THE GRATEFUL DEAD ONLY PLAYED IN SOUTH CAROLINA 1 TIME......................WHY???


HALLOWEEN 1985, CAROLINA COLISEUM ARENA, U OF S.C., COLUMBIA, S.C.



1ST SET

SPACE>
WEREWOLVES>
MUSIC>
WEST LA>
MAMA TRIED>
MEXICALI
TENNESSEE JED
LL RAIN>
MIGHT AS WELL

2ND SET

SHAKEDOWN>
PLAYIN>
SHIP OF FOOLS>
PLAYIN>
DRUMZ>
MR FANTASY>
NFA

E: US BLUES

"FUNICULI FUNICULA" TUNING TO OPEN FIRST SET - "TEDDY BEAR'S PICNIC" TUNING BEFORE "WEST LA" - LAST "SPACE" 01-30-78 LAST "WEREWOLVES" 07-08-78

Business decision... I think all venue choices are. Can't take it personally either way.

an interesting setlist anyway
hard to say why, they probably thought they had more fans in N.C. they played there a lot

I would assume that S.C was probably not the most Hippe/Deadhead friendly State back in the 70's-80's-90's.....I have had friends see concerts in that State in the last decade and have had some bad things to say about the Police and how aggressive they are......

I would assume with the States conservative nature that Drug Laws are pretty harsh and maybe that would be the reason not to subject fans to a uncomfortable concert going situation....Not saying that all Heads do drugs, but that would seemingly be the thinking of the Police and cause some aggression towards how everyone would be treated while being there....

This show doesn't always get great ratings, especially considering that Richmond came next and that Fall 85 tour set a pretty high bar overall. That being said, I was luckily a freshman at U of SC that fall and went. What the show lacked in length or song choice (Not counting Shakedown or the expected Werewolves)was certainly made up for by the overall weirdness that was occuring that night-hey it was Halloween. As far as the GD never returning to Columbia or SC for that matter, I never heard anything official when I was a student there but the bottom line is that show changed the campus and freaked out a lot of the residents. They had never witnessed such a scene, and again Halloween to boot. I've always felt that that was a very influential factor in them not returning. I still get chills when I recall this night!

Spac 84 _ I was there to prior to Richmond... and the epicness of Richmond especially 11-1 can't be denied. That said this show holds a wrm spot in my heart.... I was callin Werewolves the whole 10 hour drive down..my friends said I was nuts. Pumpkins onstage! Many folks dressed up. & I still call it SPACE>Werewolves to open ( I can still remember like yesterday running into my big black basketball eyed friend and him saying "I am so fuckin disoriented ..space to open???WTF!!!! LOL) Also THE best LL rain EVER. First set was GGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRReat. I think the peruvian marching soldiers gotta hold a Bob during the setbreak.. listen to his freaked out high pitched wailing during"just gotta poke around" LOL...Shakedown was HOT... rest of set good not great. On the fun scale EASILY a ten.

Walk in the Sunshine wrote:


You said it about the opening space segment. This was my first show dosing (and it was a doozy!) and I remember turning to my brother and asking him what the hell was going on and wondering if this was how the whole show was going to sound. I agree about LL Rain-best ever! Shakedown was also truly memorable. During set break I recall walking around the hallway ring seriously needing to figure out if I had pissed my pants or not. I could not tell wet from dry-turns out I didn't! Also the people brewing mushroom tea right out in the hall. And those pumpkins like you mentioned. I wandered down to the stage at the end and asked for one of the inflatable ones that had floated up on stage. One of my brothers friends was completely out of his gourd after the show and freaked out on me about it. I still feel uneasy around him to this day. I could go on and on because I love reminisciing about this show! You are alos super correct about 11/1/85 I play the hell out of that Dick's Picks selection. Hey Walk, thanks for stirring my memory!

SPAC84 wrote:

...thanks for stirring my memory!

Speaking of which, I like your "handle" - some of my all-time favorite shows were at Saratoga! As I recall, from Sat 6/18/83, the Wheel coming out of Space was an awesome example of what my friends and I sometimes referred to as the "cosmic power of Jerry" to affect the very weather - just as he was wailing on "If the thunder don't get you, the lightning will", there was an enormous peal of thunder and lightning, but no drenching rain!

;^)