Grateful Dead and New York City Percussion Ensemble: 9/16/1987

For the second night at Madison Square Garden, we had seats straight back in the lower level. When we got in and took our seats, I noticed something different about the stage—there were chairs set up along the front of the stage. My heart began to race! I immediately assumed that this meant the Dead were going to play an acoustic set. I had never seen the Dead play acoustic, but had heard recordings and was psyched at the prospect. Alas, they did not do an acoustic set, but we were treated to a nice surprise.

The New York City Percussion Ensemble opened the show, unannounced. They were awesome, and had some incredible African dancers accompanying the drummers. One of the people sitting near us said that Babatunde Olatunji was one of the percussionists. I have not been able to confirm this, but I am going with the belief that he was there and that I got to see the legendary drummer perform.

After the drummers, the Dead came out and played two solid sets, so it ended up being quite a long night of music. High points for me were Brent singing “Devil With a Blue Dress > Good Golly Miss Molly,” and a roaring version of “Truckin’” coming out of drums and space.

A side note about this show that is pretty amazing. There were a couple of guys sitting in front of us, and we chatted a bit between sets. Well, after the tour was over and we were all back in South Florida, my friends Julie and Miriam (same friends I was at these shows with) went with me to a Grateful Dead night at a club in Fort Lauderdale. While we were there, these two guys came up to us and said “Hey! Weren’t you at the Dead shows at Madison Square Garden, toward the back, on the second night?” They were the same dudes who were sitting in front of us! We exchanged phone numbers and became close friends. In fact, one of them, Armando, is still one of my closest friends today. It was kind of like some strange twist of fate.

Anyway, here is the full setlist from the show. “New York’s got the ways and means; but just won’t let you be, oh no.”

Set 1:

• Touch of Grey
• Scarlet Begonias
• Little Red Rooster
• Dire Wolf
• My Brother Esau
• High Time
• Let it Grow
• Don’t Ease Me In

Set 2:

• Bertha
• Greatest Story Ever Told
• Devil With a Blue Dress
• Good Golly Miss Molly
• Devil With a Blue Dress
• He’s Gone
• Drums > Space
• Truckin’
• Wharf Rat
• Throwin’ Stones
• Not Fade Away

Encore:

• Black Muddy River

Grateful Dead: 9/15/1987

The day after the third Dead show at the Capitol Centre was a travel day. So me and my friends, Julie and Miriam, packed up our stuff and boarded a train from D.C. to New York City, ready to see another four shows at Madison Square Garden. The band was playing five nights, but we were heading back to Miami after the fourth night. We had lives we needed to get back to.

We passed the time on the train ride creatively, making woven bracelets to sell outside the Garden. Cash was already running low, so we had to generate a little income, if possible.

We arrived in NYC and were supposed to meet my brother who was living in Jersey City at the time. He was working, so we had some time to kill. The three of us sat on the sidewalk and leaned against a tall building, feeling somewhat frazzled. We must have looked even worse than we felt, because some older gentleman who was walking past reached into his pocket and tossed us a small stack of bills, then kept walking. We were taken aback, to say the least, but grateful for the extra cash. We added it to the communal funds.

Later, we met my brother and took the bus from the Port Authority to Jersey City. He and his wife had a nice townhouse there, so we basked in the comfort.

The next day, rested and refreshed, we got instructions from my brother how to get into the city and how to get back home afterwards, then headed out for the first of the Garden shows. When we got to MSG, we were greeted by swarms of tie-dyed freaks crowding the sidewalks as business people in charcoal suits zig-zagged through the sea of color. Looming over the entrance to the Garden was a giant inflatable King Kong, sporting a tie-dye shirt. It was quite the spectacle.

Upon entering the Garden, I got somewhat annoyed that the ticket taker gave me such a crappy ticket stub. I even asked if he could give me the part with the band’s name on it, but he rudely refused. Not much I could do about it.

We got inside and found our seats. The Garden is massive, but after the uncomfortable experiences at the Cap Centre, it felt safe and pleasant. A much better vibe, right off the bat.

The show was solid, and Brent got things rockin’ right off the bat with a great version of “Hey Pocky Way.” Second set was really fun, and “Gimme Some Lovin’” echoed how I was feeling—so glad I made it! “Baby Blue” encore was a sweet way to end the night.

