Grateful Dead

Unfortunately, this was my last show since the following night was cancelled. I enjoyed the music but I was very disheartened by the idiots that destroyed the venue and our reputations. The house lights were left on for the rest of the evening as helicopters circled with spotlights and police dogs could be heard from the lawn. I am grateful that I avoided the impulse to climb up on the fence and beat back the losers that were crashing the party. The New Speedway was very fitting. Peace - David Diaz

This was not the way I would have wanted to go out. Still, I saw Jerry fourty three times with the Dead. Despite the nightmare that followed, the show was as good as it could be given the lights during the second set and the multiple helicopters buzzing the lawn. Long live the DEAD ! Peace, Brian

07/02/95 (Sun) Deer Creek Music Center - Noblesville, IN Set 1: Here Comes Sunshine, Walkin' Blues, Dire Wolf, It's All Over Now, Brokedown Palace, Desolation Row*, Tennessee Jed, Let It Grow Set 2: Scarlet Begonias > Fire On The Mountain, Victim Or The Crime, It's All Too Much > New Speedway Boogie > Drums > Space > Attics Of My Life > Sugar Magnolia, E: Mighty Quinn Comment: * Weir on acoustic. Major gate crash occurred during Desolation Row. Police moved in with tear gas. Second show was cancelled.

First off they played Broken Arrow and not Brokedown Palace. Onto my write up........... Where do I possibly start to describe my feelings about this show without venting? How about where I planned my vacation months in advance by mail ordering tickets and scheduling my vacation around the 4th of July. We arrived at Deer Creek nice and early so we could hang out and relax before showtime on a perfect summer afternoon. We also wanted to enter the facility to get a good spot on the hill. So as the afternoon progressed and taking in the vending festivities, everything seemed fine so far. We just knew that after witnessing 2 wonderful shows at The Palace in Michigan days before that we were in for a great time at the Creek. Eventually we decided about 2.5 hours before showtime to head into the venue to get our coveted hill spot by the Tapers behind the mixing board. We walked around in circles for what seemed like an eternity wondering what was up. Finally after being in line to head into the show for about 2.5 hours we discovered that they only had one enterence open for the whole crowd and they were checking everybody with metal detectors, dogs and the pat down groping. When we finally got into the venue we noticed that the band had just taken the stage before we even got to our spot. Before we even had a chance to breathe, the band busted into what seemed like the beginnings of a perfect Deer Creek style first set with Here Comes Sunshine. Walkin' Blues, Dire Wolf and All Over Now followed in style. Then Phil busted out Broken Arrow and the crowd mood started to shift. Something did'nt seem right. The band proceeded into Desolation Row and all seemed fine until suddenly everyone on the hill turned their attention from the stage to the top of the hill. Much of the crowd erupted into a loud spontaneous cheer and the next thing I know that theres all these ASSHOLES crawling over the fences like a colony of ants overtaking a beetle. Kids started running past me with the attitude that what they had just done was cool. Whats worse is that the wooden planks that was a fence were being torn down wantonly. At that moment I never felt more ashamed of the scene. Not only the fuckers who crashed the gates but the FUCKERS who cheered them on. The looks on the band members faces were clearly of disappointment and I would'nt have blamed them right then and there to stop performing and end the show but like the troopers they are, continued on in the face of adversity. As the rest of the first set proceeded, the hill was becoming so packed that it became a total hassle to stand in our great spot. At that point the set ended. We then proceeded to walk up to the pavillion and noticed that there were no ushers to be seen so walked up to a couple of seats that were unused, possibly by some innocent bystanders caught in the melee outside of the theater. What seemed only a few minutes later, the band took the stage again but the house lights stayed on. What was a good for 95 second set though marred with it's share of Jerry vocal flubs and missed ques had a couple foreboding moments. The first was New Speedway and the other was Attics. As the show ended, we decided to exit the theater via the hill and what a sight that was. Police in riot gear, dogs and tear gas canisters scattered on the ground. We made it back to the car and despite the occurences, the vending scene was in full swing. We decided to immediately leave to head back to the hotel and beat traffic and get enough rest so we could arrive earlier for the next nights show. The following morning when we were checking out of our hotel, the staff informed us that they were charging us for an additional night though we were ahead of check out time. Packing up our stuff in the car and stewing about getting double charged for one nights stay, a deadhead walked through the lot informing everyone that the show was cancelled. In disbelief we drove past Deer Creek and our fears were confirmed. A big hand painted wooden sign (possible made with pieces of broken fence planks) with some police officers were waving everybody past. Tonights Show Is Cancelled. We then drove home ultra disappointed that our vacation the took months of planning, cost thousands of dollars and cut short was completely ruined by STUPID FUCKING ASSHOLES. If you are reading this now and you crashed the gates at Deer Creek, FUCK YOU!!!!!!!!!! I apologise about the liberal use of expletives but perhaps if someone who crashed the gates at Deer Creek reads this post, they'll realize that they ruined the whole scene for everybody and hopefully they'll show some remorse and perhaps to learn to show respect to people, property and themselves. Recapping the memory of this show still burns me up and I still vented.

