Grateful Dead

I was 28. A great-looking girl behind me said my back was getting sunburned. Should I have asked for her phone number?

I went to this show with a very pretty, really nice girl named Brenda. Brenda, if you're out there somewhere, it would be great to hear from you. Funny that Lloyd Thomas should mention sunburn; I got a terrible one that day! I remember the huge bank of PA/amplifiers, all with a tie-dyed look to them...awesome!

This show was awesome. According to the setlists, I'd seen Scarlet Begonias before, but this one was the one that opened my ears up. It's the epitome of how tight they could be. It didn't take long for them to lose the tightness either! Yes, a sunny, hot day, many minds were blown. Listen to Bobby's parts on Tennessee Jed too!

We took one look at the stadium and headed for the only spot w/shade, the last row in the upper deck, directly in front of center stage. By sitting with our backs up against the stadium wall we managed to stay out of the sun and avoid a nasty sunburn.

I'd seen the Dead before, but this was the one where I "got it" in spades. I'd arrived solo the night before and slept in the car. Early next morning was the long lineup, then both Angels and horse cops compacted the line; I remember only being able to see just a girl's hand and head from under a knot of Heads saying "Yeah, I'm alright, don't worry about me". Thankfully for her, gates opened a bit early.When we briskly walked in the gate I was astonished to see that monster sound system in the morning sunshine, looking like a giant Martian hieroglyphic. Planted myself a couple dozen feet in front of the stage and lo and behold there are two high school guitarist buddies Neil and Mike. We did the dots and waited. Mike kept saying "I don't feel a thing" and we keep telling him "You will". This is repeated at regular "are we there yet" intervals, so we finally tell him he'll sink to the depths of hell or something to shut him up. Eventually, there's an eerie quiet and we look down to see Mike with a white knuckle grip on his lawn chair, lest he lose his grip and slip loose into the sky! ...and it was show time. I really enjoyed Maria Muldaur's set, with John Kahn on bass, and became a life-long fan on the spot. John came back with Jerry on banjo in a bluegrass band incarnation named Great American String Band, which was my closest brush with the Old & In The Way thing. Finally the Dead came on with a meaty new US Blues which immediately had everyone, Mike included, dancing and bouncing around. My only concern was staying clear of Neil's flailing elbows, but I was having a ball! Scarlet and ChinaCat/Rider were big faves in that first set as yellow passenger jets climbed into the blue sky in the background from the local airport. Break-time included the obligatory "Sgt Pepper's" album on the PA (guaranteed good vibes), and a chance to grab a drink and a Monster LightningSkull/Weed T-Shirt. Back into it with Promised Land, then another newie (Ship Of Fools), then rippin' into the Truckin>Let It Grow (no Prelude) medley. We were bathed in crystal clear sound that could crack like close thunder or drop to the quietest nuance of Jerry's little pinkie on the fretboard. Just too right for words. Eventually to the energetic end; Sunshine Daydream>GDTRFB>Saturday Night, then DRIVING THAT TRAIN just to squeeze every last synapse into harmony. It was simply a perfect perfect day, and it's true; the music never stopped for me. (p.s. I swear I wrote this review already a few months back, but it's presently AWOL, so if the computer sends it back here again sometime, please don't be cranky, okay?)

Camping on the field next to the stadium watching the crew stack speakers erecting the wall of sound.......the sprinklers came on....signs around the stadium warning of undercover cops.....one of them made us dump our musical enhancements.....hindsight tells us we should have just played keep-a-way amidst the sea of tye dye. The sights.....The smells.......The SOUNDS......There's nothing like a Grateful Dead concert.

We sailed up from So Cal in Rutherfords boat, stayed at SB HarbourTook L went to show in white Van, The sweet girl sitting next to me, did not look away, the only thing I said was "Jerry sounds like a Gatling Gun!" Holy flashback

Maria Muldaur opened. It was a beautiful sunny day, perfect temp, with a slight breeze. The Dead played their asses off, as usual.

This was the ultimate show.I was 14.I'll never forget....Bill walton with his girlfriend on his shoulders were in front of me [lucky me]It was cool to be with the grownups I guess.I didnt know jerry was up there until U.S. blues opened the electric set.Thank you dean abrams for the photo of jerry garcia,it means alot to me.More than you could know.I have always dreamed of having a tape of this show.More pics would be awesome and more comments from people about this show would be great.I want more,more,more,gimme.gimme,gimme....Thanks again dean.

