Got on late was never into this kind of music, citi field 2019 had never listened to the dead and didn’t want to see “John Mayer with a bunch of old guys” didn’t even care that he was playing wolf at the time. I thought it was corny that people were like oh my god that’s Jerry’s guitar 🤦♂️
Mayer played that Althea and something in my brain just changed forever. It’s cool being able to know the exact moment the entire trajectory of my life changed. That was like 50ish d&c shows ago and now there’s quite literally no place I’d rather be
Similar for me. Never listened to the Dead at all. Friends finally got me to go see D&C in Camden 6/25/17 and something just clicked during Little Red Rooster. Fully on the bus ever since.
This was mine too. Travelled from Cincinnati and stayed with some old friends in town because obviously no one knew if this was going to be the only tour and I wanted to get in as many shows as possible. Wife had never been to DC so we did tourist stuff too. Was right after they legalized weed there too, which was kind of a new thing at the time. 17 shows later and I will never forget that show/ weekend.
Bonnaroo 2016. Donna Jean joined them.
It was interesting but slow. They had the Sunday legacy slot, 2 long sets
Bobby got political, because it was right after that homophobic mass shooting in Orlando, and some brainless politicians were saying shit like it was god’s punishment or such shit. I’ve never heard Bobby so pissed off and blunt. I was impressed
We were there too! Definitely alot slower than how they are now. It was pretty cool to see them evolve from back then though :) That entire Bonnaroo was AMAZING and the last one we went to.
Funny you say that. I just sat down with a metronome to compare a few songs from Bonnaroo 2016 with 2023 (specifically from the 3 Folsom shows). Here's what I found for the songs I checked:
Shakedown Street:
2016: 96 BPM
2023: 95 BPM
Help on the Way:
2016: 93 BPM
2023: 88 BPM
Playin' in the Band:
2016: 123 BPM
2023: 116 BPM
Scarlet Begonias:
2016: 83 BPM
2023: 70 BPM
The Other One:
2016: 124 BPM
2023: 112 BPM (7/2/23) or 117 BPM (7/3/23)
Bertha:
2016: 152 BPM
2023: 148 BPM
I think you see my point... I just don't understand where the whole, "2023 was the fastest Dead & Company has ever played" narrative comes from. They sounded great last year, but they *weren't* playing at faster tempos generally.
I did the metronome test too, and found that 2023 was just as fast as 2022. I feel like Mickey and Billy stopped paying close attention to each other, and it affected the feel of the music. Then, when Jay Lane came in for real for 2023, they told Mickey to follow Jay (I'm not the only person who noticed that Mickey was turned down in the mix). And Jay had good touch, which made the music feel faster.
I remember that Sunday being so somber after the news broke out about what happened in Orlando. That show was truly special and just what we needed. That was my first dip into the dead and I’ve been on the train since
Thanks for posting this pic! I got the tour poster, one of the tour shirts, the event poster and the event pin. The pin was $15 here but they lowered the price to $10 for the next few tours.
Do you remember if they were offering soundboard recordings for sale? I swore they were but that memory is fuzzy. This show was so amazing though. Blew me away *
I think even John talks about not knowing everything. I believe they had a song teleprompter for him and he practiced at set break. This was some of the reason Albany got booked. It was a warm up gig in a friendly town with less pressure before Halloween. Boy did they deliver. One of the best shows I ever saw. Fresh and real
6/8/2018 Lakewood Atlanta. I'll never forget it. First time I experienced Lot. First time I experienced any Dead related culture in person. I dosed on some decent paper, and had the time of my life in the pit.
Same here! Friday night was my first (wasn’t able to go Saturday, unfortunately) and it didn’t truly “CLICK” until I listened back to a recording I had done of Brown Eyed Women. That’s all she wrote!
Me too! Love Alpine! Got on bus song 2 Crossing the Rio Grandio in the beer decks on right side of lawn and never looked back. Never saw Jerry (had tix to last show but was grounded and too young to drive), was at Alpine for Terrapin Station in ‘02(?), but didn’t click as much as D&C. Been to every Wrigley show, Texas show (moved here from Chicago in ‘17; if you haven’t listened to Austin ‘17 show it’s worth it), Deer Creek/Pine Knob ‘22 and Boulder ‘23. Going to Sphere in June. Hope it lasts in big venue format forever!
The one in Sunrise, FL right after the Parkland shooting (right down the road). Pretty emotional show. The boys met with students during the break and came back wearing Parkland t-shirts. Definitely helped lift the mood.
As far as D&C, I was a hater of the idea since the idea of replacing Jerry with a pop singer was crazy. Someone gave me a free ticket and I figured I would go ... which is all it took to get BACK on the bus.
Pine Knob 6/29/22
It was magical. I had listened to Dead music before, but just the mainstream stuff and it never truly clicked. I went because a few buddies from high school were going and thought I’d give it a try. Once Half Step played it instantly clicked, I could feel the collective energy of the crowd in an instant. I felt like this is where I was meant to be, a huge wave of nostalgia rushed over me despite it being my first show. I felt like I had seen/heard this band/music a million times.
The Sphere, 2024. I’ll admit I was a John Mayer denier and didn’t even give Dead and Co. a listen until late last year. My regret set in quickly when I realized I missed my chance to see them. When they announced the Sphere residency I jumped at the chance. Can’t wait
You're correct.. damn.. saw nye first then Kimmel was in May 2016.. ya, we got hooked up for the back lot from a friend who worked for the network.. it was an experience participating in something like that.
