Your Favorite

I wasn't old enough to see them when they were good. 

3-27-88.  Hampton, Va.

I will give it the nod over 7-6-90 only because of the shitshow that was happening in the parking lot outside Cardinal Stadium that day.

This was my first time inside the Mothership.  I spent the first night outside watching an amazing lightning show shoot across the sky as the show was going on.  It was incredible, but not as incredible as when I got in.  GREAT acid, GREAT friends, GREAT weather, GREAT campsite at Seashore State Park.  I played every tape I had with me that had Scarlet Begonias on it because I was trying to seed the clouds with the vibe of a great Scarlet Begonias because I REALLY wanted to hear Scarlet Begonias that night.

I LOVED the Coliseum.  Best vibe inside of a place hands down.  General Admission, nobody's asking you for your ticket.  Nobody hassled me about anything that night.  I was just drifting and dreaming.  I remember making my way down to the floor about half way back, along the wall on Jerry's side.  There was a guy with his friend/brother/patient...not sure.  The guy in the wheel chair had cerebral Palsey, and his friend was spinning him in circles and dancing him around in his wheel chair.  This was going on during Iko Iko.  Smiles all around.  Everybody dancin...HEY NOW...hell yeah.  

To Lay Me Down was such a poignant moment.  So many hugs.  So many tears.  So many faces full of thanks and happiness and deep emotion.  It was great to be there to hear Jerry lay that one down one more time after a 5 year absence.  

Ballad of a Thin Man was unfamiliar to me at the time, but I LOVED Bob's passionate take on it.  It was another great Bob moment.  

All the rest of the set was great as well, with nothing but fun fun fun being had by all the dancing, spinning, happy Heads filling the mothership.

I remember the Hallways breathing during set break.  They rose and fell in a steady motion throughout the break as I sat there trying to keep it together until the music came back to rescue me.  

Soon enough, I was back on the floor, this time a bit closer to and more in front of Jerry.  The start was interesting.  Bob seemed to, once again, be having technical difficulties and was playing junior sound detective with a bunch of stuff while the rest of the band kind of started to make some noise which coalesced into this bouncy kind of ditty that they landed on and played until it kind of dissolved into more dissonance which then turned into a full tilt ride through Sugar Magnolia.  That Space So What Sugar Mags was the perfect segue into things for my amped up brain.  It was all this weirdness that then parted and a great old friend showed up to take you for a ride.  I boogied as best I could given the kind of cramped quarters of the scene up near the stage, but I couldn't have been happier being anywhere else.  The sound, the sights, the feels...they were all there.

As Sugar Mags ended, Jerry strummed the chords, the band soon followed, and SCAR:ET BEGONIAS emerged to take over the Mothership.  Jerry OWNED this one this night.  Bad haircut and all, he was in full command of everything, and he laid it down heavy and played it back clean.  I can't describe it.  It was just everything I wanted it to be and more...much more...soaringly more...awesome...Jerry was flinging bolts of energy all over the place, and the people were eating them up.  

Fire on the Mountain was more of the wonderful same.  Holy smokes, this one was great.  We were all just in a state of bliss basking in the musical gifts that were raining down on us from everywhere.  Smiles, smiles, smiles everywhere.  It was a great scene aided by the wonderful vibe of the Hampton Coliseum.

The rest of the show was great, but that Space So What Sugar Mags Scarlet Begonias Fire on the Mountain was epic...at least for me.  That, coupled with the rest of the day spent with great friends hanging out in great weather on a beautiful beach waiting for the show...and the afterglow back at the campsite...mmm mmm.  I'd do that again in a heartbeat.

That '89 Fall Tour was a monster & I was tempted to give my vote to the Hampton Warlock's show with the Dark Star break out, but all in all I have to say, Bob's birthday @ the Meadowlands was a better show. It's hard to top the Nigthfall of Diamonds release, but here's Charlie Millers sbd link:

https://archive.org/details/gd1989-10-16.140263.UltraMatrix.sbd.cm.mille...

As far as my favorite time, I have to go with Hershey Park 6/28/85. That sweet Comes a Time, the trippy Tom Thumb's Blues & of course that monster Morning Dew where Phil blows one of the speakers. Add the rain & what a time it was!

https://archive.org/details/gd1985-06-28.sbd.braverman.26144.shnf

Hampton 3/24/87, for the Terrapin alone and a monster second set altogether, and a sick NFA with a crazy crowd.

Deer Creek 89, maybe not the best show ever, but there was a lot about it that I loved.