Wait deadnet, Im not done getting in my "one show"......Bobby owned the electric set.Totally.His 335 made me feel like I was hanging off the side of a freight train in the rockies when they ripped into me and my uncle.....The acoustic set seemed louder.The captain was in top form.

Its like this folks.......we got there late at night and camped on the grass next to the stadium.They hit us with the sprinklers[intentionally,of course]then got in line in the a.m.Past the sign that said "cameras strictly forbidden"[dean]then through the tunnel out onto the field,turn left and wow,yellow umbrellas and speakers.We thought we were gonna play in the super bowl and ya know what?......we did.Ran toward the endzone and got stopped at the 20 yard line.I guess my wh and neverole trip here is to say that the acoustic set not only wouldve burned off the pioneers ears but wouldve blown them out of there covered wagons.A most if not thee most remarkable acheivment in american music history and I want the dead to get credit for it.We will hold this close to our hearts and never let go.....thanks jerry.

As already mentioned, it was a beautiful day in Santa Barbara. First time seeing Maria Muldaur...loved Midnight at the Oasis. Jerry had shaved. Very cool US Blues to open. Just a great day. I remember tables set up to the side of the crowd with those square cards depicting the Compliments of Garcia Album cover.

Drool........we tried to reach up to the tables to get those cards and got our hands smacked.Mean people who put those cards out........real meanies!

we missed those cards.....[head hanging down]

A huge banner was drapped at the top of the stadium which read "NO DRUGS". Well, the orange was already in...don't remeber too much about this show except I know I had a great time!

Told my parents I was going to go the mountains in Los Padres National Forest with an old grade school buddy Gary Garcia - Well, it was a LITTLE white lie - I went with Gary to see Jerry! lolFirst Dead show.....Temps in the mid-90's with NO breeze coming off the ocean that was right behind UC Campus, weird.....did not expect to see a sound system like that, incredibly cheerful people, friendly & beautiful ladies, people lighting up hooters and sharing....."Wow! This is MY kind of rock 'n roll crowd!" is what I kept saying to my buddy Gary and myself. And the music? Well, cowboy, these songs were right up my alley. I remember Mexicali Blues, Deal, Scarlet Begonias (the ladies were LOVIN' that one), Me & My Uncle, El Paso (Wha? A Marty Robbins song! Hot Digggidy!) and I was blown away by Big River and the Truckin' jam into other songs. The next show would be in Los Angeles. Woah, what a DIFFERENT vibe THAT town had towards the Grateful Dead and it was NOT a positive one, see my accountof the awesome 15Oct76 show at the Shrine Auditorium, but's that's another story.....

At the top of this page, Notes: shows Maria Muldaur; Great American String Band; Elvin Bishop - 10:00 AM. Elvin Bishop was either a no-show or was not actually scheduled for this date. I don't remember the concert ad for this show, so I can't say whether he actually was scheduled or not. At that time I was starting to like his music and musicianship quite a bit. We slept on the pavement in the parking lot in our sleeping bags, got up early and made a great breakfast on the ol' Coleman, then went and got into the incredibly huge line of deadheads partying their asses off droppin' acid, eating Peyote buttons, shrooms, smokin' the best and waiting in the intense heat for the gate to open. Once the music started it was kicked off with Maria Muldaur. She even sang Midnight at the Oasis. Her guitarist's solo in the song was incredible. The intense heat, and probably highs made "a lot" of people get completely undressed. I would say the temperature could easily have been between 105-108 degrees. This was probably one of the Dead's smokin'est performances I've ever been at. The Dead's sound and performance was incredible. We never wanted the music to stop.

You would not believe how incredible this was for me.

It's funny, very few of my high school friends in LA were into the Dead, and I was 20 before I finally got to see them live. For a first show, this was grand entirely. The day was beautiful, I was a sun-dog anyway, so I didn't burn, and that on-shore breeze from behind our backs was a pure delight. I remember being awestruck several times over- The beauty of the day, the grooviness of the crowd (yes, I said GROOVINESS), that fucking Wall Of Sound that reached up to Heaven, and of course, the guys and the music. I came away with the definite feeling that I'd found my band. I think I saw them at least once every West Coast tour they made after that until '83, when I moved to Oregon. After that, they had to come up and see me, which they did, several times. A couple of New Year's Eve stands, a few away trips (Vegas? You gotta be kidding me!), the US Festival (10AM show time, and 105F before Noon), the 2nd Oregon Country Field Trip, some 50-odd shows near as I can figure out. I sure am glad I could make it. Thanks everyone. Love ya.