Catching the bus back to Jersey was uneventful, although there was no shortage of strange folk lurking around the Port Authority. But we caught our bus, made it to my brother’s, and wound down the evening.

Here’s the full setlist.

Set 1:

• Hey Pocky Way
• New Minglewood Blues
• When Push Comes to Shove
• Me and My Uncle
• Mexicali Blues
• Row Jimmy
• Queen Jane Approximately
• Tennessee Jed
• Music Never Stopped

Set 2:

• China Cat Sunflower
• I Know You Rider
• Estimated Prophet
• Eyes of the World
• Drums > Space
• The Wheel
• Gimme Some Lovin’
• Black Peter
• Sugar Magnolia

Encore:

• It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue

Grateful Dead: 9/13/1987

This was the last of the three-night series of Dead shows at the Capital Centre in Maryland, and frankly, I was glad it was. While on the previous day the Prince George’s County police had engaged in Gestapo-style tactics, today proved to be more of the same. I witnessed a phalanx of officers advance aggressively through the parking lot, actively assaulting and intimidating concert-goers. The worst incident that I saw was a cop walking up to someone who was holding a bottle of beer, taking his nightstick, and smashing the bottle in the person’s hand without any warning. It was so sickening that I felt like throwing up. Thankfully, I was savvy enough to avoid any confrontation.

My brother Mike and our friend Jon, who were with us for the first two nights, had left to head back to Florida. It was just Julie, Miriam, and me. We made it safely into the venue for what turned out to be a great show, in spite of all the violence and tension outside. The parts that really stood out for me were “Fever” in the first set and “Throwing Stones” in the second set. I would learn later on that this was the Dead’s only performance of “Fever,” which Bob Weir sang. As far as “Throwing Stones” goes, the crowd sang along with such fervor and anger directed to the authorities outside and the politicians in nearby DC, that the anti-authoritarian sentiment was palpable in the air.

The next day, the three of us would catch a train to New York City for four more shows at Madison Square Garden, but that part of the long strange trip is for another day and another stub. For now, here is the full setlist from the last night at the Cap Centre.

Set 1:

• Iko Iko
• Little Red Rooster
• Brown Eyed Women
• Fever
• Stagger Lee
• When I Paint My Masterpiece
• Bird Song
• Promised Land

Set 2:

• Scarlet Begonias
• Fire on the Mountain
• Playin’ in the Band
• Drums  > Space
• The Other One
• Stella Blue
• Throwin’ Stones
• Good Lovin’
• La Bamba
• Good Lovin’

Encore:

• Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door

Grateful Dead: 9/12/1987

This stub was from the second night of a three-night series of Dead concerts at the Capitol Centre in Maryland. After the first show, my friends (Julie and Miriam) and I went to crash at someone’s apartment, this guy Harmon that Julie knew from high school who was attending college in Maryland. I immediately caught a bad vibe from this guy and his friends. But I was grateful for a free place to sleep, so I laid down and closed my eyes. But as I was somewhat over-stimulated from the night’s festivities, I lay there, staring at the insides of my eyelids. It was during this time that I heard Harmon and his friends talking amongst themselves, making crude and disparaging remarks about my friends, while also talking about what they should do to them. I felt the anger swelling inside me as I entertained visions of kicking their asses. I kept still, pretending to be asleep. Eventually they shut up and went to sleep themselves. I decided not to say anything to Julie and Miriam about what happened, but figured I would just stay aware in case any issue arose.

The next day, we went back to the Cap Centre for the show and met my brother Mike and our friend Jon. Like the previous day, the Prince George’s County police were out in force, only this day, things got ugly. As we were entering the arena, the police were mounted on horses and had formed a gauntlet. As semi-conscious hippies fumbled to find their way inside, the police made the horses stomp and kick at the people to keep them in line. I was terrified and appalled. These were not people who were acting violently or being unruly. It was just a blatant example of authority using Gestapo tactics to intimidate people and ensure that they stayed in line. We made it through without incident and found some seats inside.

The show was very good and unique in the sense that the band played two songs for an encore—something which I had not seen the Dead do before. High points for me were “Hey Pocky Way,” “Truckin’,” and “Morning Dew.”

After the show, I had the joy of being the person who had to drive the intrepid crew back to Harmon’s Hell Hole. This proved challenging. For those of you who have driven in the DC area, you know about the traffic circles. These were not things that we had in South Florida. So I ended up inside one of these circles and struggled to get out of it. I kept driving around and around and around for what seemed an eternity. Eventually, I safely veered the rental car out of the loop and we made it back without further difficulty.