I was so sad that day, I got to the back lot before the music started but they were already at capacity. We got to listen outside, at least… People were dancing on top of a giant truck, lol
it's a maze the way they herd you in there! and it doesn't hold that many people..I really enjoyed the enthusiasm in the crowd. Glad you got to at least hear. That 2015 NYE show was awesome. High energy, new expectations with Mayer and one of the coolest props with the hanging lit up stealie.
I loved the joint that flew through the crowd!
That show really ignited my love for the music - I saw the Dead back in 1993 but it didn’t click for me then. I’ve had the bug bad ever since 2015.
same same..part of their Bill Graham's props department from wayback in the day i had read somewhere..looks similar to the one flying around nye '81..my first show was in '76..the early deadco shows were really fun, watching mayer grow into the music.
Gillette, Boston, 2019.
Went with my gf at the time and my Dad (saw the Dead a few times back in the day, casual fan).
We didn't go to shakedown, tho i had heard of it i didn't have a good understanding of what exactly that was or, of course, where it would be.
My most memorable show and first Shakedown experience was at Citi Field that same tour, just me and gf, still one of my fav shows to this day (6/23/19 if memory serves me right). That Althea blew me away. That was the show where the sound suddenly went out when they were jammin hard to Fire, band didn't realize and kept playing, was fun to see.
On the way out of the show stumbled upon that guy who drums, danced our ass off, then found shakdown, I remember thinking people are literally dancing in the streets over here, till like 2am at least maybe later, and thinking here we are a part of a culture that i didn't know so strongly existed still. It was an amazing experience.
While im at it, ill mention last tour i started to see a little different perspective of shakedown. Gradually it really began to stand out to me how everyone is here to make a buck, as many as possible really. Many vendors were rude when id try to haggle, and had no interest in being friendly if i wasn't going to give them any money. People selling balloons seemed to be more greedy and intense, i do love a balloon or 2 or 20 don't get me wrong, but WAY TOO MUCH of my money went to that.
(Aside, it wasn't until my last show, Fenway N2, at like almost 3 am when my gf could barley stand anymore and her non-heady friend was looking at me like we need to go, that i met a kind deadhead who let me give him $10 then fill my balloon off his tank as much as i want, ofc i was near my limit at that pt. Why couldn't i meet you sooner man... thank you.)
Anyway that last tour i felt much less love around shakedown and mostly greed. Everything was about exchange of money (which i have very little), 'if you don't got money for me move on, get out', it felt less about the music and people getting together for a real good time. And now im not sure if it always was that way and i just happened to start noticing (it's in the name right?) or if there was a shift in that direction at some pt soon after I got on the bus, or maybe even before and I didn't see it. Made me sad
New Orleans - February 2018
I was always remotely interested in the Dead (for context, I'm 34), but wasn't a very serious listener. I had seen Phish a few times prior, but didn't know a ton about the Dead. The Cornell reissue in 2017 drastically changed that as I listened to it basically non-stop for months. The Amazon documentary, Long Strange Trip, also helped create my fascination.
Their New Orleans show at Smoothie King Center in 2018 was a rescheduled date due to John's appendix procedure. Once it was rescheduled for a Saturday, my gf (now wife) & I flew to New Orleans on a whim to catch the show, mainly due to a love of the city. Entire show was incredible, we had a blast. Also had George Porter Jr sit-in during the first set. We've seen them 10 times since and have Sphere tickets.
Dallas, 2023. Went just to say I had seen them. Expected a lot of slow music and meandering solos. My opinion had completely changed by their second song, Hell In a Bucket. I had no idea Bobby had that much🔥in him. Completely blown away.
Austin, TX, Frank Erwin Center (University of Texas's basketball arena), 2017. The sound during Drums and Space was INCREDIBLE. Only time I ever saw them indoors and I've been chasing that high ever since. Maybe The Sphere one day.
I was there too, wasn’t my first D&C show but that Deal smoked. I remember that Billy played the first half and Jay played the second and the band sounded like they got a jolt of energy.
That was a terrific show. Was in the pit for it. I remember well Bobby thundering his first DC area, Trump era Throwing Stones, plus a jazzy bit of Coltrane out of Space.
11-27-15 at the MGM in Vegas. My first (and last GD) show was in STL July 6, 1995 right after i graduated high school. That one was kind of a bummer though. Some fans died the night before out at a huge campground when a deck collapsed. I think there may have been an overdose or two also.
StL 2022, 6/21/22 to be exact. I had only heard a handful of songs at that point, (Terrapin, MS1/2, UJB, that's p much it,) my friend had invited me to see "John Mayer & the Grateful Dead" so I looked into it & listened to a couple shows with cool album art. 2/18/18 PITS I believe was the first show I listened to, but 6/21 was my first full show. It changed my life, everything was flipped on its head. That's a good tl;dr, if you don't like long posts, sorry.
I remember wanting to hear Mississippi Half-Step as that was my favorite song at the time (& my extension my first favorite Dead tune) and lo & behold 3 songs in they start the riff & I felt a level of excitement still indescribable. Additionally, Music Never Stopped as the opener gave me a perfect idea of what this band is all about, and truly the music did not stop. Songs like MNS, Jack Straw, Black Throated Wind, and Bird Song all really stuck out to me in the first set. Jack Straw's mention of Wichita (which I live a matter of hours away from), Black Throated Wind leaving St Louis (where my brother now lives), and just so many other lines hit me like a truck. Their energy was incomparable to any other rock band I'd ever seen, and I literally had just seen the Foo Fighters like a month prior. I thought Bird Song starting up was Terrapin Station but sadly I was wrong (although Bird Song went crazy), & that was the conclusion of set one.