I didn't crash in, that's for sure. I saw a young girl get beaten with billy-clubs by three cops though. She was completely helpless and screaming and they just kept hitting her. No kidding! I meandered back to the other side of the pond and listened to the hullabaloo and couldn't believe it. I last recall Jerry forgetting a good deal of verses of Fire (I think) and thinkin how much the scene was just plain crazy. And I was new to the scene just four years prior. So this was my last show attended but not inside. We made our way from there to the National Rainbow in New Mexico (which was outstanding and beautiful and much more peaceful than the remaining shows of the tour). Sure would have wished I would have gone to Chicago instead, but I think I was better off in the mts north of Taos. "Moloch the incomprehensible prison! Moloch the crossbone soulless jailhouse and Congress of sorrows!" -[I] Howl[I/}, Allen Ginsberg

I'll walk you in the morning sunshine I had a blanket set up with my daugher, Cassidy, who was 6 at the time, back by the fence and had just met up with a boy Tim, who I used to date and we heard a roar, looked back and saw the fence coming down, it was frightening to be on the other side of the fence with my little girl next to me, I scooped her up said goodby to tim(who I was supposed to meet in the second row the next night- which was cancelled) saw the look on the band's faces and we left the lawn. I was really sad. I couldn't believe they broke down the fence. I was a good tour too. Too bad. I think it was the begining of the end : (

I still have the ticket for the second row of the cancelled show where I was supposed to meet up with a long lost love. I was never so ashamed of people as that night. I had thought those days were over. I still get a flood of emotions remembering that night! I bought a sticker that said "gate crashers suck" and still have that too. what a sad night! I felt so bad for the band. They must have been ssoooo disappointed in thier so called fans. I'll walk you in the morning sunshine

I'm sad to say this is the only show I ever attended. I almost didn't go in favor of the Oregon show later on in the tour, but decided on the closer, midwestern Indiana show (I'm from Iowa). It was a hard night right before the show camping, and I was so drained I could barely pay attention to the music or what was going on. I missed all the helicopters and gate crashers, I got separated from my friends and had to take a bus back home when I found out the show for the next day was cancelled, and I love the Grateful Dead so I'm very sad. This was an altogether very bad experience. I wish I could redeem it and go to another show, but it'll never be again. :-( Not in this world, anyway. I met one of the gate-crashers a couple years back. I'm sorry to say I didn't cuss them out or anything. They didn't sound at all remorseful, though, so like Keller Williams said: "Fuck you" all. It could have been so beautiful. Is this the only show "fans" ever made such havoc at?

also my last show and also a total bummer cuz of the scene. i remember there were so many people in the lot... way more than the venue could hold, so lots of folks came without tickets, which i think helped encourage the gate crashing... i heard that one guy tried to rush the fence and it distracted the security guys who were watching it, so when they all left thier posts, people just saw their chance and went for it. I was inside and remember turning around and it looked like cockroaches coming over the fence. Sorry to say one of my friends crashed and came in. I found out later a girl I went to college with was there working as a state trooper and tear gassed people etc. She said folks were throwing bottles at the cops. All in all it was a bad scene, too many people coming without tickets and expecting something for nothing. Miss you Jerry.

My friend told me someone wrote a song about that. Its called the gates or something of that matter. If anyone could find it or tell me about it that would be cool. Phish rocks.

when i heard the next days show was canceled on the way in, i turned to my wife and said, "well, i'll never see them again", "of course you will" she said," you see these guys 10-12 times a year". i wish i hadn't been right, but you could just feel it in the air, the same way you could feel the best of energy before. it is really a feeling i'll never forget. (on both counts). peace to you all.

I wrote Dennis McNally a letter stating, myself and my crew would do ANYTHING the band needed us to do to keep the scene clean. And you know what??? He called me at my home to say thanks for the letter and they would definately be in touch with me once they figured out what they wanted to do on their side of the stage. Having little interplay with that world, it was pretty exciting and heady. For 5 minutes. I thought that was a rightous move by a rightous guy. Alas, that was not meant to be. :-( “The Omnipotent Grateful Dead!”

I too was bummed beyond belief at the scene that transpired that evening. Even worse, the following show being cancelled. I did not have a ticket to the Soldier Field show, but was determined to go since I got jipped out of a show. I hopped the South Shore to Chicago and met this dude at the Hard Rock Cafe who had an extra ticket. My only consolation was that Jerry's last show, was my last show.

I just came across my pair of unused tickets for 7/3/95 the other night, I can't believe this was 12 years ago, very sad the way the final days went down. I'm not going to dwell on the negatives. We had real nice pavilion seats for this show, got a few nice pictures of Bobby, I gotta say one positive thing about this night, I still listen to the tapes from 7/2/95 and the performance was probably the best music played all summer as far as '95 shows go, great set list all around: Dire Wolf, a rockin' All Over Now, my favorite Phil tune of Broken Arrow, got a Desolation Row, the Scarlet/Fire was well on its way to rival the longest one from 10/14/94 then out of the haze a Victim>Its All too Much> New Speedway, gorgeous Attics, Sugar Mags and Quinn! Talk about a statement of the bands feelings of what was going down! This was the LAST show the boys "played", a set list as hot as anything from the 80's. Unfortunately what went down probably sapped any desire for the band to go on, the Soldier Field shows that followed were bad except for Visions of Johanna and the fitting ending was Black Muddy River and Box of Rain(thank you Phil) to give us one last high note. The people that wronged us know who they are and have to deal with that and hopefully do or did feel remorse, unfortunately they probably will never read this forum as most of the crashers were outsiders and not real Heads. Peace.

