Grateful Shows is a tour-by-tour deep dive meditative analysis on selected Grateful Dead live concerts.
Each season covers one tour in depth-six shows, fully experienced, with setlist analysis, historical facts, philosophical and fictional rumblings. Companion ebooks go even deeper.
Season 2: March 1986 -The Grateful Dead welcome spring with six shows at two of the East Coast’s most renowned venues: the Hampton Coliseum and the Philadelphia Spectrum. Packed with energy and featuring a number of bust-outs, the tour was unforgettable, including the legendary “Box of Rain” in Hampton. However, a closer look suggests this might not have been either the highlight or the best show of the tour. Make sure to check out all six shows!
🎸 Grateful Dead live history · concert documentation · music history podcast
🗺 One tour at a time · six shows per season · VW bus not included
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The Quest for Fire | Grateful Dead · The Spectrum · March 25, 1986 | S2E06
Season 2 · Episode 6
Wednesday, September 30, 2026 • Duration 24:42
🎸 MARCH 1986 EAST COAST · GRATEFUL DEAD · 1986
═══
📄 FREE DOWNLOAD — Free May 80 tour sample PDF (Penn State 5/6/80). Let the words be yours... Free when you join our list. 👉 https://grateful-shows.kit.com/links No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
═══
⭐ Production Note: This episode has been remastered for better audio quality and a more concise flow. We’ve combined the previous two-set format into this single episode, featuring expanded commentary and a more curated selection of excerpts. To keep our feed clean, the original unedited versions have been removed. Enjoy this new, streamlined version of the show!⭐
——————————————————
📍 YOU ARE HERE: Show — The Quest for Fire | Grateful Dead · The Spectrum · March 25, 1986 | S2E06 ·
Grateful Dead · The Spectrum, Philadelphia· March 25, 1986 ·
Grateful Shows covers Grateful Dead touring history - on tour at a time.
═══
🎸 OFFICIAL SETLIST:
Grateful Dead - The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA, March 25, 1986
Set 1
Feel Like A Stranger
Tennessee Jed
C.C. Rider
Tons Of Steel
It Must Have Been The Roses
Desolation Row >
Don't Ease Me In
Set 2
Scarlet Begonias >
Touch Of Grey >
Looks Like Rain >
Goin' Down The Road Feelin' Bad >
Drums >
Space >
Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues >
Black Peter >
Throwing Stones >
Turn On Your Lovelight
🎵 Encore:
Brokedown Palace
═══🎙 CONCERT ANALYSIS
Last night of the tour and both the band and ourselves are starting to feel fatigued. The first set does little to alleviate this feeling, but is notable for the first ever Desolation Row which clocks in at over ten minutes and sung virtually flawlessly. The great East Coast Scarlet>Fire drought continues with a spirited Scarlet>Touch that takes us not into to the promised land but to a Looks Like Rain. Yes it was a solid last night of the tour, but not getting the Fire sticks far longer than necessary.
from the podcast:
"We are showered in Blissful Mist, a great name for some kind of product. Alcoholic drink, aftershave, room deodorizer. Whatever it is, we’ll buy it. Few can dish it out like Bobby when it comes to post-heartbreak brooding. And kudos to Dan Healy for ramping up the vocal effects: the delay, the knob-twiddling, and Bobby’s screams, all quantifiers that life does indeed rain on your parade."
Grateful Shows covers Grateful Dead touring history - on tour at a time.
═══
——————————————————
⭐ RATE, REVIEW & SHARE
Reviews genuinely help new listeners find the show — especially on Apple Podcasts, where ratings affect visibility. If this series has been worth your time, leaving a quick review makes a real difference. It takes less than 2 minutes.
(Podchaser lets you review individual episodes too — not just the show)
📲 Share this episode with one person:
If someone you know loves music history, the Grateful Dead, or deep-dive storytelling — send them this episode. Word of mouth is how independent podcasts grow.
