Grateful Dead

I bought 24 tickets and sold them to kids I went to school with. I went with three women and had another time of my life. Thanks Dixie, Pat, and Laura

This was the culmination of more than four years of trying to get the Dead to come to NIU. The first attempt was in 1973 when the NIU Bail Bond Committee (an anti-war student group) set up a show as a fundraiser. When they used the initial ticket sales for promotion and the show fell through, many folks lost money. They finally came and a splendid time was guaranteed for all.

We were too poor to buy tickets, so my friends and I begged to get stage crew jobs from the student concert commitee. We worked all day: some of us set up thousands of chairs in the arena, while others pulled the neatly packed stage components and lights out of semi-trailers and assembled them under the official crew's patient direction. The band stayed out of the way in rooms behind the stage. Late in the day we could smell the aromas from the amazing dinner that their cook had created for them. Later we got to listen to the sound check - Jerry seemed to be particularly happy, and played a stanza of Cream's "Spoonful" for us. The student crew mostly didn't get backstage passes and didn't have assigned seats either, so we mingled with twirley dancers and wandered through the crowd. The concert was very excellent, and the encore, 'Saturday Night', was a balls-out boogie with Bob screaming his heart out. After the show, many of the student stage crew were toasted to a crisp. The few of us left standing struggled to dissasemble the stage and then pile the parts back onto the trucks. I think I slept for two days afterwards. http://www.archive.org/details/gd1977-10-29.mtx.hansokolow.98032.flac16

Great versions of Jack Straw, Minglewood and Grow highlight set 1. Set 2 is awesome all around, but definitely check out Bertha, eues, NFA, Black Peter and the MONSTER Stephen. Great show, 10/10.

Girl friend was on a college year exchange program in Chico and had just been diagnosed with leukemia. Took pictures to send her. Remember reflecting somberly during "Black Peter". By this time they only played Saturday Night on Saturdays. Always a pick me up to hear that. Would retrieve her and her stuff from CA later that year.

I was at this concert and it was one of the best shows I have seen

Have always loved this show. In my touring dreams wish I were on tour 5 years sooner to be here this night. Not much about this one not to like, maybe the fact that its late in the year is all. ( let in year cause have come to dislike October only cause lost the love of my life in this month.) other than that this one is off the charts. The jam between Eyes and Stephen along with the next jam have always stood out. This morning how ever the Let it grow took over. If anyone has not listened to this show do it as soon as possible. Recommend having time to listen to it in it's entirety wowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww .

check out the next night for spoonful jam before minglewood

There is a video (on the internet that I downloaded) of the one song Eyes of the World ... The video is very good and the sound quality is fine. Before I found this, I only really liked the Raceway Park rendition. But this recording (less than 2 months later)of this beautiful transcendental song certainly hits the mark ....

What a magic night. Drove up from Macomb to be with a group of my best friend. It was a cosmic night in many ways that brought me to where I am at today...completely taken by the band. We danced right up next the stage and Garcia did a little smile my way. Many things happened that night that leads me to this day. More at another time.