Here is the full setlist from this concert.

Set 1:

• Hell in a Bucket
• Loser
• Me and My Uncle
• Big River
• Ramble on Rose
• Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues
• Hey Pocky Way
• Cassidy
• Might As Well

Set 2:

• Cumberland Blues
• Samson and Delilah
• Ship of Fools
• Man Smart/Woman Smarter
• Drums > Space
• Truckin’
• I Need a Miracle
• Morning Dew
• Turn on Your Love Light

Encore:

• One More Saturday Night
• Black Muddy River

Grateful Dead: 9/11/1987

This concert marked my first deep dive into the Grateful Dead counter culture. While I had been listening to the Dead since the 70’s and had seen them numerous times prior to this, this marked the transition into lengthy travel to catch a long string of shows, as well as engaging in the sale of arts and crafts in the parking lot to offset the costs.

Three of us had decided to embark from Miami to catch three nights at the Capitol Centre in Maryland, followed by four nights at Madison Square Garden in NY. (The band was playing five nights at the Garden, but we could only manage four.) It would be me and my friends Julie and Miriam. In preparation, we spent long hours making beaded necklaces and woven bracelets to sell while on tour. Luckily, we were able to sell a fair amount prior to getting on the road, just at local concerts and events in Miami.

We took a flight from Miami up to the DC area (I forget which airport) and rented a car when we got there. Julie had also secured us a place to stay in Silver Spring near the venue with someone she knew (more on that fiasco in a subsequent post). I have a great memory of Julie helping herself to some little bottles of booze on the plane as the service cart was alongside our seats. We imbibed and enjoyed flying the friendly skies!

Upon arrival to the concert venue, we began our tour of the parking lot, hawking our beads. Julie was the ultimate salesperson. She somehow managed to lure dazed hippies our way who eagerly parted with their money in exchange for a strand of beads.

While we were wandering the rows of cars and campers, I noticed two people walking briskly toward us. It took me a moment to realize that it was my brother Mike and our friend Jon. Unbeknownst to me, they drove up from Gainesville, Florida for the shows, intending to surprise me. After some warm embraces, we spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out together and catching up. Already, it was feeling magical.

Despite the festive mood, there was an undercurrent of tension that was palpable. By this time, the merry band of intrepid deadheads had swelled in number and authorities in cities where on high alert. Prince George’s County’s finest were certainly out in force, and before the three-day stint was over, there would be problems.

But that is another stub and another story. For this show, we went inside without any problem, found some seats together, and danced our asses off. It was also Mickey Hart’s birthday, which made it even more special.

Here is the setlist. Check back soon for my memories of the second night.

Set 1:

• Bertha
• Promised Land
• Candyman
• New Minglewood Blues
• When Push Comes to Shove
• Tons of Steel
• Desolation Row
• Deal

Set 2:

• Happy Birthday Mickey
• Sugar Magnolia
• Sugaree
• Estimated Prophet
• Eyes of the World
• Drums > Space
• Goin’ Down the Road Feelin’ Bad
• Dear Mr. Fantasy
• All Along the Watchtower
• Wharf Rat
• Sunshine Daydream

Encore:

• Touch of Grey

Grateful Dead: 3/22 – 24/1987

I decided to include these three shows as a single concert memory for a couple reasons. First off, none of the stubs actually shows a date, so it is impossible to determine which one goes with which day. Second, my date-specific memories are somewhat cloudy. And third, it was essentially a three-day concert, in my humble opinion.

My brother Mike was in college in Gainesville, Florida at the time. He told me that he was planning to drive up to this with some of his college friends and invited me along. I of course jumped at the opportunity. A friend of mine, Carlos, also wanted to go, so Carlos and I took a bus from Miami to Gainesville and hooked up with my brother. We were introduced to our fellow travelers and readied ourselves for the long drive up to Hampton, VA.

The next morning we started out. I think we had to take three cars and create a mini caravan. We had gotten about an hour outside of Gainesville when something prompted me to check with my brother to ensure he had the tickets. The look on his face said it all, and the trip was stalled while we had to return for the tickets.

