Grateful Dead

This was my first show. Drank a lot of Genny Red Eyes. Sat on the hood of the car for that long, bumper to bumper ride towards the parking lot and just took it all in.

This first set was disapointing but the 2nd set and Dylan/Petty were great. If you can find the Blowin in the Wind from this show you will have found a gem. A country arrangement with gospel singing girls. It was excellent. Check out Etta James version of that song on i-Tunes.

Headed up to Providence with my cousin Pete to hook up w/ his pal Kevin. On the 3rd, we had a blast in Newport. My wife was home and about 6 months pregnant and I was feeling things closing in, so it was great to get away. Sorry honey. The next day we headed hungover to the show in Kevin's van. He had been living up that way for awhile and when the traffic on the highway backed up, he said he new a shortcut and got off. Bad move. We headed through the back roads in bumper to bumper traffic only to end up hours later in almost the same spot on the highway. If it was bad for us, it was horrible for the locals who were trying to pick up last minute beer and shit for Fought-a-July parties. They couldn't even get out of their drive ways. They are probably still cursing the long hair freaks who ruined their day. Finally got into the parking lot and settled down about a mile from the stadium. Got inside with floor tickets. Instead of having us walk down some stairs, were were instructed to simply jump on to the field. Bad omens were pilling up by the minute, with freaks sitting in the sweltering heat naked as they tried to hang on to their last shreds of reality. Never really liked Petty. The Dead set was really two sets crammed into one and then a second set with Dylan. None of it seemed noteworthy, except it was cool to see Jerry play peddle steel. The show mercifully ended and then we had to head out. Traffic in the lot snarled. Fire works freaked out my cousin, so he had to get out of the van. He grabbed the hibachi, ran about hundred yards ahead and started cooking burgers and dogs. By the time we got to him, they were done. He cooked them all and handed them out to the non-vegetarians stuck in the mire. The next day we drove back to NYC among more traffic and accidents. The night in Newport was great, the show was one of the worst I attended and it was nice to be back home with my pregnant wife. We had a beautiful, redhaired little girl who is almost 20 now. Oh yeah, Touch of Grey had just hit the radio.

During The Wheel, the tune was broadcast to the viewers of Farm Aid...we still need Farm Aid and the Big Wheel

It was REALLY hot that day, that's why the 1st Set was so short. One of the highlights for me was watching a girl lean over the railing from the upper deck and puke over the side. You could hear the SPLAT! as it nailed a girl in a tank top right on the back. She was ordained "Yack Back" for the rest of the show. I thought it was funny...but the acid may have contributed...

I remember Cold Rain and snow kicking ass.Phil Saying in the 2nd st " Welcome to farm aid TV" GDTRFB was the highlight for me. The next morning we caught a plane back to NJ. Before take off the the captain, co-pilot, stewardess walked up and down the isle........looking at all the haeds. Then one stewardess asked me my name and where I was from. I told her thinking there was a problem. she left. Then before we took off the Captain got on the PA and said Ladieis and gentalmen, the crew of this plan had a contest, a tie-dyed contest that is. And we think that Gary Hartman in seat 21a has the best looking tie-dye, Gary would stand up and show the people your shirt? I did.....and won a free drink of my choice!! After this show...........I remember thinks started getting very crowed and crazy.........Touch of Gray Yuppies were amoung us

This day was a fun day for me and my friends. It was awsome walking through the parking lot at night after the show. Lots and Lots of pretty fireworks!!!!!!!! Chuck

It was the last leg of a long journey...a crazy tour....Jack Straw on the 4th of July....."leaving Texas......4th day of July!"....and it was hot and then things started to melt and weave...jerry was looking right at me(where is the light show???...awww...hell its an afternoon show) i hate stadium crowds...."sun so hot...the clouds so low" the music began to spring from the stage like giant florencent fireworks...the rays of the sun bounced off the speakers....there was a giant gumby talking to me from the side stage.....red....purple....popping colors of a moving waterfall....cold sweat pouring down my face(ilost my friends....i dont care....a predrums "Wheel"....holy shit.....hang tight.....you can make it...."won't you try just a little bit.."..bobby so smooth today....phil so thundering....bleepBLAHmoooosh---KaSHeeepMop...∞•••§§cold water pleeze(≈™œ´∂ƒ∫ºøæ....damnwhata show!/tour The sun will shine......in my backdoor someday!

Of course I had to pick the one where Dylan and The Dead DIDN'T play together. But I caught that the following year.

