03-26-1988
Hampton Coliseum
Hampton, Virginia
Hampton was always a great place to see a show, and the Dead did not disappoint on this night, the first of a three-show run. The show is best known for the first cover of Stir It Up. The Dead’s rendition was a bit of a train wreck. Moreover, it is not really clear whether the boys actually meant to play it in full or sort of noodled their way into the tune and then fooled around with it for a bit. Either way, it is a cool moment, and the crowd responds in kind. Three years later, the Dead would pick up the tune again, jamming it on March 21 and April 5, 1991. But the Stir It Up on this date should not overshadow what is an excellent evening of music. The Jerry tunes in the first set – Sugaree, Peggy-O, and Row Jimmy – are outrageous. And the second set is pure joy throughout.
Hell In A Bucket-> Sugaree, Stir It Up, Minglewood Blues, Peggy-O, Mexicali Blues-> Big River, Row Jimmy, Memphis Blues, Might As Well
Set 2
China Cat Sunflower-> I Know You Rider, Playin’ In The Band-> Uncle John’s Band-> Drums-> Jam-> Gimme Some Lovin’-> The Wheel-> All Along The Watchtower-> Black Peter-> One More Saturday Night, E: Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door
Hampton, being Hampton, was a great scene during the run. For instance, a head who was there explained on Archive what he experienced after the first night’s show:
the Holiday Inn across the coliseum transformed into Club Dead shortly thereafter; a surreal scene indeed… picture the indoor pool and jacuzzi area rife with ‘heads… my central memory of that night was sitting in the hot tub smoking opium with a babe named Sherri.. this aesthetic was enhanced as we observed a scruffy fellow, with what looked like around a half-Z of herb just sitting there, casually twisting fatties at a poolside table while the uniformed security guard stood by nonplussed, not doing/saying a thing, as if this was completely routine behavior.
Video of this show:
Today’s Dead of the Day:
Other March 26th Shows and Recordings:
- 1972 – Academy of Music – New York, New York
- 1973 – Baltimore Civic Center – Baltimore, Maryland
- 1975 – Ace's Studio – Mill Valley, California
- 1983 – Aladdin Theatre – Las Vegas, Nevada
- 1987 – Hartford Civic Center – Hartford, Connecticut
- 1990 – Knickerbocker Arena – Albany, New York
- 1995 – The Omni – Atlanta, Georgia
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