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The Music Never Stops — subscribe and claim your free show! Subscribe to the free newsletter, connect on socials, join the community, and explore more at https://gratefulshows.com/links.html
The Last Sailor | Grateful Dead · The Spectrum · March 24, 1986 | S2E05
Season 2 · Episode 5
Wednesday, September 23, 2026 • Duration 26:31
🎸 MARCH 1986 EAST COAST · GRATEFUL DEAD · 1986
═══
📄 FREE DOWNLOAD — Free May 80 tour sample PDF (Penn State 5/6/80). Let the words be yours... Free when you join our list. 👉 https://grateful-shows.kit.com/links No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
═══
⭐ Production Note: This episode has been remastered for better audio quality and a more concise flow. We’ve combined the previous two-set format into this single episode, featuring expanded commentary and a more curated selection of excerpts. To keep our feed clean, the original unedited versions have been removed. Enjoy this new, streamlined version of the show!⭐
——————————————————
📍 YOU ARE HERE: Show — The Last Sailor | Grateful Dead · The Spectrum · March 24, 1986 | S2E05 ·
Grateful Dead · The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA · March 24, 1986 ·
Grateful Shows covers Grateful Dead touring history - on tour at a time.
═══ ═══ ═══ ═══
Special Philly | Grateful Dead · The Spectrum · March 23, 1986 | S2E04
Season 2 · Episode 4
Wednesday, September 16, 2026 • Duration 29:49
🎸 MARCH 1986 EAST COAST · GRATEFUL DEAD · 1986
═══
📄 FREE DOWNLOAD — Free May 80 tour sample PDF (Penn State 5/6/80). Let the words be yours... Free when you join our list. 👉 https://grateful-shows.kit.com/links No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
═══
⭐ Production Note: This episode has been remastered for better audio quality and a more concise flow. We’ve combined the previous two-set format into this single episode, featuring expanded commentary and a more curated selection of excerpts. To keep our feed clean, the original unedited versions have been removed. Enjoy this new, streamlined version of the show!⭐
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📍 YOU ARE HERE: Show — Special Philly | Grateful Dead · The Spectrum · March 23, 1986 | S2E04 ·
Grateful Dead · The Spectrum, Philadelphia,PA · March 23, 1986 ·
Grateful Shows covers Grateful Dead touring history - on tour at a time.
═══ ═══ ═══ ═══
Mothership Departures | Grateful Dead · Hampton Coliseum · March 21, 1986 | S2E03
Season 2 · Episode 3
Wednesday, September 9, 2026 • Duration 26:05
🎸 MARCH 1986 EAST COAST · GRATEFUL DEAD · 1986
═══
📄 FREE DOWNLOAD — Free May 80 tour sample PDF (Penn State 5/6/80). Let the words be yours... Free when you join our list. 👉 https://grateful-shows.kit.com/links No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
═══
⭐ Production Note: This episode has been remastered for better audio quality and a more concise flow. We’ve combined the previous two-set format into this single episode, featuring expanded commentary and a more curated selection of excerpts. To keep our feed clean, the original unedited versions have been removed. Enjoy this new, streamlined version of the show!⭐
——————————————————
📍 YOU ARE HERE: Show — Mothership Departures | Grateful Dead · Hampton Coliseum · March 21, 1986 | S2E03 ·
Grateful Dead · Hampton Coliseum· Hampton, VA · March 21, 1986 ·
Grateful Shows covers Grateful Dead touring history - on tour at a time.
═══ ═══ ═══ ═══
Just the Box | Grateful Dead · Hampton Coliseum · March 20, 1986 | S2E02
Season 2 · Episode 2
Wednesday, September 2, 2026 • Duration 30:15
🎸 MARCH 1986 EAST COAST · GRATEFUL DEAD · 1986
═══
📄 FREE DOWNLOAD — Free May 80 tour sample PDF (Penn State 5/6/80). Let the words be yours... Free when you join our list. 👉 https://grateful-shows.kit.com/links No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
═══
⭐ Production Note: This episode has been remastered for better audio quality and a more concise flow. We’ve combined the previous two-set format into this single episode, featuring expanded commentary and a more curated selection of excerpts. To keep our feed clean, the original unedited versions have been removed. Enjoy this new, streamlined version of the show!⭐
——————————————————
📍 YOU ARE HERE: Show — Just the Box | Grateful Dead · Hampton Coliseum · March 20, 1986 | S2E02 ·
Grateful Dead · Hampton Coliseum, Hampton VA · March 20, 1986 ·
Grateful Shows covers Grateful Dead touring history - on tour at a time.