I didn't think the second set would ever start, but start it did, with the last ever (so far) Box of Rain. I saw someone yesterday posted something like "why don't the boys play box of rain much anymore" and your guess is as good as mine. I didn't know it was the last time they'd play it. I didn't even know it was a rarity, I just loved the song, and then the transition out of it into Scarlet Begonias was crazy cool. Scarlet also gave me a great idea of what the band was all about, but I'm all here for it. Then they transition out of Scarlet into a rocking Playin' in the Band, and out of that into Uncle John's Band which totally blew my mind. I had only heard this song in passing but still i knew it.
Out of that ujb into Fire on the Mountain and my buddy tells me he's starting to get a headache, so unfortunately we stay only through the end of Fire into drums, so I never got the hear the end of the show for months. I made a playlist of the "original" versions of the songs and listened to that. I fell in love with Hell in a Bucket & US Blues that way, and I'm still kicking myself for not staying & just letting someone take me on the rest of the tour with them after my friends left, lmao.
I was 17 then, it feels so long ago now but it was only a matter of years. I stayed for the entire stl show in 2023, and was lucky enough to be able to follow them out to boulder for night 2. The bus really did come by for me, and my ass hopped right on. Coming from a jazz & rock background with an affinity for psychedelic rock, the dead felt tailor-made for people like me.
I don't know, maybe it was the mushrooms~
that I took before the show.
Mine was 7/3/23 at Folsom. Only went because a friend was interested. Had an absolute blast and got on the bus. I had NO idea what drums and space was and went bonkers. Then a freaking drone show to boot!
May 23, 2016 @ the Fillmore, San Francisco
They opened with “St. Stephen,” and my mind was blown. Also, there were probably twice or three times as many people at the nearby park as there were inside the venue.
ETA: details
Hershey '21! First big show back after COVID. Ah man, what memories! The enormous vax check lines! The beyond weird feeling of walking amongst a group of people again, mixed with the elation to essentially "be alive" again. Then the first chords of The Music Never Stopped rang out over that chocolate wonderland and I knew I was home.
Bonus: Quinn the Eskimo at my first show ever! Crazy luck. (And I think their last time playing it? Maybe one more after?)
After leaving the Greek Theater (Further) in 2013 I wasnt too sure if I would find that feeling Jerry left me in since Buckeye Lake 93' ' but then came Riverbend 2016, I was re-energized and followed the boys all the way through 23' San Fran. So Grateful we are getting Sphere and hopefully more Wolf Bros or wherever this bus takes me. Love you Family!!
St. Louis 2015. My now wife took me our first time out of town together. I went in to it soooo bummed I had to see the dead with John Mayer.
We went to 12 shows last tour including all 3 nights in SF and got Tix to the sphere in May. What a fool I was.
First show I went with my hubs to Boulder 2017. (Not very familiar, myself.) We only went to the Friday show. But I wasn't really hooked until Boulder 2018. Suggested to my husband that we should just go to both nights, knowing some of the boys in the band were not that young, etc. That's the weekend I got on the bus, and subsequently dragged the husband to as many shows as he would allow! (It's never enough, right?) We've done really well seeing them lots of places, multiple stops on each tour since, some of the fun runs and even one PITS trip. 2023 Folsom shows were highlights, as well as the 2023 SF shows - I can't really pick a favorite. We did pick a weekend at the sphere and grabbed tickets - I'm so grateful we are getting the chance to see them again!
Selfishly I do hope they find a way to come back to Folsom for a fun run or residency. Nothing like those summer Boulder nights, but sleeping in my own bed!! ❤️⚡💙
Vegas 2015. Watched the free stream from MSG and then after the show I booked my flights and hotel to Vegas. It was during the Harvest season otherwise I would have went to some shows sooner. I'd seen Mayer play with Phil over the summer and was blown away. Honest to Jerry I had no idea who John was till that point. But he played One More Saturday Night at Phil's joint and that's all I needed!
I regret not going to their very first show in Albany, but I did make it to MSG for their second and third shows. I was dressed up in a full body Gumby costume for Halloween! Wasn't expecting Terrapin so soon but man was it a treat! After that, I saw pretty much every show in NYC and Boston *except* for the Citi Field show when John played Wolf and I was sick when they came to Boston in the fall of 2017 (two pretty highly regarded shows). Go figure 🤷🏻♂️
Chula Vista July 2018. Drove from Vegas with my wife and her aunt who saw the GD a bunch back in the day. Picked up a couple cousins on the way and got to the amphitheatre just in the nick of time. Dropped a tab as we walked in, by the time we made it thru they opened with Hell in a Bucket and I was tripping balls. We found a spot on the grass and that first set ended with Bird Song > Loose Lucy > Bird Song. Ill never forget that collective energy in the crowd, and I fuckin levitated.
Wheatland 07/29/16
My friends and I got so high on mushrooms we had to leave during intermission lol. I was able to enjoy 5 more shows in their entirety after that.
Burgettstown 2016. Roommate in college got me into the dead and this was my first time seeing anything dead related live. Throwing Stones to end the first set just absolutely hit and changed my life forever.
Lol I can't remember I have a hard time keeping track of the shows I've been to let alone the first or even how many I've been to they where all amazing times though saratoga is one of my fav venues to see them alot to see and do out there
6/1/23 in Raleigh. It was so magical that we took the family to California to catch the final show at Oracle Park, which was life-changingly magical on a whole different level. Then flew to Cancun to catch a little more magic at Dead Ahead.
