Grateful Dead

They sure do like to arrest people in Richmond. See my 85' post. Dougles

A lot of folks poo-poo the 80's shows but give this one a listen: it's a wee bit sloppy sure but MAN, it is also very intense!!Minglewood went on FOREVER w/ Bobby forcing himself to learn the slide just measure after measure in front of us all with Jerry just laying back there helping him learn. Cassidy was damn near perfect. The space was outrageous. MMMMMMWWWWAAAAAPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!! When the boys nailed that a-cappella part in China Doll you could hear a pin drop. The best part is I can hear myself laughing on one of the aud tapes during the intro to TLEO. I was a newbie and got a lot of guff from the veteran tapers to whom I was standing too close for my natural volume level. What a show!!! XOXOXOXO L/S

What a great show. First set lots of fun. Phil is just booming in first set... 2nd set is a classic. 3 great jams (Between Scarlet/Fire, Playing, out of space). As I remember (foggy at best) Jerry broke a string during Space and while he fixed it Phil, Bobby and Brent just went off. While the cops were a little aggressive outside, inside was great. The roof looked like a Giant Spider web, very trippy indeed. I actually enjoyed this show more than the 2 classics they played there in 1985.

I guess whatever dose I took at the start of this night was waaaay too strong and most of the first set is a mind melt.During the break, I was so high that I just walked around the lower perimeter of the upper level, over and over again (I couldn't stop) until the second set started. I think I gradually learned that if I was going to dose, It was best to do it hours before the show so that once it started you had a reached a level of consciousness where you could get the most out of the scene and more importantly, the music. The second set of this show launched me into the stratosphere. I didn't even mind the Day Job encore, because the rest was so great.

I always come back to this show it seems.I love these 84 shows

For those of you who weren't there or just haven't heard this second set. In my humble opinion, it's the most powerful Fire On The Mountain I witnessed in that entire decade. This includes the Merriweather '85 and New Haven '83 versions, which are also historical. Hearing the beginning notes of Playin' In The Band after that was a Deadhead's dream. What a beautiful China Doll. If you listen very closely starting just after the 11:30 mark of Playin', there is a Dark Star tease from Weir.

The bus came by and I got on...

My one and only Richmond show, I'll never forget the Looks Like Rain, a song I usually don't like, but this night it was excellent. I was kind of sad after the show because I had to say good-bye to my new friends I met in Charlotte and Richmond and somehow hitchhike back up to Mass. in time for the Worcester shows. I ended up getting a ride from Richmond to near DC. My next ride was a group of drunk guys who pulled over and asked me to drive since they were too drunk. Unfortunately, they weren't going far, but far enough to get me to an old friend's house who let me spend the night, in Fairfax, VA. I decided to catch a flight home since I only had a day to get home, and didn't want to miss the first Worcester show. I think People's Express had really low fares back then for last minute flights!