We rolled into Hampton late in the evening. The first thing we decided to do was purchase some beer. We quickly learned about Virginia’s blue laws and we were not able to buy any from the convenience store. Luckily, there were some enterprising individuals who had purchased a lot of beer and happily supplied us for a reasonable profit.

We then went in search of a university (I don’t recall which one). One of the people with us named Nancy knew someone there in the dorms who would supposedly let us stay there. Yeah, that didn’t work out. The guy took one look at us and said no, but suggested we go sleep in the common area, so we did. We were rudely awoken by the RA and a cadre of muscle who wanted to know what we were doing there. It seemed we would be kicked out, but somehow they let us stay on the promise we would be quiet and not leave a mess.

The next day, we went to the show. Spent the day in the parking lot, playing Frisbee and hacky sack. Concert was amazing. Jerry had just recently recovered from his diabetic coma and these were the band’s first east coast shows following the illness, so the crowd enthusiasm was feverish. I recall the stickers being sold in the parking lot: “Jerry takes a lickin’ and keeps on pickin’.”

We were definitely not going back to the college, so we found a hotel nearby and all 11 of us packed into a single room. Outside, there was a large group of Deadheads sitting around playing music. I had a guitar with me, so I joined in and we played music late into the night, with a chorus of people ecstatically singing along. It was an experience that is truly beyond words to describe.

The next two nights were also amazing. Looking back, the three shows melted into one. Some of the high points were “Touch of Grey,” particularly poignant considering Jerry’s near death, Phil singing “Box of Rain,” and of course, I always love a good “Terrapin Station.” Here are the full setlists from each of the three nights.

March 22, 1987

Set 1:

• Hell in a Bucket
• Sugaree
• It’s All Over Now
• West L.A. Fadeaway
• El Paso
• When Push Comes to Shove
• Cassidy
• Deal

Set 2:

• Sugar Magnolia
• Scarlet Begonias
• Fire on the Mountain
• Estimated Prophet
• Drums > Space
• The Wheel
• Black Peter
• Sunshine Daydream

Encore:

• It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue

March 23, 1987

Set 1:

• Touch of Grey
• Little Red Rooster
• Althea
• Me and My Uncle
• Big River
• Iko Iko
• Tons of Steel
• Feel Like a Stranger
• Don’t Ease Me In

Set 2:

• Box of Rain
• Man Smart/Woman Smarter
• Ship of Fools
• Truckin’
• Drums > Space
• The Other One
• Stella Blue
• Throwin’ Stones
• Turn on Your Love Light

Encore:

• U.S. Blues

March 24, 1987

Set 1:

• Jack Straw
• Candyman
• New Minglewood Blues
• Loser
• Mama Tried
• Mexicali Blues
• Ramble on Rose
• Let it Grow

Set 2:

• Gimme Some Lovin’
• Black Muddy River
• Playin’ in the Band
• Terrapin Station
• Drums > Space
• Dear Mr. Fantasy
• Wharf Rat
• Not Fade Away

Encore:

• Brokedown Palace

Grateful Dead: 10/26/1985

The day after seeing the Dead at the Hollywood Sporatorium, we set out in the rented RV to see them at the USF Sun Dome in Tampa. The drive there was relatively uneventful and we took turns napping. We arrived with plenty of time to entertain ourselves in the parking lot before going in to see the show.

The concert was amazing, and since this was my first time seeing consecutive Dead shows, I was really impressed at the complete diversity between shows, this one being entirely different from the previous night. It was almost like seeing one long two-day concert. Anyway, I’ve included the setlist below. High points for me were “Gimme Some Lovin’” opener, “China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider,” “One More Saturday Night” to close the second set, and an incredible version of “In the Midnight Hour” as the encore.

After the concert, we drove a little bit until we found a campsite where we could park the RV overnight. We were still wound up from the concert, so we sat inside the RV and talked late into the night. One of the guys who was with us (a friend of my co-worker Tom), I found out later was a professional stand-up comedian, which explains why he had us laughing uncontrollably for hours. I distinctly remember laughing to the point where tears were streaming down my face and I had a stitch in my side like I had just run several laps.

The next morning, we started our drive back to Miami. I was designated driver for most of the drive while others slept in the back. I was OK with that, listening to cassette tapes while I cruised along the flat Florida highway. But after a while, I noticed the temperature gauge climbing into the red zone. I called to the folks in the back, but no one responded, so I threw a soda can and beaned someone in the head. After a quick huddle, we decided to pull off and deal with the situation. It took a while to cool the engine down, and then we went to a gas station and added more water to the radiator. This did the trick, and I just made sure to drive a little slower the rest of the journey home.

