I regret that I never saw them.
Throw in outstanding musicians like Jeff Chimenti and Otiel Burbridge, and those Dead & Co. shows were a really nice tribute to, and continuation of, what the Grateful Dead were.
I saw them numerous times in the late 1980s.
Their concerts weren’t simply replaying songs from their albums, although that was in there.
A lot of their concerts were musical “talking”, very much like folk music or jazz, where one goes off on a new melody and the others follow suit, talking back and forth with their instruments.
It’s certainly a talent and Bob had it.
I really liked the version of Truckin’ on the Europe ‘72 album.
This video might give you an idea of the tremendous energy that they had in live performance then
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IORPscB3vbc
or Sugar Magnolia (cued up to best close camera shot of Bob)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkmtOGAsCmE&t=105s
Saw them 7 times. Last time was Birmingham AL about 3 months before Jerry died. Unfortunately Jerry was obviously in bad shape and that was the worst performance I ever saw. Best was the free concert at Vanderbilt...can’t quite remember what year...probably 1973 or so.
As they say...”There’s nothing like a Grateful Dead concert”!
I saw them several times when I was at Syracuse. They would play the Dome a couple times a year.
It was like the circus came to town.
All the Dead Heads would show up a few days prior to the show. They would be sell beads, trinkets and other groovy stuff just like it was still 1969. Except it was 1982-85.
There was a certain scent in the air.
I knew a couple of stoners in college that were really into their music. I thought there music was Okay. But I never bought any of the albums.
I worked at the Carrier Dome my junior and senior year in college. In events production. Setting up for games, concerts and other Dome events. I once got paid union wage to be a cable puller for an ESPN cameraman. For the NCAA track & Field championships. However, the rest of the time it was the best $5/hour job I ever had.
Got to meet a lot of the athletes and multiple rock stars up close and hand shaking.
When we set up for the Dead. We set up the two locker rooms.
Bob and the rest of the band had one locker room. Jerry Garcia had the other all to himself. In the bands locker room they had all the normal stuff. Like certain drinks and food we had to provide as part of the tour package. Certain brands always sponsored the tours. In Jerry’s room he had only three things. A folding table. A chair and a lamp.
The band Dark Star Orchestra recreates entire shows. I highly recommend the experience. Check them out on-line. I’m sure they’ll be coming to a town near you.
The closest I ever came to seeing the Grateful Dead was when they played a free concert down by the river in Eugene, OR, sometime around 1974 or 1975, I think. But it was a nice day, so I went for a bicycle ride instead.
I always preferred Jerry Garcia’s bluegrass and folk music anyway. I still listen to Old & In the Way and the various albums that Garcia recorded with David Grisman in his later years.