Love 'em.
Bear’s Choice with the 18-minute “Smokestack Lightnin’” is one of my faves. Saw 'em live several times at Compton Terrace in Phoenix and in Vegas.
I just wish they would erase Donna Godscheaux’s wailing off the late 70’s concert tapes. Yeesh, that woman sounded like a cat getting sodomized by a chainsaw. Without lube.
THANK YOU!!! All too often when I mention this (except the chainsaw part) I get this look from other DHs like I blasphemed. As if The Dead could never make a mistake in band member selection. She came with Keith as a package deal.
On to the OP, big Dead Head here. And opinionated, too.
Love 'em.
I was just at a record show, and I found a bootleg of the last show I ever saw. It was RFK, June 25, 1995. Jerry’s last show in DC. He looked horrible. It was kind of depressing. That’s when I realized he didn’t have long for this planet.
Man, nothing like a Dead show. I miss those guys something terrible.
Saw a band called Darkstar Orchestra a few months back and they were terrific. Closest I’ve ever been to the Dead vibe since 1995.
Love 'em.
I only got to see two shows unfortunately, but a good friend (same friend that turned me on to The Straight Dope, BTW) turned me on to the Dead when I was 13. I don’t think I was ready then and it took a couple years for me to enjoy “jam music”.
I’ll never forget navigating through the crowd by the sound of the bongos and running around gathering piles of marshmallows for little kids to chuck at other people. 
“She’s got everything delightful, she’s got everything I need…”
Love 'em
Saw my first show at Cameron Indoor in October 1977. Saw them for the last time playing with Bob Dylan at JFK in Philly sometime in the late '80’s. And saw a rousing show at Merriweather in Columbia Md in the pouring rain. Jeez…I sound like an old man. Oh yeah… I am an old man. I still miss 'em though.
Dave
Loved 'em live, even after they jumped the shark with Brent.
Bright sunlight, hot days, Phatty Burritos, good beer and nitrous, and the never-completely predictable band. What fun I had.
And now all the kids have to look forward to is the next WTO conference. What a shame.
Well, I guess I’ve got to post just to say that I seem to have seen the Dead earlier than anyone else on this thread - at Woodstock, in 1969 (yeah, I’m a fossil.) Although I loved them, unfortunately I only managed to see them one other time - in Denver, in 1981.
In freshman year in college, my next door neighbors in the dorm were a couple of acidheads who played the Dead constantly. Hearing St. Stephen always transports me back to those idyllic days (and is also apt to trigger a mescalin flashback ;)). And Sugar Magnolia always reminds me of my college girlfriend, an Alabaman.
Love 'em.
Went to several shows in the late '80’s. They take up a good 3 or so inches on my record shelf.
I even like them after quitting (mostly) smoking pot!
Dead concert at Boulder Fieldhouse 1972.
Our seats were far from the stage but when we saw small objects flying from it we scurried down to check things out.
Came back to our seats with two baggies of pot. Each bag also contained papers and matches.
Favorite Dead song: Box of Rain
I saw them that weekend too, not sure which show,too lazy to find the ticket, it was a saturday. Sting opened and it started to rain, he kept playing, maybe 5,000 people are watching him in this huge stadium, everyone else is ouside or under shelter, felt so sorry for him.
First show in '81. About 3,000 people at Dane County Coliseum. 3,000 people!!! Those were the days.
In '95 flipped a coin and did my yearly 500 mile bike ride across the state instead. I said I’ll catch them the next time, not realizing there wouldn’t be a next time. I thought they’d play forever. It took so long to get over there wouldn’t be another show. Cried more than once.
fav song: Sugaree & Franklin’s Tower.
Jerry Rules!
yah, Sting was cool. Jerry came out and jammed with him for a couple of songs. Also remember that during the set break they showed on the big screens the broadcast of the NBA Championship series (with da Bulls)?
I purchased all three volumes of the “Taping Compendiums” even though I’m not a taper. They’re great! You get a review of virtually every show!
Phil Lesh has been putting on great concerts. Saw him at the Beacon theater, NYC, one year ago. Lots of Dead songs, including rarely played or never played songs like “The Golden Road (to Unlimited Devotion),” “Doin’ that Rag,” “Cosmic Charlie,” and “Unbroken Chain.” He’s playing there next month but I really didn’t have the money to spare to buy a ticket:( But I’ve got my Dick’s Picks to keep me happy:) Also check out http://www.deadshow.org
Yup! Big Deadhead here!
I only got to see them a handfull of times (maybe 10 or so shows), but they were definitely something special…
First show for me was in Lewiston, ME in '86 or '87…
Last show was Eugene, OR in '93 or '94 (this was the best one for me, a friend borrowed his 'rents RV and me and a few friends camped out in the parking lot for a few days! Woo hoo!! Mucho fun! We had absolutely everything we needed for a fun time, including a couple of guys camped out right behind us with a nitrous tank.
)
I’ve told this story before, I think, but the day Jerry died was the day of my mother’s funeral… a real smack in the face to hear that on the radio while we were getting dressed to go to the church.
i would have liked to see them… that would have been great, because im not a huge fan now but i dig what they did and the vibe…if i saw them live i would have been into them much more i think.
on another note, i wonder who has seen the most Dead shows?
any info on that? maybe its in the guiness book??
