[Grinner]

We all know the boys managed to transcend the explainable throughout the years, but there are those times when something else altogether is going on. For example, 7/13/84, a Friday the 13th AND full moon, the boys broke out Dark Star as an encore, their first time playing it in three years and the last time for five years (that 89 breakout in Hampton, and the rest of the show, is unexplainable). They say a shooting star burned across the sky as the opening notes were played...Another example, 6/20/83 was a rainy show and while playing Wharf Rat late in the second set, lightning struck HARD right before "I'LL GET UP AND FLY AWAY" and Phil provides the thunder, just dropping atomic bombs all over the crowd, who are just going bonkers...gives me chills every time...

Anyway, have y'all heard of any other cosmically aligned "hand of god" cool things like this? Or has anything cool like that ever happened to you at a show?

[Grinner]

Here's some links to the shows mentioned:

Greek Theatre, 7/13/84: http://www.archive.org/details/gd84-07- ... sbeok.shnf

Hampton, 10/9/89: http://www.archive.org/details/gd89-10- ... sbeok.shnf

Merriweather Pavillion, 6/20/83: http://www.archive.org/details/gd83-06- ... sbeok.shnf

[amyjared]

Many legends abound:

Dead were playing Fire on the Mountain in Porland, OR when Mt. St. Helens erupted just to the north

Riverbend show in '85 when they played Smokestack Lightning and it started to lightning

Dead "introduce" the band during the encore at the DC show, the last show before Jerry's coma almost ended everything

'90 show in England on Halloween and they happen to play Werewolves of London. What are the odds!

But my all-time fave: Dancing in the back at the Greeks, summer of '86, dating a woman named Delia and some folks are playing footbag and one goes astray and as this guy lunges wildly for it, he kicks me right in the nuts! What song were the boys playing? Yup, Stagger Lee!

[Tennessee Jedi]

Mt. St. Helens erupted while the boys were playing "Fire on the Mountain" .....
Played @ the Pyramids on lunar Eclipse .....
Alaska '80 show on the Summer Solstice ....

And STING opened for the boys in '88 ( I think ) - get it ?
SYNCHRONICITY
me funny

[tigerstrat]

Bear in mind that was not THE Mt. St. Helens eruption. The big one was 5/18/80. The boys played the night of 6/12/80 and one of several ongoing minor after-eruptions occured, which is a pretty minor synchronicity imho. Wouldn't YOU play FotM too, if you were playing near a monster volcano that had JUST erupted? Of course you would.

They also played "Gloria" in Richmond a few months after the hurricane of the same name hit the area.

[jonarobb]

I was at the Merriweather(83') and Greek(84') shows. That Greek show was my birthday to boot. Don't know how that plays into the whole synchronicity thing.

How about the Fire On The Mountain from Ventura in 85' with the brush fire and all the smoke on the hill behind the stage. Another freakin' birthday show. We all knew they were going to play it. When Jerry sang, "There's a dragon with matches that's loose on the town...." He waved his hand kind of nonchalantly behind him. Like he knew how powerful the scene was.

[bucketorain]

ok, here's mine....Giants Stadium 7.10.89, it was rainging for the 1st set up until the End of Music Never Stopped. As soon as the last note played, the rain stop immediately. Very freaky, then they went into Don't Ease...

Very cool. anyone else at that show?

[FairTheeWell]

Unfortunately, I never saw the Grateful Dead due to my tender young age. However, I have never felt the presence of Jerry so much until the night of the "Comes A Time- A Tribute To Jerry Garcia." 9-24-05 Berkley, Greek Theater

Final set opener, "Help On The Way", there was a major sound malfunction. My opinion: this was Jerry saying a big fuck you and laughing. All out of love of course. You could easily hear everyone filling in the opening lines and signing together in harmony.

A beautiful moment.

http://web1.nugs.net/attics/cat050924.asp

[ronster]

I was in the lawn for Merriweather '83. Very cool, verry very wet. Lots of rain,thunder, and lightning and phil bombs. Hopefully it was not spiritual becuase if it was the big guy was pissed at the whole scene.
I was at Baltimore in '82 for Phil reading the Raven.
Was at Meadowlands in '89 but do not recall anything unusual about the rain stopping, just happy about it.
Ohter unusual show moments:
Saw them play at Barton Hall in May of '81 after school was let out. The Cornell campus was empty so there was only about 2,000 people at the show. Great show and you could walk right up front without a hassle.
Went to Saratoga in the mid 80's and it was raining out so we ducked into a VW bus and were treated to shrooms and the second set of Cornell '77 (first time I ever heard it). Just completely blown away in every way, came out and went into the show and it just sucked in comparison.
Hanging out before the Jerry and John Kahn show at the Warner Theater and some guy sells some shit to a guy next to me and then turns out to be an undercover cop and busts him. Freaked me out. Coulda been me.
Anybody remember the chick that would do the strip act during the drum solo. I believe it was '83 east coast when she appeared at a few shows. Best drums I ever saw.

[bodiddley]

The one that will always stick out for me was the Pittsburgh show 6-30-95 when they opened set 2 with "Rain" and the sky unleashed a waterfall upon the first word of the song. Talk about a crowd going apeshit!

[astroman99]

Red rocks, I think the first night 1979, or was 1982 or 1983, they played I know yo rider, and "wish I was a headlight on a Northbound train, I'd shine my light thru the cool Colorado rain"
Started RAINING right then on Cue, UH HUH.
yeah boy

[mttourpro]

The one that will always stick out for me was the Pittsburgh show 6-30-95 when they opened set 2 with "Rain" and the sky unleashed a waterfall upon the first word of the song. Talk about a crowd going apeshit!

Beat me to it.That was pretty "synchronous"...

Hershey 85 was also in that vein given the rain died down and stopped during morning dew during which Phil also released some substantial bombs.

I occasionally experienced synchronicity in ways that weren't tied in directly with the music (ie, parking right near someone I'm hoping to find, running into a friend who I traded tapes with, having an extra and swapping it for his ticket so he could then sit next to a friend he traded with but hadn't seen in 2 years, hitchhiking home from RFK and ending up at my door with someone going to the next show, that sorta thing.)

[DenverEd]

Rutgers - 5/15/81. Well timed lightning flashes through the skylight at the top of the venue during Looks Like Rain and FOTM.

[ELPManticore]

I never *really* had the oppurunity to see the Grateful Dead. (In theory I would have been old enough for my parents to take me to a 90's show, but they're not heads so...) But I feel like there is always some kind of inonic event or synchronicity that occurs when I am listening to the dead. Of course, I can't recall a single event.....

[warrenMFKNhaynes]

I was on panic stream once and then I had to take a sh*t, then when I got back it said panic was doing Contentment Blues.