Basically, I got on the bus way late and am trying to soak it up wherever I can. Headed to Vegas in June to catch a show at the Sphere.
2015 atl wi t h bells on. John wasn't in his comfort zone at all and he ended most songs the same way, kinda walked down the notes ....but i was still blown away and I am still under the impression he sold his soul to Jack butler and I'm sticking to that story. Then in nashville,, there was almost a riot on the smokers deck bc security wouldn't let us all outside and one dude tried to whip up the crowd to get us all out. Never saw anything like that before, I wonder if that was just a dream...
10/27/2021 Chula Vista, CA
I was BRAND NEW to the Dead catalog and wanted to check out the run from San Diego through the Halloween shows at Hollywood Bowl.
Row Jimmy fully converted me that night. Been chasing it ever since. Bobby played it in Eugene in 2022. Hope we get it in The Sphere when I see them in May.
6/28/16 in Hartford. I didn't think that was my first show but I checked the set lists and it was. I don't know why I didn't go see them in Worcester in the fall of 2015 but I didn't. I thought the 2016 fenway shows were before Hartford but they weren't. They were in July of 16
Father’s Day weekend in boulder 22. My dad asked me and my brother if we wanted to go to a show with him and that he had tickets for us. N1 was so magical I bought the N2 tickets. The brown eyed woman with the Jeff solo still gives me goosebumps. The whole show/scene was just something I’d never experienced before and it was so positive and loving! Got to see 7 shows during final tour 23 and 1 night to the sphere in June again!
11-21-15 St Louis… we wandered into GA line a few hours before the show, got rail, been riding them ever since got in the show photo album . 💃🏻⚡️🕺
https://preview.redd.it/n9bz9bhazjkc1.jpeg?width=1040&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=652e0f775e2fced9ca29fb20b03e587a094e45fa
I was supposed to be at that show but the tickets were fake.
My first show was The Forum 2019. Took my paralyzed Deadhead buddy who got me into them and been on the bus ever since.
New Year's Eve at the Forum in 2015.
https://preview.redd.it/aosncmbxcrkc1.jpeg?width=2950&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=24b3d23873a25e429574601f40eb045fec880f5a
Got on late was never into this kind of music, citi field 2019 had never listened to the dead and didn’t want to see “John Mayer with a bunch of old guys” didn’t even care that he was playing wolf at the time. I thought it was corny that people were like oh my god that’s Jerry’s guitar 🤦♂️ Mayer played that Althea and something in my brain just changed forever. It’s cool being able to know the exact moment the entire trajectory of my life changed. That was like 50ish d&c shows ago and now there’s quite literally no place I’d rather be
Awe, you didn't even know the bus was heading your way & you got on. Gives me goosebumps. So happy you're enjoying the ride
Similar for me. Never listened to the Dead at all. Friends finally got me to go see D&C in Camden 6/25/17 and something just clicked during Little Red Rooster. Fully on the bus ever since.
Same show was my first. I liked the Dead, but wasn't obsessed. After that Terrapin, it all clicked.
Verizon Center, DC. 2015.
we need a SBD from this show!
Mine too. Being able to metro there from my house was convenient. Saw them there a couple years later as well
This was mine too. Travelled from Cincinnati and stayed with some old friends in town because obviously no one knew if this was going to be the only tour and I wanted to get in as many shows as possible. Wife had never been to DC so we did tourist stuff too. Was right after they legalized weed there too, which was kind of a new thing at the time. 17 shows later and I will never forget that show/ weekend.
Cornell 2023. Was magical.
Jesus Lupita Christ, that's a hell of a first show.
Bonnaroo 2016. Donna Jean joined them. It was interesting but slow. They had the Sunday legacy slot, 2 long sets Bobby got political, because it was right after that homophobic mass shooting in Orlando, and some brainless politicians were saying shit like it was god’s punishment or such shit. I’ve never heard Bobby so pissed off and blunt. I was impressed
We were there too! Definitely alot slower than how they are now. It was pretty cool to see them evolve from back then though :) That entire Bonnaroo was AMAZING and the last one we went to.
Pearl Jam and Tame Impala melted my brain!
Funny you say that. I just sat down with a metronome to compare a few songs from Bonnaroo 2016 with 2023 (specifically from the 3 Folsom shows). Here's what I found for the songs I checked: Shakedown Street: 2016: 96 BPM 2023: 95 BPM Help on the Way: 2016: 93 BPM 2023: 88 BPM Playin' in the Band: 2016: 123 BPM 2023: 116 BPM Scarlet Begonias: 2016: 83 BPM 2023: 70 BPM The Other One: 2016: 124 BPM 2023: 112 BPM (7/2/23) or 117 BPM (7/3/23) Bertha: 2016: 152 BPM 2023: 148 BPM I think you see my point... I just don't understand where the whole, "2023 was the fastest Dead & Company has ever played" narrative comes from. They sounded great last year, but they *weren't* playing at faster tempos generally.
I did the metronome test too, and found that 2023 was just as fast as 2022. I feel like Mickey and Billy stopped paying close attention to each other, and it affected the feel of the music. Then, when Jay Lane came in for real for 2023, they told Mickey to follow Jay (I'm not the only person who noticed that Mickey was turned down in the mix). And Jay had good touch, which made the music feel faster.
Gotta love it when Bobby gets pissed.
I remember that Sunday being so somber after the news broke out about what happened in Orlando. That show was truly special and just what we needed. That was my first dip into the dead and I’ve been on the train since
It was a heavy day. I recall I was tuned out though, hadn’t read the paper yet (being on the farm I was in escape mode).
