Grateful Dead, "Ballad of a Thin Man" 3/27/1988, Hampton Coliseum Hampton, VA

The Grateful Dead perform "Ballad of a Thin Man" on 3/27/1988 at Hampton Coliseum
in Hampton, VA. Brought to you by Less Than Face Productions.

[@barrywilsonjr.1797]

My first time tripping on acid,my second show ever and then they come out w Ballad of a Thin Man. Life changed forever during this show. So What>Sugar Mag>Scarlet>Fire>Estimated>Eyes. Mind blown forever. I listen to the Grateful Dead every day. And I love every second of it.

[@Apodicticus]

MY first time on acid -- Fillmore West -- New Riders opened. Joshua Light Show opened it with a succession of animals copulating & the captions "Far out fucking" ... "Far Fucking OUT!" -- The dead opened with Truckin', and built up from there. Jerry was playing an ES-125 3/4 -- never saw one before. Thought it was a mini Les Paul with no cutaway. Decided right then that I HAD to have one.

[@ulpana]

@@Apodicticus Funny you should mention Joshua Light Show. They were mostly a Fillmore East creative phenomenon. However, the one west coast member, William Schwartzbach has in more recent decades been leaving his finely crafted wood-stump carved benches around what is left of the PoTown, Ore co-op and cafe scene while living in a trailer out back in SE. Hope to catch him stopping by for coffee and bagels at Spielman's on Division before noon. Last William showed me his own smart phone he's been made to wear along with barely any other possessions sides his cat in the trailer, he'd also done some glorious light-show design work for some Seattle wintry night shin-dig or other. As for carbon foot-prints, there's the artful, the existential and then all the rest of U.S. being exhaled by the consumers who've acquired and selfishly hoarded. Way of the woyld of woes and our place on the food chain of life. Apex predators can't, apparently, live on birdseed bagels and jalapeno cream cheese...................... Long before pandemic that realization kept me away from moving on to the lysergically inclined after yootful passage with able guide through psilocybin 'shrooms and clarity of pattern perceptions. Careful slipping through the doors. Only those with stamped tickets get in to the LIGHT SHOW! Mitch Ritter\Paradigm Sifters, Code Shifters, PsalmSong Chasers Lay-Low Studios, Ore-Wa (Refuge of A-Tone-ment Seekers) Media Discussion List\Looksee

[@rb6338]

Love the Dylan covers by Grateful Dead! The guitar of Jerry Garcia is so subtle, sweet and delicate! He magnifies every note of Dylan music! And the singing of Bob Weir is great too!

[@tiredcaballero]

Go on and tell it, Bobby. Hands down best version by any artist. And thank you, Dylan

[@augustwest5273]

One of my fav ballad of a thin man. Bobby’s accentuations and story telling is fantastic. I just love these lyrics.

[@Dloomis494]

Its hard to believe that its been almost 35 YEARS since this show. Its still a memory at the front of my mind. Best regards to everyone.

[@SnowTheJamMan]

Happy 80th to the master, Bob and the boys killed it here.

[@michaelsteding6872]

Mesmerizing. They were hypnotic.

[@rickstone8547]

.. absolutely a stellar performance, ..I always enjoyed Hampton Shows ✌️

[@veek.6463]

Fuck Bobby you nailed that absolutely a masterpiece performance- and on that guitar Dylan gave you. Brilliant Bobby

[@mcgannahanskyjellyfetti6854]

It's REALLY such a shame that the Dead only did two performances of this song...

[@godzillaguy]

damn Jerry killed that first solo

[@Knards]

Ah Gerry you were such a massive talent on the guitar. You are so sorely missed

[@mcgannahanskyjellyfetti1663]

Who's Gerry? Was he any good as Jerry?🤔

[@emechem]

@@mcgannahanskyjellyfetti1663 Gerry Rafferty? Baker Street? But it was a sax solo, not a guitar solo 😂

[@augustwest5273]

Dylan was born with 200 years of wisdom. The brilliant lyrics he writes can only come from understanding life pain people but yet the complexity and genius of lyrics written even at 18-21 , it’s what makes him one of the all time best. Bobby does this song justice. He accentuates certain words and tells the story in a great way and wow. “And he screams back , you’re a cow Gimme some milk, or else go home” or something like that. We were lucky to get more Dylan these years , she’s an artist (“she can take the dark out of the night time and paint the day time black”), desolation row (alpine 89) , Tom Thumb , simple twist , shall be released, on and on and on.

[@tiredcaballero]

damn your lucky to have seen Dylan and the Dead

[@mcgannahanskyjellyfetti6854]

He's GREAT songwriter and musician, but he's a HORRIBLE singer...

[@davidjacuk4286]

My 19th birthday show, the boys gift wrapped this night for me !

[@dixonedmunds9292]

I miss the dead deeply

[@jaygordon9921]

+Dixon Edmunds Everyday, for a moment or two, comes the Deja Vu'.

[@larrybeckham6652]

We all do. It's the Circle of Life. The mother of my children died on my last birthday and she suffered so (cancer).

[@DawnFrankHundley]

Awesome

[@rockstoria336]

Terrific!! Brent been Brent. Bob and Jerry amazing ❤

[@YosimetySam]

Awesome.

[@rubygreta1]

Bobby at his absolute best!

[@george.s.8491]

Go Bobby! With your no TelePrompTer! Hell of a memory!

[@johnnytoobad8330]

But he still can't nail a Truckin'.

