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Grateful DeadGrateful Dead Live at Ventura County Fairgrounds on 1983-07-30 (July 30, 1983)

Collection: : GratefulDead
Band/Artist: Grateful Dead
Date: July 30, 1983 (check for other copies)
Venue: Ventura County Fairgrounds
Location: Ventura, CA

Source: ACM>DAT>CDR
Keywords: Live concert

Description

China Cat Sunflower-> I Know You Rider, It's All Over Now, Brown Eyed Women, My Brother Esau, Big Railroad Blues, Cassidy, Loser, The Music Never Stopped Sugaree, Playin' In The Band-> China Doll-> Drums-> Truckin'-> Black Peter-> Sugar Magnoli

Individual Files

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Reviewer: Grateful Jerry - - December 18, 2008
Subject: This space is getting hot
As far as the show itself, it's not all that bad at all. It was hot even by Southern California standards. I ended up with heat stroke after this weekend so my personal memories have more to do with that. There was also a hot wind blowing which was throwing dirt and dust everywhere and as a result, you'll hear alot of wind noise in this show. I actually like the first set quite well and the second set isn't as bad as some have said at least to these ears. If a board tape shows up, without all the wind noise, this show would get higher ratings. As it is, the taper did the best he could do under the circumstances.

Reviewer: Mark Scalise - - November 11, 2008
Subject: No Satisfaction
With all due respect to the previous reviewer, this show did NOT feature a 2nd encore of Satisfaction. Perhaps the reviewer is confusing it with the Chula Vista '85 show.

That being said, this is a smokin' little show. Not as lengthy as some others from the era, but great playing start to finish, espeicially in light of the month-long layoff before this date. Jerry tears it up on Music Never Stopped, and the Playin' jam hits the slipstream nicely. Love Jerry's vocal flub at the apex of China Doll, where he's singing at half time, and then the band has to catch up on the "just a little nervous" part. My first show, and a real good time.

Reviewer: Reines - - September 22, 2007
Subject: Disappointing 20+ yrs later
This summer I had moved to LA from the east and made the seemingly unending trip to Ventura with tix for this and the following day. It took an hour longer than I anticipated to arrive, parking was distant and in a dust bowl, and the venue was a blowing swirl of dirt. Jerry was a total disappointment and the sound couldnt have been worse. I remember a biplane flying behind the stage as a nice visual during the day but otherwise completely forgettable. I gave away the following days ticket and swore off the Dead for years before returning to the scene. Sorry to report this having seen hundreds of shows. I only bring this up since I have reason to go to Ventura in the near future and the memories started flooding. Long live Jer.

Reviewer: majordomo - - September 6, 2007
Subject: listen fatigue
certainly don't think this is the worst i ever heard. china doll timing IS badly off. recording is just tinny and fatiguing to listen to and china/rider is punchless. not really worth dl.

Reviewer: Gern Blanston - - July 30, 2007
Subject: Yeah Ventura!
It was an adventure for sure. Was tehre from 82 until they couldn't pull it off anymore (89?). A must for West coast heads, usually the end of a swing. Yeah, a freaking windy dustbowl, but as the other poster said palm trees and a train on cue. I still have the surfing eyeball tee shirt!

I liked the Sugaree 2nd set opener and remember the Big Railroad Blues with a train in the background. Early years in my time seeing the Dead, still amazed at the mass of happy hippies.

Gonna give it a four.

Reviewer: UncleJohn1962 - - October 16, 2005
Subject: Location Location Location!
My second Ventura show. I was in a bit of a blur - I would not be one to comment on Garcias performance - to be honest - I didn't care - IHMO Garcia is always good, and I am always happy to see him - it's just a question of how good he is - sometimes he is less good other times. I do remember China Cat. Daytime setting by the beach in Ventura really made it. Dusty and windy - wind affected the live playback as well as the recorded tapes - as it did at the first Ventura show I went to on 7-18-82.


I had just started my first summer intern job, and my job was in Sunnyvale (some 400 miles away), and the show was on Sunday.
This was my introduction to "you've got to work for a living and try to be a dead head at the same time" Whew! I still haven't gotten over it. I lived on the third floor of an apartment building, and my best buddy mike (died 1984 bless his soul), was walking up between the second and third floor and dropped a beer bottle in the middle of the courtyard, and it went from dead silent to echoing breaking glass at 3AM. He dropped me off at work the next morning and I had brought a Techincs 1506 half track reel-to-reel with me from LA but didn't take into the apartment the night before (thank god it didn't see the same fate as the coors bottle!) So I showed up at work with this reel-to-reel (and those mofo's weigh a lot!), and everybody gave me a strange look - plus I was hungover, lack of sleep, etc. What an adventure!

Reviewer: early 80's meltdown - - May 20, 2005
Subject: Buddy face it ...
It was the summer of 83 and Jerry was in a herion trance. Staring down at the ground not much movement,stringy greesy hair, grey in the face,flubing the words, played too fast or slow (tempo off). In my opinion though I've been a real fan of the 83-84 sound by Jerry lots of wicked solos and jaming and sometimes some brillant singing from the heart like the 10-12-84
and plenty of other stuff and on the flip lots of uninspired cocaine enduced singing-hurry up and get through it at lightning speeds.

Reviewer: robr0001 - - April 23, 2005
Subject: THIS SHOW
YES, EVERYONE SAYS THESE SHOWS SUCKED DUE TO JERRY'S ADDICTION. WHILE IT WOULD BE EASY TO FORM THAT OPINION IF YOU LISTEN TO DAVID GANS ACCOUNT OF THIS WEEKEND, OR GIVE AN UNINFORMED REVIEW BASED ON THE "SHOW ON TAPE"

I REMEMBER IT VIVIDLY AS I WAS THERE. IT SO SO FUCKING HOT I MEAN HOT! DID I SAY IT WAS HOT. YEA, REALLY HOT AND WINDY. REALLY FUCKING WINDY. OHH, I ALMOST FORGOT, THE DUST, SO FRIGGIN HOT,WINDY AND DUSTY THEY SHOULD HAVE CANCELED.

I MEAN IT.
IT WAS AN AWFUL VENUE. A RACE TRACK. A DIRT RACE TRACK. I HAVE ALWAYS HAD A PROBLEM WITH DAVID'S ACCOUNT OF THIS SHOW "WORST EVER", "TURNING POINT", ETC, BECAUSE HE WAS NEITHER ON STAGE OR IN THE AUDIANCE. HE SPENT MOST OF HIS TIME BACKSTAGE DRINKING FOR FREE OR IN AN AIR CONDITIONED TRAILER. I REMEMBER BOB HAVING TO STOP MID SONG AND WIPE HIMSELF DOWN HE WAS SWEATING SO MUCH. I REMEMBER BILLY GETTING SAND IN HIS EYE'S AND HAVING TO STOP AS WELL. HARD TO GIVE A GOOD PREFORMANCE IN THOSE CONDITIONS. THE HEAT,WIND, AND DUST WERE ABSOLUTLEY RIDICULOUS.
I HAVE GEN 0 TAPE'S OF THE ENTIRE WEEKEND THAT I MADE MYSELF AND THEY ARE INAUDIBLE DUE TO THE WIND. ANOTHER IN THE LONG LIST OF HAD TO BE THERE TO UNDERSTAND SHOWS. DONT BLAME IT ALL ON JERRY'S PROBLEM.

Reviewer: Joby - - July 12, 2004
Subject: Grateful Graces
Among the many wonders that occured at these fabulous fairgrounds on Ventura Beach (-- to include: dirt in the teeth of all the illegal smilers dancing on the dusty rodeo floor; and, what must have been among the hairiest mass-skinny-dipping sessions known to Western man in the ocean at sunset after the shows --) was the following slipscape we all witnessed on this beautiful, 78-degree sunny day, during "I Know You Rider": the Band, with a consistently strong breeze blowing back their hair (and greatly marring the sound quality of these recordings), behind whom arched palm trees framing a passing Northbound train on the hillside a few hundred yards back of stage, its headlamp lit, perfectly on cue.

Reviewer: BenKarm - - June 23, 2004
Subject: That China Doll
As Jerry gets heavy into his first real junkie phase, these shows become a dissapointment especially after such great shows and great fun last year at this same beach spot. The China Doll should preserved for after playing the entire song at too fast of a beat, Jerry belts out at less then 1/2 tempoe the "take up you china doll line" that nearly stops the song and stuns the rest of the band, the song, ungracefully, goes back to an even quicker tempo. Definitely interesting. Good Black Peter and it was funny when Bobby forgot the works to Music Never Stopped but otherwise there were very few highlights for the rest of the show.

Reviewer: Steinbergerman - - June 23, 2004
Subject: Fun in the sun!
My first show, so I may be biased, but this one is great fun from start to finish. The rare China>Rider opener shows the band to be in a good mood, and every song crackles with energy. Although the second set looks brief, it was a smoker. Jerry's screw-up on China Doll was hilarious!

Reviewer: Seperation of Dead and State - - June 22, 2004
Subject: Junkie Fun....
The previous reviewer is scathing in his remarks of a fine, fine show. China>Rider to open the show! Sick Brown-Eyed and Music closer....second set is lucid and emotional (note the opening Sugareee). Also the recording is spectacular on a breezy day in SoCal...Im bumpin up this rating.

Notes

ACM>DAT>CDR; via Paul B; Seeded to etree by Ernie Dodd