Flew up from southeast Florida for the last Nassau show and remained on tour through Providence. This was during my peak touring years. Drove to California that summer later than expected after the Cal Expo shows were cancelled. That's another story entirely.
It was during this time that shows were pure Grateful Dead. That means it was absolutely hit or miss.
When Jerry forgot the lyrics, I caution to say he made up for it through his playing and his voice.
There were nights when Phil would just be on fire. That always inspired memorable playing from the entire band.
Some nights we called them The Phil Lesh Band.
I saw them at CCCC '83,'85' & 86".
All Maine shows were great.

Loved shows in Maine, my first was the Portland 1982 meltdown which I’ll never forget, including staying afterwards at my friend Tom’s Down East cabin hanging on the edge of Casco Bay - priceless! There was also Augusta and a gym at U Maine Orono. Every show I saw in Maine they brought the heat, and these 1985 Portland CCCC shows were no exception. THIS show is extra smoking, and the sound quality is superb. I agree with posters below that the best AUDs (like this one) trump the best SBDs. BTW, maybe not the best China a Doll ever, but not the worst by any means. And the Jerry drum jam is truly unique. Happy 35th Anniversary!!!

maine always brought out the best, and here, too, once again. very nice first set candyman and loser, w/ jerry really getting into it. cc rider and biodtl also excellent.

second set grabs you and doesn't let go starting at he's gone, with a cool drums/space... they kinda careen into playin' and day tripper takes everyone by surprise, erupting w/ applause... and the recording quality puts you right down on the floor... beautifully done.

easy 5 star and another killer maine show.

Folks, I typed a review of this how earlier but on a different post where I was the first person to review the show. Then I found this posting. I won't retype my post but you folks hit on all the key aspects:
- just overall great vibe and my top 5 places to see the Dead
- Garcia not leaving the stage when they went into drums and stayed on stage for the entire 2nd set except for a brief time
- Day Tripper! Sure, a little sloppy but the place blew up when they hit those first notes. People freaked! It was great!
- One of the best He's Gone ever. This was one of the first time's when Garcia sang along to the notes as they went into the jam. First time I saw it but not the last but possibly the best.
- Didn't notice any issues with China Doll. Loved it.
- I love Miracle as a song but never quite sure the best place for it. This was a fine place for it since it was sandwhiched between greatness and was a rocking good time
- Don't forget 1st set - it was perfect!
- The drums and clapping - never seen anything like it before or after. Mind blowing drums/space
- The Wheel. Fucking great.
- The whole show was a special night in a very unique way

a previous person mentions the China Doll and it being almost a train wreck, it is because a drummer (probably Mickey) RUINS the song by playing it all wrong. WTF Hart. Play the song right! That is why Jerry probably stayed on into drums after the song to overshadow Mickey and his phony ass fake white boy voodoo. BAM

Garcia was hit or miss during these times. How often he would set Tiger down in a split second to leave as soon as the drum segent started. Here he sticks around to jam with the drummers and then comes back to direct the "Wheel space." While not perhaps the most blistering jamming of his career, it is good to see an engaged Jerry instead of another "mailing it in" effort. It does seem that in a lot of 85 he was trying to keep his playing at a high level.

so i am downloading some shows and reading reviews. I start reading farfrom83 's reviews on other shows andit seems really familiar.. and sure enough it is my friend from groton ct... brian this is cooker... was shakin..? email me at cookmj@boulder.net if you get this somehow.. keep on keeping on... oh and this show smoked..

This is another really good show from March of '85. Sure, there are some rough moments but overall this show is well played with an excellent setlist.

Things start off nicely with a great version of Music Never Stopped, featuring and extended jam. What a way to start the show! This is followed by a beautiful rendition of Candyman. Jerry sounds really good and growls out some of the lyrics. Bobby, however, is the star of this set. C.C. Rider, BIODTL and All Over Now are all excellently played an sung with passion. The Dupree's is a bit of a clunker with rough vocals but is always a nice surprise when played. The Don't Ease ends the set on a high note.

Set two of this show is very solid with almost every song being a highlight. The lone exception is a brutal China Doll which is embarrassing to listen to. The set gets off to a great start with a rollicking Iko Iko. This version is incredibly bouncy with great singing and playing. Garcia is really into it and belts out the lyrics with enthusiasm. One of the best versions I've heard. They keep the energy going with a solid Samson that features some fiery Garcia leads. A soulful He's Gone follows which quickly settles into a spirited Miracle. What comes next is truly awful. The transition out of Miracle is really pretty but Jerry prematurely launches into a pathetic China Doll that is a complete train wreck. It is way off tempo and they rush through it awkwardly. Not only that, but the vocals are cringe inducing except for the harmonies. Thankfully they rescue themselves with a nice lengthy jam before going into the Drums>Space portion of the set. After the Wheel they go into a Playin' reprise and oddly enough decide to sing all of the verses. I've never heard them do this before and it's a nice treat. After Playin' the shock the crowd with the debut of Day Tripper. Although not perfect, this is a rousing romp and the crowd is going nuts. The band is clearly enjoying themselves and finish the set off on a great note.

25 years ago, precisely as I write this, I was in the back of a small pickup in the snow covered and very cold. Not sure if sleep was an option for a while, but shelter was fantastic.

My first show. First time on the bus. Other One would have made perfect sense, but really, can you argue when it opened with Music Never Stopped and ended with Day Tripper?

This recording is by far the most effective of bringing back the feel of that night of the few I have heard.

25 years ago tonight. Very nice. Life took a left turn for the better.

I remember like yesterday, hitchiking to this show from exit 88 in Groton, CT. My Dad dropped me off there. Two cars later I was picked up by a VW bus from California headed to the show. They drove me all the way to the parking lot in Portland where I met up with Cooker and Fernald, my buds from Mystic...yeah remember those days? This show starts out with a great Music Never Stopped, nice Loser, Dont Ease...listen to the PITB..Wheel...and Day Tripper..They always played great shows in Portland. This is the first Portland show since the infamous 9/17/82 smoker..download it!!

Some wonderful reviews and memories of a wild night.I think this was the only show I saw in which it snowed :)
I have to say that the energy and playing is really something during the 1st sets and warrants a close listen. The Music Never Stopped opener may be the best they played since the late 70's.
Interesting choice for the closer after AON, but it works.
Set two starts off good, not nearly as intense as the first set but I agree with many that the mid part of this set is the must listen to. The China Doll is a little rough, with Jerry's voice and the timing, but then what happens afterwards was, and is still to this day, a shock.
Jerry stays on the stage for the entire drums, he would not do this again until the fall of '94. It is more of a cerebral trance like exploration, than of Jerry dominating the music, and it is very cool to listen to.
Actually the clapping from the crowd during the space reflects how locked in we all got during this piece of music.
The post space is good with rolling Wheel and Bobby throws a curve ball by doing a Playin' Reprise and then singing the first verses of PITB and then they dropped into Day Tripper and you can hear the collected awe that swelled over the crowd.
Easily one of the bands more crazy fun moments.

If you are wondering who is that saying thanks before US Blues, it is none other than Jerry who clearly had a ball this night as did we.

this is a really good show all the way through. i love when he's gone goes into miracle. a real cool guy i met at oregon counrty fair turned me on to 85 and i must say this year hit some really really high peaks. just got to poke around.

Sorry to partially high jack this review. I'm looking for the Archive member who posted the first review of this show, Biff Chandler. If you know Biff, can you please ask him to contact me at the email address below?

Thanks,

Erik Larson
elarson5@kc.rr.com

Thank you Oade. I finally got around to listening to this show and it's smokes. My only Loser and my only Miracle in 33 shows. Got to love getting a Day Tripper for Desert. I Think Jerry's vocals are awsom during these two shows. I remember going on for a year to all my friends that they never play Loser at my shows. I'd miss it by one night. A bunch of the Campton NH crew came up and hugged me right after Loser and brought tears. Both Sets are great

the review before this one says it all.It's shows like this that still bring a tear to my eye of thankful joy that i was blessed enough to be on tour through the 80s.pretty f'n wierd that i joined the marines for 4 years after that then got right back on tour for the last three years.the scene had changed so much i don't think i would have made it without my memories.i feel sorry for my son and my wife that they'll never truly know what it's like to watch Jerry turn into a great horned owl right before your very eyes and when you're just about to loose it he smiles,winks and pushes his glasses back up the bridge of his nose in time to caress us all out of another mind bending space.the world is a richer place for those of us that can still tell the tales.can't wait to see what my son brings home on his own some day.

I took my Mom and her boyfriend to this show! "Yea Mom, you should check it out. It's really cool, a healthy and safe scene," was my explanation for why I had to see six shows that spring. I was a junior in hs at the time, catching as many shows as I could within driving distance of Beantown spring, summer and fall.

We made our way through the crush at the gates and after getting our tics torn, the first person we encounter is a very waaaay out there head. "Doses, shrooms, mescaline?" he announces his inventory to us. Needless to say I split from my folks to meet my friends. After the show they told me they made it through the 1st set.

I think this show was in the top 3 of the spring 85 tour. Interest more than 20 years later seems to bear this out. The second set gets most of the credit but I urge first timers to listen to the first set, in particular the first five tunes. Check out the way they ease into the Music opener, the first and only one they played on the east coast that spring. As other reviewers have said, very laid back. The real highlight, of the first set and maybe the whole show is Candyman. Really, I'm not exagerating. Jerry is showing off his best voice of the tour. This is the post 82 growl, but he has learned to use it to great effect. Listen to the "If I had a shotgun.." section and scream along with us. He takes the song to a second amazing climax and then drops us in for a soft landing. It is the first Candyman since Oct of 84 and a real tour de force. The CC Rider, Loser, Beat it sequence is also hot as can be.