[@george.s.8491]

@@johnnytoobad8330 hah hah right 😂

[@Bunbeck-pf9iw]

Never heard this before but only once maybe but not sure ? We can all make mistakes but I know now , Mr. Jones ! ❤️🐰🐇🌹

[@evolutionaryed]

An incredible moment in GD history. Hampton always brought out the best and Bobby nailing Thin Man in his first try is amazing. No telepromptors or cheat sheets. We were all impressed.

[@jakelevantmusic4975]

I love jerry's face beginning the 2nd verse, and that fiery solo Dmaj dia into a bm harmonic. Beautiful chroma! This song is about the crazy Hollywood parties everyone talks about like they were at one!? Lol Dylan obviously was expressing his feelings toward these events.

[@Anava33]

Amazing cover!!

[@simcha899]

Amazing!!! thanks for sharing

[@Dloomis494]

An all-time great show and this tune; well this tune in retrospect made the night.

[@markricca2559]

Happy 75th Birthday Zimmy!

[@TheWeis]

Bob Weir does a really good vocal on this imo

[@timlazar9030]

that guitar solo ain't bad either

[@Anacletusathonite16108]

Indubitably Weis

[@Anacletusathonite16108]

@@timlazar9030 Doubly indubitable

[@mikewilkinson4588]

This music burrows right into the dark recesses of my mind....makes me want to pick up a guitar and sit down and noodle and at the pianeer.......

[@joshuataylor3975]

Hmm... This show was when I "Got it". All my Deadhead friends were happy to have me at this show, me being mostly "a virgin" and all.... But I was the only one that knew this song was called "Ballad of the Thin Man" Something was happening, but I didn't know what it was.... ;-)

[@michaelkenna2024]

JoshuaTaylor 🌹⚡️🌹⚡️🌹⚡️🌹

[@karriemichelle3844]

Ohio

[@augustwest5273]

Dylan was born with 200 years of wisdom. The brilliant lyrics he writes can only come from understanding life pain people but yet the complexity and genius of lyrics written even at 18-21 , it’s what makes him one of the all time best. Bobby does this song justice. He accentuates certain words and tells the story in a great wow. “And he screams back , you’re a cow Gimme some milk, or else go home” or something like that. We were lucky to get more Dylan these years , she’s an artist , desolation row (alpine 89) , Tom Thumb , simple twist , shall be released, on and on and on.

[@LoloYodel]

Very nice ! and we're getting closer to 91 Hampton JGB...,,

[@LessThanFaceProductions1]

With special thanks to Marty Mendelbaum for his help at this show and during the entire East Coast Spring Tour.

[@tumbleweed9594]

Sweeeeet.

[@timlazar9030]

this is clearly the better Ballad of a Thin Man they did without Dylan, not sure why they chose the other version for Postcards of the Hanging

[@rickrose5069]

🗣Jerry’s solo 🙌🏻

[@Dloomis494]

Somebody pointed at my camera and said, "Its his."

[@johngriffin1798]

...and you said?

[@Dloomis494]

@@johngriffin1798 "Gimme some milk, or else go home."

[@mightylittle729]

first Bob Weir "Thin Man"

[@mcgannahanskyjellyfetti1663]

I think this was the ONLY one...

[@Bunbeck-pf9iw]

There might have been one other a long time ago ! ❤️🐰🐇🌹☠️💀⚡️🪽🕊️🌙👽🪐🛸🚀💥✨🌟all my love to u y’all ! ❤❤

[@knuteboy3778]

I wonder why this never stuck around in the Dylan first set slot. They played it well, but they only played it twice without Dylan.

[@randyrc53]

greeting's from Jackie Blue Country

[@Richvids48]

weirs live thin man,strong take on this bobby d classic.

[@larrybeckham6652]

I like this a lot but missing the rinky-tink piano.

[@pappypgh]

Who could give this a thumb's down?

[@colinbouton4394]

Manuel on organ?

[@shaneGonnaJones]

where were you?

[@christopherboyd9030]

In Hampton, I’m from their... in Cambrian ca at the moment!!!! Long live the Grateful Dead family

[@Rang76er]

Same song as Mickey Gilly’s Fool for Your Love.

[@apothecary0420]

I generally can't stand jam bands in general. This dark Dylan rendition makes me want to reevaluate that position.

[@garbobnewman920]

Jonathan Banks understatement of the decade

[@garbobnewman920]

Jonathan Banks they had more than a talent as an amazingly unique band, but they had a knack for covering songs. like the greatest cover band ever.

[@muckstar23]

grateful dead aren't a jam band...

[@johnlarson111]

@@muckstar23 they were the grandfathers of the jam bands.

[@barrywilsonjr.1797]

Christopher Vannote The Dead are too good and unique to throw them in the genre that they basically created. Chew on that for a minute.

[@TheBerndude]

"GIVE ME SOME MILK...OR ELSE GO HOME!!!"

[@Glenrsi]

Great cover,better than Dylan.

[@bckm54]

umm... no

[@timlazar2821]

Nobody sings Dylan like Dylan.

[@gregorysmith7862]

And yeah you can actually understand it ........(unlike Dylans version)

[@mcgannahanskyjellyfetti1663]

😎👍

[@larrybeckham6652]

Now, wait a minute. I like them they are together!

[@dharmabeachbum6330]

Who writes in all capital letters -- as if his opinion is more important than others? Who uses SIX question marks? And calling someone a moron here is gutless. Let me guess. You're in fourth grade? Mrwilson made a mistake. Human's make mistakes.

[@fatamorgana4318]

GIVE ME SOME MILK OR GO HOME!! 🤣🤙