This is my favorite New Years concert that I attended. I posted it five years ago but all the links are long since dead, so I felt it was a good one to bring back. And this is as complete a record of the show as you will find anywhere.
I left late at night on the 27th after my work shift and drove alone up to Oakland from Southern Cal. I went alone because some of my friends went ahead and some could only come for the New Years show. I went up without any tickets in hand and I arrived in Oakland very early on the morning of 28th and proceeded to total my car due to brake failure (poor maintenance on my part). I T-boned a Ford Pinto with my 74 Toyota Corolla several blocks away from the Oakland Auditorium. Luckily no one was hurt so left my car in a yellow zone and walk to the Auditorium. When I arrived the people who were cleaning up the Auditorium from the show the night before were coming out of the building. A nice guy named Ray Augustine that I had met through mutual friends came out and proceeded to give me a ticket for that nights show. Things started looking up. Soon I found my friends dog Althea and followed it to my friend Rob's tent in the park. We salvaged what we could from my car and then went to the show that night. I slept in a tent the rest of my stay in the park right in front of the Oakland Auditorium. And it rained and rained. The 29th was a day between shows and I went back to were my car was and it had not been towed. So I had it towed to a junk yard. The 30th I again was able to get a ticket and saw the show (great first set). On the 31st it was raining a lot and I had no tickets and had five friends who came up without tickets. I bought a ticket to the BART train and hung out in the station and found six tickets at face value from Dead Heads as they came off the trains. So I was in and my friends were too. We entered the building as early as we could to get out of the rain. The New Riders were an opening act and as I remember they had some other things to keep us entertained like jugglers and such. When you listen to the new riders show you will hear them state that it was still four hours until midnight. Joan Baez came out and did some solo acoustic tunes and then one by one the Grateful Dead joined her. First the drummers for a Arabic new years song and then Bob Weir on Acoustic guitar. When Jerry came out he picked up and acoustic guitar and started to strum it and nothing came out. He looked upset and proceeded to pick up his electric guitar. So the acoustic set did not appear to turn out as planned. Then there was a long set break and then the real show started with a fantastic first set full of treats like one of the first Big Boss Man's played since 1972, and special guest Matt Kelly on harmonica as well as another appearance of Joan Baez. As new years eave approached Ken Kesey came down on a cable from the ceiling and was hanging above the stage standing on a cable that went off horizontally into the rafters. he talked about the old days and lead the whole crowd in a mass hyperventilation, and then the countdown. At twelve Bill Graham wearing an skeleton mask and dressed as Uncle Sam rode a giant joint down to the stage and the band started their second electric set with Iko Iko. After this there was another set break and then band came out and played the first Dark Star since January of 1979 (and they would only play one more in he next eight years). The show ended with Jerry and Joan Baez singing All Over Baby Blue, and they told us to stick around for breakfast. I left the building as the sun was coming up and started the new years without a car and needing a ride home but still happy as ever. This was not the best performance ever. Sure there are flaws. But it was a great time and one I won't forget. The cover artwork I drew myself back in the day (an Arizona Jones original).
Grateful Dead (with opening acts)
Oakland Auditorium
Oakland, CA
12-31-1981
Soundboard
New Riders of the Purple Sage
01: Henry
02: Night For Making Love
03: The Way She Dances
04: Dirty Business
05: Full Moon At Midnight
06: Up Against The Wall Redneck
07: Minglewood Blues
08: Panama Red
09: Last Lonely Eagle
John Dawson - guitar
David Nelson - guitars
Buddy Cage - pedal steel
Allen Kemp - bass
Patrick Shanahan - drums
Total Time 48:51
Joan Baez Solo Set:
01 - Land Of A Thousand Dances
02 - Do Right Woman
03 - The Boxer
04 - Tunisian New Year Song
GD Acoustic Set (w/ Joan Baez):
05 - Me and Bobby McGee
06 - Bye Bye Love
07 - Lucifer's Eyes
08 - Children Of The 80's
09 - Banks Of The Ohio
Electric Set 1:
01 - Shakedown Street
02 - Me And My Uncle
03 - Mexicali Blues
04 - Cold Rain And Snow
05 - C C Rider*
06 - It Must Have Been The Roses**
07 - Beat It On Down The Line
08 - Big Boss Man*
09 - New Minglewood Blues*
10 - Don't Ease Me In
Electric Set 2:
01 - Ken Kesey Banter/Midnight Countdown
02 - Iko Iko
03 - Playing In The Band ->
04 - Terrapin Station ->
05 - Playing In The Band ->
06 - Drums
01 - Space ->
02 - The Other One ->
03 - Not Fade Away# ->
04 - Goin' Down The Road Feeling Bad# ->
05 - Morning Dew
Electric Set 3:
06 - Dark Star ->
07 - Bertha ->
08 - Good Lovin'
Encore:
09 - It's All Over Now, Baby Blue**
* with Matthew Kelly
** with Joan Baez
# with John Cipolina
All are Mp3/320k except Joan Baez and acoustic are mp3/vbr