Xhooked up with old high school sweetheart and a bunch of friends from a town i moved away from for this show (army bratt that i was) the lot of them were saying they we going to a dylan show, and i insisted it was a dead show first dead exp for them at the end of the night they all said hey alot of people were there to see the dead and now we know what you mean high school sweetheart is gone now unexpected accident here is to fond memories and young love and all the shows the dead performed especially the magic ones before touch of gray linned the crowd with too many undeadicated

Is the Jack Straw on the 4th being soo cool. My mind is too blown, I can't remember shit. I don't think I was all that impressed w Dylan, I've seen him sound much better. God, I don't even remember the Pre Drum Wheel...how can I get a new brain??? His job is to shed light, not to master.

My second show, still 16 with no cares. I don't remember much but a long ride with my friend Mike and hanging out in the lot afterwards.

This was my first show and I will tell you Buffalo is my home town and all of the Buffalo shows for myself were hot.

I remember the clouds clicked when they moved.I remember Dylan not knowing most of the words to his songs.. which was nice because it made it seem like Jerry knew them all! The Wheel was a really fun time for me.. and this US Blues was insane.. it's always nice to be part of holiday themed music on the actual holiday in question! (similar to the feel of a rain themed song when it rains) One of the guys we brought with us was whacked out of his mind on I think Xanax, I got and stayed as far away as I could until the ride home....After this show, I only went with people I loved. The boy I brought with me I would go on to bring to 5 or 6 more shows scattered over the years.. haven't seen him since I got married the first time almost 20 years ago now.. but he was good friend from ages 10-20 and he loved the Dead almost as much as me... Funny what you remember when you start dredging up things close to your heart and the Dead.

I had casts on both my armsduring this show... on the first of july a window i was cleaning snapped and fell on both my arms almost cuttng off my hands

glad you're still with us!

Drove up from the Rainbow Gathering in PA for this. There seemed to be weird vibes this day - maybe that was in relation to all the peace, love, and harmony I had just left. But Jerry seemed a bit off. I thought it had something to do with him wearing a red T-shirt instead of the customary black, which may have been some nod to the colors of the flag. Maybe it was the heat. Then again, he did have his first medical episode a few days later after the RFK shows. I remember being more impressed by Dylan and Petty. Hey, they can't all be diamonds. Still, that second set list looks pretty good to me, now. furthering mandolin consciousness

1st time seeing the Dead. Changed my life. This was actually one of the poorest shows I attended, playing-wise, but I was too blown away by the whole scene to know the difference (I had no other shows to compare it to, either). Summertime Dead........ such beautiful memories (or lack thereof..... ha ha).

Certainly my biggest Dead show in terms of audience size. That did not make it a good thing. I remember a naked chick flying up the middle of the crowd, just as high as she could be. I met some friends in Buffalo and we sat at about center-field. The Dylan show with Petty was great. He did not come out during the Dead's set (contrary to another poster's memory -- you are mixing up two different shows, dude). Long drive back to Tampa the next day, playing the guess-the-species-of-roadkill game.

This was my dad's first show. So cool! He's a big fan of Grateful Dead!

Great memory to start the day with, to be sure! Fell asleep in the sun and got a sun burn on half of my face. I looked freaky until I took some lipstick and colored in the other half of my face. But I still looked freaky for sure. I left red lipstick on everyone as hugs were given...Ha!

All I remember was crossing the border to go up the needle thing and check out the view. We were already tripping when we crossed the border. Border guard asks me "can you speak english" A: yes; "can you read english" A:yes "Then why the F__did't you stop at the white line (who knew there was a white line?!). My friend had his guitar in the back seat. The guard asks "Are you going to play that guitar in Canada?" It was all we could do to hold it together. He proceeded to threaten to take our guitar. Apparently, Panhandling is illegal in Canada. We convinced him we were not going to play the guitar and he let us go....another close one.

I mean, gracious, it was July! I knew Buffalo was cold, but that was absurd. I also remember thinking, as I did in Akron, that Dylan wasn't all that inspired...EXCEPT...for whatever reason, he did a great solo version of "Hard Rain" that certainly the best thing he and probably anybody played that day. He was really inspired for that five minutes. If you've seen Bob in the last twenty years, you've probably seen a good show, but he was really spotty in those days.

Grateful Dead 7-4-86 Rich Stadium Orchard Park NY "on you tube" not techy enough to copy paste address Two shows later Jerry was sick and shortly after slipped into the coma. He looks pretty good on the 4th here in Buffalo. Happy and full of energy.

sON OF A BITCH DROVE THE 9.5 HOURS TO THE VENUE WITHOUT A LICENSE! ANotehr classic summer show! Even Lester was present!

My biggest memory occurred when Petty started to play after the Dead. This skinny deadhead, in full panic mode, scaled a very imposing chain-link fence in a matter of seconds. He just couldn't get out of there fast enough. I'm sure it was the fastest this kid ever moved in his life. I'll never forget the look in his eye. It was the same look I saw when I side-swiped a deer. Poor creature. One minute you're running free through the woods and the next Bam! Right out of nowhere!