12/31/81 Just an incredible 4 set show (if you include the Moan Baez set) . First Dark Star with both versus not separate since 1974 I believe. The show was dripping start to finish. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvIhzMJwOm8

0:00:00 - Ambience 0:05:16 - Shakedown Street 0:20:23 - Ambience 0:23:07 - Me & My Uncle / Mexicali Blues 0:30:47 - Ambience 0:32:27 - Cold Rain & Snow 0:38:47 - Ambience 0:41:02 - C.C. Rider 0:49:41 - Ambience 0:51:56 - It Must Have Been The Roses 0:58:30 - Beat it Down the Line 1:01:24 - Ambience 1:03:40 - Big Boss Man / New Minglewood Blues 1:15:47 - Ambience 1:16:22 - Don't Ease Me In 1:19:41 - Ambience 1:20:37 - Ken Kesey 1:27:08 - Bill Graham's Flying Joint entry/ Midnight Countdown 1:28:38 - Iko Iko 1:35:54 - Ambience 1:37:29 - Ambience 1:38:42 - Playin' In The Band / Terrapin Station / Playin' In The Band 2:10:58 - Drums 2:21:28 - Space 2:31:05 - The Other One / Not Fade Away / Goin' Down The Road Feeling Bad / Morning Dew 3:01:10 - Dark Star / Bertha (Part 1) 3:18:49 - Bertha (Part 2) / Good Lovin' 3:32:14 - Ambience 3:34:00 - It's All Over Now, Baby Blue (with Joan Baez) 3:41:26 - Ambience 3:42:31 - Ken Kesey's Chinese Joke 3:43:50 - Bill Graham Outro 3:44:11 - Ambience Personnel: Jerry Garcia - guitar, vocals Bob Weir - guitar, vocals Phil Lesh - bass, vocals Brent Mydland - keyboards, vocals Bill Kruetzman - drums Mickey Hart - drums, percussion Guests: Joan Baez - vocals (on It Must Have Been The Roses & Its All Over Now Baby Blue) Matthew Kelly - harmonica (on C.C. Rider, Big Boss Man & New Minglewood Blues) John Cipollina - guitar (on The Other One & Not Fade Away)

Veneta (Oregon Country Fair site)  8-28-82  

"Springfield Creamery Presents The Second Decadenal Field Trip" 

First Day Job, first West LA Fadeaway, and they pulled out Duprees Diamond Rag out for the encore (last played 4-14-78).   

Small Plane flyover after Bertha to open show,  Ken Kesey intro for the 2nd set, good times!

We drove down that morning, was a spectacular day, with little patches of fog around the various hills and knolls of the Willamette valley, with radiant sun shining down from up above.  We get to the fair site, and they had the stages where long term parking normally was.  Nice set up, 2 stages,  food / craft booths along the sides, once filled up maybe 10-15,000 people  (a lot, but for the size, quite manageable).  On the smaller stage they had perennial favorites, The Flying Karamozov Brothers and the Fighting Instruments of Karma Marching Band and Orchestra.  Also on that stage, Strangers With Candy; Robert Cray Band(!!!), and Tatoo.

The main stage was blank when we got there.  Slowly, drum risers come out and the drums get setup, the amps and keyboards get setup, etc.  Peter Rowan played a most excellent solo set on the Main stage, and was cool how you could hear those psychedelic "whispies" going on during his set.  

By the time the dead came on, it was a typical hot Oregon summer day, with blue skies as far as the eye could see!  The Dead come out, some guy yelled "Bertha?", and Jerry nodded, lol...   and they break out a great version of the tune.  But since the dead never sound-checked, it was a pretty rough mix at first.  Dan Healey, being the master he is, had it dialed in pretty quickly.  You can here various instruments volumes shift, vocal adjustments,  (where's Brent's keys, swish, there they are).  You can hear a lot of adjusting going on during the second verse.  Jerry and Phil just kill it the entire show, mind blown, and likewise with Brent, just monster playing throughout!  By the time Jerrys solo is over, the mix is pretty much dialed in, so we put our dancing into extra gear, and rocked the joint!  When Bertha was over, a small plane flew from over the stage to over the crowd, with everyone cheering it on! 

From Bertha straight into a tight Minglewood, again, Jerr bear and Brent just kill it, smoking solos!  Tennessee Jed was epic (great version),  then the standard cowboy songs, again, with great soloing!  

Then Althea, woah, some serious shit going down on that one, still my all-time fave version  (your mileage might very, but you'll appreciate this version even if you have your own well deserved fave)

Normally i'd just skip "it's all over now",  but the last time thru Jerry's solo, Phil and Brent lay it down, and for a brief moment that GD magic is in full swing (can I queue that up for ya?)

Finishing off the set with China / Rider is always a winning situation, as it was in this case.  Great versions of the songs, with some cool musical moments during the jam between the two (brief moment of Bobby and Jerr trading licks, in a very panned stereo, so had my head spinning to both sides of the stage(LOL), a simply spectacular set, with great playing by all, but some of the best Jerry / Phil interactions I've seen live (did I forget to mention Brent again?).  But honestly, Bobby, drums, it really was that good!  (Should be an official release)

The 2nd set started off with Ken Kesey wearing a referee shirt on stage introducing the set;

"The sun set-eth in those days to the west as it does now and it will be doing til the end of time,

and as the tides mount, and the people grow, and the voices are heard, and the sun goes down,

the music will go on!"

The band starts the set with the never before heard tune Dayjob,  instant dance classic (even if the humorous lyrics had a few heads turning their, um, heads)

Women are smarter was fine, then the first West LA Fadeaway, very bluesy / funky new tune, everybody was like, hey Jerry, thanks for the story!  