I just read a post a few ahead of mine, and he didn't remember any sea breeze at all. Don't listen to me, I was probably high, or maybe now. I guess I should have just said I was there, and left it at that, all the rest is a big, multi-colored, swirling cloud of impressions. Like most of my Dead show memories, to tell the truth.

my girlfriend penny had a friend on the concert committee so we got free tickets by helping with the crowd line. we got white t's with a blue lightning skull stencle and printing that said something like "no booze, no drugs, no weapons", we got to keep the shirts, and it was a favorite until a fiend from Hawaii ripped it off... show was awesome, great sound, maria muldar, jug band, and then the boys! funny though, cuz I loved US blues, but I thought the opening version was a bit disjointed. that said, we were down front for the whole show, and it was a mind-blower....

We came in the night before in my friend Ed Hanson's old Ford pickup and camper and spent the night in the parking lot. My ol' lady Lupe and I slept in a sleeping bag in the empty space next to the truck. We got up early on the morning of the show and had hash browns and eggs cooked on a Coleman two-burner camp stove. By nine o'clock we had dropped our acid and were standing in the tremendously huge, Dead-friendly, partying line (everybody sharing and consuming 'everything'). We were all singing Dead songs together. Once the gates opened we flooded in and got ready to watch the show. For some reason it was an exceptionally HOT!!!! day for May. As the day progressed a lot of people over-amped and a lot of people got totally naked in the bleachers on the sea side trying to Deal with the heat. We positioned ourselves on the lawn (as usual) on the Jerry side of the stage, Dead center on the lawn. It was definitely the most incredible (and memorable) Dead concert ever for us, being the first time we ever saw, heard and felt The Wall Of Sound monster sound system. The reason I am commenting and sharing that great Grateful Dead and Deadheads day is because, as previously mentioned we were there from the time the music began with Maria Muldaur, then the Great American String Band (with Jerry on Banjo), then the Dead. Having been there since before the gates opened, I for certain do not remember seeing Elvin Bishop perform. If he had, I would have remembered him because I really liked him, too. All in all this show still, to this day runs through my head all the time and when it does I do the Dead Dance!!!! wherever I'm at. The Grateful Dead will be with me forever, and I hope with everyone else, too. Love to all, KEEP ON TRUCKIN' >>>>

I brought in a 8mm projector. Shot regular 8 film, no sound. Got some great clips of the WALL. On YouTube search for "Grateful Dead: Live at the Campus Stadium, UC Santa Barbara on 1974-05-25 (no sound)". Link: https://youtu.be/HYt8RQQoMjA Great day of music! I filmed the 2 openers too (GASB and Maria. Elvin did not perform that day).

Far out footage of the epic WALL OF SOUND!

Thanks for sharing this, I'd love to hear more about your experience at the show & shooting this footage.

Is this the entirety of what you shot that day?

Video editor / Deadhead geek here, if you're down to discuss it, hit me up and I'd really dig hearing the story behind the footage and maybe we could collaborate on putting it to music.

Thanks again for posting this!

went to this show... girlfriends friend was on ucsb entertainment committee, so we got free ticket for being "crowd control" on the line. we were given cool t-shirts with "no glass, no drugs, no knives" (or something close to that) stenciled on them as well as a blue "steal your face" skull. Got in right before the show, which was GREAT!!!
unfortunately David Ross stole my t-shirt out of my drawer while visiting from Hawaii shortly after....
I was on the Jerry side up front, so maybe saw Teadhead LOL...
this is the show where the huge "wall of sound" central suspended speaker "column" swayed a touch dangerously in the wind before the boys came on, as a toddler played beneath it...
The band wobbled out of the gate with an unsteady US Blues, but from there, it was upward and onward!!!
The show ended as the sun set in the west, and we headed back to my buddies house in SB for a couple of lines and a toke or two...
As to Elvin, one of the all-time great live entertainers, Teadead is right, he didn't play, having played a gig in SB the night before, I believe... I think he was on the bill in '78 ( the infamous warren zevon show: i thought he was great!) at this same venue, hence the confusion....

My first Grateful Dead show