The part that can be problematic with such lists is, for instance, I think 69-02-28 is the dud of the four nights, but it is the best The Eleven of the four nights. It's in my top 5 The Elevens.

wharfrat71 wrote:


One of my favorites.

nycdave, 6/28/85, Hershey Park, is the show that got me back on the bus after a six year hiatus.

12-6-73 cleveland
10-17-83 lake placid
10-29-77 san francisco
9-10-93 richfield
are all worth a listen

Nice to see you mention a '93 show. That year has a few highlights. Don't forget 9/13/93 with one of the final Dark Stars and that neat "Tubular Bells" jam.

A couple comments before I continue:

1. 8-27-72 is not overrated. It deserves all the praise it gets.
2. 10-29-77 Damn I love that show too... I reserve the right to edit these choices! BTW 10-29-77 is Dekalb Ill...I think you may have meant 12-29-77 SF ... another dandy........
3. 9-13-93 Will make an appearance in the 93 section ( I scored 8th row from GDTS for this beauty)

80's continued:

1986
03-20-86
12-30-86
3-27-86
12-15-86
2-11-86

1987
9-18-87
3-31-87
6-26-87
8-23-87
12-31-87

1988
7-2-88
3-27-88
4-1-88
6-23-88
7-17-88

1989
10-9-89 I guess I'll go honorable mention to 4-2-89 Pittsburgh. No Philly,dc, Boston on this spring.. estimated
7-17-89 50k there for a 17k venue. The energy inside the building was off the charts. Basically the whole NE in
7-19-89 attendance ( or trying to be)..riots outside... X factor and energy all over this show from the opening notes .
10-16-89 of Shakedown ( 28 shows since it had been played last. 2nd longest stretch since its debut.
5-6-89

1990
9-20-90
3-29-90
7-18-90
3-24-90
7-16-90

1991
10-31-91
09-26-91
06-14-91
06-06-91
09-10-91

1992
06-28-92
12-16-92
6-20-92
6-25-92
6-22-92

1993
9-13-93
5-27-93
9-22-93
8-22-93
3-24-93

1994
10-5-94
10-1-94
07-31-94
7-20-94
10-14-94

1995
02-21-95
03-23-95
06-25-95
03-18-95
06-30-95

A few notes... this was way harder than I anticipated. In years like72&74& 85 & 77 it was "painful" to cut some favs off the list. Other years like 92 & 94 were rough for the opposite reasons. Except for fall of 94 and a handful of good shows in 92..this is by no means THE definative list but I can assure you will greatly enjoy any show listed. I used a variety of criteria...I tried to avoid "homerism or show attended favoritism... Just because a song got "broke out" I didn't automatically rate is high..for example 3-19-95 I was there upfront for the Unbroken Chain breakout -and it was truely an "orgasmic" LOL 20 -25 minutes or so but the rest of the show was meh.. I also didn't automatically rate a show high because of special guests.. if the performance warranted it I listed it. I'm sure I missed a few .. there may be a change or two- I gotta get 10-29-77 in there.
BTW I have listened to every show listed a massive amount of times. Anyway--enjoy!!!!

Archive.org has 95% of em!

LOL! Weirder, thanks for the hard work!!! We know it's tedious. I just love 1/26/69 though, call it popular/overrated/whatever. It just smokes!! That cryptical/too gets me every time. And that Clementine.... F'n DAHHHHHK STAAAHHHH!

If there is such a thing as an overrated show, and I tend to think there isn't (except post-show when so many people are clamoring "that's the best show I've ever seen"; no matter what it was like), the first shows that come to mind are The Warlocks shows of October 1989. I'm fully aware of the breakout significance, but beyond novelty and theory, they don't do a ton for me. I loved hearing Dark Star as much as anyone who is a DS devotee, which I am, but there's the cold reality of "yeah, this isn't really all that great" that came with the Dark Stars of '89-'94. I was at Shoreline in '91 when they played it first set for the first time in 1307 shows and teased it a few times in those two days. It's like getting slingshot up K2 at sonic speed and then instantly falling off the top of the world. The peak and satisfaction is almost non-existent. I don't think Jerry was all that subtle about not enjoying playing it anymore.

Thanks for the highlights. I am just glad to say that I saw some the "best", cause there is no doubt that I thought I saw some of the worst living in the PNW and the rep of lame shows up here in the day.

Yet, I look back and love the music so it ends up being more of the expectation then the reality.

Both the 72 Veneta and the 82 Veneta (that I was at, and man really high) are great choices. IMHO the 82 version of Althea is Top5 if not #1. Jerry is relentless is all his solos.

I do like the year by year, as they are all so different. Which is so funny cause we all get that. What other band can you really do that with????

I know I have a problem, but it looks like I am not alone in my absolute love of this music. Its a great problem to have cause I live with people who do not have music HIT them, and man, that is a bummmer IMHO.

BTW - I agree the best is always the next.........just 2 more days kids. See you in SF!!!!!

wharfrat71 wrote:


I'm quite fond of that one too. I also had a helluva time not putting 2/27/69 on the list..besides being awesome it was my 4th birthday!!!!!!!!! They both would have been in the 6-10 category..its just really tough to keep a whole year boiled down to five shows....Zeno was right though....even though most yrs easily have way way way more even 10 or 15 would have watered down the list.. I can't begin to tell ya how many "personal" faves I wanted to put on the list ..but trying not to be to biased I left them off. They woulda had to make it on a top ten list.

ZenoMarx wrote:


Wow.. you nailed it on all counts. If there was one pick I struggled the most with it was this one. Lets start with 10/9 ---even though I concur on your Dark Star thoughts catching the breakout at a show billed as "The Warlocks" ..not to mention the first Attics since 72, the first East Coast Death Don't since 1970....deserves the spot. Even though I attended a ton of shows in 89 if I was being honest LOL this is the show I didn't make and regret missing most. I can only imagine the crowd going apeshit and the "special feeling & magic" that must have been in the house. I think this is one of the ones that being THERE was a lot more than what a tape can convey. Damn now you just reminded me of one I left off 4-2-89. for unique reasons also ..time for an edit/addition.