Today’s Blimp Time-Hop

31 years ago, Dead Heads set up camp in the parking lot on Spring Street for the last time. 

On March 27 and 28 in 1986, The Grateful Dead played to sold-out shows at the Civic Center in Portland. These dates are extra special for me because they were my first of 30 shows with Jerry and Company. I was in broadcasting school at the time with my best friend, Bryan Tarbox. He already had a few shows under his belt and insisted that we join the circus for a couple days. The memory of the parking lot (guarded by that cool dragon) is stronger for me than the actual shows, because we ended up spending more time there than we’d planned on. You see, another buddy of ours said we could crash at his groovy little hippie pad. We went to stay there after the first show, hung out for a little bit then all of a sudden the dude says, “Alright, you guys gotta go.” Wait, what? Okay dude, whatever. So we hopped in my El Camino and headed back to the Dead Head parking lot for the night. Sleep? Yeah, no. These were my people. “Nothin’ left to do but smile, smile, smile.”

Here’s are the set-lists to remind you and I what they played at those last Dead shows at the CCCC in Portland.