Grateful Dead w/Pete Townshend ~ 3/28/81
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On March 28th, 1981, I was at The RockPalast in Essen, Germany, in the 5th Row for The Who & The Grateful Dead . I actually snuck into the show with some Belgian friends. Long story. We left from Brussels, Belgium headed for Essen, Germany, but had gone 45 minutes the wrong way on the Autobahn, so we got there late and completely missed The Who's set, which ended at Midnight. We had no tickets, so while we were in the parking lot, trying to figure out how to get in, a Coach Bus pulled up and parked right next to us, and Jerry Garcia popped out and said "Hi!" We said "Hey, Jer." back, with the girls giggling in disbelief. Then the whole band filed out of the Bus, as well as The Flying Karamazov Brothers, and we tried to follow them all in back stage. The attractive girls we were with got in with the band but not me & the guys I was with. So, my Belgian pal Bernard says, "Listen, Germany is a very orderly society. No one would ever dream of trying to walk in without a ticket. So, that's just what we'll do" I replied to Bernard, "That's just crazy enough to work" and it did! We walked right through The RockPalast front doors, straight down to the front of the stage, where we saw the stagehands dismantling The Who's drum kit, in preparation for The Grateful Dead to come out. We hugged each other gleefully and and enjoyed this whole Dead show! There was a time change that night, the clocks went forward an hour, so we walked out smiling after that Dead Show at around 5:00 am...True Story!
This show was a Live Cable TV Broadcast throughout Europe, so it's a rare Pro-Shot Video of the band from this era...
Enjoy!
Grateful Dead 3/28/81 ~ Set 1:
Grateful Dead 3/28/81 ~ Set 2:
Cheers.
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Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: doctor
Awesome story and show. Your
Awesome story and show. Your lucky to have been there. Met a German hippie who was living up in the Himalayas of India in 1990 who was there.He gave me some hash when I left. Brought it back to the states and smoked it here.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Alan R
^ great story.
^ great story.
(did the girls ever tell ya their stories?)
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philzone Refugee
That's cool you were there,
That's cool you were there, DJ, and nice story how you got in.
Doesn't Rock Scully talk about hanging out with Jerry and Townshend down by the river after this show while they were all coming down?
I haven't listened to this show for a while, but I recall thinking it was disjointed and a little bit of a letdown that Pete only sat in on Wharf Rat and Around & Around.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: dj_easy_wind
>>> Dave, I believe Rock said
>>> Dave, I believe Rock said Jerry, Pete & maybe Rock all dosed after the show and hung out , outside somewhere, yes.
I remember feeling the show being seemingly disjointed at the time. I attributed it to the rather garish white stage lighting for the camera shoot, that I felt took away from the Dead's usually cool low key, trippy lighting, especially that Triangular lighting rigs they were using back then. I also remember actually being a bit irked that Jerry pulled out a Wharf Rat, which with it's odd phrasing and chord changes left Pete little chance to do much on. Nevertheless, Pete seemed to be having fun, as well as the Boys, and Pete did rage on the Not Fade Away opener of the jam.
But overall, the RockPalast show seemed a bit anti-climactic to us for the simple reason that it was a big Arena and we had just come off of 4 very intimate, very intense shows in London's Rainbow Theater. Nothing could top that!
With all that said, when I look at the video now, it's all pretty much fire, especially that Althea.
>>> Alan R, the girls were politely asked to leave the backstage area after a while, but I think we all met up again in front of the stage...
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: ImusDeadCo
I have this show on vhs.
I have this show on vhs. Bought it from some guy outside of some show who was walking around with an arm full of videos of various shows. Some time in the 90's I reckon. I'll have to dig it out sometime and check it out. I think I have a vcr somewhere.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: joy
Watched it on TV when it
Watched it on TV when it happened at home just south of Brussels,
Near Waterloo
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: JP (J Bomb)
Looks like Pete bailed on the
Looks like Pete bailed on the set after the coke started to wear off.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Zzzzzz
Second set - Start at 1:12:40
Second set - Start at 1:12:40 - about 5 seconds of the ultimate Phil nerding out moment. So fucking good.
Grateful Dead 3/28/81 ~ Set 2:
https://youtu.be/6xAIdDlQwHY
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: JP (J Bomb)
Is 1981, in certain respects,
Is 1981, in certain respects, the band's most underrated year? A case could be made.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Howard
Spring tour following these
Spring tour following these shows in Germany, Weir adopted a windmill guitar styling mimicking Pete Townshend. Watch any available footage from May 1981, Glens Falls, Cornell, Syracuse, Nassau, New Haven.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Zzzzzz
Tatters, that's worthy of an
Tatters, that's worthy of an entirely different thread. What is the bands most underrated year? Might need to establish what years are "officially" not highly rated.
Also....excellent read to start this thread. Thanks for sharing EW
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: 19.5 Degrees
"Listen, Germany is a very
"Listen, Germany is a very orderly society. No one would ever dream of trying to walk in without a ticket. So, that's just what we'll do" I replied to Bernard, "That's just crazy enough to work" and it did! We walked right through The RockPalast front doors<<<
Nice!
I've always wanted to dress up as if I were a manager with security (pressed pants, shirt, tie, earpiece w/ walk talkie, clipboard) and just walk right into a show ... and play it up real good and make a show of it as I was entering (issuing stern orders into radio).
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: doctor
>>>>>>>>>I've always wanted
>>>>>>>>>I've always wanted to dress up as if I were a manager with security (pressed pants, shirt, tie, earpiece w/ walk talkie, clipboard) and just walk right into a show ... and play it up real good and make a show of it as I was entering (issuing stern orders into radio).
Might be easier to dress up like a hooker and say your with the band.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: doctor
Jerry in Essen 81
Jerry in Essen 81
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: dj_easy_wind
Phil Simon, Editor of Live
Phil Simon, Editor of Live Music, News & Review (LMNR) Online Magazine, saw my post about seeing Pete Townshend jamming with the Grateful Dead in Germany in 1981, and he liked the story enough to publish it in LMNR!
Thanks, Phil! NFA
https://livemusicnewsandreview.com/2020/04/concert-memory-the-who-and-the-grateful-dead/?fbclid=IwAR0aAM71Ar3pGfpTqusyFNfaFgltQiqtS5RcgHRTIEqA8aynw12yJ0JywPk