═══ ═══ ═══ ═══
The Return of the Mothership | Grateful Dead · Hampton Coliseum· March 19, 1986 | S2E01
Season 2 · Episode 1
Wednesday, August 26, 2026 • Duration 25:19
🎸 May 1986 EAST COAST · GRATEFUL DEAD · 1986
═══
📄 FREE DOWNLOAD — Free May 80 tour sample PDF (Penn State 5/6/80). Let the words be yours... Free when you join our list. 👉 https://grateful-shows.kit.com/links No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
═══
⭐ Production Note: This episode has been remastered for better audio quality and a more concise flow. We’ve combined the previous two-set format into this single episode, featuring expanded commentary and a more curated selection of excerpts. To keep our feed clean, the original unedited versions have been removed. Enjoy this new, streamlined version of the show!⭐
——————————————————
📍 YOU ARE HERE: Show — The Return of the Mothership | Grateful Dead · Hampton Coliseum· March 19, 1986 | S2E01 ·
Grateful Dead · The Hampton Coliseum , Hampton, VA· March 19, 1986 ·
═══"Spring arrives not with the sorrowful bleat of a lamb laboring along the slaughter line, but with the roar of a proud March lion, sweeping into town on the heady exhaust of the Grateful Dead, projecting Motorcycle Dreams and Diaries....The band has some cleanup to do; but we cannot help them in any way, shape, or form; they are definitely not getting it just exactly perfect. The drummers just hammer away at us with random intent, doing their best to push through the wailings, screams, and overall mayhem in order to rid the Hampton Coliseum of the dust collected since the last time the Grateful Dead played here nearly a year ago to the day." ═══ ═══ ═══
May 1980 Tour Recap | Grateful Dead · Baltimore to Portland · May 4-11, 1980 | · S1E07
Season 1 · Episode 7
Wednesday, August 19, 2026 • Duration 11:23
🎸 May 1980 EAST COAST · GRATEFUL DEAD · 1980 Baltimore to Maine
═══
📄 FREE DOWNLOAD — Free May 80 tour sample PDF (Penn State 5/6/80). Let the words be yours... Free when you join our list. 👉 https://grateful-shows.kit.com/links No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
═══
⭐ Production Note:This episode has been remastered for better audio quality and a more concise flow. We’ve combined the previous two-set format into this single episode, featuring expanded commentary and a more curated selection of excerpts. To keep our feed clean, the original unedited versions have been removed. Enjoy this new, streamlined version of the show!🎙️
——————————————————
📍 YOU ARE HERE: Show — May 1980 Tour Recap | Grateful Dead · Baltimore to Portland · May 4-11, 1980 | · S1E07 ·
Grateful Dead · Tourbook 1 Recap· May 4 to May 11 1980·
The Cumberland Mind | Grateful Dead · Cumberland County Civic Center · May 11, 1980 | S1E06
Season 1 · Episode 6
Wednesday, August 12, 2026 • Duration 25:15
🎸 May 1980 EAST COAST · GRATEFUL DEAD · Baltimore to Maine 1980
═══
📄 FREE DOWNLOAD — Free May 80 tour sample PDF (Penn State 5/6/80). Let the words be yours... Free when you join our list. 👉 https://grateful-shows.kit.com/links No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
═══
⭐ Production Note:This episode has been remastered for better audio quality and a more concise flow. We’ve combined the previous two-set format into this single episode, featuring expanded commentary and a more curated selection of excerpts. To keep our feed clean, the original unedited versions have been removed. Enjoy this new, streamlined version of the show!🎙️
——————————————————
📍 YOU ARE HERE: Show — The Cumberland Mind | Grateful Dead · Cumberland County Civic Center · May 11, 1980 | S1E06 ·
Grateful Dead · Cumberland County Civic Center· May 11 1980 ·
