11/30/73 Boston Music Hall, Boston, MA

OK, you asked!  Let's see what I can remember...

This was my first show, and it was truly mind blowing...  just amazing. I was 
an usher at the Music Hall (now glitzed up into the Wang Center) from Sept 73 
through the June 76 run of Dead shows.  We had known since about early 
October that the Dead had booked the first weekend in December.  This show 
was added at the last minute to make what at that time was a fairly unusual 
three night run.  When those of us working the show arrived at 6 or 6:30 on 
that Friday night, the crew was just getting started setting up the 
pre-Wall-of-Sound Wall of Sound, or whatever they called the sound system in 
late 73.  The crew spent the afternoon building a plywood stage extension out 
into the first several rows of seats.  The stage at the Music Hall was pretty 
shallow, and with the huge wall of speakers, there wasn't enough room for the 
guys to play.  Before the doors were opened and with no one but us lowly 
ushers in the place, we found this clean-shaven stranger just sitting in an 
aisle seat about half way back on the floor with a wide leather guitar strap 
on his shoulder, chatting with one of my buddies, another high-schooler 
usher.  Turns out, it was Garcia, but without the beard, I had no idea it was 
him.  My friend said that he asked him if they would be playing Dark Star 
during the three night run, and Jerry had responded that Yeah, they would 
probably work it in one of the nights (as you mentioned, they did do a Dark 
Star Jam later that night).

The doors soon opened, and the hall was packed in no time.  Back then, it was 
impossible to score a ticket for Dead shows.  The Music Hall seats something 
like 5,000, and in the pre-Ticketron days, those tickets would go real fast, 
all by word of mouth (that's one of the main reasons that I was working as an 
usher!).   By the supposed 8 PM show time, the stage was nowhere near ready. 
 Everyone was treated to watching the crew at work, setting up the 
scaffolding, raising each speaker and getting it in place, wiring all the 
components, setting up the lights. Candace was working the lights from her 
own perch up in the front of the balcony, while the sound board was in its 
usual position halfway back on the floor.  With no sound check at all, the 
band (just five of them...Donna was home and pregnant) took the stage and at 
about 10 or 10:30 finally began the show with an amazing Morning Dew!!!  I 
worked the left lower balcony (Jerry's side of the stage then), and because 
the stage was extended, everyone in the balcony had to stand on the arms of 
their seats in order to see.  Those of us walking in the aisles had the 
experience of being in long, tall tunnels, and you couldn't see a thing, but 
the sound was phenomenal, and the whole place just rocked and rocked and 
rocked!

The first set began with a tug-of-war, with Garcia playing an intense slower 
tune followed by Weir trying to pick up the tempo. Then midway through, 
Garcia starts to pick it up with Don't Ease Me In to Weir's El Paso to They 
Love Each Other (the fast, 73 version) to Big River, to a great Loser and 
finally an amazing intense Playin In The Band.  High energy all the way 
through.

First set ended at about Midnight.  Second set probably started close to 1 
AM, but by that time who was keeping track?  They must have finished at about 
2:30 AM or so.  A far cry from the 4/7/71 show where Garcia announces at the 
end that they had to end it because of some curfew.

You already mentioned the second set (BTW, the beginning of the second set is 
on the end of the first tape). Thanks again to Seth for my copy of this show. 
 It was a long time coming, and when I got the tape a few months ago, it 
brought back all the memories, except that of the balcony bouncing up and 
down by several feet as all of us in attendance were rockin' out together big 
time.  It really thought they/we just might "tear this old building down!!!" 
I thought the place would just crumble to pieces under the energy.  And there 
were still two more nights to go!

I haven't heard a tape of the second night of the run (12/1) but 12/2 is a 
great show too, and ends the three night stand with a Morning Dew encore 
which, in my opinion, is absolutely the best (with the 11/30 opener a very 
close second).

You asked. ..

..Wrenn

Steve Wrenn
swrenn@ensr.com