At the time I had no idea, but Jerry Garcia's health was failing him. He had been admitted to a hospital in the fall of 1992 but he seemed to be all right the next few years. But by 1994, he was losing the battle with his demons, specifically heroin. So the monolithic lumbering beast that was “corporate Grateful Dead” (Phil's term) rolled into Philly.
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10-07-94 The Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pa. (Fri) |
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1: Stranger, Sugaree, Same Thing, B. E. Women, El Paso@,
Tennessee Jed, Music |
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2: Victim, Samba, Foolish Heart> Corinna> Drumz>
Last Time> TWBS> Morning Dew E: Johnny B. Goode |
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You can stream it here
For all the dap my famous memory
gets most of the time, I really have no recollection of most of the
adventures leading up to and after this show. I'm pretty sure we
drove back to Penn State after the show. The show had a lot of hype
as it was the 50th time the boys were playing the
Spectrum. They unfurled a banner in the arena and the first set was
high energy for the era.
The second set was a HUGE
disappointment. No real flow, and no real jam vehicles. Victim has a
few moments but Samba in the Rain and Corinna are shitty songs. The
first half of a second set should not be less exciting than the first
set that preceded it. It was such a letdown. My roommate, whose
brother got me into the Dead, swore he would never see them again.
But less than 3 weeks later I
would have my faith in live music, psychedelics, and humanity
restored when I saw Phish on Halloween and a whole 'nother universe
opened up for me.
Dave Kemp
BA American Studies
PhD Rock and Roll