The Jerry Whalers | Grateful Dead · Hartford Civic Center · May 10, 1980 | S1E05
Season 1 · Episode 5
Wednesday, August 5, 2026 • Duration 24:04
🎸 May 1980 EAST COAST · GRATEFUL DEAD · Baltimore to Maine 1980
═══
📄 FREE DOWNLOAD — Free May 80 tour sample PDF (Penn State 5/6/80). Let the words be yours... Free when you join our list. 👉 https://grateful-shows.kit.com/links No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
═══
——————————————————
⭐ Production Note:This episode has been remastered for better audio quality and a more concise flow. We’ve combined the previous two-set format into this single episode, featuring expanded commentary and a more curated selection of excerpts. To keep our feed clean, the original unedited versions have been removed. Enjoy this new, streamlined version of the show!🎙️
📍 YOU ARE HERE: Show — The Jerry Whalers | Grateful Dead · Hartford Civic Center · May 10, 1980 | S1E05 ·
Grateful Dead · Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, CT · May 10, 1980 ·
It's a Wonderful Live | Grateful Dead · Glens Falls Civic Center, Glens Falls, NY · May 8, 1980 | S1E04
Season 1 · Episode 4
Wednesday, July 29, 2026 • Duration 22:27
🎸 May 1980 EAST COAST · GRATEFUL DEAD · Baltimore to Maine - 1980
═══
📄 FREE DOWNLOAD — Free May 80 tour sample PDF (Penn State 5/6/80). Let the words be yours... Free when you join our list. 👉 https://grateful-shows.kit.com/links No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
═══
——————————————————
⭐ Production Note:This episode has been remastered for better audio quality and a more concise flow. We’ve combined the previous two-set format into this single episode, featuring expanded commentary and a more curated selection of excerpts. To keep our feed clean, the original unedited versions have been removed. Enjoy this new, streamlined version of the show!🎙️
📍 YOU ARE HERE: Show — It's a Wonderful Live | Grateful Dead · Glens Falls Civic Center, Glens Falls, NY · May 8, 1980 | S1E04 ·
Grateful Dead · The Glens Falls Civic Center, Glens Falls, NY · May 8, 1980 ·
Grateful Dead - The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA, March 24, 1986
Set 1
Alabama Getaway ->
Greatest Story Ever Told
Dire Wolf ->
Little Red Rooster ->
Brown Eyed Women
Brother Esau
Ramble On Rose
El Paso
Box Of Rain
Set 2
Mississippi Half Step Uptown Toodleloo ->
Woman Are Smarter
High Time
Lost Sailor ->
Saint Of Circumstance ->
Drums ->
Space ->
Morning Dew ->
🎵 Encore:
In The Midnight Hour
═══🎙 CONCERT ANALYSIS
The second Box of Rain of the tour is the highlight of the set, but one would be remiss into thinking that it was the only well played tune of the set. Night two at The Spectrum and there are still plenty of surprises including the final Lost Sailor ever. Some may bid it good riddance but not us. It is a bittersweet moment, which may be eclipsed by the monumental Morning Dew out of Space. On the night of a partial lunar eclipse it is apt imagery.
host to dish out these words:
"A home is built on a foundation of the familiar, and no one builds a house quite like Bobby. So you gentlemen of a certain cut, gather one and all. It is time to lay down at his feet flowers, trinkets, expressions of thanks, and to pay tribute to your master, he who has propelled us into a host of adventures, unimaginable lands, and incomprehensible life events. "
Grateful Shows covers Grateful Dead touring history - on tour at a time.
═══
——————————————————
⭐ RATE, REVIEW & SHARE
Reviews genuinely help new listeners find the show — especially on Apple Podcasts, where ratings affect visibility. If this series has been worth your time, leaving a quick review makes a real difference. It takes less than 2 minutes.
(Podchaser lets you review individual episodes too — not just the show)
📲 Share this episode with one person:
If someone you know loves music history, the Grateful Dead, or deep-dive storytelling — send them this episode. Word of mouth is how independent podcasts grow.
👉 Everything in one place (all platforms, ebook, support & more):
The Music Never Stops — subscribe and claim your free show! Subscribe to the free newsletter, connect on socials, join the community, and explore more at https://gratefulshows.com/links.html
🎸 OFFICIAL SETLIST:
Grateful Dead - The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA, March 23, 1986
Set One
1. Gimme Some Lovin'>
2. Deal
3. Willie And The Hand Jive
4. Candyman
5. Cassidy
6. West L.A. Fadeaway
7. Mama Tried >
8. Big River
9. Might As Well
Set 2
1. Shakedown Street >
2. Samson And Delilah
3. He's Gone >
4. Spoonful >
5. Drums >
6. Space >
7. The Other One >
8. Comes A Time >
9. Good Lovin'
🎵 Encore:
Keep Your Day Job
═══🎙 CONCERT ANALYSIS
The best first set of the tour? Could be, as we get more bust outs and a an ultra-rare Willie and the Hand Jive. The Dead are on fire from the first song. How about that Deal! Never miss a Sunday show! And this is especially true when it's a Palm Sunday in the City of Botherly Love. Shakedown Street never fails to impress in Philly and this one is no different. And that's only the first song. A great set on a great night with the Grateful Dead.
"Jerry is too busy playing to care about what anyone thinks, the healthiest way to deal with most situations. The pacing is perfect, the vibe is perfect, the situation is perfect. As perfect as a Gimme Some Lovin’>Deal to open the first night at the Philadelphia Spectrum, when a ticket to paradise could be had for less than twenty bucks can be."
Grateful Shows covers Grateful Dead touring history - on tour at a time.
═══
——————————————————
⭐ RATE, REVIEW & SHARE
Reviews genuinely help new listeners find the show — especially on Apple Podcasts, where ratings affect visibility. If this series has been worth your time, leaving a quick review makes a real difference. It takes less than 2 minutes.
(Podchaser lets you review individual episodes too — not just the show)
📲 Share this episode with one person:
If someone you know loves music history, the Grateful Dead, or deep-dive storytelling — send them this episode. Word of mouth is how independent podcasts grow.
👉 Everything in one place (all platforms, ebook, support & more):
The Music Never Stops — subscribe and claim your free show! Subscribe to the free newsletter, connect on socials, join the community, and explore more at https://gratefulshows.com/links.html
🎸 OFFICIAL SETLIST:
Grateful Dead -Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA · March 21, 1986
Set 1
(I'm A) Road Runner
Dupree's Diamond Blues
New Minglewood Blues
Bird Song
Tons Of Steel >
Supplication Jam >
Let It Grow
SET 2
Uncle John's Band >
Terrapin Station >
Playing In The Band Reprise >
Drums >
Space >
I Need A Miracle >
Stella Blue >
Sugar Magnolia
🎵 Encore
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
═══🎙 CONCERT ANALYSIS
The Grateful Dead welcome spring with six shows in two of the most celebrated venues the East Coast has to offer: the Hampton Coliseum and the Philadelphia Spectrum. With plenty of energy and a slew of bust-outs, the tour was one to remember, containing the legendary Box of Rain in Hampton. But a closer look reveals why this may not have been either the show or the song of the tour. Be sure to check out all six shows!
Its the final night of three in Hampton, and many think this is the best of the three. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Behold this excerpt from the podcast:
"The Grateful Dead locate an escape route in the form of a Supplication Jam that flows smoothly and softly throughout the Coliseum, washing away 899,999 tons of whatever that was. The water clears the last bits of debris from the Brent tune, opens up, and draws us into the cool, crystal sound. "
Grateful Shows covers Grateful Dead touring history - on tour at a time.
═══
——————————————————
⭐ RATE, REVIEW & SHARE
Reviews genuinely help new listeners find the show — especially on Apple Podcasts, where ratings affect visibility. If this series has been worth your time, leaving a quick review makes a real difference. It takes less than 2 minutes.
(Podchaser lets you review individual episodes too — not just the show)
📲 Share this episode with one person:
If someone you know loves music history, the Grateful Dead, or deep-dive storytelling — send them this episode. Word of mouth is how independent podcasts grow.
👉 Everything in one place (all platforms, ebook, support & more):
The Music Never Stops — subscribe and claim your free show! Subscribe to the free newsletter, connect on socials, join the community, and explore more at https://gratefulshows.com/links.html
🎸 OFFICIAL SETLIST:
Grateful Dead · Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA · March 20, 1986 ·
Set 1
Touch Of Grey >
Little Red Rooster
Friend Of The Devil
It's All Over Now
Row Jimmy
Me And My Uncle >
Mexicali Blues
Althea
Box Of Rain
Set 2
Aiko Aiko >
Estimated Prophet >
Eyes Of The World >
Drums >
Space >
Wharf Rat >
Throwing Stones >
Not Fade Away
🎵 Encore
U.S. Blues
═══🎙 CONCERT ANALYSIS
The Grateful Dead welcome spring with six shows in two of the most celebrated venues the East Coast has to offer: the Hampton Coliseum and the Philadelphia Spectrum. With plenty of energy and a slew of bust-outs, the tour was one to remember, containing the legendary Box of Rain in Hampton. But a closer look reveals why this may not have been either the show or the song of the tour. Be sure to check out all six shows!
"The future will hold many more versions of Box of Rain. Performance-wise, many of them will be better than this. But years from now, when it seems like the world has forgotten about light, hope, possibilities, and long, heartfelt hugs from strangers, any Deadhead can still recall, with perfect clarity, exactly what they were doing the day they heard the Grateful Dead play “Box of Rain” in Hampton."
Grateful Shows covers Grateful Dead touring history - on tour at a time.
═══
——————————————————
⭐ RATE, REVIEW & SHARE
Reviews genuinely help new listeners find the show — especially on Apple Podcasts, where ratings affect visibility. If this series has been worth your time, leaving a quick review makes a real difference. It takes less than 2 minutes.
(Podchaser lets you review individual episodes too — not just the show)
📲 Share this episode with one person:
If someone you know loves music history, the Grateful Dead, or deep-dive storytelling — send them this episode. Word of mouth is how independent podcasts grow.
👉 Everything in one place (all platforms, ebook, support & more):
The Music Never Stops — subscribe and claim your free show! Subscribe to the free newsletter, connect on socials, join the community, and explore more at https://gratefulshows.com/links.html
Grateful Shows covers Grateful Dead touring history - on tour at a time.
🎸 OFFICIAL SETLIST:
Grateful Dead - Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA, March 19, 1986
Set 1
Hell In A Bucket
Stagger Lee
C C Rider
Cold Rain And Snow>
Beat It On Down The Line
Big Railroad Blues>
Looks Like Rain
Visions Of Johanna
The Music Never Stopped>
Don't Ease Me In
Set 2
China Cat Sunflower>
I Know You Rider
Playing In The Band>
Drums>
Space>
The Wheel>
Truckin'>
Black Peter>
Around And Around>
Johnny B. Goode
🎵 Encore
The Mighty Quinn (Quinn The Eskimo)
═══🎙 CONCERT ANALYSIS
The Grateful Dead welcome spring with six shows in two of the most celebrated venues the East Coast has to offer: the Hampton Coliseum and the Philadelphia Spectrum. With plenty of energy and a slew of bust-outs, the tour was one to remember, containing the legendary Box of Rain in Hampton. But a closer look reveals why this may not have been either the show or the song of the tour. Be sure to check out all six shows!
Grateful Shows covers Grateful Dead touring history - on tour at a time.
═══
——————————————————
⭐ RATE, REVIEW & SHARE
Reviews genuinely help new listeners find the show — especially on Apple Podcasts, where ratings affect visibility. If this series has been worth your time, leaving a quick review makes a real difference. It takes less than 2 minutes.
(Podchaser lets you review individual episodes too — not just the show)
📲 Share this episode with one person:
If someone you know loves music history, the Grateful Dead, or deep-dive storytelling — send them this episode. Word of mouth is how independent podcasts grow.
👉 Everything in one place (all platforms, ebook, support & more):
The Music Never Stops — subscribe and claim your free show! Subscribe to the free newsletter, connect on socials, join the community, and explore more at https://gratefulshows.com/links.html
Grateful Shows covers Grateful Dead touring history - on tour at a time.
═══🎙 TOUR ANALYSIS
Final analysis of the six night we spent on the Grateful Dead Spring tour of May 1980
This was a tour that took us from the Baltimore Civic Center on May 4, 1980 to
Recreation Hall, Penn State University- May 6, 1980
Barton Hall, Cornell University - May 7, 1980
Glens Falls Civic Center - May 8, 1980
Hartford Civic Center - May 10, 1980
Cumberland County Civic Center - May 11, 1980
A short recap of all that went down and a hint of what is to come
Grateful Shows covers Grateful Dead touring history - on tour at a time.
═══
——————————————————
⭐ RATE, REVIEW & SHARE
Reviews genuinely help new listeners find the show — especially on Apple Podcasts, where ratings affect visibility. If this series has been worth your time, leaving a quick review makes a real difference. It takes less than 2 minutes.
(Podchaser lets you review individual episodes too — not just the show)
📲 Share this episode with one person:
If someone you know loves music history, the Grateful Dead, or deep-dive storytelling — send them this episode. Word of mouth is how independent podcasts grow.
👉 Everything in one place (all platforms, ebook, support & more):
Grateful Shows covers Grateful Dead touring history - on tour at a time.
🎸 OFFICIAL SETLIST:
Grateful Dead - Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, ME, May 11, 1980
Set 1
Alabama Getaway>
The Promised Land
They Love Each Other
Cassidy
Loser
It's All Over Now
Easy To Love You
Big Railroad Blues
Looks Like Rain
Don't Ease Me In
The Music Never Stopped
Set 2
Scarlet Begonias>
Fire On The Mountain
Feel Like A Stranger>
Terrapin Station>
Playing In The Band>
Drums>
Space>
Black Peter>
Goin' Down The Road Feeling Bad>
Around And Around>
Johnny B. Goode
🎵 Encore: Brokedown Palace
═══🎙 CONCERT ANALYSIS
The final night for us with the Grateful Dead at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Maine, in May 1980. And on Mother's Day no less. It's an open secret the Grateful Dead always play great in Maine, so how does this show measure up to those who have come before it, or after?
Second sets opening with a Scarlet>Fire can't be all that bad. You know it, we know it, but it what rises from the ashes following this pair that can make or break a show. It is the end of the tour for us, so we gladly hang on every note, every word, watching time slip through our fingers, never to come back. It is bittersweet, and none more so than the fitting Brokedown Palace encore:
"As our adventure reaches a fitting end, it is time to pass the baton to those who will carry it forward. Brokedown Palace is a metaphor for the life we have shared together. While it hasn’t always been pretty or perfect, we tried our best to be a positive force. Life on the road is full of adventures and clichés, which, come to think of it, is a cliché itself."
Grateful Shows covers Grateful Dead touring history - on tour at a time.
═══
——————————————————
⭐ RATE, REVIEW & SHARE
Reviews genuinely help new listeners find the show — especially on Apple Podcasts, where ratings affect visibility. If this series has been worth your time, leaving a quick review makes a real difference. It takes less than 2 minutes.
(Podchaser lets you review individual episodes too — not just the show)
📲 Share this episode with one person:
If someone you know loves music history, the Grateful Dead, or deep-dive storytelling — send them this episode. Word of mouth is how independent podcasts grow.
👉 Everything in one place (all platforms, ebook, support & more):
The Music Never Stops — subscribe and claim your free show! Subscribe to the free newsletter, connect on socials, join the community, and explore more at https://gratefulshows.com/links.html
Grateful Shows covers Grateful Dead touring history - on tour at a time.
