*with Hamza El-Din
setlist
Mississippi Half-Step
Franklin's Tower
Me and My Uncle
Big River
Candyman
It's All Over Now
Brown Eyed Women
Lost Sailor
Althea
Promised Land
Scarlet Begonias
Fire on the Mountain
Estimated Prophet
Eyes of the World
drums
Ollin Arrageed
Not Fade Away
Wharf Rat
Around and Around
Bertha
Good Lovin'
Johnny B. Goode
Franklin's Tower
Me and My Uncle
Big River
Candyman
It's All Over Now
Brown Eyed Women
Lost Sailor
Althea
Promised Land
Scarlet Begonias
Fire on the Mountain
Estimated Prophet
Eyes of the World
drums
Ollin Arrageed
Not Fade Away
Wharf Rat
Around and Around
Bertha
Good Lovin'
Johnny B. Goode
show date
Venue
dead comment
Brokedown Auditorium
My first West Coast Show... and what a killer! The Dead have complete control of the energy on this night, going from fast to slow to fast with the group mind on overload.I get into the place around show time by going in the other side, past some very straight gymnastics Oakland Hills people.
This is the definative show where I become a dead-head for life. NFA is gyrating. There is so much juice in the band we have a three song encore -- nothin' left to do but dance, dance, dance!
Classic GD Road Show - Sweeeeeeet!!!!
Much better night, overall, from 8/4/79. The band found it's groove and stayed in the flow the entire night. First set was nearly continuous: Half Step>Franklin's>Uncle>River to open, and then Sailor>Althea>Promised to finish. Definitely took me by surprise, being a Winterland head used to tune ups between each song. I could tell it was a different band.
Other big memories - Brent's work on the B-3 is huge, esp on All Over Now and Wharf Rat - the Scarlet>Fire is gorgeous (for some reason the band appeared to be transformed into wind-up toys) - Hamza was a wonderful surprise - and the crowd screamed like banshees in the pit before the encores. Even after a very generous helping of Bertha>Good Lovin for the first encore the crowd would not stop - insatiable - must have screamed for at least 15 minutes before the band came back out for a phat Johnny B.
This should definitely be released some day. Really, really fine show!
The Meltdown
No one seems to comment on the Space this day. On my cassette notes I put down 'Drips Blood'. That is all I could come up with. I thought Phil and the Devils were going to blow the roof off the Auditorium (love that place-home).As I understand these two days were the firsts for a new sound system-well after they worked out the bugs on the 4th this show cooked. I'll never ever forget it. After the show we headed south-got hung up in a bad fog and pulled the 'ol VW bus off the hiway best as we could. Hard to do when ya can't see your hand in front of your face. Well we awoke the next morn to find out we were parked right on a frontage road. Safely though.The fog lifted enough to see a breakfast place and gas nearby.We ate and stumbled outside to wake up-still in a post dead haze,only to hear a freight train.Trouble it wasn't! We were in Castroville. Right on top of a massive earthquake,and we were at the epicenter. All hell broke loose and we were enjoyin' the ride.WOW......
MindBlower
Okay, I'm just killin' time and looking at old shows that I went to (and this was definitely one of the best). I click on the fan pics on the right there and there I am at 18 and lovin' life. The person on the bottom left soakin up the warm Sunday sun. This was a major mind blower. If you Niagra Falls folks see this, I'd love to get a copy of that picture.
Simply Amazing
My first Dead concert and my life was completely and utterly transformed forever! Many others have stated here and on other venues that their first concert was as if the band was playing just for them and that's exactly how I felt!! I also seemed connected to each person in the auditorium and them to me - all of us grooving in harmony, smiling and dancing ecstatically. This is what I remember most. Oh yes, the music was truly wonderful!