My First Show: June 9, 1976 Boston Music Hall

Today is the 40th Anniversary of my first Grateful Dead concert: Wednesday, June 9, 1976 at the Boston Music Hall in Boston, MA with somewhere between 2,700 and 3,500 people.  Wow. I was so lucky to go.

Of course, it was my "11th" overall concert.

Jimmy Roux and I had floor seats nearer the back, while Ralph had balcony seats.  Ralph says he went to the very middle of the balcony in the center in the front on the stairs and no usher or police asked him to move the entire show.

Never having seen the band, just having a few Bootleg LPs like Make Believe Ballroom, I had no idea what the band would play.  I recall all the first set songs were "about" ten minutes long, especially if you include the 6 minutes of Dead Air following a 4 minute Big River.  This show is a monster and still among my favorite shows I ever attended.

Some highlights:

Cold Rain & Snow, Rarely played after 1972 (3 times in 1973, 1 time on 10-20-74 and starting here)
Cassidy  (4th version ever)
Scarlet Begonias  (rarely played this early in a set)
The Music Never Stopped  (4th version ever)
Crazy Fingers  (4th version ever)
Looks Like Rain (one of the most beautiful ever)
Ship of Fools (4th first set version ever)

St Stephen>reverse Eyes of the World>Let It Grow  (first St since 10-31-71, only St>Eyes, only reverse Eyes, 5th orphan Let It Grow ever, only Eyes>Let It Grow)
High Time (first since 7-12-1970 Fillmore East)
Dancin In The Streets>Wharf Rat>Around & Around (3rd Dancin since 12-31-71, 3rd disco version)

Franklin's Tower (only standalone Franklin's encore)

Of course, I called "first in'' on dead.net (9 years ago)


Matrix FLAC

The Music

Deadlistening Guide: Greatest Review of this Show

The return of St. Stephen is only one stellar aspect of 06/09/76. The entire second set completely out performs how it looks on paper; and it looks mighty fine on paper:

St. Stephen> Eyes of the World > Let It Grow > Drums > Let It Grow, Brown Eyed Women, Lazy Lightning > Supplication, High Time, Samson, It Must've Been The Roses, Dancin’in the Streets > Wharf Rat > Around, E: Franklin's Tower

The first set is no slouch, looking like a dream set that might have been penned by some fans in the parking lot before the show. Cold Rain opens. It was only played three times in ’73, and once in ’74 on the last night of the farewell stand at Winterland (it was the opener that night too). Cassidy was played only once before, early in 1974. And then we get Scarlet Begonias, Music Never Stopped, and Crazy Fingers, all in a row. Whew! But set two opens with the song that most fans probably didn’t even allow themselves to think about ever hearing again.

The crowd’s reaction to St. Stephen is priceless stuff (equaled again upon its second return in 1983). The song’s jam demonstrates the 1976-typical slowly spinning kaleidoscope of sound right from the first notes. It swirls and swirls going further and further out – Jerry finding one beautiful space after another. They all key back together for the last verse as if they’ve been playing the tune every night since it was last played on 10/31/71. When they shift from “What would be the answer to the answer man?” into Eyes it is dreamy perfection. Is this really happening? You will be in the giddiest of Grateful Dead spaces here.

This Eyes is perfectly described as jubilant. The super up tempo treatment of the song is pure pleasure. Also, it has another new 1976 twist: they build the song backwards with the long exit jam coming before the song itself. This one goes on for 8 minutes before the first verse, and it serves to prolong the giddy zone all the way through. Your dog might even start twirling around the living room to this song, his or her little puppy paws rising and falling like incense smoke overhead.

Grateful Dead -August 4, 1976Not good enough for you? Try refraining from joy as the band eases out of Eyes into a light and dreamlike mist that sounds bound perfectly for Wharf Rat, only to have Bobby magnificently draw out Let It Grow. It fades into view like a ghost out of the fog. Brilliant. The Let It Grow is overflowing with more of the wonderful interlocking spinning wheel glory of 1976. In and out of Drums on a dime. And then there’s this perfect little Brown Eyed Women. The song hardly ever gets a second thought when it comes to “best of” conversations. But, I’ve always found this one somehow a cut above. The quickened tempo has a lot to do with it, I’m sure.

Read more: http://www.deadlistening.com/2008/04/1976-june-9-boston-music-hall.html#ixzz4Ava6V9q5

Road_Trips_Volume_4_Number_5

Google Links to 6-9-76

And a recently discovered May 1988 Issue of Dupree's Diamond News has this great take on this show and 1976 in general

My 11 Favorite Unusual Dead Medleys I Saw

Tell me what you think, these all occurred in my first five years, I've attached the Music Files

1. St. Stephen->Eyes of The World->Let It Grow  (6-9-76)
2. Wharf Rat->Comes A Time (6-12-76)
3. Sugar Magnolia->US Blues->Sunshine Daydream (6-12-76)
4. Mississippi Half Step->Big River (5-7-77)
5. Bertha->Good Lovin'->Sugaree (5-28-77)
6. He's Gone->Not Fade Away->Truckin' (9-3-77)
7. I Need A Miracle->Shakedown Street (1-17-79)
8. Dancing In the Streets>Franklin's Tower (10-27-79)
9. Playing In the Band->Uncle John's Band->Drums->Not fade Away->The Wheel->Uncle John's Band->Playing In the Band (9-6-80)
10. Dark Star->Bertha->Good Lovin (12-31-81)
11. Not Fade Away->Deal>Sunshine Daydream (12-31-82)

Take A Listen


Here are 11 I didn't see, much wish I did

1. Dark Star->The Other One->Dark Star->Uncle John's Band Jam->Dark Star->St Stephen->The Eleven->Caution->The Main Ten->Feedback->We Bid You Goodnight (11-8-69)
2. Here Comes Sunshine->China Cat Sunflower>I Know You Rider (2-17-73)
3. Playing In the Band->supplication_>Playing In the Band (set one, 9-24-76)
4. Let It Grow->Goin' Down The Road Feeling Bad (9-28-76)
5. Dancing In The Streets->Wharf Rat->Dancing In the Streets (set one!, 10-10-76)
6. Eyes Of The World->Wharf Rat->Terrapin Inspiration->Morning Dew (5-22-77)
7. Playing In The Band -> Hully Gully > The Wheel [6:06] > Samson And Delilah->Gloria  > Turn On Your Lovelight  > Goin' Down The Road Feeling Bad > Playing In The Band (10-16-81)
8. The Music Never Stopped>Sugaree>Music Never Stopped (8-7-82)
9. Deal -> Drums->Gimme Some Lovin->All Along The Watchtower->The Wheel (6-20-87)
10. Help On The Way->Slipknot!->Fire on The Mountain (9-20-91)
11. Cassidy->Uncle John's Band->Cassidy (5-27-93, thanks David Gans!)

I'll Post the Music Soon. Boston 77 is your songs today

Also this fun one 6-20-1991

Hi, I'm Dave

Hi, I'm Dave. I grew in Maine, went to high school at Andover outside Boston in 1975, moved back to Maine in 1977 for college, and on to the golden shores in December 1980.  I realized recently that I never saw the Dead outside California since the Lewiston show on 9-6-1980.

Here I am with Demon and Juliet and Ralph and Harriet around or in  1982

Me

brother Ralph

ralphie, Demon and me

Demon Juliet and some guy

Harriet and me, possibly Hampton

Juliet, Demon, Ralph and Craig for the Red Day Greek show 1982  Thanks Craig for all these photos in 2017

I was an avid follower of the Dead from 1975 to about 1987, but slipped away from the scene as the shows declined along with Jerry's health and substance abuse (which I learned about after his death).

I rejoined the flock in late 1994, and got to see one LA show prior to Jerry's death. Due to a workmate and good friend Evan, and the advent of the Betty Boards, I started listening more carefully and see the whole picture of the Dead, I became a bigger fan and active critic of the music.

As technology got more interesting, I became more interested in accessing and enjoying the experience.  As I have had to commute 50 miles a day total in LA freeway traffic, I have gotten the opportunity to listen carefully the last few years

This diary will point to interesting moments in my shows that I attended in somewhat random order.
I will start this week with a moment from December 26, 1980.
Hope you enjoy.

Dave
January 22, 2015

The fifth song I ever heard the Dead play from about 25 rows back in the Boston Music Hall with my friend Jimmy.