Halloween 1990

Leaving work I caught the train up to London and then the underground to Wembley itself. There were a lot of American fans on the tube with painted faces, so I guess the party started there By the time I arrived at the venue the party was in full swing outside. A lot of Americans, maybe I was the only english Deadhead!! I hung out for a while taking in the atmosphere before wandering into the hall.

The first thing I noticed was that the security guards had lost it. Normally at this venue you go into your little enclosure and if you need to go to the bar or toilet you have to take your ticket with you so you can get back in again...but the Deadheads had taken the place over and you could wander where you wanted. I could only imagine the conversation between the crew and the venue "You WANT to let people record your show?!?" I bought a program and a "25 years Dead" t-shirt which cost me £1 for every year!

Into the auditorium and to my seat just in time for the band to come on. I was quite a way back but could easily pick out who was who especially Jerry with his white hair and beard. I don't know why but he was on the opposite side of the stage to the side I expected him to be on. The band opened with Help on the way which segued as usual into Slipknot and then Franklins Tower. Throughout the song Jerry had problems with his amp and it was swapped out after the song finished. This left us a bit high and dry as there was what seemed like a five minute wait before they started again. Just before they did Wier spoke into the mic and said "I guess this is what they call Dead air" - these were they only words they spoke all night.

Up and running again they gave us a kicking version of Little Red Rooster before going off into some songs that I didn't know too well at the time (I had only been a Deadhead for a couple of years by then) Loose Lucy followed by Me and my Uncle, Big River and It must have been the roses. The chorus of the last of those was something I would always remember from that night. The first of two Dylan covers snapped me back onto track with When I paint my masterpiece which was followed by Bird Song and then the first set ended with Promised Land - without doubt my favorite all time version of this song - I can't remember anyone else palying it quite like the Dead did that night. Maybe it was just the atmosphere but it left me feeling sooooo good as we all relaxed between sets. During the break betwen sets I decided to test out how relaxed the security had become. I had noticed they had been unable to stop people dancing at the back of the hall and my idea was to go and join them but then I had a better one and I slipped into one of the doors that lead to the front stalls and to my surprise no one stopped me and there I was about 12 rows from the front. Looking back I am sure that I could have got closer but by this time I was so convinced if I moved I'd be thrown back upstairs that I stayed put. The second set started with Scarlet Begonias - "The sky was yellow and the sun was blue" - which moved into Fire on the mountains before the Dead played what was my personal highlight of the evening Truckin. I still remeber the band singing "Sometimes the light are shining on me" as the varilights moved out over the audience. He's gone was next and this lead into Drums and Space which gave us a chance to sit down and take a breather! People around me acknowledged each other and passed around beers and pipes. This was the first real chance to see how Brent's replacements would fit into the band and Bruce Hornsby certainly did well. The band then played another Dylan cover All along the watchtower and finished the set with Stella Blue, Round and round and Good Lovin. The encore was a wonderful version of Werewolves of London - What else? - and afterwards we all fell out onto the street exhausted. At just over 3 hours it was probably the longest show I had ever been to. I managed to find the tube station and got home at about 1.30 in the morning just in time to get 3 hours sleep before I had to go to work. I really wish I had gone to all 3 nights and although I vowed to make sure I did that next time there wouldn't be a next time. The closest I ever came to seeing the Dead again was in New York in June 1995 - I was in NYC for 3 nights working and I was going home on the Sunday morning. When I arrived I found out that Dylan and the Dead were playing there on the Sunday night. My airline ticket wasn't changable and I had to get back due to work commitments. I cursed myself for not finding out before I left and swore I would see them next time. Alas it was not to be - two months later Jerry died and the band came to an end. I'll never make that mistake again. Back