The SetList Program allows you to search through the Grateful Dead's setlists for shows between 1965 and 1995. It also allows users to comment-on and share their experiences for each show. Find a show you've attended, and leave some comments for other users!

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1 Show Found

12/31/81
Oakland Auditorium Arena - Oakland, CA

Set 1:
Me And Bobby McGee
Bye Bye Love
Lucifer's Eyes
Children Of The Eighties
Banks Of Ohio

Set 2:
Shakedown Street
Me And My Uncle
Mexicali Blues
Cold Rain And Snow
C.C. Rider
It Must Have Been The Roses
Beat It On Down The Line
Big Boss Man
New Minglewood Blues
Don't Ease Me In

Set 3:
Iko Iko
Playin' In The Band
Terrapin Station
Playin' In The Band
Drums
The Other One
Not Fade Away
Goin' Down The Road Feeling Bad
Morning Dew

Encore:
Dark Star
Bertha
Good Lovin'
Baby Blue

Download/Listen to this Show at Archive.org

Comments:

Where did the songs from 12-12-81 &12-31-81 come from, some of them are so obscure that they were only played at these shows cf. Children of the Eighties and Lucifer's Child and Lady Di!
Thanks
- Joey P.
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The reason for that is because they are Joan Baez songs. The were only played at these two shows because Joan sat in on these two nights.
-


I WENT TO THAT SHOW (ALL 5 THAT WEEK)
I REMEMBER SOME ONE ELSE PLAYING ON STAGE TO WAS SHE SEEING MICKEY AT THAT TIME ?
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A new version of this show released on GDLIVE in Jan 02. Excellent audio quality and the band is vibrant! Highly recommended.
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best show ever anyone?
-Anonymous


i agree, maybe best show ever
-sid


The version of this show I got off of Further is amazing quality! Perhaps even better than what Dick put out. There is also no Go To Heaven or other '80's material...Mydland doesn't use as much of his crazy keyboard, and his style almost resemble's more Pigpen's than Godchaux's.
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who played harp on BBMan?
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One of the BEST 'SHAKEDOWN'S' ever!!
-Anonymous


It's difficult to say one show is the "Best". However, this show is absolutely highly rated! First set is different but well played. The second set catches on fire and doesn't stop, starting with a 15 minute long, 'best of category' Shakedown Street; Cold, Rain & Snow; Minglewood, and the lists goes on and on. Third set, A cool Iko Iko, a well played Playin'-> Terrapin-> Playin', finishing with Morning Dew. Encore - Dark Star, Bertha, Good Lovin', Baby Blue....need I say more! Stop reading, find a copy and immediately listen. You will not be disappointed.
-Chad


Wow. Just got a copy from archive.com and this show is really good. Jerry plays the shit out of everything tonight and the band is sooo on it is sick. Sound of the download is very good. Who's on the harp??? (CC and BBM) it sounds real good.The 3rd set really catches fire and the encore will steal your face.Go get the kick-ass show and it will be the second best new years eve show.(first being 12-31-78 Winterland). Enjoy:^))
-Ga-DeadHead


as best as i can recall, harp was mathew kelly.

this was one of those klassic bill graham new years shows...doors opened at six, volleyball, karamozov circus, new riders maybe or dinasaurs (kinda foggy), acoustic dead, electric set at 10, iko at midnight, w/ graham riding a giant spliff from the ceiling throwing roses into the crowd, the syf balloons filled with nitrous falling from the ceiling, cipolina on not fade & gdtrfb, dark star at 2:30, breakfast at dawn,didn't clear the auditorium until 8am, and then out into the park with the campers and vendors..... a smokin show to end a blazing week.

bill really knew how to throw a new years party.
-trip or tweek


Dark Star Encore!!!
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By this NYE shindig I had about 60 or so shows under my belt and didn't think I was ever gonna get a Dark Star. Great way to end the week for sure. The Eleven on the 26th and a killer Eyes on the 28th. I think I slept for three days straight once I got home.
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To me, one of the top 3 shows of all time. I think it was one of the last true old venue New Years. The Shakedown to start was fantastic and with Matthew Kelly stepping in for Big Boss Man, you knew you were getting special stuff.

Morning Dew to end the set (always my favorite way for the song) and Dark Star to open up the 3rd (back to back). Unbelieveable. At that point my trek for the perfect wave was realized.

And to top it off, a fresh Avacado, Sprouts, and cheese sandwich w/OJ as I walked out. Heaven.....

