My First Dead show - Syracuse, 1983

Back in 1983 I had this Deadhead guitar student named Jerry Franciosa, who kept telling me, "Man, you gotta see the Dead." I had gotten their first album in 1967 and had liked it lot, but after having seen them turn in a famously poor performance at Woodstock two years later, I had lost interest the band. Finally, Franciosa bribed with me with a ticket and a ride to a Dead show at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse that October. I got there and absolutely loved the show. Although I became a fan and saw the Dead many times after that, I never again saw Jerry Garcia play like he did that first time. The "dire wolf" of his substance abuse slowly eroded his musicianship before finally killing him 1995. An ad for the show is below.

Click here to listen to the Oct 22 1983 Carrier Dome show