TyeDyeBobI traveled all the way from Puerto Rico to see the spring-summer line up of shows. Was very disapointed to see the destruction by local "punks" at deer creek........I kept saying "deadheads would not do this" - - - I was right! Those destructive morons have no concept what a deadhead is!!! Back in Puerto Rico, I hear the news of Jerrys passing-----all too much! I miss the life, the touring and the band most of all. We lost alot when we lost the captain.

enuff said

The next morning, we were at a restraunt having coffee and talking in whispers about how the previous nights debacle should never have happened. About how we had planned for this 6 show mini-midwest tour for months. How we felt to be associated with the term "deadhead". What happened to this whole scene, that people feel that if they can get to the parking lot, they should be provided access to the show? Why should it take longer to drive the last 3 miles to Deer Creek than it did to drive from Chicago to Noblesville? Then, at a table next to us, an overly excited kid speaking loudly and proudly of how he crashed the gate and "Outsmarted the Pigs" got my attention. I grabbed this 20-something by the scuff of the neck and just laid into him until I was in tears! YOU FUCKER! I WILL NEVER FORGET YOU!

I, too, remember the long lines and metal detecters at this show. We had our baby daughter with us, so inside we sat way up by the fense. I remember hearing a roar outside that was louder than the band. I turned around and saw people flying over the fense that was crumbling beneath them. It was scarry for a second, but true, loving deadheads crowded around me and my baby to form a wall to keep us safe as the riotous gatecrashers rushed by. I have mixed emotions about the enthusiasim of the fans. Yes, it was a great show but, To think that Jerry had a death threat and was still proceeding, then to see how much the folks really cared is disappointing. Needless to say we were super disappointed to have a show, that we had tickets for, stolen from us due to cancelation. :(

What a mess this turned out to be. My favorite venue turned into one of my worst nightmares. I barely remember the music because of the mayhem that was ensuing. From what I understand, the house lights were left on because someone had made a death threat against Garcia. There were armed troopers in the rafters of the shed spying the crowd with binoculars. My girlfriend and I went to use the restroom during set break and could not make it back to our spot on the lawn to rejoin our friends due to the excessive amount of people inside the venue. She stumbled and almost got trampled by the mob, forcing me to get physical to keep people from trampling all over her. One punk told me that if we couldn't hang with what was happening, maybe we should leave. I wanted to knock him out because I had paid good money for my ticket and he was probably one of the crashers. I was bummed but also relieved when I found out the next morning that the show had been cancelled. Good for them I thought, action needed to be taken, people needed to be punished and public safety seemed to be the underlying concern. Sometimes greed clouds people's judgment, but Deer Creek night two needed to be cancelled. Why don't I still have my ticket for the second night? Did Ticketmaster give us refunds in exchange for the ticket?

This show showed just how out of hand the "no tix" groupies got. Unfortunately once they started coming over the fence things really got out of hand and band sort of gave up. I saw this phenomona get worse and worse as the 90s went along. I have to believe it really made it more difficult for the boys to keep it going. What's so funny about peace love and understanding?

I agree with most of the comments that everyone has made. Does anyone else remember all the undercover cops busting people in the lot before the show? I remember making a comment to my friend about horrible police presence at the show... Little did I know how bad it would get. I was one of the people there without a ticket - we did mail order for the last 3 venues, but got shutout for Deer Creek. After walking the lot all afternoon looking to buy some extra tickets, we gave up and set up a blanket and cooler behind the hill. The weird thing was, the scene outside the venue turned into something that was really cool and mellow. The sun was beginning to set and a large groups of people were all around the pond and set up blankets everywhere there was open space. We could hear the music just like being inside - the only thing we could not see was the band... It had all the makings of a great experience until one guy ran up the hill. The cops, of course, ran after him to get him off of the hill. All of a sudden, huge sections of people starting running up there too. The next thing you know, the kids started tearing down the walls and jumping over the fence. Look at YouTube for video of that night: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzuMCVVKLPk The cops started over reacting with tear gas, dogs, and beating people. I heard that they called in cops from 7 counties around Indianapolis. It was pure chaos! I can't remember how many people got arrested that night, but I'll always remember the police in full riot gear staring at everyone the remainder of the night... What a way to ruin what started out as a perfect night! Calling home was fun too... All my friends and family saw the news - the riot at The Dead show was the big story. Driving into St Louis for the next two shows, the headlines in the local papers were basically telling everyone to hide their women and children, the deadheads are coming and bringing destruction with them! Funny thing is, when we left, the papers reported everything as "mellow as a cello". I think I still have that paper somewhere... I'm sure everyone has heard the Keller Williams song "Gate Crashers Suck". Keller sums up his feelings (and that night) very well - I'm sure he speaks for most of us, too! I'm sure this is an old wound that will never heal for many people... Things were going wrong at so many venues in those last few years, it's hard to imagine that things could have continued even if Jerry had lived any longer. What used to be the true Deadhead scene, was infiltrated by kids that were just there for the drugs, or to party - they cared nothing about the music or the band. Unfortunately, it all boiled over that night in July 95. I'll always regret not getting to more than the 30+ shows I went to... Seeing The Dead was something I always looked forward to - I just wish I started going earlier than my first show in 1989. I still enjoy seeing Bobby or Phil whenever I can. The nice thing is, it's back to being about the music... The stadium tours have been replaced by smaller venues and smaller crowds. Go see Ratdog or Phil and Friends when you have a chance! I know it's not the same, but it does bring back some good memories...

This would have been my last show...was right on the ball with mail order, and scored 4th row seats!My girlfreind had no ticket for the first night, and was staying back at the hotel...I lingered there with her a little too long...wasn't expecting traffic to be bumper to bumper stop and go all the way to the freeway... By the time I reached the facility entrance, the shit had already hit the fan, and was told to keep on driving. I was tempted to ditch the car and run in (being that I had a ticket and all) but knew a tow bill would not be cheap... Had almost as good of seats for the next night too, which was cancelled. Bummer.

Someone watching over me? Drove with my daughter to the show and got the strongest, saddest vibe to retreat. Glad I did. Maybe some needed the scene there for growth? I didn't, but hope some good came from all that negativity although, I admit I'm at a loss. Same with the Missouri? shows. Didn't make it any where near that venue. Persistent feeling of tragedy loomed... Watched the fireworks on the wrong night from the car instead and listened to old tapes.....Not important, but I still wonder about the fireworks being on the wrong night....I choose to look at it a gift we enjoyed.

This was the only show I got to see. I wanted so badly to see them live, so I gathered up every last penny I had to my name and went to the lot. I walked from the venue out to the interstate and back and ended up buying a ticket off of some guy that didn't care if he saw them or not. I was on the far side of the lawn from where they came over the fence. I really wasn't sure what was happening, but it really does suck that I went through all of that and then all those people ruined my one and only show.

There were good things and bad things about this show.Of course the riot and the way cops m FBI and DEA acted were bad at the venue. my campground, Close by Campgroud was infiltrated for sure by morning. Cars here and there with government plates. Agents with new tye dyes and reeboks all through the camp. Especially up by the front barns. I didm't see anybody get arrested at our camp though. I camped by some people from upstate New York to my left and Janet with the Proud Mary Bus to ny right. Ever 13yr. I have drop out of touch with evryone there save for Elizabeth from Tennesee.. Close by Campgrounds let us stay the night of the cancelled show ples an extra day and night for free. The next day, July 3rd, one of my N.Y. camping neighbors gave me a signed letter from the band. She had a small stack of them. If you got a copy you know what it says. The band pretty much said if your gonna act like this and this shit is gonna happen then F*CK YOU! We won't play. The two best things that happened were the fact that I was gonna see another show, and, even though I was double dose tripping I ran into My friend Lisa from Canada and a couple of her friends just as Sheila and I decided where we were going to stand on the lawn. Behind and on the right of the tapers and their microphone stands. I had met Lisa, a very beautiful woman in '93 at Buckeye Lake music center. We tried to meet up at Buckeye in '94 but missed each other. This time we made sonewhat better plans but telephone communications would not go through to her cell in Indiana. It was a "Miracle" that we found each other, and so happy. Lisa now lives in New Denver, B.C. Canada and sells yumme soups. We are still in touch. :). I also met that one girl and her boyfriend at that time with her dogs. She was still runnim' 'round in her VW bus somewhere down South years later and some trolls raped and killed her. Police later found her van and dogs running around at that roadside rest along with her body floating in the pond. I hope they have caught thase guys a gave them life without parole! I found out from watching a Grateful Dead PBS special that night at home. At the specials end Bob Weir talked about what happened to her and asked for any help in finding the perpetraitors. When Jerry Passed away... I was working at the computer group at that time on days and did telemarketing part time evenings at that time. On the morning on August 9th, 1995 right before our first 15 minute break I was on a 3 1/2 inch labeling machine labelling windows '95. I look at the 100 disk count pile of boxeson my work desk that were being re-used. We did that there.Try to waste nothing. As I looked at the boxes my trippy weird thing that I often have happened. It's like a here's your sign. Half way down and in the middle of the pile, in a culmination of boxes, it looked like Jerry with a sad face. I felt that variable spiritual elelctric buzz all over me. Head and shoulders if it's good. Around my heart if it was something to fear and in my gut if it was sonething bad. It went to my gut. It was something bad. In a trance I said, "There'e something wrong with Jerry." My hipster co-worker beside me said, "What." I looked at him with a concerned expression and said, "There something wrong with Jerry Garcia." The supervisor yelled, "Break time." We went out to smoke. Near the end of the break a guy that was sitting in his car listening to the radio told me, Jerry Garcia was found dead today at a treatment center. What?! He repeated himself to me and I asked where. He said Serenity Knolls Treatment center in California. Denial tried to overcome me but the feeling I had before break was telling me he was right. I went back to work and my supervisor just came up and offered ne to go home. I was like, "I'm alright." He said "It's alright I'm looking for volunteers anyway". Were gonna have a slowdown and reset today." So I left and picked up a friend of mine Shawn that had been around with me and Sheila that year. We went to Mirror Lake on the O.S.U. campus. I stuffed the pourus rocks with several packs of Patchouli and Sandalwood incense. It permeated the park. We talked, partied and had drum circles well into the night. Jerry had went to the treatment center on the other side. Deercreek 1997 I went to my second Further Festival as well as my second show of the year. The Black Crowes were the guest band. I had returned to camp at close by campgrounds. After the show let out I went to a carryout to get some food and beer. I was travelling alone at that time. I copped some double dipped white outside the carryout. I took communion immediately. I almost got lost trying to find the campgrounds and was getting off fast. Finally I am parked in my camaro in my camping spot. I go over one row in fromt of me and start sucking down beers and balloons. Finally I have done enough balloons because I'm doing very colorful flip flops. Might of had sonething to do with the african yoke tye dye I had on? All the way to the bottom of the V on the shirt going above and below me?! I almost dom't know which end is up! All day in Indianapolis it had rained and stormed. Not at the venue and now not at the camp either. HUMID. Most of that day it looked like their was a protective dome of high white around us. I headed to the car to grab another beer. I popped the hatchback and as I did I heard a guy yell, "GOD I WISH IT WOULD RAIN!" I'm still trippin' balls and doing flip flops and immediately I say, "I AGREE, AND WHEREVER TWO ARE IN AGREEMENT GOD IS IN THE MIDST OF US!" As soon as I got the word us out of my mouth HUGE raindrops began to pour and it lasted like 20 minutes. You could hear people saying, "ALL SH*T." as they ran for cover. Later, after the rain had subsided. I was really trippin' hard. I started having this sacred feeling about where I was at, being it was the last time I had saw Jerry here on Earth. I looked out of the open drivers door of my camaro at Queen Annes Lace and saplings. Beyond there was big tree stumps and tree trunks lying in a row parallel to my car. An indigo stream of light hovered in front of them and above the grass. I looked toward the night sky and suddemly I seen a translucent golden bust of Jerry Garcia in the sky. A whoosh and a skeletal hand and arm came at me into my car. His voice said that you can do it. You can stay clean and sober. I know you can. It will happen for you. I came out of it with my right hand and arm above me as if I had shook the great skeletal hand of the arm that came into my car. It had had dark blue and black crinkled tye dye above and below the arm. the crinkle followed the hand and arm directionally, to me then away. Next was the Dr. Suess Cat in the Hat trip as I looked at the ceiling of the car. Colors came down the hat in thin strips and then they went up the brim. Morning came and I went to where I had camped in 1995. It was by the creek with a grove of trees following it on both sides. I felt the presence of God there. I said out loud, "How many chances and times do I have to get my life right. As if there were a giant face behind the trees I heard a voice calmly say. As many times and chances you need and then some. I teared up and cried. Wiping the tears away I realized I had just had a God experiance on L.S.D. One that I would never forget. Now I'm a Deadhead_Forever. Web Site: www.myspace.com/united_americans Contact Information: wile_e_kyot_genius@yahoo.com vincent1961@excite.com Vincent L. Huff Phone: 614-227-0367 398 South Grant Ave. Apt. 104 Columbus, OH. 43215-5565 U.S.A. I Could write some more but I am going stop for now. Copy right 02/11/2008 by Vincent L. Huff and www.dead.net

