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| The
Boston Garden, home to the Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins, was also
the premier popular music venue in the city. The Grateful Dead finally headlined the Garden in April 1973. |
In the 1990s, when the Grateful Dead could choose their venues at will, they would play the Boston Garden for several nights in a row. The Dead were just as much of an event in Boston as they were in New York, New Jersey or Philadelphia. Indeed, the only thing that kept them from playing Boston more often was the NBA season, since the Boston Celtics had dibs on the Garden once they tipped off (as the NHL Boston Bruins did also). Even so, the Dead also played some very high profile outdoor shows in Foxborough (in 1987, '89 and '90) and in Vermont (at Highgate in 1994 and '95), drawing fans from all over New England. Greater New England was prime Deadhead territory.
But it wasn't always that way, not at all. In the Northeast, the first Grateful Dead stronghold was Manhattan, ably supported by Brooklynites. Deadhead territory rapidly expanded to include Central and Upstate New York as well as New Jersey. Careful cultivation of Pennsylvania colleges made the Dead a guaranteed attraction in Philadelphia, too. Yet during the early 70s, the Grateful Dead just barely played New England, only a few random shows here and there. The Grateful Dead didn't make real gains in New England until the mid-1970s, a late start compared to New York State, Jersey or Philly.
It's easy to say that it was inevitable that the Grateful Dead would be huge in New England in the 1990s, because they were huge anywhere they played. It's important to remember, however, that by the 90s, the Grateful Dead traveling circus went where it had been before. The cities and promoters that liked Deadheads got them back, and where it hadn't worked out, the Dead didn't appear. The Grateful Dead had made determined efforts to make a splash in Texas and the Southwest, starting around 1970. Yet by 1988 there were greener pastures elsewhere, and the Dead never played there again. Now, Texas is a huge state, with a boom economy, and Texans love music, so it should have been a perfect fit--but it wasn't. So New England's comfort with the Grateful Dead was not guaranteed.
My earlier post looked back at the Grateful Dead's initial forays into New England, focusing on the period from 1970 to 1972. It may surprise you to find out how rarely they had played there, and how few opportunities there were for aspiring New England Deadheads to actually see the band live anywhere near them without traveling. This post will look at the Grateful Dead in New England from 1973 through 1976, when they would finally establish a permanent beachhead in the territory.
Background: The Grateful Dead in New England, 1970-72
For many cities in the 1960s, the Grateful Dead were one of the first long-haired hippie bands to come in from out of town. Numerous entrepreneurs throughout the country tried to start their local version of the Fillmore, and the Grateful Dead were adventurous, so they would take a chance on new places. The risk for the Dead was that the venue would fold, or the promoter wouldn't have the money, and the band could find themselves stranded in unfriendly territory with nothing to show for it. Nonetheless, the Dead were among the first touring bands to visit new venues in places like Portland, Cincinnati and Philadelphia. The Dead didn't have anything resembling a hit, but they were symbolic of the San Francisco underground. A local venue that booked the Dead marked themselves as happening, even if relatively few people actually came and saw the band.
Boston was different. In the early and mid-60s, there had been a booming music scene for folk and rock, centered around the many colleges downtown. The Grateful Dead weren't needed to christen the Boston rock scene, as it was already happening. The Dead did turn up in December 1967, but they would not re-appear until the Spring of '69. The Grateful Dead had played a few gigs in New England in 1970 and '71, but far fewer than you may think. Now, when the Grateful Dead played in Boston, or elsewhere, they were clearly popular. But Boston and New England seemed to be afterthoughts in the Dead's touring schedule.
In the early 70s, Boston and New England didn't have a dominant promoter. The Dead had worked with various promoters in the region--Don Law in Boston, Jim Koplik in greater New England and Harvey Weinstein in a variety of regions--but they had not yet established any permanent relationships. Ultimately, the links to Jim Koplik and Don Law would be the permanent ones, but those connections were in their earliest stages.
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| Warner Brothers Records released the Grateful Dead's Bear's Choice in July 1973 (recorded February 13 & 14, 1971 at Fillmore East) to complete their contract with the band |
State Of Play: The Grateful Dead, Winter 1973
At the end of 1972, the Grateful Dead had shocked the record industry by not only refusing to extend their expiring record contract with Warner Brothers, but refusing to sign with any other record company. They would start their own record company, and go fully independent. A few jazz artists (like Charles Mingus and Sun Ra) had done such things, but it was without precedent for a popular rock group. The Dead still owed an album to Warner Brothers, but once Bear's Choice was released in July, 1973, the final connection with Warners would be severed.
The Grateful Dead had extended their independence beyond just their recording contract. In the early 70s, band management arranged tours by working through booking agencies, who in turn worked with the promoters in each city. The booking agency (sometimes called a Talent Agency) took a fee for this service, typically 10% of the guarantee. Sometimes these fees were shared when Agencies worked together.
After arranging the Europe '72 tour, Grateful Dead road manager Sam Cutler put together the band's own Booking Agency, Out-Of-Town Tours, housed at 5th and Lincoln in San Rafael (the address was 1330 Lincoln). Now that 10% fee for booking looped back to the Dead themselves (although Out Of Town surely shared fees with other agents, as everyone did). Out Of Town also booked the New Riders of The Purple Sage, then a rising band with multiple albums on Columbia. Cutler and his chief lieutenant, Chesley Millikin, also provided booking services for Jerry Garcia, Ramblin' Jack Elliott and Terry Reid (Englishman Reid [RIP], recording for Atlantic, was an old pal of Millikin's and was based in Los Angeles).
In 1973, there wasn't the elaborate network of Deadheads and Deadhead Commerce that would start to coalesce in the latter 70s. But the initial tentacles of those networks were starting to form. Deadheads would share a car to drive a long way for shows, much farther than they would for other bands. Here and there we hear anecdotes about college students chartering buses to take dozens of fans to a distant show, partying all the way. Jesse Jarnow's excellent book Heads: A Biography Of Psychedelic America (2016: DaCapo Press) provides the best roadmap for the way in which the Grateful Dead touring circus became a sort of railroad train for attending commercial and cultural developments.
The Grateful Dead had not played much in New England by 1973, but they were popular when they did. There's every reason to think that New England fans were regularly traveling to Dead shows in upstate New York to get their Deadhead on. Unlike Manhattan, the roads to places like Syracuse made for a lot easier traveling than getting to Manhattan.
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| The New Riders of The Purple Sage, ca 1972 |
March 20, 1973 Field House, U. of New Hampshire, Durham, NH: New Riders of The Purple Sage (Tuesday) S.C.O.P.E Presents
Jarnow makes the point that the network of fans who went to Grateful Dead concerts in the 1980s expanded their footprint well beyond the band, initially to groups like Phish and Moe, and later to the greater "Jam Band" scene. Not only were the fans looking for live music they liked, they were looking for compatible fellow travelers, and in some cases seeking out certain types of commerce (ahem). Deadheads who lived in Northern California, and probably Brooklyn and a few other places, didn't really have any urgency to find like-minded friends, since they lived amongst them already. But for a hippie, or aspiring hippie, in Springfield or Syracuse, that wasn't so true. A Grateful Dead concert was one of the few guaranteed gathering places. But back in 1973, there weren't really any other jam bands.
The New Riders of The Purple Sage, booked by the Grateful Dead, and with Jerry Garcia as a graduated member, was about the only stand-in for the Dead out on the road. The Riders played in the Workingman's Dead vein--although not in the spacey "Dark Star" vein--and stood for good times, good vibes and California Sunshine. You could make an argument that Hot Tuna also served a similar social and musical function, but that was about it.
I have looked in great detail elsewhere at the New Riders touring history, and its intimate relation to the Grateful Dead, so I needn't recap it all here. I am noting the Riders in this chronology, however, since in 1973 Sam Cutler was booking both the New Riders and the Grateful Dead, and the Dead's ascent in New England makes far more sense when we look at the New Riders part in the saga. A New Riders concert was like an auxiliary gathering of the tribe, an appetizer instead of a full meal, but still part of the cuisine.
Durham, NH, is on the border of Maine, near the ocean, and has a population of about 15,000. The English had made their presence known as far back as 1622. UNH was founded in 1866. The University currently has a student body of 14,000, although I doubt they had that many students in 1973. While Durham is only an hour North of Boston, the school seems pretty isolated. So the students would have heard Boston FM radio, yet there probably weren't that many local concerts. Thus a lot of students might attend a show on campus, even if they had only barely heard of the band. Also, although Durham itself was isolated, the students were often from suburbs or big cities, so a band like the New Riders could build a regional audience by playing colleges. The Riders played at the Field House, which had built in 1938. Most likely they played Lundholm Gym (part of the Field House), which had a capacity of 3,000
March 21, 1973 Palace Theater, Waterbury, CT: New Riders of The Purple Sage/Hot Tuna (Wednesday) Shelly Finkel and Jimmy Koplik Present
Shelly Finkel and Jim Koplik were key promoters in the history of the Grateful Dead. They booked the band in upstate New York and in New England from 1972 onwards. Finkel eventually moved to promoting boxing (quite successfully), but Koplik remained a key regional promoter for the Grateful Dead through 1995. Koplik had gotten his start in college, booking Steppenwolf at Ohio State in 1968. Finkel, somewhat older, had worked as house manager at Long Island's legendary Action House, and had been associated with the major promoter Concerts East.
The Palace Theater, at 100 E. Main St in Waterbury, CT, a 1922 movie theater, became a legendary rock venue in the 1970s. Waterbury is between Hartford (33 miles to the Northeast) and New York City (77 miles to the Southwest). It had (and has) a population of around 110,000. In the first half of the 20th century, it was a thriving industrial city. From the '60s onward, however, Waterbury underwent a severe economic decline. Still, the location of Waterbury was perfect for touring bands, and everybody played the Palace.
The New Riders had played the Palace on May 1, 1972 (for LTD Promotions), and the Dead had played for Finkel and Koplik at Dillon Stadium in Hartford on July 16. Ultimately Finkel and Koplik booked the Dead at the Palace on September 23 and 24, 1972. Since that Summer, Finkel and Koplik had booked the Dead and the New Riders various times. On this day, for example, Finkel and Koplik had booked the Grateful Dead at Utica Memorial Auditorium (for Wednesday and Thursday, March 21-22), while putting on the New Riders in Waterbury. Pairing the Riders with Hot Tuna made a more desirable booking for fans of both groups.
March 28, 1973 Civic Center, Springfield, MA: Grateful Dead (Wednesday) Concept Entertainment Presents
The Springfield Civic Center, at 1277 Main Street, had a capacity of around 8,000 (possibly up to 10,000) for concerts. The Civic Center had opened recently, back on September 5, 1972. From 1972-1994, it was the home of the Springfield Indians of the American Hockey League. The building is still active, now known as the MassMutual Center, and is the current home of the Springfield Thunderbirds (the St. Louis Blues AHL franchise).
Springfield had a population of about 155,000. Like Waterbury, had been a thriving industrial area in the first part of the 20th century, but it had started to decline economically at the end of the 1960s. This decline would continue throughout the 90s. The Fall 1972 concert was one of the first rock concerts at the venue, and the first of 31 indoor Grateful Dead appearances in the Springfield/Hartford area (including both the Springfield and Hartford Civic). According to an eyewitness (Dennis McNally, seeing his first Dead concert), the '72 show was nowhere near sold out, but it must have done well enough on a Monday night for the Dead to return in the Spring.
The March Dead show was presented by Concept Entertainment. I'm pretty sure that Concept was run by Howard Stein, who had presented by the Dead at the Capitol Theater in Port Chester, NY, Gaelic Park and the Academy of Music. Howard Stein and Concept promoted concerts in a variety of places, including Atlanta. Concept had promoted a Santana concert at Springfield the month before the Dead concert.
The Grateful Dead's previous concert had been March 26, in Baltimore. Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter chose to drive to Springfield. They got pulled over by a New Jersey state trooper near Mt. Laurel, NJ, as Garcia was doing 71 in a 60-mph zone (I'm not sure whether it was I-295 or the Turnpike). When Garcia reached for his driver's license, the trooper saw "evidence" of marijuana, and busted Jerry. The significance of this arrest was that Hunter called John Scher, relatively nearby in New Jersey, who came down and bailed out Garcia. This lead to a lifelong friendship between Garcia and Scher, and Scher becoming the principal booking agent for first Garcia and then the Grateful Dead for all shows East of the Mississippi.
The Boston Garden, at 150 Causeway Street, was the city's principal arena. It had been built in 1928 and had a capacity of about 15,000. It was the home arena for both the NHL Boston Bruins and the NBA Boston Celtics. As a result, potential concert dates were limited. At this time, no specific promoter had an exclusive least on concerts at the Garden. Cable Music (Shelly Finkel and Jim Koplik) promoted the Dead at their Garden debut.
Per Bruce Sylvester's Boston Globe review (April 4), the Dead managed to sell out the Boston Garden, even though it was a Monday night. Sylvester said "Deadheads from as far away as Maine and New York grabbed up all 15,000 tickets the day they went on sale, but maybe that's because Cable Music placed an ad or two instead of just relying on word of mouth."
Despite having barely played Boston, and not having a hit single of any type, the Grateful Dead had filled the city's premier venue on a Monday night. Booking the New Riders as part of the show
seems to have been a strategy to help fill out the crowd when the Dead
were playing in bigger places in a city than they had played previously. The bands had followed a similar strategy when they had played larger venues in Rochester (March 30) and Buffalo (March 31). Robert Hunter was definitely present this night, as he linked up with David Nelson to give him the lyrics to "Crooked Judge."
The Grateful Dead's Spring tour had ended at Boston Garden on Monday night, but the New Riders kept right on rolling. The next night, the New Riders played their first gig for Boston promoter Don Law. The Grateful Dead had played for Don Law at the Boston Tea Party in October and December 1969, including New Year's Eve in Boston. Law was one of many promoters in the Boston area, but the Dead had not played for him since '69. By the mid-70s, the Grateful Dead would play the Boston area exclusively for Don Law, a relationship that remained intact until 1995. Similar to John Scher and Jim Koplik, it seems that the New Riders were the ones who re-initiated the Dead's relationship with Law.
Don Law Jr was the son of Columbia Records Staff Producer Don Law Sr (1902-1982). You can look up Law Sr's remarkable career yourself, but among many other things he produced Robert Johnson's recordings (yes, that Robert Johnson) and became head of Columbia's Nashville division, steering the careers of the likes of Johnny Cash. Law Sr produced numerous legendary country hits like "El Paso" (Marty Robbins) and "Battle Of New Orleans" (Johnny Horton).
Don Law Jr was a Boston University college student when he started presenting local events. By mid-1968 he ran the Boston Tea Party, Boston's principal underground rock venue. The Tea Party was particularly legendary for booking touring English bands like Jethro Tull and Ten Years After. Law also co-owned Boston's first full-time FM rock station, WBCN. WBCN began broadcasting on March 15, 1968, with dj's often spinning records from a studio on an upper floor of the venue itself (the all-night DJ, known as "The Woofuh Goofuh," was J Geils Band lead singer Peter Wolf).
The tiny Tea Party had closed by the end of 1970. Law went on to book other venues, but initially he was just one of many promoters in the competitive Boston marketplace. There were numerous college students in the center of town, plus public transport to bring in teenagers from the suburbs, so there was a market for far more events than in some bohemian downtown. Every hip band came through Boston, whether mainstream or underground, but they didn't just play one or two places, since there were so many venues and promoters.
By 1973,
Don Law Jr's principal, though not only, venue was the 2700-seat
Orpheum Theater, at 1 Hamilton Place. On this Tuesday night, Law booked
Hot Tuna and the New Riders together, like so many other promoters. One
interesting thing to consider is whether Keith and Donna Godchaux played
with the New Riders this night, since we know they played at least two
of the next three nights.
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| Kufala Records released an archival double cd of the New Riders' April 4, 1973 show at Clark University in Worcester, MA. Keith and Donna Godchaux joined the band for both sets. |
April 4, 1973 Atwood Hall, Clark U., Worcester, MA: New Riders of The Purple Sage (Wednesday) early & late shows
Worcester, MA is about an hour West of Boston, and the Grateful Dead had played at Clark University there in 1967 and '69. The Dead had returned to Worcester on May 9, 1970, with the New Riders but this time at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. The bands had played Harrington Auditorium (at 100 Institute Road), built in 1968 and home to the school's basketball teams. That venue held about 3,000.
The New Riders now returned to headline Atwood Hall at Clark. Atwood has only 658 seats, so there were early and late shows. An archival cd of the complete show was released by Kufala Records in 2003. Keith Godchaux sat in with the New Riders for both sets, and Donna Godchaux sang a few numbers as well, including singing lead on Loretta Lynn's "You Ain't Woman Enough To Take My Man." Keith would have known all the New Riders material from all the shows the bands played together, and he adds a lot to the band's sound.
It's worth noting that the Godchauxs' presence couldn't have been casual. The Grateful Dead had returned home, and yet Keith and Donna stayed on tour. Bringing a piano player on stage also means that a piano has to acquired, and at Clark it seems to have been a grand piano. It may have been a university piano.
June 5, 1973 Orpheum Theatre, Boston, MA: Old and In The Way (Tuesday) John Scher Presents
Jerry Garcia had recently assembled his bluegrass group Old And In The Way. Up until this time, the band had only played around the Bay Area, plus a few dates opening for the New Riders in Oregon. Now, with the addition of the great Vassar Clements on fiddle, they played four shows, two of them in New England. Vassar Clements was actually on fiddle, having just replaced Richard Greene.
Although the Orpheum was usually booked by Don Law, this Old And In The Way show was promoted by New Jersey's John Scher. Fans probably didn't care, but other promoters paid a lot of attention to things like this. Garcia had been busted on the New Jersey turnpike in March, and he had called Scher to bail him out. This unexpected turn of events created a close tie between Scher and Garcia, and Scher would book Garcia shows in the East from then on. Following 1976, Scher booked all the Gratetul Dead shows save for Bill Graham's West Coast territory. Scher also promoted the Old And In The Way show at his own Capitol Theater in Passaic the next night (June 6).
June 7, 1973 Palace Theater, Waterbury, CT: Old And In The Way (Thursday) Jim Koplik and Shelly Finkel Present
Shelly Finkel and Jim Koplik, hitherto known as Cable Music, presented the Old And In The Way show at the Palace, where the Dead had played the previous year. It makes sense that the shows were booked with the promoters whom Garcia would feel most comfortable with. These relationships would take on enormous significance in the future touring history of the Dead.
July 27-28, 1973 Watkins Glen Grand Prix Racecourse, Watkins Glen, NY: Allman Brothers Band/Grateful Dead/The Band (Friday-Saturday) Jim Koplik and Shelly Finkel Present
The epic Watkins Glen concert, with 600,000 in attendance, was obviously in Upstate New York, not New England. But the sheer size of the event meant that it draw rock fans from not just New York, but Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ontario and all of New England. Huge numbers of New England Deadheads would have seen the band at the Glen, and huge numbers of East Coast rock fans got their introduction to the live Grateful Dead as well.
Jim Koplik and Shelly Finkel were the promoters, with Bill Graham facilitating the hiring of the Grateful Dead's sound system (as discussed by Jesse Jarnow on the Deadcast). Despite the epic, unanticipated size of the event, the show went off without a hitch (the "soundcheck" the day before turned into a show in its own right). Although "only" 150,000 paid, that was enough to turn a profit. The Dead were good with Koplik and Finkel for the rest of their performing career, no small thing in the concert business.
August 25, 1973 Central Maine Youth Center, Lewiston, ME: New Riders of The Purple Sage/Fabulous Rhinestones (Saturday)
The New Riders began a little run through New England. At this time, the Grateful Dead had only played once in Maine, at Bangor back on April 22, 1971. Ultimately, the Dead would become huge in upper New England, and New Riders shows like this that helped plant the seed. The Riders tour continued through Boston (Paul's Mall August 27-29) and Westport, CT (Staples High, September 1).
September 15, 1973 Civic Center, Providence, RI: Grateful Dead/Doug Sahm and Band (Saturday) Bill Graham Presents
The Grateful Dead had booked a brief September tour, probably in anticipation of Wake Of The Flood. Wake would not actually be released until October, but the Dead made their money from touring, so they played anyway. It's notable, however, that the band only played one New England show, in Providence. The bulk of the shows were in New York (4 in Nassau, Syracuse and Buffalo) and Pennsylvania (3 in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh).
This show was the first of 19 shows by the Grateful Dead at the Providence Civic Center. The arena, at 101 Sabin Street, had a concert capacity of 14,000 and had opened in on November 3, 1972. At this time, the Civic Center was the home of the American Hockey League Providence Reds. Now known as the Dunkin' Donuts Center, the arena has been the home of various other pro hockey teams, as well as the Providence College basketball team and many NCAA tournament events.
This show was promoted by Bill Graham Presents, who were making a stab at expanding their empire. Graham booked the Grateful Dead for three shows at Nassau Coliseum (weekend of Sep 7-8-9) and two at Providence Civic (Sep 14-15, Friday and Saturday). As it happened, the Dead only played two at Nassau (7-8) and Saturday night at Providence. The Grateful Dead were popular on the East Coast, but not yet invincible. Tickets for the September 14 Providence show were honored for the 15th, so clearly ticket sales were not impressive.
The New Riders played a few more concerts in New England at the fall: for Don Law at the Orpheum (October 26), Williams College (November 16) and the University of Hartford (November 18). By the Fall of '73, however, the New Riders had switched their booking agent from Sam Cutler's Out-Of-Town Tours to another agency (Ron Rainey at Magma). Formally speaking, the Riders were now outside the Dead's orbit, although fans would not have been aware of that. Sam Cutler would leave the Grateful Dead organization altogether in January of 1974, The New Riders were still seen by fans as part of the Grateful Dead universe, and rightly so, but the business relationships of the Riders no longer had any direct connection to the Grateful Dead.
November 30-December 2, 1973 Boston Music Hall, Boston, MA: Grateful Dead (Friday-Sunday) Harvey & Corky Presents
The Boston Music Hall, at 268 Tremont Street, had been built in 1925 as the Metropolitan Theater. It had been renamed the Boston Music Hall in 1962. Boston Music Hall had a capacity (at the time) of 4225, large for the era (now, as The Wang Theater, the capacity is around 3500). Performers included the Ballet and Symphony as well as music acts. The theater was not the province of a single promoter, however, and it was just a hall for rent. The Grateful Dead would go on to play the Music Hall numerous times in the 1970s. They had played for Howard Stein (April '71) and Cable Music (Koplik and Finkel, September '72), among others.
For this three night stand at the Music Hall, the Dead were booked by Harvey 'N' Corky Productions. The independent production company was run by Corky Burger and two brothers, Harvey and Bob Weinstein. After some years as successful concert promoters, the Weinstein brothers would move into the movie business. Their Miramax Pictures company was extremely successful in ensuing decades. Harvey Weinstein is also widely known as a convicted rapist. The trio had gotten their start booking concerts as SUNY Buffalo students, and the Dead had already played for Harvey 'N' Corky a few times in Buffalo. Note that the ad above lists two nights. The third show would always have been scheduled, but tickets would not have been announced until the first two shows were fully subscribed.
The first night at Boston Music Hall has an important, legendary status in Grateful Dead history. Alembic engineer Bob Matthews was the "advance scout" for the Dead, mapping out how the sound system would be configured some days prior to the concert. The comparatively tight confines of the Boston Music Hall could not accommodate the full width of of the Dead's massive wall of amplifiers. Matthews determined that the only way to make it work would be to put the amps completely behind the band. The experiment worked, and it was a critical, if unanticipated, test of the future concept of the "Wall Of Sound."
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| A poster for the Grateful Dead concert at Providence Civic Center on June 26, 1974, presented by Harvey "N' Corky. The fine print at the bottom says "there will be no "DEAD" concerts in Connecticut, Maine, Vermont or New Hampshire in the Summer of 1974." |
June 26, 1974 Civic Center, Providence, RI: Grateful Dead (Wednesday) Harvey & Corky Presents
The Grateful Dead returned to New England in the Summer of '74, playing brilliantly under the looming shadow of the 30-plus-foot high towers of the Wall Of Sound. The Dead played Providence on a Wednesday, but this time for Harvey N Corky.
At this time, the Providence area did not have an established promoter. This would change shortly. Frank J Russo started promoting concerts in 1973, and he was soon the dominant promoter in Rhode Island and upper New England. The Grateful Dead would first play for Russo on May 14, 1978, and many times thereafter. Russo was the Dead's primary promoter at both Providence Civic and Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland. He also promoted the substantial Dead shows at Sullivan Stadium (July '87, July '89 and July '90) and Oxford Plains Speedway in Maine (July 2-3 '88).
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| An ad for the Grateful Dead at Boston Garden on June 28, 1974, presented by Don Law and John Scher |
June 28, 1974 Boston Garden, Boston, MA: Grateful Dead (Friday) Don Law Presents
The Dead headlined the Boston Garden again, this time for Don Law and John Scher. Scher's territory was New Jersey, not New England, so this was a compromise of sorts with the Boston-based Don Law.
Law was becoming the dominant producer in the Boston area. Law and the Dead went back to 1969. While they hadn't played exclusively for him in Boston, they had booked shows with him, particularly when you include the New Riders and Old And In The Way. From this time onwards, every Boston Grateful Dead show was presented or co-presented by Don Law. Law had a hugely successful career in rock concert promotion, extending into the 21st century, but the Dead played a big part of it. In retrospect, the fact that Law and the Dead had locked in their relationship by 1974 was no small thing, even if it was not to pay off until later.
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| An ad for the Grateful Dead at Springfield Civic Center on June 30, 1974, presented by John Scher in association with Jim Koplik and Shelly Finkel. Note that the graphics are the same as the Boston ad. In this era, having customized poster art for each show was a needless expense. |
June 30, 1974 Civic Center, Springfield, MA: Grateful Dead (Sunday) John Scher Presents
The Dead returned to the Springfield Civic for a Sunday night show. Springfield and Hartford were in between Boston and New York, so one-nighters frequently fit the touring schedule very well. This show was promoted by John Scher "in association with Jim Koplik and Shelly Finkel." Similar to Boston, above, Springfield was their territory, so Scher was sharing the opportunity with the local powers.
July 31, 1974 Dillon Stadium, Hartford, CT: Grateful Dead (Wednesday)
The Grateful Dead returned to Dillon Stadium, where they had played back on July 16, 1972. Dillon Stadium, an old, local football stadium in Hartford, CT. Dillon Stadium, at 250 Huyshope Avenue, had been built in 1935, and was home to a minor league football team, with a football capacity of 9,600. Concert capacity was probably about 14,000. I assume the promoters were Shelly Finkel and Jim Koplik, but the ticket only mentions the radio station (WPLR-fm in Hartford). I believe that Finkel and Koplik were the exclusive promoters of Dillon Stadium, but in any case the band wasn't going to play there for anyone else. I would suspect that John Scher would have been one of the promoters as well.
Of course, having established a loyal touring audience in many parts of the country, including New England, the Grateful Dead retired from touring in October, 1974. Although the Dead did well in Boston and New England, just based on the number of concerts, the region hadn't been the locus of the Dead's touring. But all the key relationships for the Dead's future history in New England had already been locked in by 1974. At the time, however, it didn't seem like the Dead's future drawing power in any region was going to matter that much.
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| Jerry Garcia (and Merl Saunders) were booked at Paul's Mall in Boston, at 733 Boylston Street, upstairs from the Jazz Workshop, for some midweek shows on November 12-14, 1974 |
November 12-14, 1974 Paul's Mall, Boston, MA: Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders (Tuesday-Thursday) early & late shows
November 15, 1974 Alden Auditorium, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA: Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders (Friday) early and late shows
Jerry Garcia immediately went right back out onto the road with Merl Saunders. The New England shows were afterthoughts. The weeknights at Paul's Mall were just routing gigs, making a few bucks inbetween New York (Albany Nov 10) and Philadelphia (The Tower Nov 16). At Worcester Poly, Garcia insisted on playing double shows at the smaller (and presumably acoustically superior) Alden Auditorium instead of the school gym.
John Scher booked the entire Garcia tour, as he would for every Garcia and Dead show East of the Missisippi for the rest of Garcia's career (Bill Graham handled the West). Keep in mind that booking concerts and producing them were different financial enterprises, and different wings of Scher's business handled each of them. Producing concerts was far more profitable, but far more risky.
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| A ticket stub for the late show at The Orpheum Theatre, with the Legion Of Mary. Don Law presented the show. He would book the Dead and Garcia in Boston for the balance of Jerry's career. |
April 6, 1975 Orpheum Theatre, Boston, MA: Legion of Mary (Sunday) early and late shows Don Law Presents
Garcia and Saunders returned to the East Coast in the Spring, this time with Ron Tutt on drums and using the name Legion Of Mary. There was only one New England show, but note that Don Law got the call for Garcia's return to Boston. This was no small thing. Booking Garcia in Boston was a sure thing if anything was. Law getting the request from John Scher and Garcia's manager (Richard Loren) to book them was a meaningful benediction. One of Law's companies would book just about every Grateful Dead and Garcia show in Boston for the balance of Garcia's career.
October 22, 1975 Woolsey Hall, Yale University, New Haven, CT: Jerry Garcia Band with Nicky Hopkins (Wednesday)
John Scher booked Garcia's Eastern tour with Nicky Hopkins, generating a lot of much-needed cash in mostly 2000+ seat venues. Hopkins was a comparatively big name at the time, well-known as the house pianist for the Rolling Stones.
Woolsey Hall, at 500 College Street, had been erected in 1902 and had a capacity of 2700. It had been modernized several times over the decades. This show initiated the Garcia Band East Coast tour. When the Grateful Dead would return to touring in 1977, they would play regularly at the much larger Veterans Memorial Coliseum in New Haven.
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| A ticket stub for the Jerry Garcia Band (with Nicky Hopkins) at the Palace Theater in Providence, RI on October 23, 1975. Concerts East was run by the infamous Long Island promoter Phil Basile. |
October 23, 1975 Palace Theater, Providence, RI: Jerry Garcia Band with Nicky Hopkins (Thursday) Concerts East Presents
The Loew's Theater in downtown Providence, at 220 Wyebosset Street, had been built in 1928 with a capacity of about 3,100. Shortly after this, Loew's changed its name to The Palace Theater, where it became better known as a rock venue throughout the 1970s. Today, it is known as the Providence Performing Arts Center.
Promoter Concerts East was the company of Phil Basile, the former proprietor of the Action House, and Shelly Finkel's former employer. Concerts East had been a major promoter in the late 60s and early 70s, but their activities had tailed off when Basile started investing in discos and nightclubs [note: googling Phil Basile is interesting, but not particularly for Jerry Garcia content].
October 24, 1975 Orpheum Theatre, Boston, MA: Jerry Garcia Band with Nicky Hopkins (Friday) early & late shows Don Law Presents
November 23, 1975 Orpheum Theatre, Boston, MA: Kingfish/Keith and Donna (Sunday) Don Law Presents
In the Fall of '75, Kingfish and the Keith and Donna Band toured the East Coast together. Both bands were regulars in Bay Area nightclubs. Keith and Donna had released their album on Round Records back in March 1975, and while it hadn't had much of an impact, but no one in the East had seen the band. Since Bill Kreutzmann drummed for Keith and Donna, it meant this package had four Grateful Dead members plus a former New Rider. In an era when there wasn't a slew of "jam bands" touring around, this was appealing to a lot of Deadheads missing a fix, even if Jerry wouldn't be there.
The Fall '75 joint tour mostly played New York and Pennsylvania, but there were a couple of New England gigs. I don't think John Scher was responsible for organizing the Kingfish/Keith and Donna tour, but all the same contacts were in place. It's no surprise that they were playing the Orpheum for Don Law.
November 25, 1975 Student Union Ballroom, U Mass, Amherst, MA: Kingfish/Keith and Donna (Tuesday)
April 1, 1976 Palace Theater, Waterbury, CT: Jerry Garcia Band (Thursday) Koplik and Finkel Present
Round Records had released Garcia's third solo album, Reflections, in February 1976. Although Garcia had been gigging steadily around the Bay Area, he launched a Spring Eastern tour. The sole New England date was for Jim Koplik and Shelly Finkel at the Palace Theater in Waterbury. The Jerry Garcia Band consistently played venues that the Grateful Dead would subsequently graduate from. The Dead had played the Palace back in '72, but would be too big to play it again.
April 4, 1976 Bridges Gym, New England College, Henniker, NH: Kingfish (Sunday)
Round Records had also released the Kingfish album in February. It had done pretty well, garnering some FM airplay and definitely selling a fair number of albums. Matthew Kelly told me that he had an attorney who had evidence that United Artists (Round's "parent") had a gold record on their hands and were stiffing the band members on royalties, but ultimately he never took it to court. In any case, it meant that other parts of the country got to hear what Bay Area fans had been hearing for 18 months.
New England College was founded 1946, and currently has around 4500 students. Bridges Gym is still the basketball arena, but I don't know its capacity.
When Kingfish played the Orpheum again, they would have had at least some promotional support from UA. Les Dudek had played guitar for the Allman Brothers (on "Jessica") and Boz Scaggs, and had just released his debut album on Columbia (produced by Scaggs). There's every reason to assume this show was a Don Law production, although I have not seen the ad.
June 9-12, 1976 Boston Music Hall, Boston, MA: Grateful Dead (Wednesday-Saturday) Don Law Presents
The Grateful Dead finally returned to touring in the Summer of '76, much to the relief of the band and all their fans. The band shrewdly chose to play multiple nights at smaller theaters in their strongest markets. After two stealthy (albeit sold-out) shows in Portland, the Dead returned to action in Boston. Don Law produced all four nights. The houses were packed. The Grateful Dead were back, and Boston was part of the action
August 2, 1976 Colt Park, Hartford, CT: Grateful Dead (Monday) Contemporaru Concerts (Koplik and Finkel) Present
After the summer of exquisite shows in smaller houses, the Dead got down to it and started to play bigger places. The band needed money, and there was plenty of pent-up demand. Jim Koplik and Shelly Finkel put on a Dead show at Colt Park, which was adjacent to Dillon Stadium, where they had presented the Dead twice. I believe that while these shows were big financial successes, Colt Park was somewhat overwhelmed, and the Dead did not return. Jim Koplik and Shelly Finkel, however, continued to promote Grateful Dead and Garcia shows through 1995.
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| The Grateful Dead's final appearance in New England was on June 15, 1995, when they appeared with Bob Dylan at the Franklin County Airport in Highgate, VT |
Aftermath: The Grateful Dead In New England, 1977-95
The Grateful Dead had a strong following in Boston from at least 1969 onwards, but contrary to assumptions they had not played there that much until about 1973. From 1973 through 1976, the band cemented most of the key relationships that would define their touring history throughout the rest of their career (Frank Russo in Providence excepted). John Scher, based in New Jersey, had booked and organized Jerry Garcia's East Coast tours from 1974-76, and ultimately he took on the same role for the Grateful Dead.
Jim Koplik and Shelly Finkel had first promoted the Dead and the New Riders in Connecticut in 1972, and had gone on to produce the epic Watkins Glen Summer Jam in 1973. Under various corporate names, Koplik and Finkel promoted Dead shows in New England from then on, doing the same for Garcia and Weir when they toured.
Don Law had first booked the Grateful Dead at his Boston Tea Party in 1969, including New Year's Eve, but had deferred to other Boston promoters. By 1974, Don Law was the dominant promoter in Boston, and with a pre-existing relationship with the Dead, he became the promoter of all Dead shows in Boston from then on, as well as other shows in New England.
Frank J Russo did not get fully established in Providence until the mid-1970s, but after first promoting the Dead at Providence Civic Center on May 14, 1978, he promoted the band many times thereafter. Besides his primary venue at Providence Civic, Russo regularly presented Dead and Garcia shows in Portland, ME (at Cumberland County Civic Center, a 9500-seat arena that would open in 1977). Russo also promoted or co-promoted some of the very biggest Grateful Dead shows in New England, including Sullivan Stadium and Oxford Plains. Although Russo did not get as early a start as Law, Scher and Koplik, he was fully in place by the end of the 1970s.
When the Grateful Dead started to get bigger in the mid-1980s, culminating with the explosion of interest surrounding "Touch Of Grey," the band worked with the promoters they always worked with. So Bill Graham, John Scher, Jim Koplik, Don Law and Frank Russo did not have to introduce themselves to America's hottest act in 1987, because they already had a decade or more behind them. The Dead had created new markets for themselves in the Southeast, and largely gave up on Texas. New England, however, had established itself as a dependable market with reliable promoters a decade earlier, and remained a perpetual stop for the traveling circus of the Grateful Dead.
Appendix: The Grateful Dead, Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir Live in New England, 1967-95
For the Grateful Dead in Worcester and Boston in December, 1967, see here
For the Grateful Dead at The Ark in Boston in April, 1969, see here
For the Grateful Dead at the Boston Tea Party in 1969, see here
For the Grateful Dead in New England from 1970 through '72, see here
For the Grateful Dead, Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir in New England from 1973 through '76, see the post above
For the Grateful Dead, Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir in New England from 1977 through 1995, see the list below.
Concert appearances are listed from 1977 through 1995 without comment (for complete listings, including all band member appearances and with setlists, see the indispensable GD Sets site here). Venue capacities and addresses are listed (where known) for the first instance of each location.
Promoters are listed where they are identified on the ticket or the advertisement. Some conventions noted here:
Monarch=Monarch Entertainment (John Scher's production company)
CCC=Cross Country Concerts (Jim Koplik's and Shelly Finkel's production company)
Tea Party Concerts (Don Law's production company)
Metropolitan=Metropolitan Entertainment (John Scher's 90s production company)
I do not know why promoters sometimes listed their production company (e.g. "Monarch Entertainment") and sometimes their name (e.g. "John Scher).
April 23, 1977 Springfield Civic Center, Springfield, MA; Grateful Dead (Saturday) 1277 Main St, Springfield, MA (1972) capacity: 8300
May 5, 1977 Veterans Memorial Coliseum, New Haven, CT: Grateful Dead (Thursday) 275 S. Orange St, New Haven, CT (1972) cap:11,497
May 7, 1977 Boston Garden, Boston, MA: Grateful Dead (Saturday) Don Law Presents 150 Causeway St, Boston, MA (1928) cap: 15,909
May 28, 1977 Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, MA: Grateful Dead (Saturday) 1 Civic Center Plaza, Hartford, CT (1975) cap: 16,500
November 23, 1977 Palace Theater, Waterbury, CT: Jerry Garcia Band (Wednesday) Cross Country Presents 100 E. Main St, Waterbury, CT (1921) cap: 2900
December 2, 1977 Orpheum Theater, Boston, MA: Jerry Garcia Band (Friday) Don Law Presents 1 Hamilton Place, Boston, MA (1900) cap: 2700
March 4, 1978 Fieldhouse, Franklin Pierce College, Rindge, NH: Bob Weir Band (Saturday) (1968) cap: approx 2000
March 5, 1978 The Paradise, Boston, MA: Bob Weir Band/Doucette (Sunday) 967 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA (1977) cap: 993
March 10, 1978 Veterans Memorial Auditorium, Providence, RI: Bob Weir/Doucette (Friday) Boston Concert Agency Presents 1 Avenue of The Arts, Providence, RI (1950) cap: 1900
March 11, 1978 LeRoy Theater, Pawtucket, RI: Jerry Garcia Band (Saturday) 66 Broad St, Pawtucket, RI (1922) 2,700
March 12, 1978 Woolsey Hall, Yale U., New Haven, CT: Bob Weir Band/Doucette (Sunday) 500 College St, New Haven, CT (1902) cap: 2700
March 14, 1978 Boston Music Hall, Boston, MA: Jerry Garcia Band/Robert Hunter and Comfort (Tuesday) Don Law Presents 270 Tremont St, Boston, MA (1925) cap: 3600+
May 5, 1978 Thompson Arena, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH: Grateful Dead (Friday) (1975) cap: 4500
May 6, 1978 Patrick Gym, U. Of Vermont, Burlington, VT: Grateful Dead (Saturday) 97 Spear St, Burlington, VT (1961) cap: 3228
May 10, 1978 Veterans Memorial Coliseum, New Haven, CT: Grateful Dead (Wednesday) Cross Country Concerts
May 11, 1978 Springfield Civic Center, Springfield, MA: Grateful Dead (Thursday) Koplik and Finkel Presents
May 14, 1978 Providence Civic Center, Providence, RI: Grateful Dead (Sunday) Frank J Russo Presents
November 13-14, 1978 Boston Music Hall, Boston, MA: Grateful Dead (Monday-Tuesday) Don Law and John Scher Presents
January 15, 1979 Springfield Civic Center, Springfield, MA: Grateful Dead (Monday) Koplik/Finkle/Scher Presents
January 17, 1979 Veterans Memorial Coliseum, New Haven, CT: Grateful Dead (Wednesday) Cross Country Concerts [rescheduled from Nov 25 '78]
January 18, 1979 Providence Civic Center, Providence, RI: Grateful Dead (Thursday) Frank J Russo Presents
May 11, 1979 Billerica Forum, NorthBillerica, MA: Grateful Dead (Friday) 2 North Kiln Road, N. Billerica, MA (1964) cap: 3500
May 12, 1979 Alumni Stadium, U. Mass, Amherst, MA: Grateful Dead/Patti Smith/Roy Ayers (Saturday) 300 Stadium Drive, Hadley, MA (1965) cap: 17,000
May 13, 1979 Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, ME: Grateful Dead (Sunday) 1 Civic Center Square, Portland, ME (1977) cap: 9500
September 2, 1979 Augusta Civic Center, Augusta, ME: Grateful Dead (Sunday) Monarch Entertainment Presents 76 Community Drive, Augusta, ME (1973) cap: 5099
October 24, 1979 Springfield Civic Center, Springfield, MA: Grateful Dead (Wednesday) Monarch/CCC Presents
October 25, 1979 Veterans Memorial Coliseum, New Haven, CT: Grateful Dead (Thursday) Cross Country Concert Presents
October 27-28, 1979 Cape Cod Coliseum, South Yarmouth, PA: Grateful Dead (Saturday-Sunday) Don Law Presents 225 Whites Path, South Yarmouth, MA (1972) 7,200
November 4, 1979 Providence Civic Center, Providence, RI Grateful Dead (Sunday) Frank J Russo Presents
February 15, 1980 Orpheum Theatre, Boston, MA: Jerry Garcia Band/Rachel Sweet (Friday) early and late shows Don Law Presents
February 16, 1980 Charger Gym, U. Of New Haven, New Haven, CT: Jerry Garcia Band/Rachel Sweet (Saturday) Cross Country Presents 300 Boston Post Road, W. Haven, CT
February 20, 1980 Fine Art Center Concert Hall, U. Mass, Amherst, MA: Jerry Garcia Band/Robert Hunter (Wednesday) 151 Presidents Drive, Amherst, MA (1975) cap: 1800
February 26, 1980 Ocean State Performing Arts Center, Providence, RI: Jerry Garcia Band/Robert Hunter (Tuesday) Frank J Russo Presents [formerly The Palace Theater at 220 Wyebosset]
May 10, 1980 Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, CT: Grateful Dead (Saturday) Cross Country/Monarch Presents
May 11, 1980 Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, ME: Grateful Dead (Sunday) Overland Productions Presents
May 12, 1980 Boston Garden, Boston, MA: Grateful Dead (Monday) Don Law Presents
July 24, 1980 Bushnell Auditorium, Hartford, CT: Jerry Garcia Band (Thursday) 166 Capitol St, Hartford, CT (1930) cap: 2800
July 25, 1980 Orpheum Theatre, Boston, MA: Jerry Garcia Band (Friday) early & late shows Don Law Presents
September 3, 1980 Springfield Civic Center, Springfield, MA: Grateful Dead (Wednesday) Cross Country/Monarch Presents
September 4, 1980 Providence Civic Center, Providence, RI: Grateful Dead (Thursday) Frank J Russo Presents
September 6, 1980 Lewiston Fairgrounds, Lewiston, ME: Grateful Dead/Levon Helm and The Cate Brothers/Roy Buchanan (Saturday) RJ Heppenstall Productions and John Michael Productions Presents 36 Mollison Way, Lewiston, ME (1881) cap: 25,000
November 5, 1980 Palace Theater, Waterbury, CT: Bobby and The Midnites (as The Bob Weir Band) (Wednesday) Cross Country Presents
November 7, 1980 Orpheum Theatre, Boston, MA: Bobby and The Midnites/SVT (Friday) Don Law Presents
February 7, 1981 Orpheum Theatre, Boston, MA: Jerry Garcia Band/Johnathan Edwards (Saturday) early & late shows Don Law Presents
February 9, 1981 Ocean State Performing Arts Center, Providence, RI: Jerry Garcia Band (Monday) Frank J Russo Presents
February 10, 1981 Bushnell Auditorium, Hartford, CT: Jerry Garcia Band (Tuesday) Cross Country Presents
March 12, 1981 Boston Garden, Boston, MA: Grateful Dead (Thursday) Don Law Presents
March 14, 1981 Hartford Civic Center, Boston, MA: Grateful Dead (Saturday) Cross Country/Monarch Presents
May 11-12, 1981 Veterans Memorial Coliseum, New Haven, CT: Grateful Dead (Tuesday-Wednesday) Cross Country Presents
May 13, 1981 Providence Civic Center, Providence, RI: Grateful Dead (Thursday) Frank J Russo Presents
November 12, 1981 Springfield Symphony Hall, Springfield, MA: Jerry Garcia Band (Thursday) [rescheduled from November 11] 34 Court St, Springfield, MA (1913) cap: 2611
November 13, 1981 Orpheum Theatre, Boston, MA: Jerry Garcia Band/Peter Rowan (Friday) Don Law Presents
November 14 1981 Patrick Field House, U of Vermont, Burlington, VT: Jerry Garcia Band (Saturday)
November 15, 1981 Ocean State Performing Arts Center, Providence, RI: Jerry Garcia Band (Sunday) Frank J Russo Presents
January 29, 1982 Orpheum Theatre, Boston, MA: Bobby and The Midnites (Friday) Don Law Presents
January 30, 1982 Ocean State Performing Arts Center, Providence, RI: Bobby and The Midnites (Saturday) Frank J Russo Presents
January 31, 1982 Woolsey Hall, Yale U., New Haven, CT: Bobby and The Midnites (Sunday)
April 15, 1982 Providence Civic Center, Providence, RI: Grateful Dead (Thursday) Frank J Russo Presents
April 17-18, 1982 Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, CT: Grateful Dead (Saturday-Sunday) CCC/Monarch Presents
June 17, 1982 Veterans Memorial Coliseum, New Haven, CT: Jerry Garcia Band/Bobby & The Midnites (Thursday) CCC Presents
June 18, 1982 Cape Cod Coliseum, South Yarmouth, MA: Jerry Garcia Band/Bobby & The Midnites (Friday) Don Law Presents
June 20, 1982 Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, ME: Jerry Garcia Band/Bobby & The Midnites (Sunday) Frank J Russo Presents
June 28, 1982 Boston Opera House, Boston, MA: Jerry Garcia and John Kahn (Monday) Don Law Presents 539 Washington St, Boston, MA (1929) cap: 2600
September 17, 1982 Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, ME: Grateful Dead (Friday) Frank J Russo Presents
September 18, 1982 Boston Garden, Boston, MA: Grateful Dead (Saturday) Don Law Presents
September 23, 1982 Veterans Memorial Coliseum, New Haven, CT: Grateful Dead (Thursday)
November 9, 1982 E.M. Loew's Theater, Worcester, MA: Jerry Garcia Band (Tuesday) Don Law Presents 261 Main St, Worcester, MA (1928) cap: 2600
November 13, 1982 Bushnell Auditorium, Hartford, CT: Jerry Garcia Band (Saturday)
November 14, 1982 Shapiro Gym, Brandeis U., Waltham, MA: Jerry Garcia Band (Sunday)
April 13, 1983 Patrick Gym, U. Of Vermont, Burlington, VT: Grateful Dead (Wednesday)
April 19, 1983 Alfond Arena, U. Of Maine, Orono, ME: Grateful Dead (Tuesday) Sea Concerts Presents Tunk Rd, Orono, ME (1977) cap: 5124
April 20, 1983 Providence Civic Center, Providence, RI: Grateful Dead (Wednesday)Frank J Russo Presents
April 22-23, 1983 Veterans Memorial Coliseum, New Haven, CT: Grateful Dead (Thursday-Friday) CCC/Monarch Presents
May 28, 1983 Cape Cod Coliseum, South Yarmouth, MA: Jerry Garcia Band (Saturday)
May 29-30,1983 Bushnell Auditorium, Hartford, CT: Jerry Garcia Band (Sunday-Monday) CCC Presents
June 12, 1983 Agora Ballroom, W. Hartford, CT: Bobby & The Midnites/Max Creek (Sunday) CCC/Monarch Presents 165 Dexter Ave, W. Hartford, CT (1973) cap: approx 2000
June 15, 1983 Casino Beach Ballroom, Hampton Beach, NH: Bobby & The Midnites (Wednesday) 169 Ocean Blvd, Hampton Beach, NH (1899) cap: 2200
June 16, 1983 E.M. Loew's Theatre, Worcester, MA: Bobby & The Midnites/The Stompers (Thursday)
October 14-15, 1983 Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, CT: Grateful Dead (Friday-Saturday) CCC/Monarch Presents
October 18, 1983 Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, ME: Grateful Dead (Tuesday) Frank J Russo Presents
October 20-21 The Centrum, Worcester, MA: Grateful Dead (Thursday-Friday) Don Law/Monarch Presents 50 Foster St, Worcester, MA (1982) cap: 12,000
November 2, 1983 Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, ME: Hot Tuna/Bobby & The Midnites (Wednesday)
November 3, 1983 Springfield Civic Center, Springfield, MA: Hot Tuna/Bobby & The Midnites (Thursday) C Group Presents
November 5, 1983 The Living Room, Providence, RI: Bobby & The Midnites (Saturday) 273 Promenade St, Providence, RI (1981)
November 6, 1983 Patrick Gym, U. Of Vermont, Burlington, VT: Hot Tuna/Bobby & The Midnites (Sunday)
November 29, 1983 Veterans Memorial Auditorium, Providence, RI: Jerry Garcia Band (Tuesday) Frank J Russo Presents
December 3, 1983 Orpheum Theatre, Boston, MA: Jerry Garcia Band/Rick Danko (Saturday) early & late shows Don Law Presents
December 6, 1983 Flynn Theater, Burlington, VT: Jerry Garcia Band (Tuesday) John Scher Presents 153 Main St, Burlington, VT (1930) cap: 1411
December 7, 1983 Calvin Coolidge Cage, Amherst, MA: Jerry Garcia Band (Wednesday)
April 23-24, 1984 Veterans Memorial Coliseum, New Haven, CT: Grateful Dead (Monday-Tuesday) CCC/Monarch Presents
April 26-27, 1984 Providence Civic Center, Providence, RI: Grateful Dead (Thursday-Friday) Frank J Russo Presents
August 12-13, 1984 Club Casino Ballroom, Hampton Beach, NH: Jerry Garcia Band (Sunday-Monday)
August 25, 1984 Toad's Place, New Haven, CT: Bobby & The Midnites (Saturday) 300 York St, New Haven, CT (1976) cap: 750
August 30, 1984 Orpheum Theatre, Boston, MA: Bobby & The Midnites (Thursday)
September 1, 1984 Club Casino Ballroom, Hampton Beach, NH: Bobby & The Midnites/Max Creek (Saturday)
September 28, 1984 Toad's Place, New Haven, CT: Bobby & The Midnites (Friday)
September 29, 1984 The Living Room, Providence, RI: Bobby & The Midnites (Saturday)
October 8-9, 1984 The Centrum, Worcester, MA: Grateful Dead (Monday-Tuesday) Tea Party Concerts and John Scher Presents
October 11-12, 1984 Augusta Civic Center, Augusta, CA: Grateful Dead (Thursday-Friday)
October 14-15, 1984 Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, CT: Grateful Dead (Sunday-Monday)
November 17, 1984 Orpheum Theatre, Boston, MA: Jerry Garcia and John Kahn/Robert Hunter (Saturday) Tea Party Concerts/John Scher Presents
November 26, 1984 Bushnell Auditorium, Hartford, CT: Jerry Garcia and John Kahn/Robert Hunter (Monday) CCC/Monarch Presents
March 24-25, 1985 Springfield Civic Center, Springfield, MA: Grateful Dead (Sunday-Monday) CCC/Monarch Presents
March 31-April 1, 1985 Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, ME: Grateful Dead (Sunday-Monday) Frank J Russo Presents
April 3-4, 1985 Providence Civic Center, Providence, RI: Grateful Dead (Wednesday-Thursday) Frank J Russo & John Scher Presents
November 4-5, 1985 The Centrum, Worcester, MA: Grateful Dead (Monday-Tuesday) Tea Party Concerts/John Scher Presents
January 30, 1986 Bushnell Auditorium, Hartford, CT: Jerry Garcia and John Kahn (Thursday) CCC/Monarch Presents
Feb 1-2, 1986 Orpheum Theatre, Boston, MA: Jerry Garcia and John Kahn (Saturday-Sunday)
March 27-28, 1986 Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, ME: Grateful Dead (Thursday-Friday) Frank J Russo & John Scher Presents
March 30-April 1, 1986 Providence Civic Center, Providence, RI: Grateful Dead (Sunday-Tuesday) Frank J Russo Presents
April 3-4, 1986 Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, CT: Grateful Dead (Thursday-Friday) CCC/Monarch Presents
April 2-4, 1987 The Centrum, Worcester, MA: Grateful Dead (Thursday-Saturday)
July 4, 1987 Sullivan Stadium, Foxborough, MA: Bob Dylan/Grateful Dead (Saturday) Frank J Russo Presents (1971) cap: 60,000
September 7-9, 1987 Providence Civic Center, Providence, RI: Grateful Dead (Monday-Wednesday) Frank J Russo Presents
April 3-5, 1988 Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, CT: Grateful Dead (Sunday-Tuesday) CCC/Monarch Presents
April 7-9, 1988 The Centrum, Worcester, MA: Grateful Dead (Thursday-Saturday) Tea Party Concerts Presents
October 2-3, 1988 Oxford Plains Speedway, Oxford, ME: Grateful Dead/Little Feat (Saturday-Sunday) Frank J Russo Presents 785 Main St, Oxford, ME (1985)
July 2, 1989 Sullivan Stadium, Foxborough, MA: Grateful Dead/Los Lobos (Sunday) Frank J Russo & John Scher Presents
September 5, 1989 Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, CT: Jerry Garcia Band/Bob Weir and Rob Wasserman (Tuesday)
September 9-10, 1989 Great Woods Performing Arts Center, Mansfield, MA: Jerry Garcia Band/Bob Weir and Rob Wasserman (Saturday-Sunday) 885 S. Main St, Mansfield, MA (1986) cap: 19,900
September 11, 1989 The Centrum, Worcester, MA: Jerry Garcia Band/Bob Weir and Rob Wasserman (Monday)
September 13, 1989 Seashore Performing Arts Center, Old Orchard Beach, ME: Jerry Garcia Band/Bob Weir and Rob Wasserman (Wednesday)
July 14, 1990 Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough, MA: Grateful Dead/Edie Brickell and The New Bohemians (Saturday) Frank J Russo Presents
August 21, 1990 The Bushnell, Hartford, CT: Bob Weir and Rob Wasserman (Tuesday) Cross Country Presents
August 23, 1990 Great Woods Performing Arts Center, Mansfield, MA: Bob Weir and Rob Wasserman/Acoustic Hot Tuna (Thursday) "Intimate 5,000 Seat arrangement"
July 24, 1991 Memorial Auditorium, Burlington, VT: Bob Weir and Rob Wasserman/Hot Tuna (Wednesday)
July 25, 1991 Great Woods Performing Arts Center, Mansfield, MA: Bob Weir and Rob Wasserman/Hot Tuna (Thursday)
July 28, 1991 Seashore Performing Arts Center, Old Orchard Beach, ME: Bob Weir and Rob Wasserman/Hot Tuna (Sunday)
July 31, 1991 Bushnell Auditorium, Hartford, CT: Bob Weir and Rob Wasserman/Hot Tuna (Wednesday) Metropolitan Presents
September 20-22, 24-26, 1991 Boston Garden, Boston, MA: Grateful Dead (Friday-Sunday, Tuesday-Thursday) Don Law Presents
November 13, 1991 The Centrum, Worcester, MA: Jerry Garcia Band (Wednesday)
November 17, 1991 Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, CT: Jerry Garcia Band (Sunday) Frank J Russo Presents
November 19, 1991 Providence Civic Center, Providence, RI: Jerry Garcia Band (Tuesday)
July 26, 1992 Stowe Performing Arts Center, Stowe, VT: Bob Weir and Rob Wasserman/Michelle Shocked/Bruce Cockburn (Sunday) Jim Koplik Presents
August 2, 1992 Great Woods Performing Arts Center, Mansfield, MA: Bob Weir and Rob Wasserman/Michelle Shocked/Bruce Cockburn (Sunday)
September 25-27, September 28-October 1, 1992 Boston Garden, Boston, MA: Grateful Dead (Friday-Sunday, Tuesday-Thursday) CANCELED
September 24-26, 28-30 1993 Boston Garden, Boston, MA: Grateful Dead (Friday-Sunday, Tuesday-Thursday) Don Law Presents
November 8, 1993 Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, CT: Jerry Garcia Band (Monday) Metropolitan Presents
November 9, 1993 Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, ME: Jerry Garcia Band (Wednesday)
November 11, 1993 Providence Civic Center, Providence, RI: Jerry Garcia Band (Friday)
November 15, 1993 The Centrum, Worcester, MA: Jerry Garcia Band (Monday)
July 13, 1994 Franklin County Field, Highgate, VT: Grateful Dead/Yousso N' Dour (Wednesday) Metropolitan/Jim Koplik Presents attendance 59,624
September 27-29, October 1-3, 1994 Boston Garden, Boston, MA: Grateful Dead (Tuesday-Thursday, Saturday-Monday) Don Law Presents
June 15, 1995 Franklin County Field, Highgate, VT: Grateful Dead/Bob Dylan (Thursday) Metropolitan Presents
