![]() The Dead started the show on the 28th with a powerful 1st set that included “Iko Iko,” “Walkin Blues,” “Bird Song,” “Stuck Inside of Mobile” and “Jack Straw.” Jerry Garcia, rumored to have quit smoking, was in exceptional vocal shape. So much for the suggestions, let’s get to the meat and potatoes. That would greatly improve the dangerous crush of humanity that jammed the arena’s floor. If the Dead plan on playing this size venue in the Bay Area they should consider having reserved seats, as opposed to the mob scene called “festival seating” (seating?). Kaiser, the Coliseum Arena was just too big. For those folks used to the hominess of the Henry J. Tapers crowded in front as well as behind the sound board and were partly to blame for the lack of access on the floor. Inside the Coliseum Arena on the 28th, we found that there was no access on the floor and in some parts of the stands. The Dead, for their part, played exceptionally well during this three day stand, sticking mostly to their tried and true repertoire. ![]() Many hung out in the parking lot where the vending and partying went on non-stop. Hundreds of Heads seemed content with the prospect of never actually seeing the band or hearing a note of music. At these shows tickets were as scarce as I’ve ever seen them, even for the shows on the 28th and 29th. One of the problems facing the Grateful Dead, especially in the last couple of years, is the influx of Deadheads that arrive at shows, without tickets. ![]() It seems with each passing year the hordes of hippie capitalists grows, as this veteran Deadhead has never seen more vendors, most with their own booths complete with lights and dressing rooms. ![]() The Oakland Coliseum parking lot was transformed into a huge campground as the Deadheads lined each aisle into their unique enclave, complete with marketplace. And with the gathering of the tribes comes the carnival atmosphere that surrounds the band and their fans each time they perform. For the Deadheads, attendance at the New Years Eve shows is the high point of their year. In San Francisco and other parts of the Bay Area, the group’s loyal legion of fans, the Deadheads, were very visible in their multi-colored buses and tie-dyed outfits, many of whom had traveled form the four corners of the world to share in the year end’s revelry with their favorite rock band. You had to be either deaf, dumb, or blind to not realize the Grateful Dead were back in town. “Some Rise, Some Fall, Some Climb, To Get To Terrapin.” _ – Robert Hunter ![]()
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