• Hartford Civic Center - October 15, 1983

setlist

  • Feel Like a Stranger
    Dire Wolf
    New Minglewood Blues
    Brown Eyed Women
    Wang Dang Doodle
    Big Railroad Blues
    Let it Grow
    Day Job

    China Cat Sunflower
    I Know You Rider
    Playin' in the Band
    China Doll
    drums
    St. Stephen
    Throwin' Stones
    One More Saturday Night

    Brokedown Palace

Ticket Stubs

Concert Photos

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  • berman.
    4 years 3 months ago
    last east coast Stephen

    It’s kind of too bad Brent only got to play it a few times...based on hearing him tickle the keys, I’d guess he liked it. these 2 shows were the only shows I ever saw with not only a back to back ‘repeat’, but closing the set with it (!). ... recall standing in the area they designated for tapers (before it was official) and this guy next to me hadn’t heard the MSG list ... having seen it, I heard that intro to China Doll a mile away (harpsichord heaven !) .. he was so psyched, he handed me his little vial, that had a tiny spoon on a tiny chain attached to the top (!) ... I was so impressed with it, I searched for one myself (lol) ... still have it to this day ;-) ... weren’t we both surprised with the post space ... I honestly was thinking at the time that it kind of diminished the specialness of that night in NYC .... but later just wished they put it back in rotation. ... these were my first 2 Hartford shows (so many to come) and what sticks in my mind are the hard helmets the cops wore .. all carrying batons too (what were we in for ?!?) ... good ole Hartford ;-)

  • hockey_john
    7 years 5 months ago
    October 2016
    I sit here so many years later listening to this show. Is hard to believe so many years have past by so fast, like the saying goes the years fly by. This show is a smoker for sure, I wrote above saying how prefer the low key shows that were full of tour heads mostly. Well now it's a hundred years later and I am going to change my thinking. I am glad they did St Steven 2 days after the 1st one in years. Because I think the band knew how much we love them and how much we wanted shows just like this long trippy Playing in the Band and long spacey space. Into what will always be one of the best times of my touring life. That very 1st St Steven rif. blows me away even today. Thank you for a real good time......
  • Amy from New York
    7 years 5 months ago
    Joy sums it up
    There was such an eruption of joy when they played St. Stephen. I was 16 at the time. I tried on new wings and found out where its at. I had learned from the other shows I'd been to that the Dead were full of surprises. I'd like to listen to this again, just to experience that feeling.
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17 years
setlist
Feel Like a Stranger
Dire Wolf
New Minglewood Blues
Brown Eyed Women
Wang Dang Doodle
Big Railroad Blues
Let it Grow
Day Job

China Cat Sunflower
I Know You Rider
Playin' in the Band
China Doll
drums
St. Stephen
Throwin' Stones
One More Saturday Night