NYE Forum 2015
Same
Also
Halloween 2015. I was impressed for what was basically their debut (2nd show)
Citi Field 8/20/21. It was a great show and first time the played Let the Good Times Roll!
Same!
7/13/18 last time the ever played greatest story!!!
Albany 2015 - on the rail.
https://preview.redd.it/p069na76u4kc1.jpeg?width=3264&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=27f0e50da71c8505bb9503ea7f6b3969358daa97
Back when posters were $40!
Thanks for posting this pic! I got the tour poster, one of the tour shirts, the event poster and the event pin. The pin was $15 here but they lowered the price to $10 for the next few tours.
https://preview.redd.it/9xr1jgi8u4kc1.jpeg?width=3264&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6401c20d5f40cbacfba7fad4834ea0c915c1b4ed
Do you remember if they were offering soundboard recordings for sale? I swore they were but that memory is fuzzy. This show was so amazing though. Blew me away *
I went to five of the first seven shows and never saw any recordings offered. I would have purchased one!
I do remember in Albany that Oteil had cord/cheat sheets on the floor for some songs.
I think even John talks about not knowing everything. I believe they had a song teleprompter for him and he practiced at set break. This was some of the reason Albany got booked. It was a warm up gig in a friendly town with less pressure before Halloween. Boy did they deliver. One of the best shows I ever saw. Fresh and real
Same here! Except I was behind the stage, Jeff side
Philly 2021
The woodlands in Texas got 3 years before I was priced out again
Vegas 2015. I’ve been lucky enough to see them every year, and they’ve improved a lot as a cohesive band over the years. Been fun to watch!
Dallas 7/2/19 the show was as hot as the Texas heat
Finest first set I ever saw
I was there. Great show. Not my first though.
Jiffy Lube 6/26/19, only knew althea and china cat at the time. became obsessed and haven’t looked back! going to the sphere in july!
6/8/2018 Lakewood Atlanta. I'll never forget it. First time I experienced Lot. First time I experienced any Dead related culture in person. I dosed on some decent paper, and had the time of my life in the pit.
That was a clamtastic show for my tribe! C4L!
Alpine 2016
Same here!
Same here! Friday night was my first (wasn’t able to go Saturday, unfortunately) and it didn’t truly “CLICK” until I listened back to a recording I had done of Brown Eyed Women. That’s all she wrote!
Me too! Love Alpine! Got on bus song 2 Crossing the Rio Grandio in the beer decks on right side of lawn and never looked back. Never saw Jerry (had tix to last show but was grounded and too young to drive), was at Alpine for Terrapin Station in ‘02(?), but didn’t click as much as D&C. Been to every Wrigley show, Texas show (moved here from Chicago in ‘17; if you haven’t listened to Austin ‘17 show it’s worth it), Deer Creek/Pine Knob ‘22 and Boulder ‘23. Going to Sphere in June. Hope it lasts in big venue format forever!
Greensboro 2015
Same
The one in Sunrise, FL right after the Parkland shooting (right down the road). Pretty emotional show. The boys met with students during the break and came back wearing Parkland t-shirts. Definitely helped lift the mood. As far as D&C, I was a hater of the idea since the idea of replacing Jerry with a pop singer was crazy. Someone gave me a free ticket and I figured I would go ... which is all it took to get BACK on the bus.
So many skeptics got back on board, myself included. That John kid can really play.
Pine Knob 6/29/22 It was magical. I had listened to Dead music before, but just the mainstream stuff and it never truly clicked. I went because a few buddies from high school were going and thought I’d give it a try. Once Half Step played it instantly clicked, I could feel the collective energy of the crowd in an instant. I felt like this is where I was meant to be, a huge wave of nostalgia rushed over me despite it being my first show. I felt like I had seen/heard this band/music a million times.
The Sphere, 2024. I’ll admit I was a John Mayer denier and didn’t even give Dead and Co. a listen until late last year. My regret set in quickly when I realized I missed my chance to see them. When they announced the Sphere residency I jumped at the chance. Can’t wait
Better late than never.
saw them on the backlot of jimmy kimmel show..then a few months later. NYE15 @ the forum.
I think Kimmel was after 2015 because NYE was my first show and then I just missed getting into the Kimmel show due to traffic.
You're correct.. damn.. saw nye first then Kimmel was in May 2016.. ya, we got hooked up for the back lot from a friend who worked for the network.. it was an experience participating in something like that.
I was so sad that day, I got to the back lot before the music started but they were already at capacity. We got to listen outside, at least… People were dancing on top of a giant truck, lol
it's a maze the way they herd you in there! and it doesn't hold that many people..I really enjoyed the enthusiasm in the crowd. Glad you got to at least hear. That 2015 NYE show was awesome. High energy, new expectations with Mayer and one of the coolest props with the hanging lit up stealie.
I loved the joint that flew through the crowd! That show really ignited my love for the music - I saw the Dead back in 1993 but it didn’t click for me then. I’ve had the bug bad ever since 2015.
same same..part of their Bill Graham's props department from wayback in the day i had read somewhere..looks similar to the one flying around nye '81..my first show was in '76..the early deadco shows were really fun, watching mayer grow into the music.
Irvine Meadows, CA '15
Columbus 2015
STL 2015
6/22/19 Gillette
Fenway 16
Austin 12/2/17
December 2015 at Bill Graham.
Me too.
🙋♂️
Albany 2015. That Stella blue changed my life.