As spacebrother said we too took much time and effort to plan our 4th vacation to do Deercreek right.Having been there 3 years earlier on a five shows in seven days on a whim I knew how great the venue was,and looked forward to getting back to Glowood campground for the after show party ,"legendary" for sure which still ranks in our top five. Anyhow I get side tracked,back to my vent that i can do with your understanding .As i said we too mail orderd, first time effort with the coaching of a good friend.we did good landing tix for both nights . First night 3rd from last row not great but damn good for first time. Heres the kicker after the Bullshit Gatecrashers stormed the place I just knew therewould be no show tommorrow.After the band finished what I can't say was the finest i've seen but all the chaos it's hard to say ,we pulled our tix out and rambled down and down until sure enough there sat our seats 3 rows off stage straight in front of Jerry's mic.After 17 shows in 4 years my close encounter was dashed by 1000 IGNORANT BASTARDS ,curse you all even if it sets my karmic progression back. What you took from me was priceless.So as spacebrother so nicely said FUCK ALL OF YOU!!!!!! Okay I've now through that out ther for first time thank all of you for your stories and I hope you enjoyed mine rock on and peace.Goodnight now

the show still sounded great

the show still sounded great

What can I possibly say that has not already been said? My girlfriend and daughter stayed at the hotel that night (thankfully) and after I got a spot in the lot I began to stroll around. There was no miracle to be found for me that night.I got to hang with some cool heads and drink several imports but as the sun went down things really did begin to turn "dark". Ill never forget seein a punk rocker walkin around sellin.."Dirty needles! $5! Dirty Needles!" This sadness just seem to overwelm me. I went back to the van and talked with some heads listenin to the show and then the shit hit the fan. Belive it or not I must have just crawled into the van and passed out til the show was over and I was one of the last 50 vehicles on the grounds. Sad to think about how the scene downspiraled. I remember coming home from work the morning Jerry died and seein the news,..I had really wanted my daughter to grow up and have some of the Grateful experiences i had had.

what a mess it ended up being. Every year there were more & more people on the road that was supposed to be left open for the band to drive up.....more & more people-masses amounts of people........I hadn't heard all these horror stories & am truely sorry any of it happened. We loved the place, the corn fields, the venue, the corn fields....the farms, the Indianolpolis Speedway Museum, with the pink racecar & the kids always said it was for me (how innocent) there was a Prairie Museum nearby too, we went to......the corn fields-the music...the Canadian geese outside the hotel window..................Gypsy Cowgirl........the danged corn fields....always on my mind........