🎸 OFFICIAL SETLIST:
Grateful Dead - Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, CT, May 10, 1980
Set 1
New Minglewood Blues
Peggy-O
Mexicali Blues>
El Paso
Althea
Passenger
Far From Me
Lost Sailor>
Saint Of Circumstance>
Deal
Set 2
China Cat Sunflower>
I Know You Rider
Feel Like A Stranger>
Comes A Time>
Estimated Prophet>
He's Gone>
Uncle John's Band>
Drums >
Space>
Not Fade Away>
Sugar Magnolia
🎵 Encore:
Alabama Getaway>
One More Saturday Night
═══🎙 CONCERT ANALYSIS
Night five of the Grateful Dead's May 1980 tour brings us to the Hartford Civic Center on May 10, 1980, the second of a three-night Civic Center extravaganza. Hartford has a reputation for hosting some fine shows, and tonight is no exception.
This is it. The big one. Fireworks both on and off the stage as the Grateful Dead play what is most likely the show of the tour with a staggering seven songs before drums, causing much consternation among tapers, yet satiating the Hartford crowd. Some amazing stuff. And Comes A Time is the one song to rule them all. From the show:
"Comes A Time is the crown jewel of the tour. It will be placed in a glass viewing case in the Museum of Collected Deadhead Minds and occasionally loaned to others for viewing. The Deadhead Trust association has an endowment totaling thousands of dollars to ensure it is safely and securely cared for. The fact that we are here is no accident. Comes A Time appears to fulfill a unique role in our lives. As there are varying degrees of fandom, we await our turn, and the coaxing that brings forth a fully realized version of ourselves. "
Grateful Shows covers Grateful Dead touring history - on tour at a time.
═══
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Grateful Shows covers Grateful Dead touring history - on tour at a time.
🎸 OFFICIAL SETLIST:
Grateful Dead - Glens Falls Civic Center, Glens Falls, NY, May 8, 1980
Set 1
Alabama Getaway>
The Promised Land
Friend Of The Devil
Mama Tried>
Mexicali Blues
High Time
Lazy Lightnin'>
Supplication
Ramble On Rose
Lost Sailor>
Saint Of Circumstance
Set 2
Uncle John's Band>
Estimated Prophet>
Eyes Of The World>
Drums>
Space>
Truckin'>
Stella Blue>
Around And Around>
Johnny B. Goode
🎵 Encore:
U.S. Blues
═══🎙 CONCERT ANALYSIS
The Grateful Dead appear at the Glens Falls Civic Center in Gens Falls New York on May 8, 1980 as they roll through their first complete spring tour of the eighties. Night four of tour on May 8th, one of the most auspicious dates in Grateful Dead history, and in Upstate New York! Could it be? For us it's the beginning of a three night Civic Center extravaganza. Glens Falls welcomes back Deadheads for the second time in less than a year for some minor league hockey rink action.
From the drop of the puck Jerry and the boys decide it's gloves off as they rip into an Alabama Getaway>Promised Land. Other highlights include the first High Time of the eighties and a delirious LL>Supplication
Set set highlights include a joyous UJB and Stella Blue. From the podcast:
The room fills with the scent of flash powder. In the smoke, a magnesium angel appears to warn us of impending grandeur. We dismiss it with a simple wave of the hand. There's no need, my friend; we understand the situation. It is truly a wonderful life.
Grateful Shows covers Grateful Dead touring history - on tour at a time.
═══
——————————————————
⭐ RATE, REVIEW & SHARE
Reviews genuinely help new listeners find the show — especially on Apple Podcasts, where ratings affect visibility. If this series has been worth your time, leaving a quick review makes a real difference. It takes less than 2 minutes.
(Podchaser lets you review individual episodes too — not just the show)
📲 Share this episode with one person:
If someone you know loves music history, the Grateful Dead, or deep-dive storytelling — send them this episode. Word of mouth is how independent podcasts grow.
👉 Everything in one place (all platforms, ebook, support & more):
The Music Never Stops — subscribe and claim your free show! Subscribe to the free newsletter, connect on socials, join the community, and explore more at https://gratefulshows.com/links.html
