Grateful Dead - Hamilton 1992

[Esau.]

Both years (90 and 92) I took time off work to camp out and party waiting for tickets to go on sale..1990 there was about 40 of us, in 92 it seemed there were well over a hundred.

Camping in Chedoke golf course in 92 with some folks from Boston we met, and having a fire to boot. All the cops asked was everyone keep the fire to a single spot since it was the golf course. Unbelievable cool.

I still have all the newspaper articles, one from 92 which includes a picture of snow covered tents in Chedoke..

[briguy]

THEN going inside and "experiencing" the Dead live. I must say I was only familiar with a handful of songs they played but everyone else seemed to know every word. The Vibe meter was going of the charts for me. I didn't even know you could dance to their music prior. The fluidity of their playing, the melding of songs, DRUMS AND SPACE, The way people were so familiar with the songs and the way they would react to certain intro's and choruses... all made me feel as though I had been missing out on some uber hip secret society..

except it was 1990 for me

Edited January 16, 2008 by Guest

[The Chameleon]

I was taken to these shows when I was 13 and 16 respectively by my brother who is ten years older than me and I am so glad he did.

They were my first Dead shows and opened up my whole world.

The Scarlet Fire from '90 I think it was was the best!

Edited January 16, 2008 by Guest

[briguy]

I thought it was pretty cool how a bunch of American heads

stayed in Hamilton after the shows cleaning up the escarpment.

It was in the news how the heads spent the next day roaming

the escarpment cleaning up garbage. The City openly thanked

the dead heads for coming to Hamilton and downtown

merchants saw an incredible increase in their revenue. There

was clearly a feeling among touring heads that Hamilton had

treated them very well, and a lot of them showed their

appreciation. I’d be surprised if I hear of anything similar from

a band in Hamilton. It was a huge learning experience for

everyone involved – the city, residents, westdale high school

students.

The dead experience in Hamilton helped spawn my passion for

putting on shows, among Clapton, Dylan, and Young at Copps,

oh and Rush! (kc, I was at that show). The way HECFI and

Hamilton police treated the fans has trickled down to how I

treat customers at my shows. Hamilton as much of the mullet

skid bearing city it is can handle a bunch of culture. I was

really proud of Hamilton for hosting these shows. I can’t

imagine how older fans felt about the Dead coming to town.

For me it would be like if Zep just announced two nights in

Hamilton. I also think the success in Hamilton helped fuel the

shows that were scheduled for Toronto just before Jerry died.

What was it … four nights at the Skydome? Would have been

sweat!

[briguy]

Over the years seeing shows in the states I can’t count the

number of times I’ve been chatting with someone at a show

and they ask me where I’m from and when I tell them they

immediately recount their dead experience in Hamilton. I

always thought that was cool and from what I can tell all the

stories have been very positive..

[phishtaper]

Most Deadheads like us Canadians and I sense the kind scene at the Hamilton shows has a lot to do with that.

These two little guys, Scarlet and Fire, were "born" on March 22, 1990 at Copps and are sitting in our living room.

[Kanada Kev]

I also think the success in Hamilton helped fuel the shows that were scheduled for Toronto just before Jerry died. What was it … four nights at the Skydome? Would have been sweat!

Yup, Skydome ... but for 2 nights. Had my mailorder ticket orders returned The mail order day for those shows was August 8th i think.

I was at a Widespread Panic show in Rochester a year later (with Big Wooly Mammoth) and we ended up backstage. Talking to the band, we found out that they were lined up to open both those Dead shows at Skydome as well!!! That would have been sweet (sweat ).

[Booche]

booche did you see some harem with people dressed in middle eastern garb and at least one maybe 2 camels??

Ever see Cheech and Chongs Things Are Tough All Over? You know that scene when Chong is blasted on peyote and goes around the corner for a piss? Well, I was seeing what he was seeing or so it seemed. I still dont really know wtf was going on.

[Hux]

How do these shows compare to the ones in Hamilton in March, 1990?

Vince was there.

[Davey Boy 2.0]

hux was not

Edited January 16, 2008 by Guest
(no offense)

[Hux]

Correct. Brent and I didn't show.

[Freak By Night]

How do these shows compare to the ones in Hamilton in March, 1990?

Aloha,

Brad

"Corrina"!

[MarcO]

well it was pretty crazy to take a city bus to a Dead show, I'll tell ya that!

My memories are very similar to those posted above. I clearly recall many businesses posting "Welcome Deadheads!" signs and hanging tie-dyes in their windows. Sure, they wanted the business, of course, but it was a win-win situation for everyone.