Set 1:

Gimme Some Lovin’
Greatest Story Ever Told
Dupree’s Diamond Blues
C.C. Rider
Stagger Lee
Me and My Uncle
Big River
Big Railroad Blues
Looks Like Rain
Don’t Ease Me In

Set 2:

China Cat Sunflower
I Know You Rider
Man Smart, Woman Smarter
He’s Gone
I Don’t Need Love
Drums > Space
Comes a Time
Throwing Stones
Going Down the Road Feelin’ Bad
One More Saturday Night

Encore:

In the Midnight Hour

Grateful Dead: 10/25/1985

This concert has a couple special memories associated with it. To start with, it was the first time I saw the Dead perform “Morning Dew,” which is still one of my all-time favorite Grateful Dead songs. Second, while this was not my first time seeing the Dead, it does mark the first time that I took a road trip to see the Dead. So while this particular show was a “home” show, I was traveling with a few people to Tampa the next day in a rented RV to see the Dead again. So this was essentially the beginning of what would be a long, strange trip indeed.

I went with my girlfriend Lisa, a friend from work, and some other people I really didn’t know. We all chipped in money and rented an RV, which was pretty comfortable. We parked it in the field which served as the parking lot for the Sportatorium and went around buying shirts and stuff from the various parking lot vendors.

The band sounded great! I had a cassette tape from this show and I used to listen to it a lot, remembering the nuances of the show. There were no weak spots, and the “Morning Dew” to open the second set was phenomenal.

After the show, we parked the RV at my friend’s house. Lisa and I slept in the RV and others slept in the house. In the morning, we heading on down the road to the next show at the USF Sun Dome, but that’s another stub and another story.

Here’s the setlist from the Sportatorium show.

Set 1:

Deal
Little Red Rooster
Iko Iko
El Paso
Dire Wolf
It’s All Over Now
Loser
Let It Grow

Set 2:

Morning Dew
Estimated Prophet
Eyes of the World
Drums > Space
I Need a Miracle
Black Peter
Sugar Magnolia

Encore:

It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue

Grateful Dead: 9/11/1982

I’ve accumulated quite a few Grateful Dead ticket stubs over the years. This one is from the second time I saw them, back in 1982 at the West Palm Beach Auditorium in South Florida.

There was a large group of friends with whom I went to this show. I seem to recall we had maybe two cars crammed with people. I cannot remember the names everyone who came along for the ride, but I am certain there were a lot of us. We pulled in to the parking lot and were greeted by the colorful intrepid carnivalesque caravan of the Deadheads. We found a place to park and immersed ourselves in the parking lot festivities.

When the band took the stage, I was ecstatic. They opened the show with “New Minglewood Blues,” which I thought was a great opener. My friend Cindy became instantly enamored with Bob Weir. Throughout the whole show, she kept reiterating how hot he was.

At the start of the second set, my friend Mike and I decided to go up front. The rest of the crew remained in the seats. There was an open floor and we managed to get pretty close to the stage, right in front of Jerry Garcia. What I recall most vividly about being up near the front was when the band segued into “Fire on the Mountain.” The stage was bathed in rich red light that gave the impression that there were actual flames emanating from the stage. This combined with the heat from the pulsating crowd caused me to begin sweating most uncomfortably. It was not long before I couldn’t stand the heat any more. We returned to the comfort of our seats and our friends.

The other thing that made this concert special for me was it was the first time I saw the Dead play “Terrapin Station,” which is still one of my favorite Grateful Dead songs. It was also the first time I heard them perform “Truckin’.” Another treat.

Thanks to the obsessive need for Deadheads to document the details of every concert, along with the wonders of the internet, I am able to include the complete setlist from this concert. “What a long strange trip it’s been.”

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Set 1

New Minglewood Blues
They Love Each Other
Me and My Uncle
Big River
Dupree’s Diamond Blues
C.C. Rider
Loser
Looks Like Rain
Tennessee Jed
Let it Grow

Set 2

Scarlet Begonias
Fire on the Mountain
Lost Sailor
Saint of Circumstance
Terrapin Station
drums > space
Truckin’
Stella Blue
Around and Around
One More Saturday Night

Encore

It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue