Don't Murder Me: Only Show in New Hampshire

Originally posted 1-16-16

In the backwash of Hanover, the Grateful Dead came to town. 

It was May 5, 1978 and it would be the only time that the boys ever played New Hampshire in the 30 year history of the band. 3,499 other deadheads and Dartmouth students were there.

http://thedartmouth.com/2012/05/22/deadheads-camp-outside-thompson-arena-for-1978-concert/

Edit 11-14-2017. My pal Craig MacLean took this photo of Phil, pre-show, who had walked into the crowd to visit a friend high up somewhere. Cool huh.




Sirius decided to play the show this morning as i drove to work immediately after I finished my blog post on the Beatles songs, s I had to write my New Hampshire piece because the Dire Wolf sounded so great in my car (best version ever played in New Hampshire). I think Jerry loved to play Direwolf especially when the Dead were in the woods like here and on November 5, 1977 in upstate New York. I loved when it was played second in the set (or open like in the 12-31-80 acoustic set Blog piece here)

This was my first show after starting college (Englishtown was the day BEFORE college) and I attended along with Jimmy Roux, Mike Barr ( i think), Katie Moody and I did run into Andover deadhead Lundy Bancroft the set break (not hard with only 3,500)

It was followed by Cassidy, Candyman, and later a heavy set-end Passenger, Brown Eyed Women and Lazy Lightning/Supplication, all greatest ones ever in New Hampshire. Ok, joking aside, this is a well played and great sounding show. It was my 12th Dead concert after 3 in 1976 and 8 in 1977, and although it might only rank 11th out of my first dozen shows in terms of my enjoyment, that speaks to the greatness of 1976 and 1978 and should not lessen the fact that this show rocked!  Thanks to Charlie Miller and his band of mischief elves that get these boards so he can do his magic on them.Archive Flac

The archive comments include "one of my most memorable shows", "listen to Phil go up one side of NFA and come back down the other", "Werewolves for Cinco De Mayo?" and "best Estimated I've ever heard".  This is indeed a boss show.  

Don't forget the second set Bertha>Good Lovin, Estimated>Eyes>my first of 69 Drums>Spaces?NFA>Stella and of course the encore which you hear now.  I only got to hear Werewolves twice, this night and a week later at the 5-11-78 Springfield "Mescaline" show, which were the 4th and 6th versions of nine that Spring between April 19 and May 17.  The Dead would only play it three more times on Halloweens 1985, 1990, and 1991.  The 1985 version opened the show, the rest were all encores.   

I recall the building at Dartmouth (Thompson Arena) was small, new (build in 1975)  and sounded good.

The FLACs and the MPs are here. Enjoy listen. Rinse. Repeat.

Nashua Telegraph June 9, 1995

Only Time I Saw the Grateful Dead when it wasnt announced, 12-12-81

 This was a fun show, only time I saw the Grateful Dead when it did not say that on the marque.

I recall going to the Horse Racing track and then a long line and a delay  then a real fun night

Corry did it best here a decade ago

http://lostlivedead.blogspot.com/2011/03/december-12-1981-fiesta-hall-san-mateo.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xe09jIA_5Yg

April 25, 1981 Berkeley Acoustic Benefit: I Can't Write This Better than Corry

I forgot they advertised this show on April 5 on page 19 of the Pink Section

I met Wavy around this time, he came into Rasputin's Records where I was working looking for some obscure folk or country record and I recognized him right away and we talked for awhile, but not about the Dead I think.  What a great guy.  Great memory.

Until I add something substantial , just link to Corry's great memory of this show

http://lostlivedead.blogspot.com/2014/01/april-25-1981-berkeley-community.html

I am fortunate to know folks like Corry who are real professionals and historians.

I am just a old guy who was a fan.

My thoughts:

Last show I saw December 31, 1980 was the last of the 1980's Grateful Dead Acoustic sets. Great Dead thinker and writer Howard Weiner says it was the best one, but it was the only one I saw.

Corry writes about the Spring/Summer 1981 "trades" where I saw John Kahn play the acoustic benefits here and in May at the Warfield, while I saw Phil played in the Jerry Garcia Band August 22 up in Fairfax.  Also Brent did not play here. 

Songs played here that I did not hear on New Year's Eve are Deep Elem, Dark Hollow, Friend of the Devil, El Paso, Ain't No Lie and Oh Boy. The last time the Grateful Dead played Oh Boy was April 6, 1971 at the Manhattan Center.

First time I saw a show at Berkeley High School. Nice to walk a few blocks from 2816 Fulton down the street. 

A Corry Highlight:

FYI, I count this as a Dead show.  40 minutes :)

Here are his handwritten notes from the show:

May 13, 1983 at the Greek: My 7th Straight Greek Show

I was not able to break my Oakland Auditorium record at the Greek as my streak stopped at seven with this show.  I saw Garcia in the blazing 1975-1982 corridor, and by 1983 I began to ship shows (sacrilege I Know you Rider). This one has a hot middle of the show Bird Song, Let It Grow, China>Rider, Estimated>Eyes so you can't go wrong on the Friday night show

Of note,these were the first Greek shows where the heat came by and busted [some] for smiling on a cloudy day/

Ed Perlstein (buy his work), getty images can sue me for my zero dollars in revenue from my blog

1980-1982, 15 Straight New Year's Run shoes at the Oakland

1981-1983, 7 Straight Greek theater Shows

SET 1

1. Cold Rain And Snow
2. Greatest Story Ever Told
3. West L.A. Fadeaway
4. Hell In A Bucket
5. Loser
6. Little Red Rooster
7. Bird Song
8. Let It Grow

SET 2

1. China Cat Sunflower >
2. I Know You Rider
3. Estimated Prophet >
4. Eyes Of The World >
5. Drums >
6. Space >
7. Throwing Stones >
8. The Other One >
9. Wharf Rat >
10. Around & Around >
11. Good Lovin'

Never Miss the Middle Shows: December 27-28, 1980 in My First New Year's Five Night Run

You can check out my prior looks at this run

    December 26: http://www.gratefulseconds.com/2015/01/east-to-west-grateful-dead-live-at.html

    December 30: http://www.gratefulseconds.com/2015/12/tdih1980-grateful-dead-coolest-ever.html

and

December 31: http://www.gratefulseconds.com/2015/12/my-first-new-years-eve-1980-acoustic.html

The second-half of 1980 is a great underrated space in the history of the Grateful Dead as the late summer smokin tour ends in the famous Lewiston show less than a mile from my family home I moved to in the Summer of Love in 1967.  Then the acoustic set shows and finally, my first of three years seeing the five nights of New Year's shows at the Oakland Auditorium.

December 27 was my first "smokin" New Year's run show where the start the show with three openers in a row with Feel Like a Stranger, Sugaree and Minglewood.

But where this show shines is set two, a seamless gem that is worthy of more attention 

12-27 Feel Like A Stranger, Sugaree-> Minglewood Blues, Loser, Looks Like Rain, Tennessee Jed, Passenger, It Must Have Been The Roses, The Music Never Stopped 

China Cat Sunflower-> I Know You Rider-> Estimated Prophet-> Eyes Of The World-> Drums-> The Wheel-> Truckin'-> Wharf Rat-> Goin' Down The Road Feelin' Bad-> One More Saturday Night, E: Johnny B. Goode

12-28 Mississippi Half Step-> Franklin's Tower, Me & My Uncle-> Big River, Bird Song, Little Red Rooster, Althea, Jack Straw Don't Ease Me In,

 Lost Sailor-> Saint Of Circumstance-> Terrapin Station-> Drums-> The Other One-> Stella Blue-> Sugar Magnolia, E: Casey Jones

Alabama Debuts in Providence November 4, 1979

This show was the 19th time I saw the Grateful Dead in 1979 (and about 25th time I saw Jerry), which ended the longest strange trip while I was 20.   I don't have much to say about this show except it's the first Alabama Getaway.

This show was a bit of a let down after the Cape Cod shows the prior weekend, even though they played well (see the Spectrum show the next night for a Road Trips powerhouse). Maybe I was just tired after so many shows. I wouldn't see the band again until May 1980 in Portland, Maine.

I will let the awesome Mind Wondrin tell you his thoughts

A Tale of Two Sugaree: Springfield and Hartford Bookend Spring 1977 Tour

An early fun re-post from 2017


For those paying attention, I am keeping in reserve my blog pieces on some of my favorite shows. So I let Springfield 77's 39th birthday slip by on Saturday and will do the full treatment on its 40th birthday in 2017.  However, let's discuss Spring 1977 for a minute here.

The six week Spring 1977 tour virtually started and ended in the Springfield/Hartford axis (after getting its Mojo back in Philadelphia).  And what bookended this tour was the two Sugarees; the great Springfield version and the out of this world Bertha>Good Lovin>Sugaree that opened the last show of the tour (To Terrapin) in Hartford.
Interesting iy you add the Deadlists timing of 11:17 on April 23 to the 18:43 of May 28 you get exactly 30 minutes of Sugaree Gold

2019 Edit: The awesome and JerryNote-crazed mind of Howard Weiner, the true Sugaree expert wrote this about the Hartford version. Get his book here
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B012WSCF9G/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

My 18 year old AcidCrazied mind that night in Hartford loved to be reminded from both the To Terrapin and Howard's poetry.

So for your listening pleasure and for about 1,800 Grateful Seconds listen to this six week evolution, a tale of two Sugarees today if you get a chance.

The Other Cape Cod Show October 28, 1979: Amazing Deadbase Review

Two Consecutive Nights

Two Consecutive Sets

Two Consecutive Franklin's Towers

Nearly 40 Lovely Minutes

For October 27, 1979, the top rated show of 1979 here

This was a great show especially when they played another 18 minutes plus of Franklin out of Half Step in set one

Show is here

An Underrated Maine Show, Portland, May 13, 1979 My 7th Show in 10 Days (Finals In the Middle)

This was the first show ever in Portland, Maine.And also the first show in Maine since April 1971. By May 1979 the Dead had already played 15 of their 22 ever shows in sister city Portland, Oregon.   This one on May 13, 1979 was the first of eight in Portland, Maine. I only saw the first two before moving to Berkeley 19 months later.

This was the last night of the short ten night first tour with Brent. I saw 6 of these 7, 7 of the 9 on the tour.

I went to 6 dead shows in 7 days, took my finals and then saw one more in Portland at the end. I managed to get all HHs (HH=A at Bowdoin). Crazy. Im pretty sure I only smoked weed and did not trip during this trip.  I almost got arrested only one outside Hampton.

This ended my 22nd shows all on east coast

My next 3 would be in Sacramento and Oakland.

There is a pretty hot Sugaree that opens this show and a cool Take A Step Back, always a favorite for me.  Usually for the time Jack Straw closed set one. The show is not considered top shelf (see 5/7,8,9 for the tours best according to Deadbase polling)

We did get Maine's first Scar Fire and a really nice Estimated He's Gone Truckin Nobodys Fault Jam.

Enjoy

https://gratefuldeadoftheday.com/05-13-1979

SET 1

Sugaree

Take A Step Back

Mama Tried >

Mexicali Blues

Jack-A-Roe

It's All Over Now

Candyman

El Paso

Row Jimmy

Jack Straw

SET 2

Scarlet Begonias >

Fire On The Mountain

Estimated Prophet >

He's Gone >

Truckin' >

Nobody's Fault Jam>

Drums >

Space >

Wharf Rat >

Around & Around

ENCORE

U.S. Blues

Lewiston is not interested in the Dead on May 12, 1979