Parts of Far from me got cut on the tape, but it was a great version (and I always love Brent tunes)

The Playing in the band was a typical version, with nice jams, dark moments, into drums...  But, at the same time, you could see thunderstorms blowing up in the Cascades to the East and SE, with high clouds from their "anvils" starting to sweep over the fair site.  

Drums were rocking, and the space out of drums was excellent, with Jerr and the drummers having some inspired interactions.  The jam builds and builds, add a few Phil bombs, and we're into a very hearty version of the  "Wheel",  meanwhile the sky is clouding up, and you can sense that a storm is coming (If the thunder don't get you then the lightning will, yes, yes it will!)

Into a ripping Other One, with some great outside playing, rhythms, and crash and burning spiral dancers as the sky darkens and musical abyss opens up!  (Yes, the acid was fully engaged!)

Truckin came next, and we all danced hard into the best version of Black Peter I'd ever heard (very heartfelt, with all the emotional integrity we'd come to love from Jerry!). The vocals were tight, the solo was perfect, and the build was dynamic, and powerful (I don't think I've said Mind Blown enough in this review!).  

Playin reprise, into One more sat night ended this epic set, and of course, nobody expected "Jerry roll blues", lol, for an encore (really???!???).  I love it.

As the show ended, we were treated to one of those sunsets that words would stain.  It went on for 2 hours, every color of the rainbow, with reds and oranges filling the ENTIRE sky, now fully clouded over from those clouds coming off the distant thunderstorms.  Some camped the night, we came back home, but later that night we had a nice thunderstorm, with rare end of August rains.  So many more stories to be told of friendship and community, but those are a few of the highlights off the top of my head,  simply the best Dead experience (let alone show) I ever had!!!  (my first show was in 78)

http://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1982/8/28

Set 1

Bertha
New Minglewood Blues
Tennessee Jed
Me and My Uncle
Big River
Althea
It's All Over Now
China Cat Sunflower
I Know You Rider

Set 2 
*Day Job
Man Smart/Woman Smarter
*West L.A. Fadeaway
Far From Me
Playin' in the Band
drums
The Wheel
The Other One
Truckin'
Black Peter
Playin' in the Band
One More Saturday Night

Encore;
^Dupree's Diamond Blues

(* first time played)

(^ last played 4-14-78)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cBjhxmkjcQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FN_nvFoMJdU

and now, just a little something from the Oregon Country Fair;  

Teddy Bears Picnic, performed by the Fighting Instruments of Karma Marching Band and Orchestra (A must watch if you don't know anything about the fair!!!)  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYH2sofMS58

12/31/82 with Etta James & the Tower of Power.

8/28/82 - wasn't that a day! (Thinking of Bruce Eddieboy, who loved that show as much as you and I did, Noodler!) It was sure special.

That's my favorite to listen to a recording of that reminds of a day, but not sure it is my all-time favorite show. It might be.

I think my funnest shows could have been the Greek in 86, but musically, well, next....   lol  (though the Box of Rain story from that week is EPIC!)

Never liked the Autzen shows, though some of those Hult Center shows were extra special, as were the Portland Coliseum shows of 81 / 83  (really liked the 83 show, first wang dang doodle I think).  Seeing the dead in the 70's was cool, but I saw sooo many Great bands during that era.  NYE shows, Cal Expo, really hard to pic a fave, but the Veneta show was just so laid back compared to your typical show (and I've run a few stages at the fair in yesteryear, done sound, crew, food booths, security, craft booths, etc, so even though I haven't been in 20 years, still holds a soft spot in my heart) 

5-2-70

9-20-90

My favorite show was the first east coast show that Jerry came back after the coma.  It wasn't for the music but the sheer joy of my fellow mates on this ship of fools.

two of the best shows I attended were 1982

Greek   5-21-82

Kaiser 12-28-82

Band was on fire that year for the most part.

Too many other favorites to list - going back to 1972- many nights @ Winterland

Camping at the Oxford Plains Speedway in Maine with the GD and Little Feat for a weekend was a nice convergence. Phil was VERY present in the mix :)

https://archive.org/details/gd88-07-02.sbd-matrix.dan.21211.sbeok.shnf

^^^12/28/82^^^

Maybe my favorite first set early mid-80's, and a great laid back scene for the last run at the Oakland Aud, saw Bill Graham in the bar upstairs at the break ticked off because people were throwing peanut shells on the floor..

J Straw, Jed, El Paso, Devil, On the Road, Touch>Women, Dire Wolf, Lazy Lite>Supp>Deal     On the Road through Deal really killed.

Charlie Miller Board: https://archive.org/details/gd82-12-28.sbd-pcm.miller.31967.sbeok.flacf

The entire 12/82 run at Oakland was so good.

I have some new video footage outside 12/28/82 I put together last night. I will post it to YouTube tonight.

Look in the crowd and see if you can find your self type thing

12/31/78

For all the obvious reasons.

3/18/77 comes a very close second. The first time my jaw dropped in amazement at what this band could do.

thanx Blue