Grateful Dead

Remember that? I doI was a sophomore in High School and this show was on a Thursday night (as I remember).Needless to say my parents weren't too happy when I strolled in the door at 3:30 am still buzzed (in more ways than the obvious) after being entertained by the greatest band to ever take the stage. Prior the concert my friends and I always spoke of the songs we hoped they'd play,we were all out of our minds to here Jack Straw/Morning Dew/China Cat/Truckin' and DARK STAR! Whoa! Now that was a show. I retrospect I can't see through the archives that these guys were on their greatest roll of all time,but when we were standing so close to the stage during the actual show we had no idea that it could be this good. It was,and I feel sorry for anyone too young to have been able to see this band then.

I was 16 yrs old ~ went from the dave clark 5 to The Dead in 5 hoursThe first time I heard China>Rider I new I found religion. My older brother Phil took me & he's now hanging out with Jerry. Oh by the way Dick's picks 36 (this show) came out 2 weeks after he passed. Now That's Religion the way it ought to be ! FARE THEE WELL

Where did you go to school ? I was a sophmore too ~ Pennsbury.

Remember that? I do Is China Cat your favourite GD song?It's mine for certain. I also love Dark Star,Eyes of the World,Morning Dew,St. Stephen etc. Any of the best jam songs were my fav's. Do you ever go to see Ratdog or Phil & Friends? It's fun to be our age and still visit the shows.The music is still tremendous too. I'll think of your brother the next time I listen to #36. Cheers! jim

Remember that? I do Small world don't you think? How were you the next day? I can still remember being detained in detention for falling asleep in German class. Oh well,I guess the joy of being of teutonic heritage didn't interest me as much as the jams of Jerry and the boys from the previous night.It didn't matter anyway because I wound up becoming a chef after college,and I still can't read German.

I had more fun in the Spectrum then in any other venue. I grew up in a little town (Phoenixville) about 20 minutes from Philly this is where I got to hang with some of my most dearest friends having the best times of our lives. I didn't get to see my first show for another 12 years, but they seemed to blow the lid off that place everytime.

Jim,Thanks for the warm response ~ China>Rider; Iko, Jack Straw, The Other One 'Eyes' for sure. Ripple & Brokedown Palace which I sang @ my brothers' service. Also wore tie-dye 'cause he wanted me to. Send me your e-mail address & I'll send you a church sign re; comments from up high about Jerry's thoughts on Rat Dog & Phil & Friends. I chose to keep going to shows & keeping the good vibes alive. Onward ^ Fred G ~ fgermaine@kc.rr.com

Are you still a chef ? I'm a partner in a wine disributor in KC. MO I really miss Balloons * I don't remember the next day at all ~ but I do remember the show`

The Universe moved to welcome me into the Journey that I still follow. Earlier that afternoon I was introduced to Mr. Natural and all the turns that brought me through. As the Sun grew low my older brother invited his 14 year old brother along to share a band like no other. "What a long strange trip its been..." Thank you.

"...And I will be thereFor the price of a taxi ride." Jerry performs in the Bay Area the night after this, 9/22, in a benefit w/ Merl Saunders. Then he's back on the East Coast for consecutive nights in Waterbury, the 23rd and 24th. Oh to be young, talented, and in demand. This all in the midst of possibly the three greatest Dark Stars ever performed consecutively- 9/21, 9/24, 9/27.

I was 14 also, went with my best friend and his older brother and gf. I still have that ticket stub. What a night. I twirlled my ass off that night and have been dizzy ever since. I like long walks, especially when taken by people who annoy me!

as with my first in "69" this was with a group of friends from PSU@ state college, pa. we were all on the bus this night don't know how we made it from state college to philly. And i'd have to look at the set list to tell you what they played. However it was a great freekin time!!!

He loves the Dead and all of all his stories this is my favorite, how they played for 5 and a half hours and the wall of sound... It all sounds awesome, but at the same time it makes me sad that I'll never get to experience it the way he did.

This was a strange show for me had not had any sleep in 48 hours.Was real buzzed i remember a guy in the parking lots selling TRIPS.

My first show was in 1976 at the Tower Theater outside of Philly, I was 17 at the time. However Europe ’72 was my first exposure to the Dead and I just loved the whole album and, all the music from ’72 has been very special to me ever since. This show was on my home turf so, I feel I have some connection to it, I saw them there so many times over the years. However, this show is no doubt unique, not only due to how well they played (probably the best Dark Star that I have ever heard), but the length of the show is unbelievable. It’s so great to read some of the stories from the folks that were there. Thanks! Pete

It was also my first show and a sophomore as well 16 yrs old and my brother drove. Mine is still with me. Yes that was some of their better shows. I remember standing in front of the stage, Jerry playing his white Strat. I was totally blown away and hooked. I will never forget that experience. I think that show and the Boston Music Hall shows Nov 30 1973 were the best I had seen. Oh yea from Vineland, NJ live in the Phila burbs now. The music never stops.

The September 21, 1972 show was my first Grateful Dead concert. It was my senior year. It was a school night. Thursday. I dragged myself through my classes all day Friday while everyone asked me what was it like. I think my basic response was, "You have to go to a Grateful Dead concert to even have a chance of understanding what that band is all about." The review by Jonathan Takiff of the Philadelphia Inquirer the next day was entitled, "Grateful Dead leaves 'em alive, thankful." He gave the 4 and 1/2 hour show a good review. But I already had been exposed to the magic. "That's where it all began."

This Grateful Dead Show was approximately 4 and 1/2 hours. When I made the decision to go, I had practically no familiarity with any of the band's repertoire except for "Truckin.'" But that all changed after this most memorable evening of my young life.
The audience was unique. This was only the second rock and roll show I had attended. I was seventeen. Approximately seven months earlier, I had attended my first rock show at the Philadelphia Spectrum.
Black Sabbath was the headliner with Wild Turkey and the Edgar Winter Group opening. Wild Turkey, a local band from New Jersey was booed off the stage. It was an uncomfortable moment. Edgar Winter performed Frankenstein. And Black Sabbath played for about ninety minutes.
So, with a very limited amount of live show exposure, the Grateful Dead's musical journey was in itself a mind-bending experience. I went to the show with a good friend of mine. I believe I borrowed my sister's '68 Chevy Biscayne to get there. I eventually learned that a few other people I knew were also at the show. And I'm pretty sure most of us were not as familiar with the band's songs as some of the other people in the audience.
The audience was unique. They danced. All night they danced. Eventually, with some gentle prodding, I danced too. Not the Dick Clark's Bandstand kind of dance. But an always improvising swaying swirling kind of dervish that was easy and fun. There was a lot of pot and hash. No one forced it on me. The air was thick with the beautiful smell. The music was all around me.
The next day, the Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper review entitled, "Grateful Dead leaves 'em alive, thankful" by Jonathan Takiff, did its best to describe the show. Indeed, that would seem a daunting task given how indescribable this event had been. I still have a copy of that review. The other side of that newspaper clipping had a listing of movies that were being shown at the time. One of the movies was A Clockwork Orange. It was rated X.
The show was on a Thursday night. The next day, I dragged myself through all of my classes at St. James Catholic High School for Boys. It was well-known that I had attended the Spectrum concert. Even my teachers knew. My classmates kept asking me what it was like. All I could honestly tell them was that they would have to go to a show themselves to truly find out. It was not easy trying to describe something I had just experienced for the first time.
Now, I am a member of that unique audience. Thank God that Dick's Picks Volume 36 has lovingly archived this special show. Without an indisputable reference such as Vol. 36, I would still be at a loss to accurately relate what the band played that evening. But I will never forget being there.