The Grateful Dead/Cal Expo/May 3, 1986

 
Probably no other band defined the Cal Expo Amphitheater years better than The Grateful Dead. The Dead played 25 shows there between 1983 and 1994, and just about all of them were two or three shows over a May or August weekend that transformed the entire area surrounding the fairgrounds into Dead Nation. The neighbors didn’t much like Deadheads camping on their front lawns, but it was quite a scene. I went to this show with some college friends who were true Deadheads in the 70s, and they provided the technical expertise I needed to do this review.