Blimp Time-Hop: Portland Gets Sneak Peak Of ‘In The Dark’ In ’82

37 years ago this weekend, the good ol’ Grateful Dead returned to Blimpville for their 3rd of 8 sold-out shows at the Civic Center from 1979 to 1986.

The Dead had recently released two live double albums. One was an acoustic record called Reckoning, the other was the plugged in Dead Set.

The circus of devotion was back in town on Friday September 17, 1982.

That big parking lot next to the building formerly known as Brian Boru, was of course transformed into a hippie village called 'Shakedown Street'.

This was the downtown shopping area where Deadheads could buy, sell,,trade and tailgate with each other before heading into the CCCC for the show.

Do you remember that crazy dragon creature sculpture that loomed over the lot behind Montana Burgers too or was that a hallucination?

Here's the Dead's setlist from that night. You'll also notice a couple of other 'new' songs that would eventually be recorded in the studio and released on 1987's In The Dark,  West L.A. Fadeaway and Throwing Stones.

It's very cool that Portland Deadheads got to hear the classic, Touch of Grey almost 5 years before it was recorded.

The tempo was pepped up and they started the second set with that night. You can listen to the Portland recording below.

When Touch of Grey was the lead single from 1987's In The Dark. It went on to be their 1st and only Top 40 hit, going all the way to #9.

If you love that backstage pass above from this historic night, you can get it here.