Grateful Dead

just seemed not to be able to get it together for this night. “The Omnipotent Grateful Dead!”

This was my first and only show at this venue and my first Traffic show, and that was a good one as far as I can remember...And it was raining raining raining....

This was the last show I ever saw, and of course, the last time I ever saw Jerry. It was also the only show I left before it was over. A friend, who I had been through many dozens of shows with, decided that it was just too boring, so we figured we'd go out to the parking lot and have some fun. Seriously, the scene was just so damn silly at that point, thousands of people milling around without tickets, having zero interest in getting inside, only there to party and destroy what was at one time such a beautiful thing. Anyway, the scene outside reminded me of one of those bazaars in India or someplace, with people just yelling and screaming and selling anything you could possibly want. We had nothing to sell, but it seemed like the thing to be doing. Sooo.... My buddy and I sat at the end of one of the parking lot tunnels, offering up "day old tuna" to whoever walked by. I know it sounds really stupid, but in the context of where we were, it was the only funny thing happening for miles around. Soon, a dude comes up to us with a HUGE cooler full of beer. Six feet by 2 feet, filled with imported brew, the good stuff. He explains to us his predicament; the show is going to let out soon, and he has to go get his OTHER big cooler full of beer, to be able to provide the best service possible to all the thirsty heads that are about to be unleashed on the parking lot. (Obviously, this is just another guy with no interest in the band, just cashing in on our good time.) Would my friend and I be willing to safeguard his cooler while he went to retrieve the other one? Sure, he says, you guys can have a couple on the house, and I'll be back in about 10 minutes. My friend and I felt that we were in no position to deny this guy a favor, right? I mean he's willing to give us a beer and everything. So, we agree to guard the goods. Hurry back, bro!! As I mentioned before, we were sitting at the end of a short tunnel that leads to the stadium from the lot. All of a sudden we get the idea to move across to the other side of the tunnel and let him think that we absconded with his beer, just to watch his reaction. Terrible, I know, but it was absolutely in line with the spirit of what going to a Dead show had become. And I gotta say, to watch the guy flip out for 20 seconds, thinking that we had ripped him off was priceless. We gave the guy back his beer, had a good laugh, and walked off into the sunset, so to speak. A great time, indeed.

This night was so sad and disappointing for me. Jerry was (I think) mailing it in regularly at this point and it showed. The botched Brokedown was the last hurrah for me, and I decided I couldn't watch the band fall to pieces any longer. The whole experience was so warped at this point that I opted out. The Dead were and still are, too important to me to see the fallout firsthand. I'm glad my memories of Joyous Times are intact, and not sullied by the 95 tour experience. His job is to shed light, not to master.

Was this the show it absolutley poored at? Anyway, the tone for these shows started when some friends of mine were robbed at gun point of everything in their pockets right on Lot! I also heard of other kids getting heldup through out the day. Anyone else remember the kid that tried to scale the outside wall next to the main entrance? He got up there pretty high

Took my youngest son as a 12th birthday present--his first rock and roll show (he's a major Floyd freak now) --could have turned him off to music altogether (tho' Stevie W. had moments of luster). Agree with all of the comments about bad venue, bad weather, bad music...poor Jerry--

I hadn't seen the Dead since the Hampton 92 shows, and went with a friend on a whim. Traffic was great, I was very happy to see them, but I was very disappointed in the Dead. Oh well, I didn't think it would be my last, but I had a feeling it might be.... 1981-1994. Not a bad run...

After this show I thought to myself, I can't go back anymore. I have to remember the better times and shows. This show was so lackluster, I was like, does Jerry even want to do this anymore? I never went to the 95 shows, it seemed pointless and knowing now Jerry return to his addiction it certainly showed here. It was a fun ride!!!

Attended this miserable show with three buddies and was on some really good acid, which was a shame. One of the guys I was with was this Korean dude He was a real asshole, and he wasn’t into the band at all (He had no desire to go into the show) and was really just along to make money off these stupid T-shirts he had printed up which had some Renaissance / Raphael babies on it and the caption read “Playfull Dead”, yeah I know super frickin’ stupid and anyways the word “playful” is supposed to be written with one L, not two. But he got his whole supply nabbed by the ‘Dead merchandise police, which I secretly found funny because the jerk deserved it, but hey he didn’t even have any Grateful Dead logos on the shirts, in his defense.

So I got into the venue, was tripping major balls and it was raining like hell, and they opened with “Hell in a Bucket”which seemed completely appropriate because the whole scene was kind of hellish. Jerry was obviously smacked up. You could also tell the band was *super* pissed off at him because Bobby would play a song and then angrily remove his guitar the storm off stage, Vince looked visibly annoyed, they were ALL annoyed with Jerry, It was obvious to see in their demeanor. Then FF to set 2, they got to “He’s Gone” and Jerry played that opening riff for probably five minutes until it got completely uncomfortable, everyone’s looking at each other like OK when is he going to start singing, the band kept looking over at him like “You gonna sing the fucking song or what?!?” You can actually find this in the archive recording and hear what I’m talking about. Finally he started singing and there was a huge wave of relief that came over the audience because he just kept playing that stupid riff over and over and over, with this annoying spaced-out look on his face, and it seemed like it would never end. But finally it did end and then we made it back to our campground, which was *completely* soaked and our tents were wiped out, Slept in a cold puddle till the morning, couldn’t wait to get home!!!