Got pulled over by a Massachusetts State Trooper on my way to the show with 3 passengers that, like me, were wearing tie died shirts and jeans...

The very large, stacked, ripped, whatever you want to call this mountain comes up to my window and says, "good evening gentlemen, you guys headed to the concert"?

I say yes and immediately admit that I was speeding because we got a late start.

He looks us over and heads back to his cruiser as my friends and I sit anxiously in stiff silence...then he returns with the same intimidating presence and says...

"Well, I'm giving you a ticket for speeding, you were correct...there's no excuse. You guys have fun tonight and be careful...don't drive home if you're not able, I'll be here all night and I don't want to see you later...Good Night"

It was a great night and a great show...but it cost me an extra $100.00.

I knew nothing about the Dead when I was brought to this show by a good friend, I was a senior in high school shy of my 18th birthday. The only songs I knew were Gimme Some Lovin' and Good Lovin', and thus began my lifelong love affair with this music.
Cold Rain could have been louder but this was the first night of three in Worcester. Worcester is nicknamed "wormtown" by the locals. I guess its because its a dirty city, I'm from Boston, for that reason I still get a kick out of Bobby singing "its T right here in Worcester..." Duprees (a rare one) was long and fun, by this point in the show all worries about Jerry's overall (post coma) health were gone. Brent threw in an exceptional Far From Me that was extremely well received by this enthusiastic crowd. Me and My Uncle>Mexicali came next, I particularly love Garcia's playing during Me and My Uncle. At this point the band was really feeling great, you can feel it in the music. Push Comes to Shove mellowed us out for a few minutes then BANG! BIODTL. Next was a really beautiful Bird Song, Jerry was having fun with the singing audience, with a deliberate pause before the first "Snow and Rain." Song came complete with bird chirping sounds (really). Music Never Stopped, forget about it. the set was exceptional.
The Scarlet to open the second set seemed like the boys were being deliberately slow and methodical, smoke em if ya got em. Fire is the same way, kinda like putting on your favorite old pair of pajamas, comfortable and relaxing. Then came an upbeat L.L.Rain with Garcia whipping lighning bolts around, paced much quicker than most versions I remember, lyrically Weir sounds like a total pro. Then a quick and sweaty Eyes takes us to drums. I remember sitting down during drums, stoned out my mind. I did no drugs at this show, my contact high was that good. Besides at 17 I had no tolerance to speak of. I guess I was second-hand stoned.
I don't know how to review drums and space other than saying drum duet followed by the rest of the band making strange noises. (Smoke more if ya got more.)
Phil got lyrically involved with Gimme Lovin', if you listen closely you can tell he was really having a great time. Then came Wheel, which usually came before Gimme Lovin', but not on this night. I've never been a huge fan of audience tapes. I'm a soundboard guy, but I must admit I really like hearing the crowd singing along with The Wheel, everyone in the building is having a blast, great stuff. Break out the feety pajamas again for Black Peter. This song took on a new meaning for deadheads after Jerry's coma, (just wanna have a little peace to die, and a friend or two I love at hand)I was brand new to the scene and I felt it that night. The feeling was one of genuine concern and it was palpable. Nonetheless Black Peter is superbly perfomed by all members of the band. Seriously, give this one a listen, its really a killer version! Then its off with the PJs and throw on your dancing shoes, since Jerry took two in a row, Bobby ended with two show stoppers, Around and Around and Good Lovin'.
The boys had to be tired by then, So we got a Black Muddy Encore. I always loved that friggin' song, I must admit I was kinda heartbroken when they stopped playing it. All in all 21 songs, and another head with a sticker on my back bumper that read, "Who are the Grateful Dead and why do they keep following me?" Later that year I went to California for New Years, it was the first time I mail ordered, as luck would have it, I got 'em. Thanks Rosie! I'm still lovin' and listenin', this show truly altered my existence.

Nix my earlier review; after further listening, this tape proves to be the best one currently available of this show. And what a show! There were quite a few awesome shows played around this time, so this is likely to be overshadowed. But you have to hear the post-drums sequence.

I think the Spring Tour of '87 had the energy only matched in '71-'72. People always talk about '89, or the latter '70s, which were great as well, but I think people forget about these Springtime '87 gems. I saw all three of these Centrum shows, and they were smokin'. Not quite as good as the Spectrum shows right before these, but they were still amazing. The "super" highlights were Scarlet/Fire on night one, and Morning Dew on night three. But every song the played was a highlight at these shows really. The GSL/Wheel and the GL closer on night one were probably the best all-time versions of those tunes. The Bird Song/MNS was stellar on the same night were top-notch. The OMSN on night three shook the place so much I thought that POS venue was going to collapse. Up until '95 I was hoping to see the energy of the '87 Spring Tour return, but it never did.

This was the beginning of following and touring with the Grateful Dead. An older friend of mine had introduced and got me hooked on the boys in 1984. I didn't get to my first show till 1987, but I ended up seeing 125+ shows from 87-94. Anyhow this show was one hell of a way to see the band live. I was stoked with the cold rain and snow opener, but the set II of this show was out of this world. I will never forget my first show, but listening to the second set even now it still brings me to wild places in my mind....

Nice show overall, would love to have been there. I was at 7-6-87 show w/Nevilles in Pitt--- check that one out for balls to the walls energy 2nd set. I think Jerr needed a blood transfusion after that one.

Don't recall much about my first but this one is forever etched in my DNA. Great scene outside and in, despite the usual Worcester authoritarian oppression. If you get just one show from 87 this should be on the top of your list. Have fun....

Drove with my friend Jeff with no tickets..we found a scalper in one of the parking lots with 2 tickets..My friend Jeff could talk anyone into anything..guy wanted 80 for 2...Jeff told him we had never been to a show and had to get in and we only had like 40 bucks. we had been to over 20-30 shows each by that point...guy felt sorry for us and gave us the tickets for 40. This show really cooks..we were sitting in the back of the stage...I remember jerry kicking a ballon during the scarlet>fire and the whole place going nuts...i do remember big speakers in the hallways and the nice good lovin...get this one it's great...

Top 5 shows of 87 without a doubt! This has to be one of the best Scarlet>Fire's in existence? Really the whole show cooks from start to finish.
Top 10 in 87> 9/18,6/30,12/27,3/30,4/2,3/27,6/26,8/11,4/6,11/14

I beleive this recording catches the spirit of the show. I have had great luck with worcester shows. My first and only Scarlet-Fire in 33 shows. To me it rocks and Phil and Jerry were clicking. Love Micky's cow bell. Who can argue with this version of Music never stops. Black Peter is great and if Jerry's final line doesn't get your dead bumps goosing I don't know what will. The third night has my on and only One More Saturday Night.

great show and nice source but that town ain't got no heart. i recall a cold, endless rain compounded by rude heat arresting nearly half the audience for hooking down beers. uptight staff @ the hotel also harshed my mellow. think the band turned 18 different colors during scarlet begonias alone. plus side--smallish venue.

This was my first show! I remember seeing the alphabet in the audience as heads flowed into the Centrum. Must have been those wacky t.v. screens that were floating around the place that night. Definately the finest moment of my life!

1st Set: Brrrrr... "Cold Rain" resonates with spiteful feeling. "Minglewood" grooves, Mydland's active with his Hammond but we're still awaiting Jerry's guitar to shine its omnipotent light. "Stagger" nicely conveys the yearning for that 'sweet jelly roll' but musically, just standard. "Far From Me" is fine, a tad sloppy drunk, which actually helps. "Uncle"'s got a keen skiffle beat goin'..."Mexicali"'s a tad mellow and lazy for my tastes tho Jerry's guitar is nicely linear. "Push" continues the 'blahland' streak. Well, the middle slightly soars cause I'm imagining swaying with a pretty lass. "BIODTL" features nice tinkering Hart percussive work. "Bird Song" works well considering the delicate tone of the music so far, but those orinthological sounds are cheesy. The show fierily comes alive during the jammy mid-section. "Music" is decent but epitomized the slightly slagging energy that repped this set.

2nd Set: "Scarlet" is a step in a positive direction. Again, it's professional playing; however, it's not exactly burnin the rubber off my shoes. However, "Fire" is exceptionally well played; it's not bristling with 'fire,' although it's quite fluid. "LLR" is fine, but it's "Eyes" that this show was thematically made for. It's well-played but a bit feathery and 'take it or leave it' for my tates. "Drums" passes without mention, @ 4:15 of "Space" it sounds eerily similiar to the segue music Smolin uses on "The Music Never Stopped." (LA Radio Dead Show)"Gimme" opens like a beautiful dawning. The version's fine, segues right into the birth of "The Wheel." Solid version, that strolls into good ol "Black Peter." Standard version leads to a delightful "Around" punctuated by Brent's pokeyness. "Good Lovin" is a good-natured Bobby cheesefest.
An especially poignant, wizened (for some reason, it hit me) "Black Muddy" closes this opening night @ the Centurm.

This audience tape is why some folks like audiences better than soundboards. The show is excellent, although the Eyes is mighty short (but fast). Excellent R&R> Good Lovin

Yes, 87 is oft-neglected for the brevity of the jams and the blase setlists (the 9-18-87 Dew excepted, of course), but the energy at these show (particularly these spring shows, which was Jerry's welcome back for the East Coast) was just awesome. This is personally my favorite show of all time, despite the confusion engendered by a little too much Dupree's in the first set ;-). I've turned many a non-Head on with the tape of the Set 2.

The Centrum is in such a hole, and of course my ride that evening was impounded, but what a night! This very very nice AUD (much better than the FM AUD that I ran into the ground over the last 17 years--has it really been that long?!?) makes abundantly clear the level of the crowd energy, particularly in set 2, where it starts from the first strains of Scarlet and doesn't really let up. It was just a wonderful first night of a wonderful run of shows.

Was this the night Walton showed up on-stage?

I was working at a laundromat in high school and some cat saw my dead t-shirt and asked if I had any bootlegs. I responded no, I don't, but I hope to get some soon. He then ran back to his Isuzu Trooper (Iron Maiden \m/ (><) \m/) and produced a tape of the second set of this show. I still love listening to this tape. It's a wonderful AUD and you really feel like you are there.

Scarlet is powerful and the clap along on Fire, as well as one of the solo's, is wonderful. I'm happy for LL Rain, and I'm sure that LL Rain is happy that I'm happy for it. Eyes is fast and has wonderful beat, and it flows into drumz nicely. This is one of the only drums that I'll listen to. (OMG!! You don't listen to drumz every time!!!! it's ok, lay off the molley)

Post drums has a Black Peter thats decent, but the best part for me is the Bobby Doubler.(Bob fans are people too) Around > Good <3'n. Bobby really gets yelpin during these two. Definately worth a listen.