I remember the crowd cheering as the gate crashers came over the fence.. we didn't realize anything bad had happened until the next day when we heard the 7/3 show had been canceled. There are some great videos of the back side of the hill at deer creek while everyone was running up it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzuMCVVKLPk Musically I didn't think anything on the 1995 tour was anything to write home about. But it was a hell of a party.. I remember the biggest party of my life at Pine Lakes on 7/3/95 we danced all night to the BurittoBego and I also remember a guy in a Corvette getting chased out of Indy, crashing through the cornfields and dead into a tree inside the entrance to Pine Lakes. Crazy Times.

I agree with the above post from SPACEBROTHER. The crashers were mostly wannabe fucking party crashers. They had nothing better to do, but disrespect "everything I loved the most". Thanks for the last show dumb-asses!

I stopped attending shows regularly in '84. My theory is that MTV helped ruin things. In MTV's early days they needed content and showed the Dead Movies often, exposing the scene to those that never would have learned of it. Around that time (to me) it seemed that the DEA was a permanent fixture on tour. Truthfully, when it came to getting inside, few options were off the table. Violence and destruction were among the very few though. However, I do not consider fence climbing to be violent or destructive. Fake tickets were always a favorite, but if your fake was detected at the turnstiles your options were to A) Stand and accept your punishment B) Run backward (people behind, difficult) C) run forward into the show and blend into the throng. Option A worked one time(RedRox82) when I convinced the ticket taker that my mom had washed my ticket in my jeans pocket and that is why it is trashed. (it was the worst fake I had ever seen, but a guy gave it to me) Option C makes you a gate crasher by definition, so the bumper sticker you described, may I suggest a location for the sticking? In the 70s there was some bad stuff at a stadium in Jersey City(?) Roosevelt Stadium maybe? Tons of folks outside, tons of space inside, zealous cops with clubs to swing. I don't know if a show ever got canceled though, I am not too big on the trivia. I will acknowledge that being there when the melee is swirling has a way of burning the thing into your memory. Since I wasn't there AND I have never scene a Florida show, this one doesn't sound any worse than some of the Nassau/Hartford/Providence crap I'd seen, but as I said, the stuff you see stays with you.

I was at the show and had only tickets for the second night!! I was standing by will call looking to buy a ticket when the gates got crashed. A man name John just had picked up two tickets from will call and decided to be a saint and give me one. Getting a miracle at this show meant something more to me. I had always loved the scene at shows but it just seemed that the younger generation were more into the party than the show, which was evident at Deer Creek and again at River Port. This was not the first time the gates were crashed that year. The first night at Memphis they also tried to crash the gates, but to no avail!!! It was a shame to see the kindness disappear amist the young kids on tour. It was def. a long stange trip and one I will never forget despite the tragedy and drama at the end of 95.

Being a fellow Ohio native, this was to be my first show, or hoped it would have been. I was 15 years old, just recovering from a broken leg. Long Story short, I should have gone, but couldn't swing it with the leg and all. Needless to say, I woke up one morning in August, to hear the news. I never got to see my beloved Dead preform with the grand 'ol master himself. It still hurts, really. I'm 28 now, and have made up for it since, thanks Bobby, Phil, Billy, Mickey and friends!

after reading a few of these other comments, I figured why not add some more commentary since this is one of the shows that always sticks out, and not for good reasons. plus, it was my last time seeing jerry. i remember thinking the 95 summer itinerary looked odd and kinda short. the only real venue, as always, that looked enticing was deer creek. i grew up in indy, so it was always convenient to jet back and see the deer creek shows. first major red flag was traffic getting in. normally an hour to get to your seats. this time it was 2+ just to find a friggin' parking spot, which wasn't even in a normal lot but someone's yard parking. never had to do that before at deer creek. to complicate things even more, I get rear-ended midway through the traffic jam. always an extra bonus, as idiots are jeering at you as you exchange insurance info. the vibe wasn't exactly patchouli and roses. onto the show, it was definitely packed to the gills. but i did have a pavilion seat. so went directly to the pavilion which was much more relaxed. a respectable first set until the gate crash incident. what can you do but watch, there's an army of people between you and them. i do remember some people were cheering, but most were like WTF. let it grow was a pretty solid closer all things considered. setbreak. uneasiness, there was a helicopter flying around the venue. and the lights were on for along time after they started playing. can't remember if it was all set or not. new speedway, victim, all too much. yep, we get the point. but you have to give the band and crowd credit, by time attics rolled out of space, we were all in sync. and sugar magnolia / mighty quinn saw much happiness around. people chalked it up to just another wild dead show going back to the lot. what could tomorrow night possibly hold? not so quick: my friend calls the next morning to tell me night 2 is canceled. the proverbial s-sandwich was served. pretty sad ending to a venue with excellent acoustics that hosted many a great dead show. granted, it still can't overshadow all the great times I've had at deer creek but it always makes me cringe thinking about 7/2/05.