Brokedown Palace
show date

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16 years 9 months
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Make that four great shows in a row! Dougles
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16 years 9 months
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No doubt, there's plenty more thst I need to add northshore_LI
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16 years 9 months
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very carefully listening/watching as they came out of the deep Space as I was obviously aware they had broken the Stephen out at MSG a few nights earlier. The second that note was plucked I remember the place just lighting up like no other time. There were bright lights and the enthuisiasm level was incredible. People were hugging eachother and beaming smiles everywhere. A memory I'll always cherish I personally think this is the best of the Stephens that were busted out on this run, too. It's just got a feel to it that is higher than the others. Probably due to my presence at this one, but still.
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16 years 9 months
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Maybe it was just me too, but there was a lot of unspoken communication going on that night. I was in this huge chain of Space wanderers who noodled past the front of the stage just as Stephen broke out. It was like being caught by a huge but gentle wave.
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16 years 9 months
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...I wish I had attended. I've listened to the China/Rider. It is strange, odd sounding. The band is on the edge going through this. The wind down from Playin to China Doll was exquisite. Space with Jerry and Bob (Spanish jam?) was alternately powerful and melancholy. And then St. Stephen. That crowd reaction had to be one of the great exaltations of their career. And...Brents keys on Thrown Stones and the perfect Jerry solo on Brokedown. Great, Great set.
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16 years 6 months
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Set 1-Note: like the previous evening, Jerry’s guitar is a bit too low in the mix -Stranger: nothing great but a better start than the previous night for sure -Dire: Jerry’s voice is pretty ragged, solo and the song overall are very short -Minglewood: some strange interesting noises from Bobby in the 2d solo -BE Women: very good, long solo albeit without a climax; well sung -Wang Dang Doodle-nice version -Big RR Blues: very good 1st & 2d solo -Grow: really nice solo & outro; good to very good version -Day Job: nice energy, very good solo Set 2 -China Cat: very good solo, jam starts slow but gets cooking, smooth transition -Rider: very good solo & jam -Playing: Jam 2:35 – 16:02, long, enjoyable, slows down gets spacey around 11:30 mark, neat little gentle jam to end, good to very good version overall -China Doll: solo 1:55 – 3:11, emotional, very good; pretty outro -Drums -Space: Spanish tint, more of a jam than space, excellent -St. Stephen: intro isn’t perfect but is powerful and puts a big smile on my face, short but good 1st solo, short but excellent 2d solo, great jam, far from perfect overall but absolutely beautiful nonetheless, tear-stained smiles throughout the arena -Throwing Stones: a good follow-up to Stephen but destined to be a bit anticlimactic after such a treat, Brent adds some nice “ashes, all fall down” at the end -Saturday: rock & roll, nicely done -E: Brokedown: solo 4:26 – 5:05, short but beautiful Overall: the 1st set is better than the previous night, but still no real highlights (Big RR comes closest). The 2d set is just a tad below the previous night, but is still great. The China > Rider is close to excellent, the Playing > China Doll is very good, the Spanish-themed Space is excellent and Stephen is all you could ask for from an ’83 show. The rest of the set takes a step back, but is still worthwhile. Good Set 1, Great Set 2, 8.5/10 overall.
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11 years 7 months
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If I had it my way I would of prefered they break it out in Boise when there were only few hundered of us there.Thats cause I love the behind the scene shows when it was mostly tour heads. That said this was wild crazy and so much fun 2 Stephens within a week of each other. And still to come was Lake Placid Portland and so on and so forth. The Lake Placid show was more of my style show because it was out of the way and I think more for the tour heads. Those out of the way shows back then were so much fun only a band and it's followers. No big light shows no loud crowd clapping for no reason just down and dirty raw music.
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7 years 5 months
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There was such an eruption of joy when they played St. Stephen. I was 16 at the time. I tried on new wings and found out where its at. I had learned from the other shows I'd been to that the Dead were full of surprises. I'd like to listen to this again, just to experience that feeling.
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11 years 7 months
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I sit here so many years later listening to this show. Is hard to believe so many years have past by so fast, like the saying goes the years fly by. This show is a smoker for sure, I wrote above saying how prefer the low key shows that were full of tour heads mostly. Well now it's a hundred years later and I am going to change my thinking. I am glad they did St Steven 2 days after the 1st one in years. Because I think the band knew how much we love them and how much we wanted shows just like this long trippy Playing in the Band and long spacey space. Into what will always be one of the best times of my touring life. That very 1st St Steven rif. blows me away even today. Thank you for a real good time......
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7 years 1 month
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It’s kind of too bad Brent only got to play it a few times...based on hearing him tickle the keys, I’d guess he liked it. these 2 shows were the only shows I ever saw with not only a back to back ‘repeat’, but closing the set with it (!). ... recall standing in the area they designated for tapers (before it was official) and this guy next to me hadn’t heard the MSG list ... having seen it, I heard that intro to China Doll a mile away (harpsichord heaven !) .. he was so psyched, he handed me his little vial, that had a tiny spoon on a tiny chain attached to the top (!) ... I was so impressed with it, I searched for one myself (lol) ... still have it to this day ;-) ... weren’t we both surprised with the post space ... I honestly was thinking at the time that it kind of diminished the specialness of that night in NYC .... but later just wished they put it back in rotation. ... these were my first 2 Hartford shows (so many to come) and what sticks in my mind are the hard helmets the cops wore .. all carrying batons too (what were we in for ?!?) ... good ole Hartford ;-)