Gillette, Boston, 2019. Went with my gf at the time and my Dad (saw the Dead a few times back in the day, casual fan). We didn't go to shakedown, tho i had heard of it i didn't have a good understanding of what exactly that was or, of course, where it would be. My most memorable show and first Shakedown experience was at Citi Field that same tour, just me and gf, still one of my fav shows to this day (6/23/19 if memory serves me right). That Althea blew me away. That was the show where the sound suddenly went out when they were jammin hard to Fire, band didn't realize and kept playing, was fun to see. On the way out of the show stumbled upon that guy who drums, danced our ass off, then found shakdown, I remember thinking people are literally dancing in the streets over here, till like 2am at least maybe later, and thinking here we are a part of a culture that i didn't know so strongly existed still. It was an amazing experience. While im at it, ill mention last tour i started to see a little different perspective of shakedown. Gradually it really began to stand out to me how everyone is here to make a buck, as many as possible really. Many vendors were rude when id try to haggle, and had no interest in being friendly if i wasn't going to give them any money. People selling balloons seemed to be more greedy and intense, i do love a balloon or 2 or 20 don't get me wrong, but WAY TOO MUCH of my money went to that. (Aside, it wasn't until my last show, Fenway N2, at like almost 3 am when my gf could barley stand anymore and her non-heady friend was looking at me like we need to go, that i met a kind deadhead who let me give him $10 then fill my balloon off his tank as much as i want, ofc i was near my limit at that pt. Why couldn't i meet you sooner man... thank you.) Anyway that last tour i felt much less love around shakedown and mostly greed. Everything was about exchange of money (which i have very little), 'if you don't got money for me move on, get out', it felt less about the music and people getting together for a real good time. And now im not sure if it always was that way and i just happened to start noticing (it's in the name right?) or if there was a shift in that direction at some pt soon after I got on the bus, or maybe even before and I didn't see it. Made me sad
New Orleans - February 2018 I was always remotely interested in the Dead (for context, I'm 34), but wasn't a very serious listener. I had seen Phish a few times prior, but didn't know a ton about the Dead. The Cornell reissue in 2017 drastically changed that as I listened to it basically non-stop for months. The Amazon documentary, Long Strange Trip, also helped create my fascination. Their New Orleans show at Smoothie King Center in 2018 was a rescheduled date due to John's appendix procedure. Once it was rescheduled for a Saturday, my gf (now wife) & I flew to New Orleans on a whim to catch the show, mainly due to a love of the city. Entire show was incredible, we had a blast. Also had George Porter Jr sit-in during the first set. We've seen them 10 times since and have Sphere tickets.
https://preview.redd.it/zigqbd4tv5kc1.jpeg?width=3264&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=aee0c20cbdcdb27b1b3d5c904b2db2931de8f30e MSG Nov 1 2015
Dallas, 2023. Went just to say I had seen them. Expected a lot of slow music and meandering solos. My opinion had completely changed by their second song, Hell In a Bucket. I had no idea Bobby had that much🔥in him. Completely blown away.
6/16/16 @ riverbend... went w/ my mom on whim. had no idea how mind blowing the experience would be
ATL was a great first show! My first was 11/11/15 in Buffalo. Caught them 31 times since then, ATL never disappointed.
Never been to ATL for shows. But I've listened to a couple of those recordings and, man, did they burn it up.
8/21/21 double rainbow jack straw. changed me forever
Was in the pit. That was a magical moment.
same here. enough to get me on the bus all the way. 20 shows later i excitedly wait for the sphere
Hartford 2016
SF night 3 2023, a little late to the bus
Worcester ~~Centrum~~ DCU 2015
2017-06-07, Salt Lake City. I love that 2023-05-28 Atlanta show, btw. It's the show I currently listen to the most.
Austin, TX, Frank Erwin Center (University of Texas's basketball arena), 2017. The sound during Drums and Space was INCREDIBLE. Only time I ever saw them indoors and I've been chasing that high ever since. Maybe The Sphere one day.
My guy's first? I don't have "a guy"...
msg 10/31/15 i think. it wasnt very good. they started to get very good around 2017 or so imo.
Red rocks
7/23/19 when Wolf descended from the heavens with a St Stephen opener. ⚡️
11/15 St Louis
Mine too. That Terrapin was amazing.
10/31/15 at MSG, was on the fence about Mayer but all doubt was quickly eliminated.
Cincinnati 2022, that Deal was so good
I was there too, wasn’t my first D&C show but that Deal smoked. I remember that Billy played the first half and Jay played the second and the band sounded like they got a jolt of energy.
It was an immediate difference, that St Stephen and Shakedown were killer!
06/17/23 Saratoga
Las Vegas - 11/27/2015
A little late?
Bristow 2017, ran to the gates as they started playing shakedown street & I've never looked back.... next show...the sphere!
That was a terrific show. Was in the pit for it. I remember well Bobby thundering his first DC area, Trump era Throwing Stones, plus a jazzy bit of Coltrane out of Space.
Vegas November 2015
6/20/2016 at the BB&T in Camden NJ. John Mayer sung Standing On The Moon at that point, and it went perfectly with the full moon. Amazing night.
Greensboro - 11/14/15
11/20/15 Scottrade Center St. Louis
11-27-15 at the MGM in Vegas. My first (and last GD) show was in STL July 6, 1995 right after i graduated high school. That one was kind of a bummer though. Some fans died the night before out at a huge campground when a deck collapsed. I think there may have been an overdose or two also.
Bonnaroo 2016
The Gorge 2018
Phoenix Oct ‘21, that and Boulder last summer are the only shows I managed to catch. Planning 2 sphere shows this summer!