I remember the break out of Desolation Row and then a riot ensued outside. Still to this day I can see an unarmed girl getting an extendable riot stick to the head. It was a horrible site outside. What a shame.

but this, I believe, is the show that inspired Keller Williams's deathless "Gate Crashers Suck," which I heartily recommend!

my last time seeing Jerry play as well. i was on that hill and was knocked around quite a bit. our trip home the next day was quiet and we brought 2 newly met friends with us. heading to SC, none of us spoke from Deer Creek until we got to our next campground in southern Kentucky. i think it's all been said at one point or another how completely surreal the scene was that night and the next day in the campground that was quiet as a church. our "church" had been hit by arsonists... still get goosebumps from the band all the time and moved to tears of joy or sadness...such an amazing group of musicians that changed my life for the better. i could not be more thankful for the Grateful Dead.

This show and the last show are actually the most attended shows ever. Despite holding only 20,000 people over 500,000 people claim to have attended this show and will regale you with stories of helicopters zooming over the lawn and hordes of invaders. But in seriousness it did take a real long time to get in and a lot of people did not have tickets. The Scarlet>Fire was cool and weird- sorta dissonant but had only 1 verse. Even so it was a solid 20 minutes long. And strange. Dire Wolf was great- it is very personal for me as it is something of a "themesong" with added meaning for me as it recalls the various vulgar appetites and addictions I have battled over the years.

well, I don't know how to go into this. yes, I was one of thousands who jumped the fence and to be honest by no means am I proud of it. why did I jump the fence? reflecting back, my story was one in the vain of 'fuck it'. my intentions were in no way to disrespect the band or the family, but looking at some posts from others I guess ones actions can speak volumes in hurt. I was in no means the first to go, nor was I tearing boards off, but I am guilty of helping others 'over' and I did jump the fence. I was simply there in 'the moment'(like many others), and got caught up in it. a mob of people running past you, it was stay or go. I simply chose to go. on any other day, or at any other time would I have done this, no. the opportunity was there, so I took it. to me, it was like 'alright I get to see the show''. why do I think this happened... well, the police presence that day was HEAVY! heavier than previous years. was this due to this "death threat' Jerry got, IDK. I think it was the cops just trying to assert their 'authority' on a bunch of fun/peace loving folk.I recall them having a pullover checkpoint off I-69 searching people. the parking lot scene was different that year. a very negative vibe.. my buddy Pigg & I were walking up to the area there with the pond and was gonna sit out and enjoy listening to the band. been to the Creek 2 years prior and there is ALWAYS that 1 guy who storms up the hill to make a run for it. the crowd cheers him on, the cops get 'him, people walk away and laugh. this time the cops decided to attack this fella with the dog and then started clubbing him. now, this is where it gets a bit fuzzy...I remember being upset by that scene as were many others. next you know all hell broke loose. a handful would go. the cops would try to respond, then a hornets nest opened. crazy! tear gas starts popping off, I'm like WTF! so now it's all out chaos, at a DEAD Show...can you believe that? anyway, standing there with my buddy, I pick up my blue sleeping bag and was like 'let's go'. he was like 'no, no'. I'm like 'c-ya!' I just remember running my fatass up that damn hill trying to get over. helping people, then people helping me. I get in all I can recall is that a lot of folks were truly happy to be there. I remember this fella snuck his puppy in, thought that was cool. he was like 'it's his first show!'. I don't think any of us gave thought 1 of our actions, better or worse til following the show. I think the same can be said for those who spit out 'fuck you gatecrashers' and the like. how did you REALLY feel that night? were you truly pissed. or were you like 'wow', this is neat'. I mean be truthful! we all thought we would have a chance to see the boys again...sadly we were wrong. do I think they would have came back to Deer Creek, yes. as far, as folks showing up without tickets...well, everyone in that era knew of the parking lot scene and just loved to hang out and be apart of something. Buckeye Lake for example would have like 500,000 in their lot for a venue of 80-100,000. people just wanted to be apart of it!!! my story is one of going to my first show(well, lot experience) at Buckeye, not really a fan, to becoming a fan. so, if it weren't for 'just showing up for the party' I would have never found a love for the band and the culture. now, to those who 15 years later that are still very hurt and upset over this, I do apologize for MY actions!!! for what it's worth I have paid for it in karma! long live the Grateful Dead! kirk Support Control & Tax Cannabis California 2010

I’ll start by saying I appreciate your apology. However, I found myself getting madder and madder as I read your post. I can appreciate the sentiment that you were in the moment and the cops helped fan the flames. REALLY, REALLY, I was in the show and I was REALLY, REALLY pissed. In fact, it took me years to come to grips with the fact that my last show was cancelled. The only “neat” thing about it was that the boys didn’t walk off the stage and they actually took control of the situation somewhat by breaking into “It’s All Too Much > New Speedway” and then brought the groove back down to earth by singing “Attics”. The thing that you are not getting out of this whole experience is that we REALLY, REALLY love this band. So much so that we went through hell to get tickets to the show and then drove from great distances to support the band we love. This was not just a road trip we took on a whim because we were board and wanted to party. The parking lot scene was secondary to the music and the family that we saw at show after show. The parking lots and campsites were always a nice distraction for real DeadHeads as they “got their space together” after coming or leaving a show. It was also a tool used to support our addiction to the music. Anyway, I hope you someday realize that the Music Never Stopped and it never will as long as we are in it for the right reasons. Peace – David