Yes I love them. Why else would I have this screen name?
Saw them about a dozen times.
Interesting story here about the Dead and drugs. My Mother used to work in the field of substance abuse. Years ago she was giving the physical exam to a young man coming in for treatment. She noticed his tatoo, Skull and roses, and asked him what was his favorite Dead song. He was surprised that this grey haired woman knew the Dead and that her favorite song was Ripple. She told him that is was possible to enjoy a Dead concert straight. She knew this because she had a daughter that did just that. Wow, I was held up as a good example! 
Saw Phil in concert this spring. Very fine.
The music will live long in our hearts.
If I knew the way
I would take you home
I saw 34 shows. Been to 3 Further Festivals. Are Further Festivals a thing of the past?
King Rat: Thanx for the links!
Well, considering my username, you can probably guess I’m a deadhead.(hint: think Wharf Rat)
I saw only 3 shows, including the last 2, and I’m just now starting to try and replace all of my tapes that were stolen by an old roommate. Any dopers trade tapes? I’ll send you as many blanks as you want to fill. I have the last show 7-9-95 from an excellent digital recording and a couple scattered mid 70’s shows if anyone wants them.
As far as the Dead song that makes the tears roll? “Black Peter”, of course.
My favorite, for the moment, is the classic Scarlet/Fire combo.
Who are the Grateful Dead?
… and why do they keep following me?
Mmmm favorite show would be hard to place. Maybe my first Darkstar (remember when signs with ‘days since’ grew to a peak?) The best DS I caught was 92 or '3 in Deer Creek. Third night, few teases here and there. Then a fantastic Terrapin>Space>Darkstar Wheel.
'Nother show that is high up on my list was RFK 92 (?) . The year Steve Miller was there. CR&S opener with a sky full of marshmallows Out of Space into KCJ – I have a tape of it and still get grins every time I hear Bobby blast out those airhorns before they jump into it. I should note that there were a few things going on that boosted that show – most I can’t post here under board rules. Let’s see if I can list a few and still stay in parameters:
[ul]
[li]Three hour pre-show jam in the famous RFK tunnels[/li][li] Friend worked for a Hilton in New York, and got us a comp room at a luxury DC hotel (after a few weeks in tents it was NIIICE)[/li][li]We were caught, red handed in the act of committing a Very Serious Felony. We were politely (really) asked by RFK security to shut down, get “the hell” out of their section (not the whole lot, just their section) and to “have a good show”.[/li][li]Could NOT find our car after the show. Two hours of tripping about the lot and nothing, nothing at all looked familiar. Dying of thirst, a couple juice guys took pity, threw us a bottle and we sat talking 'bout the show. As we were all 'bout to go our separate ways, one of us jokingly asked if they knew where our car was. With barely a description (Silver CRX with a SYF on the back) the guys nonchalantly pointed behind us, told us which underpass to take, which way to turn at the river, where to go from there. Not having anything better to go on, we followed, and voila – there it was. Unbelievable.[/li][li]and on and on and on…… [/ul][/li]
How many folks here grew tired of Liberty closers? Got real bad after a while. How many folks here would give their right nut to hear one more?
Speaking of songs to add to the list, what about So Many Roads? IMHO it ranks up there with the classics brought up so far. I don’t know why I haven’t gotten my ears on it yet, but the last Boston Garden shows the lyrics turn a bit to '…so many roads to heal my soul…" If any dopers have a copy, PLEASE drop me an e-mail and I’ll get a tape out there in a heartbeat.
We miss you Jerry!
Daddy made whiskey and he made it well
cost 2 dollars and burned like hell
I cut hickory just to fire the still
drink down a bottle and be ready to kill
Jack Straw from Wichitaw
cut his buddy down
then dug for him a shallow grave
laid his body down
Such great poetry, huh?
peace,
JB
In the book of love’s own dreams
Where all the print is blood
Where all the pages are my days
And all my lights grow old
Check out Grateful Dead Lyric & Song Finder
I always liked 'em well enough, but now I love 'em pretty much; 'cause back yonder in '83, I was crossing the country under the impetus of of a friend’s burning desire to see The Dead, and we ran into some hellacious winter weather in Knoxville, TN, and ended up wrecking her Honda under the back end of a truck. That’s actually a long story. The short one is that we got another car and made the trip.
When we finally got to Oakland for the New Year’s concert, we didn’t have tickets, and had No Idea that they would be going for some hundred dollars in the parking lot. Yeah…Whooshy Hoo Hoo, innocent Southern gals…
My friend went to go find a ticket; I had no way to pay big bucks, so was content to stay in the pretty amazing parking lot culture. That was fun enough, really. At one point, I was telling a small group of people the fable of wrecking up under a truck amidst the gotta-get-to-work Oak Ridge nuclear power plant workers in a 150 car pile-up ( it really is a long story), when Bill Graham hissownself, who’d been listening, comes up and gives me a Free Ticket and backstage pass! At the same time, a guy named Luna from Seattle gives me a big bag of mushrooms, “blessed in the Native tradition”. Yee-ikes-a-daisy!
Needless to say, I had a great New Year’s Eve. And the Neville Brothers were opening! So, I’m gonna love the Dead for the kindness shown to me, in addition to their kindness of music.