Grateful Dead

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An event not to be forgotten, what I can remember of it, that is! People offering me and my friends "Electric Watermelon" slices, off of plastic school trays... as they rambled around the concourse of the arena before the show. A haze that filled the arena with more smoke than this 13 year old had ever seen... and a contact high before we even lit up! Bill Graham coming out before the band and talking about how he "...will refuse to bring any other bands to Nassau Coliseum until the Nassau County Cops are no longer the security, and they stop busting 50-60 people a night at the shows." Then he brought Bob Dylan and The Band to Nassau the next month, charging the first ever over $10 ticket for a show there, or in the industry, if I have my facts straight. That left this idealistic young teen rather disturbed, I recall that strongly. Back to good memories - Leaning against the stage, watching the band from not five feet away, and not having to push my way to the front to do so... then, years later, standing in the same place with a photo pass, having to get approval and past security, to shoot The Other Ones from the same spot that I had just meandered up to some thirty years later. Concentric circles of dancers filling the arena floor, going round and round in alternating directions, and me and my buddies, sitting in the virtually empty stands smoking hash, thinking we were real hippies and delinquents, totally confused. Little did we realiize that, most likely, everyone else there was tripping there brains out! And running in those circles down on the floor! Ahh... the naivete of youth. An amazing first show. An addiction begun. "A Swell Dance Concert" - was the poster for the show btw. My friend has the original poster on his wall, I hate him for having it, he was 7 at the time, and NOT there! There's a Fifties couple jitterbugging on it, with a bubble that says, "He's Truckin, She's Posin'". Come on Paul, give it to me already!!!!! It was my first show for god's sake! - j bloomrosen, photographer, 2007

My first show

My first show and that was it after china/Rider i was hooked and never stoped coming

Yes Bill Graham was very vocal on stage due to the many arrests the night before. I remember him saying "if you are going to light up make sure you are spending the night with the person next to you. (many undercover police in the crowd). Jerry was on stage with him and when Bill was getting ready to leave stage he got into a shouting match with someone in the crowd and as Bill was known to do "offered to come in the crowd and kick his ass. I remeber Jerry laughing and then say Bill Graham for President bumper stickers would be handed out after the show. It was great. First set is still a pretty good memory.

by the way I still have that newspaper copy from the Star-Ledger of the "dance poster" For real.

3.15.73 nassau coliseum. AND I own the poster. I framed it about 15 years ago.

GOOD SHOW---BAD COP SCENE----KEEP ON TRUCKIN!!!

First Dead show, remember the line up outside before the show. I was NOT experienced at the time of this show, but learned sometime soon afterward that the way I felt, was the way it was. I left totally amazed and caught the boys many, many times before it was over. Actually, I till see some the boys now and then.... rt

As I was updating my shows to a new computer, I noticed that my copy of this show was all jumbled, (a show that opens with He's Gone? That jumped out at me...) Anyway, after poking around the web, I noticed that there seemed to be a little confusion as to how this show really went. Even here on good ol' Dead.net, they mention that this was the first "Let Me Sing Your Blues Away," (and it sounds like it too,) but there is no listing of it in the setlist, (it should be in that blank spot between "Big River" and "China Cat." Anyway, after listening and doing my best to piece it together, here is what I have come up with (with a lot of help from Live Music Archive): Set 1: Bertha, MaMU, Sugaree, BIODTL, Tenn Jed, LLR, Brown-Eyed, Jack, Jimmy, WRS Pre > WRS Pt. 1 > Let it Grow, Beer Barrel, Eyes > China Doll Set 2: Greatest Story, Ramble, Big River, Let me Sing, China > Rider, El Paso, He's Gone > Truckin > NFA > GDTR > NFA E: Stella Blue, Saturday Night All in all, a pretty interesting show. China Doll as a set closer, a mid-second set China>Rider, and a Stella Blue and Sat. Night encore, pretty unique. It is not the best played show, (the first set is rocky,) but the second set is some 73-buttery goodness! Peace, and Happy New Year!