The only 2 Deer Creek shows I missed were the single show in ’89 and the canceled 2nd nite of ’95. I setup my rig in the Taper's Section did the usual prepping and then a decent H.C. Sunshine to start, lil ruff but smoothed as far as I remember. After the usual first song or 2 of crazy level settings, several songs and dispose-a-bongs later, the small following of patchers I accumulated over the years know what I mean :D, it was time to get us some more to drink. I decided on soda instead of water for some reason, caffeine and/or some flavor perhaps, so I went to a concession stand. ½ way through the line I hear cheering in an odd spot of Desolation Row so I turned around to see the hordes flowing over the back fence and thought yeah great just what this already in dire straights scene needs. Walking through the now really overfull venue back to the Taper's Section it felt like the boys were now playing for a funeral, not one of the jazzy New Orleans types either. Thankfully it appeared the f*@&!#g gate crashers respected the Taper's Section and the people around the perimeter did not have to really do much to keep people out. In the lawn I think we were the only ones with any breathing room left. I know I dreaded the thought of having to leave for the bathroom later. And super thankfully there were no serious injuries from what I heard in the near hits and not so near misses horror stories. I heard about people just missing landing on a baby from the fall over the fence or landing on someone but they were ok. I read similar in the previous comments too. Unfortunately I did hear there were many injuries outside on “both sides”. From my understanding excessive use of force started quickly which escalated the whole thing and then the extreme measures sadly became warranted. IMO if less force was used early on it might not have turned so ugly so fast. But I was not outside and can really only go by other’s first hand reports and from those I think I can see the cops point of view and their fears with such large numbers of people being soo unruly. By this time I was bringing in sooo much gear that me and my “crew” were pretty much the first ones in a venue, runners carrying nothing of course would beat us but we were not in competition for where they wanted to go, and almost always we were the last ones out. It was easily an hour after the “dead” show, most staff were cool with us seeing how much we had to pack up and when no one had anything to do they would help clean up which seemed to be appreciated. Also the occasional ground score was a plus :P. Anyway when we were finally walking out to the lot there was still tear gas in the air, more police, flashing lights and such in one area than I still have ever seen, heads looking like refugees, even more so than the usual lot lizards that had pretty much been chased out or voluntarily left the scene before this point and just an overall terrible feeling. So much more but don’t feel like reliving for a more detailed description. An early post mentioned the vending scene was still in full swing but we thought the worst with the riot gear police and did not even check out Shakedown Street after bringing the gear back to the car. We just got in the car to go to the hotel with our heads low in shame and disbelief. For the not so surprisingly and understandably canceled next nite we stayed in town instead of heading to the next venue early since we still had a room and no provisions for showing up a day early to the Riverport Amphitheatre. Normally with that kind of a break I would have been making copies of the show to hand out at the next show, used to bring a portion of my home stereo including a few full size cassette desks, but with the emotions and not so great playing after the incident with not really needing replaying IMO we went to see Apollo 13 at a local theater. It seemed the thing to do as I bet more than ½ in attendance were heads.

indeed. I wasn't there, but I'm really fond of Keller Williams's "Gate Crashers Suck." Cracks me up every time.

I finally had tickets for the July 3 show and was just stunned that it was cancelled. Missed my opportunity to see Jerry but have enjoyed many many The Dead shows especially the one with Bob Dylan and Joan Osborne Now go feed those hogs before they worry themselves into anemia

I was on the outside looking in. What I saw in my corner: I was wandering around the parking lot when some young lady was saying "Crash the gates at (insert time here, I don't remember)" and motioning people in a direction... Curiousity got the better of me, I wasn't going to crash but I went to see what the hell was going on.. When I got near the fence, another kid was gesturing the direction and repeating the same phrases. I saw one guy run out into the field, I saw the security guard confront him. Here is where people's memory is different than reality - I'm no fan of cops, but the guys were doing their job and protecting private property, the band and the concert goers. Someone in the crowd tossed a rock. After that it was all over. I turned tail at that point, definitely not wanting to be associated with any of this. I read some claim the cops used excessive force but I have to say they were attacked first in this case - and there were a lot of angry pseudo hippies yelling in their direction to fuel their fear.

I was just checking out the set lists remembering the good times and came across people still complaining about the gate crashing! Get over it, please! What ever happen to being a rebel? Was it right? Was it stealing? Are you supporting Acta too? The fighting in Mo shows at the camp ground is something to be upset at. A canceled show is something to be sorry about but what was the spirit of most of the Gate Crashers? We wanted to be part of the show, we wanted to be about of the music, and we wanted to be part of you. I'm not writing this to start a fight or even a debate. I just want to point out when there is something great people want it and locking it up with a fence for the highest bidder will cause some to crash a gate. Never forget I am you and you are me, we are all one family from the rich trust fund kids to the homeless A camp wanders.I also know some gate crashers that were the 1st ones to help people out from under the fallen deck a couple night s later. so they can't be all bad?