The period between the 1990 and 1992 shows seems like they were a real growth period for the modern day "scene" in these parts. Suddenly, all sorts of tapes and tapers were around, hitting the road and bringing back their efforts. Bands were forming, friendships and affiliations were cemented. I admit though that I am sure part of my perspective on that is just where I was in age at that time - in 1990 when I first saw the Dead I was 15 years old.

[Esau.]

I think your pretty bang on there Marc0 - Personally, I had seen the Dead twice, years earlier (84 and 86) and did some touring in 1987, which was the year I officially became a "deadhead" I guess. I even knew some heads (a couple from grade school) previous to the 90 shows, but as for a 'scene', there certianly wasn't one when compared to what grew in this area after the first shows.

[Baj]

lovin' all the stories...especially yours KC it all makes sense why you run the best bar I've ever been too... on a side note you should become a writer if your not all ready... anyways..thankyou for getting the story ball rollin' and thanks to the rest of the story tellers...more more more hehe

[hamilton]

On the second night in '92, the guy in the seat directly behind me puked during Terrapin Station. Thankfully there were plenty of other scents in the air that night that helped to alleviate the stench.

[Esau.]

Although, not really a great GD story, it is a story I remember because we made some great friends and scored a ride to Auburn Hills because of this...

I was hanging out with my native friend Wade in the lot before the second show in 92, we were wandering the lot being social and drinking beers when a couple of American heads asked what time it was and Wader looks up at the sky, takes a drink of beer and says "ahhh, it's about 5:30", the heads laughed and a few seconds later some guy with a watch walked by and was asked for "real" the time, the guy says "5:35" or something close to what Wade said.

One the Americans looked at Wade in surprise and asks how he was able to get so close by looking at the cloud covered sky, Wader looks at them and says with a drunken smirk on his face "Well, I'm native, we just know that shit" - after some laughter one of the American's ask, "what do you do at night?" - Wader promptly answers "I drink".

Sealed the deal, we all made friends right there and then, partied together until the show, met up with afterwards and they gave us a ride to the next shows and we kept in touch for the next year afterwards even, crossing paths one last time in Richfield, march 93 during th snow storm.

Simple but awesome things happened at GD shows, man what a great time.

[phishtaper]

crossing paths one last time in Richfield, march 93 during the snow storm.

white-knuckle ride back to the hotel that night, for sure. when it snows in that area, it really snows!

[Esau.]

Fortunately for us, we took a bus package (not Vic's from rock express) to those show(s), and our bus driver was a crusty 60+ yr old French Canadian guy who kept saying "I've driven through worse" ...lol

But yeah, that was a serious amount of snow, I still have the unused ticket for the first night.

[Kanada Kev]

^^^^^

I plowed through that storm in a jetta with 4 people and made it to Richfield. We had just done the 3 night run at the Rosemont Horizon and it was cold.

We were holed up with lots of drinks, etc at the Red Roof Inn. Made great friends with our motel neighbours and we all partied hard. One of the guys had a relative who worked for the power company. They were getting phone calls updating us all on the storm and what it was doing. Power outages at the arena all night, etc. We got the news that the show was cancelled and we were bummed. We were thinking that we'd get a show with a half-full venue I still have my unused tickets from that gig. I remember the show the next night was an odd one. VERY smokey inside the coliseum that night

[Esau.]

Right on. Cold rain and snow opener and then the Brown Eyed Women line "snowed so hard..." made the place explode.

If memory serves me well I recall looking at a copy of Deadbase a couple years after 93 and the cancelled show never even appeared in the "cancelled show list". Always found that sorta cool, especially when I had the ticket..

Anybody have a more recent edition that could check to see if the show ever appeared listed as cancelled?

[bradm]

Anybody have a more recent edition that could check to see if the show ever appeared listed as cancelled?

I checked at

http://www.deadbase.com/

and while they list 3-14-93 in Richfield, OH, they don't list anything for 3-13-93.

Aloha,

Brad

[Esau.]

Yeah, I checked with the online deadbase as well, but I meant from the actual book which gives you a lot more information, like cancelled shows.

[hamilton]

we took a bus package (not Vic's from rock express)

I remember Vic from Rock Express. I did a few of his bus packages - Auburn Hills in '92 (the bus on which I met a bunch of people with whom I am still friendly to this day, and which involved a funny story with my friend Matt (RIP) accidentally forgetting his stash was inside of his ID when he had to show it to the border guard) and Rich Stadium in both '92 and I think '93.

[Hartamophone]

Thanks for sharing these, guys. As someone who missed the boat on the Dead scene (largely, in my defence, because of age and geography) I love getting first hand accounts.