Grateful Dead

I remember going to Austin to visit friends and taking them to this their first Grateful Dead Show.....We bought tickets at the gate of Manor Downs and went in for one of the best times I ever had a a Grateful Dead show. The scene was so cool .....it was general admission but you could walk right up to the stage from the back of the venue. The crowd was so spaced apart down front ....no pushing, no shoving, no crowding it was a wonderful crowd. And as I remember some 370 shows and 24 years later the show was great as well. My new Dead Head friends loved them as well...... their first show. Many more would follow !!!! Todd

The tour is over and we're in the middle of Texas!

I loved how sloppy the boys were playing, but it was the good kinda sloppy. The Scarlet>Fire is very interesting, sometimes sounding like it was going to spiral out of control but it remained. I always remember how Garcia looked when palace was played, he looked so tired. Great Show.

I drove from Florida for this one show. I met up with friends once I arrived and met some other cool people from New Jersey who had been on the entire west tour. We drove up to the northeast after the show.It was so extremely hot at this show. I removed my shirt during the break. Two girls tried to pick me up and get me to leave before the second set. I explained that I had driven from Florida to go to the show and there was no way I was leaving before it was over. I lost them in the crowd and moved up towards the stage. I met a very cool deadhead chick and spent the majority of the second set with her. I never saw her again after that. I also remember Jerry looking extremely tired and old at this show. Must've been a long tour.

And I couldn't believe it. Got there to the scene for the first time and it was like I was finally home for the first time in my life. A girl came up to me asking if I had a spare ticket. I said that there were plenty of tickets left for sale and she said "yeah, but ten dollars is a little steep." Took the blotter and we set up the tape decks and a mic stand made from a Tom's peanut display stand about 20 feet up in the air. I kept looking at my friend and saying "Man! These guys are incredible!" Went home and sent off my money for tickets to the New Years Shows in San Francisco. Good times.

I cant remember if this was my first show...but it WAS at manor downs. Turk Pipkin opened my first show and a plane was circling over head. Turk was juggling some glow in the dark/ fluorescent sticks and a guy threw a dummy out of the plane...Turk started hollering.." OPEN YOUR CHUTE MAN!!! OPEN YOUR CHUTE!!" WHOMP! right on the ground! we all gasped...and just then the band took the stage! what an entry! I didn't know any songs...I do remember Bobby singing something like..."let me out and wander around". Cops on horseback parking the cars/ directing traffic...and some lost hippie named " stray dog"....damn that was fun! I went to several shows after that...my last in Alabama in 95. I took y 5 yr old daughter to that one and when they did wang dang doodle...she jumped up and said..." its wanga danga doodle Dad!" and we did our "hoppy-bobby dance" in the aisle! damn I miss those days!