Grateful Dead and Sting: 6/26/1993

This was the second of a two-night stand at RFK Stadium. Before the show, we decided to go and check out the National Gallery. On the way there, we had to make a quick exit from the train because my friend must have eaten something that didn’t agree with her. Thankfully, she recovered quickly and we had a good time checking out the art before the show.

The concert was packed, and Sting opened the show. He changed his set up from the first night, only repeating a few songs, which I thought was cool. And again, Jerry came out and jammed with Sting on a couple tunes.

Just like the first night, Bruce Hornsby also played accordion and helped with the vocals. The Dead’s set was solid, and they played “Spoonful,” which was a really nice surprise. That’s not one they play all that often.

They closed the show with “Liberty,” which is not one of my favorite Dead tunes, but I can understand why they picked it as an encore. We were in the nation’s capital, after all.

Here are the set lists.

Sting’s Set

• All This Time
• Why Should I Cry for You?
• Synchronicity II
• Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
• Roxanne
• Fortress Around Your Heart
• Love Is Stronger Than Justice (The Munificent Seven)
• Penny Lane
• Purple Haze
• When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What’s Still Around
• Walking on the Moon (with Jerry Garcia)
• Consider Me Gone / I’ve Been Down So Long (with Jerry Garcia)

Dead’s Sets

Set 1:

• Feel Like a Stranger
• Brown-Eyed Women
• Spoonful
• Lazy River Road
• When I Paint My Masterpiece
• Bird Song
• Picasso Moon

Set 2:

• Iko Iko
• Way to Go Home
• Playing in the Band >
• Terrapin Station >
• Drums >
• Space >
• The Last Time >
• Days Between >
• Throwing Stones
• One More Saturday Night

Encore:

• Liberty

Grateful Dead and Sting: 6/25/1993

I had seen the Dead quite a few times by this point, but never in a stadium setting. I was a little hesitant to brave the stadium crowd, but figured I might as well. My friend Erin wanted to go with me, so we got tickets through mail order. I had a good friend, Julie, who lived in D.C. and offered us a place to stay, so we were on our way.

The drive from Miami to D.C. was long. Erin slept most of the way and I drove through the night, powered by a steady stream of caffeine. We arrived at Julie’s and had enough time to sleep for a bit before the show.

We took the train to RFK Stadium and the place was insane. Way too many people for my comfort level, but they were all having a good time, so it wasn’t too bad. It was very hot and muggy, though. I saw quite a few people struggling from a mixture of intoxicants and heat exhaustion.

We walked around the parking lot for a while, and I bought a couple shirts from vendors. One in particular was really creative and included a bunch of cartoon characters frolicking around. After a while, we headed inside. We had general admission tickets for the field, which felt like we were swimming in a sea of people.

Sting came out and opened the show. He was really good, playing a nice mix of Police, solo material, and some cover tunes. Jerry Garcia came out at the end of Sting’s set and played a little with him, which was very cool. But seeing Jerry in shorts was a strange sight, indeed. Still can’t get that image out of my mind.

The Dead came out and the first thing that struck me was that there were more people on stage than I was used to seeing. I quickly figured out the Bruce Hornsby had joined the band and was playing accordion. It sounded really good and added a unique feel to the music, especially on songs like “Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo” and “Cumberland Blues.”

During intermission, Erin and I attended the Wharf Rats meeting, which was unbelievable. It was great to see so many people there. Forming a circle at the end of the meeting was impossible, so everyone just huddled together in a massive group hug which made me feel a part of something larger than myself. It was deeply moving for me.

Second set was great. I’m always happy when I hear “China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider.” For an encore, they played “The Weight” on which they did a round-robin, everyone taking a turn singing a verse, then joining together for four-part harmony on the final verse. It was a great was to close an amazing concert. I was already looking forward to the next night.

Here are the full set lists.

Sting’s Set

• Driven to Tears
• If I Ever Lose My Faith in You
• Love Is Stronger Than Justice (The Munificent Seven)
• A Day in the Life
• Fields of Gold
• Synchronicity II
• Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
• Roxanne
• Saint Augustine in Hell / Straight to My Heart
• King of Pain
• When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What’s Still Around
• Tea in the Sahara / Consider Me Gone (with Jerry Garcia)

Dead’s Sets

Set 1:

• Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo
• Little Red Rooster
• Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues
• Althea
• Cassidy
• Cumberland Blues
• Promised Land

Set 2:

• China Cat Sunflower >
• I Know You Rider
• Saint of Circumstance >
• Uncle John’s Band >
• Corrina >
• Drums >
• Space >
• I Need a Miracle >
• Wharf Rat >
• Sugar Magnolia

Encore:

• The Weight

The Police with The Fixx and Eric Burdon and the Animals: 10/28/1983

As the ticket stub shows, this concert was originally supposed to be at the Miami Baseball Stadium. But because of the huge demand for tickets, the concert was moved to the Orange Bowl, a much larger venue. Even in the big stadium, it was a packed mob scene.

I went with my girlfriend at the time and my brother Mike. We got there plenty early, since it was general admission and I wanted to see The Animals, who were opening the show. The Animals were great and Eric Burdon’s voice was strong. The only downer song was “House of the Rising Sun.” They kind of changed the arrangement around and it felt like they were playing it half-assed. I felt like, really? I’m sure you are getting tired of the song, but if you are going to play it, at least put some energy into it and realize that it is such an iconic song that futzing with the arrangement  is akin to Led Zeppelin playing a reggae version of “Stairway to Heaven.”

The Fixx played next, and they were cool. They had some hits at the time: “Saved By Zero” and “One Thing Leads to Another.” They definitely had a good energy and light show. Plus, their style fit in well with The Police.

So I have to say that The Police were way better live than I expected. They always seemed more like a studio band than a good live act. But I was pleasantly surprised. They were really high-energy and sounded great, even in an acoustic hell hole like the Orange Bowl. My big complaint, though, was the overcrowding. It was really uncomfortable to be mashed among so many people sweating in the South Florida heat for the entire day. But other than that—good times!

Here is the Police’s setlist, courtesy of setlist.fm:

1. Voices Inside My Head
2. Synchronicity I
3. Synchronicity II
4. Walking in Your Footsteps
5. Message in a Bottle
6. Walking on the Moon
7. My God
8. De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da
9. Wrapped Around Your Finger
10. Tea in the Sahara
11. Hole in My Life
12. Spirits in the Material World
13. Invisible Sun
14. One World (Not Three)
15. King of Pain
16. Don’t Stand So Close to Me
17. Every Breath You Take
18. Murder by Numbers
19. Roxanne
20. (encore) Can’t Stand Losing You / Reggatta de Blanc
21. (encore) So Lonely