't get to hear a soundcheck like most shows, so I was cool with hearing the music at the concert in full swing. When the doors opened, the crowd poured in, and I had my first glimpse into a new world. ALL ages. When we opened the concession booth, I got to meet everyone first hand. I had NEVER met a more friendly crowd of people. After 10 minutes of conversations, I wanted to join them. I had met people who told me to get in touch with them.
The music started kicking in, and it sounded kind of like country...I was a little confused. But I kept listening, and meeting people. I eventually asked if I could be let off early so that I could go watch the show, and my manager smiled and said sure. I took off my work shirt, went out in my Public Image Ltd. tshirt, and stood in the aisles at the top of the lower prom and watched the insanity. Here is the setlist:
Set List:
Cold Rain and Snow
New Minglewood Blues
Candyman
Me and My Uncle
Mexicali Blues
West L.A. Fadeaway
Queen Jane Approximately
Stagger Lee
Music Never Stopped
China Cat Sunflower
I Know You Rider
Playin' in the Band
Built to Last (first time ever played)
drums
I Need a Miracle
Dear Mr. Fantasy
Hey Jude Reprise
Turn on Your Love Light
Black Muddy River
I asked an old timer (classic bearded hippie with california country-hippie accent) what was going on, and he responded "Drums and Space, maaaan!" I nodded and loved the red lights flooding Mickey and Bill as they pounded away.
One thing I didn't like was the way the cops were treating the heads. Not as bad as the rap concert crowd where they roughed up the crowd for no reason, but they were disrespectful and let it be known they didn't like them being there. One security guard who recognized me told me he couldn't wait for the crowd to leave. I couldn't understand why. I really enjoyed the show and the crowd. I was told later it wasnt one of their best shows for lots of different reasons. So many rumors: someone stole Jerry's guitar, the band got ripped off, the cops were too harsh, Jerry was sick, etc etc etc.
I never met anyone again who went to that show, not even locally. I started buying their music, starting with Live Dead after hearing "Dark Star" it on another documentary about the sixties. I went to Hightailers shows, a local band who covered the Dead and did their own jam band thing with a cajun flavor. I waited for the Dead to come back, seeing as how big they had become. I bought cds, got taped shows from Heads in Austin and Houston, read all news and interviews I could to familiarize myself so that I could know their music when seeing them. Years went by, and while in college, I planned to follow them with some friends, but school and work made it difficult. We talked about what an adventure it would be to follow them, since the closest they ever came to Texas was Atlanta or New Mexico. We finally settled on Fall 1995.
As I was packing for a trip to Dallas to go to Lollapalooza August 1995, I turned on MTV and saw them playing "Touch of Grey". Wow, I haven't seen them play this video in years! Then I got worrried...I hoped everything was ok. As soon as the first couple of letters started to crawl from the right side of the tv screen, I knew what had happened. I couldn't believe it. At Lollapalooza, Cypress Hill dedicated their set: "This one goes out to Jerry Garciaaaaaa!" B-Real yelled out in his nasally voice. Even Sonic Youth gave their condolences as they closed the festival. I read later they hung out with TC when the tour hit Cali.
I was hurt that they never came back to Texas. The closest since then was the Willie Nelson Picnic in Austin back in 2004. It was too painful to listen to them off and on. But I would talk with those who did get to see them. I hope to see one of their incarnations, solo or a new Dead tour someday. I'll never forget that last Houston show. It opened my mind to what concerts should be like in terms of the audience.
Buckeye Lake, '93
I graduated on a Saturday from The Ohio State University in '93 with degrees in Economics and English. To celebrate, I invited The Grateful Dead, Sting, and 100,000 of my closest friends to Buckeye Lake. Can I throw a party or what?
At graduation, in Ohio Stadium, I had the Bear's 13 point lightning bolt logo on the top of my mortar board. Great day, gorgeous weather, lunch with the fam at the world famous (and now defunct) Kahiki, then off to the show, armed with two bottles of Moet that my mom laid on me.
While the show was rockin', it wasn't particularly the show itself that makes this one. That day was life changing for so many reasons on so many levels, and that's the one that comes to the fore.
"If you seek the mystery instead of the answer, you'll always be seeking... But the job is to seek mystery, evoke mystery, plant a garden in which strange plants grow and mysteries bloom. The need for mystery is greater than the need for an answer." --Kesey
how can this be?
His mother Donya reportedly was the one who introduced Jerry to Mountain Girl in High School, and they were backstage all the time. I went to his house, and we all went down to the show together
mountain girl was from poughkeepsie, ny and got on the bus w/kesey out there. jerry was well out of high school when the pranksters were wheeling around SF at the time the WARLOCKs/GD became their party band. i think there is an error there somewhere
nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile
I never got to see them
I never got to see them live, and really never came to know about them until I was17. I wish that I could have though. The Dead is about all that I listen to.
Red Rocks 83'
My 3rd 4th & 5th show. Red Rocks Amphitheatre Sept. 6th, 7th, & 8th, 1983!! 5 of us drove 36 hours straight in a 1980 Chevy Van from the Jersey Shore. 2 other friends from Jersey drove in a car and we all met up at Chief Hosa's Campground. It was a blast. I returned to the Rocks for the 85' shows!!!!
Can't remember the date
I can't remember what the date or even the year, but it was at RFK stadium in Washington DC, probably in the late 80's. I couldn't find anyone to go with me, so I went alone. I felt pretty scared, lonely, and discouraged. I had just broke up with a boyfriend. Throughout the show, my needs kept getting met. I wanted a beer and had no money, and some girl gave me hers. I had no lighter but people kept lighting my cigarette, and then I found matches. I wanted a J and there it was (this is no surprise, but fits in with the overall picture). I wanted company and found someone to hang out with. Toward the end of the show, I was way up in the bleachers and there was this red balloon floating around the crowd down on the floor, and I thought, "I want that balloon to come to me," and it did! It floated in a straight path right up to where I was, so that I got to hit it back to the crowd. I realized, even when I feel lonely and depressed, my needs will be met. That there's some bigger force in charge here. I
I went in depressed and discouraged, and came out hopeful and encouraged. I wasn't very religious at the time, but I got a feeling that God was watching over me, and everything was gonna be ok.
Why there should be a connection between a spiritual being (God) and the Dead, I'll never understand. But it sure seems to be there. Maybe the Dead just made God happy, because they made so many people happy, so He was there at shows sometimes. It sure seemed to me that He was there. I don't know.
Is it possible that God is a Deadhead? :)
It was my first show
JFK - Philly 87' Dylan/Dead
- Outdoors, at night, with 100,000 dead heads.
- Many Dead, Phil and Rat Dog shows, Albums, Tapes, CD and MP3 players & 20 years later I have my kids listening to the Dead now. Out of sight :)
The punch line is I rarely, if ever, listen to the dead of that era. I love Dead circa 69-77 and that's all I play these days.
Roosevelt Stadium Jersey City 1974
This show got short shfit in the liner notes from Dicks Picks so I want to set the record straight.
The day the concert was scheduled was a classic Dead day. Everyone was hanging out peacefully in the parking lot at 8 am waiting for the gets to open up for the 7 pm concert. The weather report was calling for rain but the tickets said "to be held rain or shine" and the vibes were good so no one cared.
Once the gates opened we all went inside the stadium and set up camp and spent the day relaxing and having fun until the first black cloud came over from behind the stage.
A flood of beach balls was bouncing around the stadium, lightening and thunder were everywhere and the rain came down like only an east coast storm can do.
By the time the concert was cancelled, we were in for a real inetresting trip getting out. The crowd was a typical Dead crowd so it should not have been on anyone's agenda to be driving and the parking lot was mud. We sat on top of our car for 3 hours and laughed. I didnt see any agression or fights.
When we came back the next week, Nixon had just announced he was resigning and the band came out with a vengance.
The single best dead show I have ever seen and the best crowd. The tapes don't even do the show justice and I'm still friends with the guys I went to those shows with. We never call it one show. It was 2 shows with the first set a week before the second and third.
Last time I ever saw the wall of sound too.
Truly life changing for me on a lot of levels. I wonder what happened to Riley?
"There are 2 kinds of people in the world. Those whose lives have a soundtrack and those lives do not. I have always found that interesting people come supplied with music."
dead on the east coast
i can alway s say ya the dead changed my life.my veiws were veryopenminded...now i know this may sound strange but it was7/14/90.at a place called FOXBORO stadium.i went w/my old man and a bunch of friends we had tics,we were in the prk..lot partying w/old and making new friends,man those 'shrooms'and red wine...i was having such a blast i gave my friends old lady my tic,i stayed in the lot for the whole show i could see the stage perfectly the sets were unbelevible!!!i danced pissed some cops off'i no people can relate to that scene.after the show i was bopping round the drums were absoluty fantastic took me to another demetion.'sure it had somthin w/being dosed but we party hardy till the wee hrs of the mourning.i feel like it totally went to another leval w/me at that show.im so grateful i survived all those years so ican continue to experience this magical bliss everyday..
Maples 1973
They played at Maples Pavillion at Stanford University in the spring of 1973. I was 16 years old and it was my second show. I had been to the New Years show at Winterland a couple of months earlier and that had truly been a life altering experience. This one solidified my belief that I had finally found a home. My friends and I definitely shared a unique and particular state of mind that night. We thought some kind of prankster had sprayed the room with some sort of psycedelic gas (maybe it was just something we ate) , that the light show was prescient and that someone had arranged a parade of people to stroll by, at just the right time, to perfectly illustrate the characters in "Ramble in Rose" just as Jerry sung the words (you know Jack the Ripper, Frankenstien, Crazy Otto).
The flow was sprung for basketball and when everyone got to dancing the joint was jumping, in the literal sense of the word. I remember thinking all of those speakers they had stacked up were going to come tumbling down.
Anyway, it was a great time and definitely nudged my course in a different direction.
Berlin 10-20-1990
....DARK STAR.....in the heart of Berlin, one year after the Wall came down, 45 years after WW2.....very heavy vibrations, conjured in a powerful location.....the music plays the band...
Hampton 4/13/89
It was unbelievably powerful show and there was a eye thru the storm when the coliseum let out and we could see the stars clear thru the storm center circle. never forget it!
the bus came by and i got on
the bus came by and i got on that's when it all began
cape cod mass.
Well here we are kids------the anniversary of the Killer Dancin->Franklin's 10-27-79 it's the best !
Where you there????
peace out-----Jack
Nothing like the first one!
Of course it was my first show, isn't that human nature, with anything one likes/loves?Boston Music Hall, June 10, 1976. I was just a kid, 18 yrs. old.
I've seen Weir w/Kingfish; NRPS, Jerry Band, but never The Dead.
And it was at a time when no one was even sure if they were going to play again.
I was a on The Deads mailing list. Remember that? They'd send you letters from time to time. Dead Relix seems to come to mind.
then it happened they announced a tour playing small theatres. All tix were thru the mail via San Rafael Ca. I bought Boston Music Hall, Capital Theatre in Pasaic N.J.. Tower theatre in Philly. I think they were like $7.00 a piece. Imagine that? And don't forget The Beacon in N.Y.
The anticipation was like no other. what the heck was the deal with seeing this band that made other concerts take a back seat to what I was about to experience?
Well I found out quite quickly, waiting in line before the show. The VIBES there were like no other I have ever came across. "Now I know what they're talking about" WOW. Led Zepelin wasn't like this NO WAY NO HOW.
Once inside I felt the closeness & unity everyone talked of. The music was a bonus. This was life with some of the nicest people you'd ever want to meet. We were all ONE! The BAND included. What a time it was. Communicating at a level that can only be felt not explained. I know there are people out there that know what I'm talking about.
Thanks for the "trip,............................................................. while you can."
Nothing like the first one!
jackl921- Amen brother to that.
If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite.
Wiliam Blake
Halloween 1991 Oakland Coliseum
Bill Graham died on Friday, and Saturday they were off. Sunday was a hard night for everyone, and the Weds show still grievous. Thursday was Halloween, and well, there was a lot of tension to release. It was clear when they opened Stranger? That there was going to be a meltdown, and Mickey brought lots of drums I'd never seen, including a big rectangular flat drum that fit into a frame allowing one to pound on it like a wall. And he did... During Dark Star, drums, holding the mallet up and saying "this one's for Bill". And the rhythm pounded while we danced. Jerry came out, with guest guitar player too, and then Kesey wearing an Uncle Sam costume. Kesey started telling about Graham, and how he sent money for a memorial site in Oregon for his son who died there in a motorcycle accident. And then a poem from E.E. Cummings about Bill the "Handsome Man" who rode on a white horse and shot clay pigeons one after another. Then raising his voice with intention and purpose along with the best back up band ever; he shouted; "BUT WHAT I REALLY WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IS HOW DO YOU LIKE YOUR BLUE EYED BOY NOW, MR. DEATH?" There was a simultaneous scream from the audience, and a wild feeling in my blue eyes! I had by this time already seen many shows, but the family got closer that night. And I finally got to hear Dark Star with drums in the middle.
My third show on June 24, 1985
I had already been to three shows in Philly the previous spring, but this show was in my hometown of conservative Cincinnati, Ohio.It was between these shows that I was able to learn more about the music the boys had made.I danced from start to finish at this show and was forever gratefully deadicated.Thanx guys and remember Jerry lives!!!!!!