|
|
New Years Eve with the Grateful Dead was always the most coveted concert of the year. I was fortunate to see the last three New Years Eve shows, and they were amazing. Dead heads would frequently refer to tickets for any show as a "miracle." At any given show you could find dozens of deadheads walking around the parking lot with a finger in the air and calling "I need a miracle." This saying was in reference to a Dead song of the same name, but also described how difficult obtaining that elusive ticket could be. Well, New Years shows were the big miracles! Tickets were only available through mail order, and the Dead's mail order ticket team would frequently receive 50,000 orders for a building that would hold 15,000 people. Most Deadheads I knew would send off half a dozen mail order requests in the hopes that at least one would come back with the elusive miracle tickets. All seats were general admission.
Once inside the venue (which was the Oakland Coliseum at my 3 shows) the anticipation and excitement was thick. People were wearing New Years party hats, blowing party horns, and making all sorts of merriment. There were always great special guests and opening acts. However the highlight of the evening came at the stroke of midnight!
The Dead typically played two set concerts, with a break in between sets. At New Years the band would play their first set prior to mid night and then excuse themselves for a short break. Upon their return, midnight would be close at hand. At the stroke of midnight, with the Dead playing their music, balloons would drop onto the crowd, fireworks would ignite, and Bill Grahm would be riding on a float to usher in the New Years! All of this celebrating was quite a treat, and very elaborate stage show relative to the Dead's typical laid back stage presence. Click the thumbs above to see what the stroke of midnight looked like.
The New Years Eve tickets were not only "miracles", but also works of art. Click the thumbs below to see what one of these beautiful tickets looked like. If you want to see what a New Years show was like, I highly recommend the Dead's DVD, "Ticket to New Years", which is a taping of their 1987 NYE show. You can order it at the Grateful Dead's official home page www.Dead.net. Its awesome!
 |
 |
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|