I don't understand why this show is not talked about more, rated higher and a Dick's Picks. Maybe you had to be there. SO GLAD I WAS
- (11/28/2007)


Yet another show played on Sirius "complete and uncut", missing not just a few songs but THE WHOLE FUCKIN ACOUSTIC SET!!!!!...They even went so far as to call the 2nd set, the 1st set. Fuck them
-Anonymous (12/31/2007)


Bobby McGee-last out of 118 performances. Truly end of the Deads 70's era.
-Brianmerrilyn (02/01/2008)


indeed and amazing shakedown...and amazing show
-steve (08/22/2008)


Jerry married m.g. After 1st set married me a wife she been trouble all my life never trust a prankster
-Stagger lee (07/16/2009)


No stone left unturned in this one. Yes indeed Mr. Graham could throw a New Year's Eve party!!! Wow!!! First of 6 Dark Stars for the decade of the 80s.
-AC Dead Head (08/28/2009)


I'm 99% sure the dude in the white suit who came down from the ceiling at midnight was Ken Kesey (writer of 2 of the 10 best American novels), not Bill Graham (promoter of 500 of the 1000 best American rock shows). At first I thought he was BG, but then I noticed the bald head. He got us all to hyperventilate ("this is what we used to do in the old days"). Unfortunately, I did it wrong. My friend said "I thought I'd died". I was also clueless about the balloons being NO, that would have been fun. No complaints, though: my best or 2nd best show ever (other contender is Mardi Gras with Ornette Coleman in Oakland in '92).
- (10/31/2010)


rok da kasbah
-filibuster (01/05/2012)


to the anonymous person annoyed at Sirius- they can't always get clearance to broadcast guest performances, there are plenty of good downloads available. enjoy what u can when u can.
nothing left to do but :-) :-) :-)
- (12/31/2012)


The last great dead show........
-80-s heads (11/04/2013)


Yes! Ken Kesey got us all hyperventilating, breathing in unison.That's a good way to get the energy together. So much was in tune, vibrationally that night. Okay, maybe not Children of the 80's ha ha! Everything after that…were we really all that high that together? Was this the night we danced a hole in the floor? The joint was certainly rocking'…sweetly. I'd toured lightly in '79 and '80 then heavy in '81. When they ripped The Dew I felt it was the best show ever. The 3rd set (called "encore" here) was just icing on the cake. I remember the doors were wide open and you could walk in and out freely. Yeah, the scene was small enough then. And so beautiful.
- (07/11/2014)


Big Boss Man: "I want a little drink of water, you won't let Jerry stop"
-Just Exactly Perfect Band (02/18/2015)


Matt Kelly on the harp
- (09/27/2016)


I'm listening to Dew on GD Radio now and it is an amazing performance. The entire band is in perfect synch as Garcia sings and plays like no one else can. Brent fills in beautifully while the others supply the rhythm base that Garcia rides to end the set.

Moments like these are what makes this band so great.

Oh, and a Dark Star to open the next set after Dew. EFFing Awesome!
- (01/01/2017)


My first show (of ~240 GD shows), it created some pretty unrealistic expectations for me, at least until I got enough shows under my belt to appreciate what a very special night this was! ;-) ;-) ;-)
- (08/31/2017)


It was a magical night all around. The show didn't end until around 4? and all of us tripster's were exhausted and dehydrated. I left with pockets full of stories and memories :) It was either BG or KK who "flew" down over the crowd to the stage in the USS Columbian. KK then led the crowd in a "shortened" version of the Gong Bong. Quite the blast!

- (02/06/2019)


Joan Baez was her beautiful self, sitting in some first set, then the finale of the four song encore, she put the cherry on baby blue to end the show. My first New Years show and one of the best ever. Ken and wavey at halftime. Only mishap, jerry broke a string during first acoustic song he wasn’t happy lol. Thanks to the guy at the door who asked, “how many you want and where do you want em?”
- (07/12/2020)


... thank you Sirius for sharing the 12/31/1981 Oakland, CA show with us today for the 9:00 PM Hour ...

iko iko forever & a day …
tyedyetom

- (12/29/2020)


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Band Configuration
(04/16/79 - 07/23/90)

Lead Guitar: Jerry Garcia
Rhythm Guitar: Bob Weir
Bass: Phil Lesh
Keyboards: Brent Mydland
Drums: Bill Kreutzmann
Drums: Mickey Hart

Note: Band configuration is across specified time period. Configuration for particular show may have differed.

The SetList Program is Copyright © 1996-2024 Madhu Lundquist. Band configurations compliments of .
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