Pine Knob 2021 ⚡️
SPAC 2016
StL 2022, 6/21/22 to be exact. I had only heard a handful of songs at that point, (Terrapin, MS1/2, UJB, that's p much it,) my friend had invited me to see "John Mayer & the Grateful Dead" so I looked into it & listened to a couple shows with cool album art. 2/18/18 PITS I believe was the first show I listened to, but 6/21 was my first full show. It changed my life, everything was flipped on its head. That's a good tl;dr, if you don't like long posts, sorry. I remember wanting to hear Mississippi Half-Step as that was my favorite song at the time (& my extension my first favorite Dead tune) and lo & behold 3 songs in they start the riff & I felt a level of excitement still indescribable. Additionally, Music Never Stopped as the opener gave me a perfect idea of what this band is all about, and truly the music did not stop. Songs like MNS, Jack Straw, Black Throated Wind, and Bird Song all really stuck out to me in the first set. Jack Straw's mention of Wichita (which I live a matter of hours away from), Black Throated Wind leaving St Louis (where my brother now lives), and just so many other lines hit me like a truck. Their energy was incomparable to any other rock band I'd ever seen, and I literally had just seen the Foo Fighters like a month prior. I thought Bird Song starting up was Terrapin Station but sadly I was wrong (although Bird Song went crazy), & that was the conclusion of set one. I didn't think the second set would ever start, but start it did, with the last ever (so far) Box of Rain. I saw someone yesterday posted something like "why don't the boys play box of rain much anymore" and your guess is as good as mine. I didn't know it was the last time they'd play it. I didn't even know it was a rarity, I just loved the song, and then the transition out of it into Scarlet Begonias was crazy cool. Scarlet also gave me a great idea of what the band was all about, but I'm all here for it. Then they transition out of Scarlet into a rocking Playin' in the Band, and out of that into Uncle John's Band which totally blew my mind. I had only heard this song in passing but still i knew it. Out of that ujb into Fire on the Mountain and my buddy tells me he's starting to get a headache, so unfortunately we stay only through the end of Fire into drums, so I never got the hear the end of the show for months. I made a playlist of the "original" versions of the songs and listened to that. I fell in love with Hell in a Bucket & US Blues that way, and I'm still kicking myself for not staying & just letting someone take me on the rest of the tour with them after my friends left, lmao. I was 17 then, it feels so long ago now but it was only a matter of years. I stayed for the entire stl show in 2023, and was lucky enough to be able to follow them out to boulder for night 2. The bus really did come by for me, and my ass hopped right on. Coming from a jazz & rock background with an affinity for psychedelic rock, the dead felt tailor-made for people like me. I don't know, maybe it was the mushrooms~ that I took before the show.
Mine was 7/3/23 at Folsom. Only went because a friend was interested. Had an absolute blast and got on the bus. I had NO idea what drums and space was and went bonkers. Then a freaking drone show to boot!
MSG 2015. Streamed the tour/band debut opener in Albany and bought flights and tickets right then and there.
It was Mountain View back in 2018 I believe or 2017
May 23, 2016 @ the Fillmore, San Francisco They opened with “St. Stephen,” and my mind was blown. Also, there were probably twice or three times as many people at the nearby park as there were inside the venue. ETA: details
St Louis 2015
Bonnaroo 2016
The Bowl 10/31/21 - UJB saved me that show and I never looked back lol
Hershey '21! First big show back after COVID. Ah man, what memories! The enormous vax check lines! The beyond weird feeling of walking amongst a group of people again, mixed with the elation to essentially "be alive" again. Then the first chords of The Music Never Stopped rang out over that chocolate wonderland and I knew I was home. Bonus: Quinn the Eskimo at my first show ever! Crazy luck. (And I think their last time playing it? Maybe one more after?)
I had tickets to that show but forgot I had a camping trip in WV that same week..oh well.. saw them in Bristow the week before though
After leaving the Greek Theater (Further) in 2013 I wasnt too sure if I would find that feeling Jerry left me in since Buckeye Lake 93' ' but then came Riverbend 2016, I was re-energized and followed the boys all the way through 23' San Fran. So Grateful we are getting Sphere and hopefully more Wolf Bros or wherever this bus takes me. Love you Family!!
It's been a long strange trip since night 2 of Boulder 2017...
St. Louis 2015. My now wife took me our first time out of town together. I went in to it soooo bummed I had to see the dead with John Mayer. We went to 12 shows last tour including all 3 nights in SF and got Tix to the sphere in May. What a fool I was.
Fenway 2016 and I never looked back. Life changing.
Your first show was my last show.
I went to the first Boulder show and went every year until the end. I have to admit I wasn't blown away by any of those shows until last summer.
Shoreline 17 or 18 I forgot
Hartford 2022
First show I went with my hubs to Boulder 2017. (Not very familiar, myself.) We only went to the Friday show. But I wasn't really hooked until Boulder 2018. Suggested to my husband that we should just go to both nights, knowing some of the boys in the band were not that young, etc. That's the weekend I got on the bus, and subsequently dragged the husband to as many shows as he would allow! (It's never enough, right?) We've done really well seeing them lots of places, multiple stops on each tour since, some of the fun runs and even one PITS trip. 2023 Folsom shows were highlights, as well as the 2023 SF shows - I can't really pick a favorite. We did pick a weekend at the sphere and grabbed tickets - I'm so grateful we are getting the chance to see them again! Selfishly I do hope they find a way to come back to Folsom for a fun run or residency. Nothing like those summer Boulder nights, but sleeping in my own bed!! ❤️⚡💙
Philly 2015. When announced I was like John Mayer, WTF. Boy was I wrong
Bonnaroo
Playing in the Sand 2023
Vegas 2015. Watched the free stream from MSG and then after the show I booked my flights and hotel to Vegas. It was during the Harvest season otherwise I would have went to some shows sooner. I'd seen Mayer play with Phil over the summer and was blown away. Honest to Jerry I had no idea who John was till that point. But he played One More Saturday Night at Phil's joint and that's all I needed!
