Grateful Dead Music Forum

by **Maybeck09** » Sun Sep 30, 2012 7:19 am

Agreed - when you look out over Denver and the eastern plains, its just a great backdrop to a Me and My Uncle or Jack Straw. As it says in one of the books RedRocks is the most overtly "western" of venues perfect for Dead tunes. The wind is refreshing and the sound bounces off of those two big rocks in the back. Extra fun during Rhythm Devil days. Additionally, I've been there during shows when the weather changed 4 or 5 times during the 4 hours - from sun, to clouds, to windy stormy (Crazy Fingers) threatening, back to sun. The western sun sets over the back so its God's spotlight on the band. Back in the day there were local stickers, "The Higher you get, the Higher you get, Dancing at Red Rocks"-its an awesome spot.

by **Phil Lesh101** » Sun Sep 30, 2012 7:31 am

I would love to see Furthur at Red rocks.

by **Smolder** » Sun Sep 30, 2012 9:09 am

We were watching the dead at redrocks on day back in the late 70's/early80's and rainclouds were creeping in from the back of the place, Phil cranked up the bass and I swear the clouds parted moving around us on both sides. Of course I was pretty high at the time ; ).

by **gmchart** » Mon Nov 12, 2012 9:15 pm

Anybody out there make the show in '79 when Garcia made the rain stop?

by **Smolder** » Mon Nov 12, 2012 9:19 pm

gmchart wrote:Anybody out there make the show in '79 when Garcia made the rain stop?

Lesh did that, and i was there.

by **gmchart** » Tue Nov 13, 2012 7:08 am

Garcia hunched over, head down, standing in front of the monitors, with water dripping off the neck of his guitar is a pretty vivid memory. Phil may very well have still been out there, my (chemically fogged) memory was that everybody but the drummers had bailed. When the rain quit Garcia peered up over the top of his glasses to see if it indeed had stopped. When he saw it had he stood up tall and broke into a huge smile. The place went freakin' nuts.

by **Jerry1996x** » Tue Nov 13, 2012 5:44 pm

Im really kicking myself for not going when I had the chance. Drove right past it last summer.

by **Smolder** » Tue Nov 13, 2012 6:09 pm

Jerry1996x wrote:Im really kicking myself for not going when I had the chance. Drove right past it last summer.

I took my first ever adult vacation at 19 years old from Lawrence, KS to Seattle and back the summer of '78. When we drove through Morrison, I knew I had to get back. Got home, enrolled in school and we were back on the road to red rocks 24 hours later. Killer show... really wished I'd remembered my sleeping bag. Chief Hosa camp ground was pretty chili those nights sleeping in the car.

by **gmchart** » Tue Nov 13, 2012 6:58 pm

I could be wrong, but wasn't '78 the first year the Dead played Red Rocks? My brother, who lived in Ft. Collins, went to a show in the spring and tells the story that during 'tune-up' Weir came up to the mic and said "How come nobody ever told us about this place?" After what I think was only one show, they scheduled three more for the end of summer.

by **Jerry1996x** » Wed Nov 14, 2012 1:29 pm

Smolder wrote:
Jerry1996x wrote:Im really kicking myself for not going when I had the chance. Drove right past it last summer.

I took my first ever adult vacation at 19 years old from Lawrence, KS to Seattle and back the summer of '78. When we drove through Morrison, I knew I had to get back. Got home, enrolled in school and we were back on the road to red rocks 24 hours later. Killer show... really wished I'd remembered my sleeping bag. Chief Hosa camp ground was pretty chili those nights sleeping in the car.

Nice! Me and my bud are planning on driving cross country (Jersey to Cali) after senior year. Ill have my chance then. Hes got a minty mid 70's Westy. Good livin

by **tigerstrat** » Wed Nov 14, 2012 2:57 pm

Jerry1996x wrote:Me and my bud are planning on driving cross country (Jersey to Cali) after senior year. Ill have my chance then. Hes got a minty mid 70's Westy. Good livin

Get that VW to the West Coast where she belongs, where she'll be surrounded by her kindred (not to mention plentiful spare parts)! Speaking of which, your friend would be wise to bring spares of any parts that are likely to fail. Try scoring parts in the middle of somewhere like Iowa and you'll see what I mean.

by **1960strat** » Wed Nov 14, 2012 3:17 pm

I have got Tapestry's 77 Westy here in NJ. I am sure she could make the trip!

by **Jerry1996x** » Wed Nov 14, 2012 6:51 pm

tigerstrat wrote:
Jerry1996x wrote:Me and my bud are planning on driving cross country (Jersey to Cali) after senior year. Ill have my chance then. Hes got a minty mid 70's Westy. Good livin

Get that VW to the West Coast where she belongs, where she'll be surrounded by her kindred (not to mention plentiful spare parts)! Speaking of which, your friend would be wise to bring spares of any parts that are likely to fail. Try scoring parts in the middle of somewhere like Iowa and you'll see what I mean.

I WOULD LOVE TO. Its a bummer being from the midwest and livin in far east :roll:

. We will have to stop and jam with lots of y'all! The Westy has had a lot of engine work. I think he said he put about 4,000 in the engine alone. It runs really nice and is totally a house on wheels. The plan for Iowa is to drive off while the drummer is in the gas station bathroom :lol: