Let's face it, some venues had a lot more charisma than others -- and still do. Red Rocks probably tops a lot of lists when it comes to personal Grateful Dead power spots -- but what amazing places haven't we heard enough about?
in terms of places where I saw Grateful Dead shows myself, I'd have to say Cal Expo was right up there....Compton Terrace in Arizona and Sandstone in Bonner Springs, KS were pretty cool as well. The best Jerry Garcia Band show I ever saw was at the San Francisco Civic Auditorium (12/22/90), and I love the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, though must admit I only saw Phil and Friends there and not the GD.
...should note the caveat, though, that I was a late-comer to the scene (heck, you can't control when you're born!!) so I missed out on a lot of the older classic venues discussed earlier on this thread. In terms of larger indoor arenas where I saw the Dead, I'd say the Omni in Atlanta and the Philly Spectrum were up there.
peace, everyone. rock on.
Winterland was home (dump as posted by a prior page-it was not-just the neighborhood) Well, ok, the building was old-my folks skated there in the 1940's when it was a public ice rink......& the building DEFINITELY felt like it was flying off into the cosmos @ times...(ya think it was the visine bottles?) duh.......
Anchorage & Telluride-more cosmic-too long of stories..........xoxo Gypsy Cowgirl
one hundred percent,,, bout the To hell u ride,, venue at the town park,, was too lil for winterland although the music speaks for itself,,and the high school auditorium,,,in alaska,,,the music speaks for itself,, but for me,,, the most cosmic venue ever,,, ( well it depends on the mood i'm in ) but actually,, its THE SWEETWATER god rest her soul, in mill valley, never saw the whole band there ,, but loads of bits n pieces Peace if Free if you want!!TG
after flying through Monument Valley on about a 20 person plane, wishing I had had the video camera, then circling the landing strip @ Telluride (a tee-pee nearby) & what looked to be a cliff @ the end of it, everyone yelling OK-we can stop now! It had to have been my wildest plane ride............memoirs of the Gypsy Cowgirl
ps. tommygutt- I took my son to Winterland the 1st time he was 2 where we both grew up a bit (tried to save his ears the 1st 2) .......well, there was another plane ride down the Columbia River Gorge from Portland to Pendleton, Or.....that was about a 7 seater-not going to a gig-just the Pendleton Round-up...."Let 'er Buck" as they say up yonder.......
Hampton had something special about it. I KNOW the Dead saw something there as they decided to bring back the Warlocks there, another sneak show after the Omni in 91 I believe and in all the shows I saw there, only 1 or 2 were ok, the rest were really great shows.
I too like Merriweather although I never got to see the GD there I go to see The Dead there.
Many places I've been but the Closing of WinterLand was just amazing!!! Danced for 13 hrs straight... couldn't stop if I tried anyway... :op
Campus Stadium UCSB.........Hollywood Bowl.........Orpheum Theater......Anywhere the Grateful Dead Played.......The Oak trees and cow paddies at the Calaveras County Fairgrounds......Oh yeah...... the Swing Auditorium......{ Somthin' about the Swing }....Anywhere Jerry played.......The Wiltern.......Leigon of Mary at the Granada Theater in Santa Barbara...... etc......etc.........Anywhere my tribe is at.............My latest favorite.........................The Bryce Jordan Center
Gone are the days we stopped to decide........where we should go......we just ride.
I cut my teeth at Red Rocks, but I have a few other faves.
First, I wanna say that the most "cosmic venue" has as much to do with the head as the space. For example, McNichols and the Civic Center at CU sucked, but I saw some great shows there, and one of my most cosmic moments ever at the Civic Center.
That said, I loved Ventura. Like our buddy above said about the beach parties - I actually lost my clothes there while swimming after a show. I found them eventually, but it took awhile. Watch those currents. And sleeping in the sand, waking to find a dead sea lion not thirty feet away. Odd stuff.
And though the Telluride shows weren't actually blistering, I know some folks there who were! Awesome place.
Loved the Greek, too.
The Kaiser. Yow. Loved pouring out into the park at daybreak.
Venta, hands down. Nuff said.
.......the Dead play.
Must agree with Spindancer concerning the Head & the Space. So in that light I got to say the GD brought their magic to any venue they played. Then it was up to the rest of us.......
One could say I was awakened at Alpine Valley.
Appreciated the kind scene at Autzen Stadium.
Other Cosmic moments of note at Oakland Coliseum, Seattle Memorial Stadium & the Palace.......
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Joined: 05/26/07