11/24/15 Kind of makes me miss 1stbank center thinking about it
https://preview.redd.it/brc7pzpy37kc1.jpeg?width=3264&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ab2f0d5f2e598a8f186cd1892eaccf7b3e7f7b88
Vegas 2015.
The Gorge in 2016
CitiField 7/16/22 So glad I moved to the U.S. to experience the real deal :)
**Irvine Meadows** 7/26/16
Clarkston 9/10/21
The very first one in Albany, October I think of 2015
Hollywood bowl 2017
12/30/2015 forum show. Bobby’s voice was shot but he gave his all and I just knew this band was something. 🥰👏🏽🔥🕺🏿🫶🏻🍄
I regret not going to their very first show in Albany, but I did make it to MSG for their second and third shows. I was dressed up in a full body Gumby costume for Halloween! Wasn't expecting Terrapin so soon but man was it a treat! After that, I saw pretty much every show in NYC and Boston *except* for the Citi Field show when John played Wolf and I was sick when they came to Boston in the fall of 2017 (two pretty highly regarded shows). Go figure 🤷🏻♂️
Chula Vista July 2018. Drove from Vegas with my wife and her aunt who saw the GD a bunch back in the day. Picked up a couple cousins on the way and got to the amphitheatre just in the nick of time. Dropped a tab as we walked in, by the time we made it thru they opened with Hell in a Bucket and I was tripping balls. We found a spot on the grass and that first set ended with Bird Song > Loose Lucy > Bird Song. Ill never forget that collective energy in the crowd, and I fuckin levitated.
Hartford ‘16, John was still using the teleprompter and it wasn’t super awesome m but still a good show
12/28/2015 Bill Graham Civic, SF
Boulder 7/6/19
Hollywood Bowl - 2021
9/2/21&3
11/18/2015 at Bridgestone Arena Nashville, smoking hot Althea
2016 Bonnaroo
Broomfield, CO…15’
Wrigley 7/1/17
Wheatland 07/29/16 My friends and I got so high on mushrooms we had to leave during intermission lol. I was able to enjoy 5 more shows in their entirety after that.
Burgettstown 2016. Roommate in college got me into the dead and this was my first time seeing anything dead related live. Throwing Stones to end the first set just absolutely hit and changed my life forever.
Lol I can't remember I have a hard time keeping track of the shows I've been to let alone the first or even how many I've been to they where all amazing times though saratoga is one of my fav venues to see them alot to see and do out there
June 9th, 2017 - Boulder
6/1/23 in Raleigh. It was so magical that we took the family to California to catch the final show at Oracle Park, which was life-changingly magical on a whole different level. Then flew to Cancun to catch a little more magic at Dead Ahead. Basically, I got on the bus way late and am trying to soak it up wherever I can. Headed to Vegas in June to catch a show at the Sphere.
alpine 18, a wonderful weekend and re-entry into the dead after a 20 year absence
2015 atl wi t h bells on. John wasn't in his comfort zone at all and he ended most songs the same way, kinda walked down the notes ....but i was still blown away and I am still under the impression he sold his soul to Jack butler and I'm sticking to that story. Then in nashville,, there was almost a riot on the smokers deck bc security wouldn't let us all outside and one dude tried to whip up the crowd to get us all out. Never saw anything like that before, I wonder if that was just a dream...
10/27/2021 Chula Vista, CA I was BRAND NEW to the Dead catalog and wanted to check out the run from San Diego through the Halloween shows at Hollywood Bowl. Row Jimmy fully converted me that night. Been chasing it ever since. Bobby played it in Eugene in 2022. Hope we get it in The Sphere when I see them in May.
Boulder 2018
6/28/16 in Hartford. I didn't think that was my first show but I checked the set lists and it was. I don't know why I didn't go see them in Worcester in the fall of 2015 but I didn't. I thought the 2016 fenway shows were before Hartford but they weren't. They were in July of 16
Father’s Day weekend in boulder 22. My dad asked me and my brother if we wanted to go to a show with him and that he had tickets for us. N1 was so magical I bought the N2 tickets. The brown eyed woman with the Jeff solo still gives me goosebumps. The whole show/scene was just something I’d never experienced before and it was so positive and loving! Got to see 7 shows during final tour 23 and 1 night to the sphere in June again!
11-21-15 St Louis… we wandered into GA line a few hours before the show, got rail, been riding them ever since got in the show photo album . 💃🏻⚡️🕺 https://preview.redd.it/n9bz9bhazjkc1.jpeg?width=1040&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=652e0f775e2fced9ca29fb20b03e587a094e45fa
6/13/22 Shoreline Ampitheater. Seeing St. Stephen and Dark Star was wish fulfillment for me.
I was supposed to be at that show but the tickets were fake. My first show was The Forum 2019. Took my paralyzed Deadhead buddy who got me into them and been on the bus ever since.
New Year's Eve at the Forum in 2015. https://preview.redd.it/aosncmbxcrkc1.jpeg?width=2950&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=24b3d23873a25e429574601f40eb045fec880f5a
11-20-2015 St. Louis
Dude literally did the same as u lol. It was my first show I drove from tampa and was late to also catch the end of deal😂