I found my crew in time to prepare appropriately for the 2nd set. The Aiko opener was the 1st of the tour, and announced loud and clear that Jerry was still very pumped up. Pretty much the entire second set is a "must listen." I love the end of He's Gone. We sang and clapped in time with the band. Jerry scatts like he's at a sunday prayer meeting. When they wind it up and explode into Miracle the whole Civic Center erupted. This recording captures this very clearly. I remember the Drums/Space as one long jam, with Jerry staying on stage for all but a minute or two. I never saw this before or after Portland. Very cool.

The first east coast Day Tripper was actually a bit sloppy but no one cared. Listen to the crowd and imagine all of the lights coming on for the "AAAAHHH" chorus. We screamed as one entity, bonded together forever. Really, it was very heavy. To top it off we exited to a spring snow storm!

Now that I have the privilege of time and the Archive, I recognize this as one of the highlights of my concert going career. Super cool venue, great crowd, band on fire, everything was right. I entered the show with my Mom and finished with my best friends. We were on pilgrimage, trying to find our way in the world. The path I walk today is undeniably influenced by these incredible experiences with the Dead. Portland in spring of 85 was a life changer. And one final note, this is an exceptional recording. Hats off to the Oades.

This is a 5 Star Audience source bootleg. Great ambience to this recording; put me right back there.

A very high energy show, but some struggling to get through songs with the words and tempo intact. It was G.A. seating, so you could go anywhere, but it was too crowded on the floor for me after a while. I spent the intermission looking for a place to spend the second set, but I left for the aisle as soon as they opened with my first Aiko. I danced wildly, bouncing off the walls, and during Samson & Delilah, I thought we might actually tear that building down. The He's Gone>Miracle>China Doll troika was great fun (check out the crowd reaction during "nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile") in the hallways outside the doors to the seats, we kept propping as many doors open as possible to let the sound fill the place, as security tried to close them, and bewildered concession stand workers (nobady was buying the popcorn and soda...) watched the dancing crowd of freaks form a swirl of tie-dyed colors, and kind /patchouli smells.

The Jam at the end of He's Gone, into Miracle is one of the best ever! Too bad these file programs put a cut between songs. It doesn't hurt to put a break between Samson and He's Gone, because there's really no transition there. But to put a cut in that jam is a musical sin!

I remember Jerry not leaving stage during drums, and the tapers' section did a light show on the ceiling with their flashlights during space, and the audience started clapping in a complex beat, spontaneously. It was just a trippy night, where everything seemd sparkly and touched by some sort of magic dust.

The explanation I heard for the Playin' Reprise preceding the Playin', is that the song had been started in Long Island, and was completed in Portland.

Those first few notes of Day Tripper will always stick in my mind. Never forget that feeling. Amazing. That place went nuts. To hear Jerry's guitar ringing those notes. "It took me so long to find out. But I found out!"

Walking out of the Cumberland County Civic Center into a world coated in 4" of fresh snowball snow was another amazing experience that night.

We were so so high at these shows! this whole tour, but portland in particular and it fucking snowed this nite too! epic tunes, a bit sloppy at times but what a fucking great effort, energy, jerry through drums!!! the crazy massage circle behind the stage b/w sets....great candyman!, d tripper...we had this sheet that looked like and oasis...it was really strong!!!
great tour...jerry loaded...really good times 85 was...

I get a real kick out of this recording, hearing everybody singing along to Daytripper. Lots of energy.

to song selection. This is the only instance I know of where they actually do Reprise Playing->Playing.
I remember hearing reprise coming and thinking...they haven't played the 1st part yet and then when they did the first part it was,"oh well, whatever." and then Phil started the DT it was GOLDEN...If anything the show exemplifies the band's willingness to take risk and flow with the mood.

but he seems to make good recordings nonetheless. So
Ill bee downloading when I come around the mountain for sure! this one sounds great get while you can for sure.

someone please tell me what did the LMA do why cant i listen to music anymore and why are there only half the concerts here this is just a disgrace whatever has happened could someone let me know this hurts the deads music should be here!

Beautifully recorded! The audience reaction/vibe is there when you want it, yet it's not in your face when it shouldn't be there (no talking, etc). Crisp and tight. Great peformance, but not stellar. Highly recommended, especially for the sound. I've always been sbd all the way, but it looks like now I gotta get hip to the Oades.

I have had this audience tape since 87. A lot of people in Portland, Maine were having some fun that night in 1985. I believe that this is a must have tape for anyone. What energy! From Music to u.s. blues there is that certain something special. Iko....when you listen you can just see the crazy kids in there bouncing off the walls....wheel/playin/tripper, good god. some lackluster stuff, but whatever, go jump in a lake. Whole being greater that the sum of its blah blah blah, this is a gem that gives an audience tape a real good name. 4 because 5 is perfect and perfect is something different

This great audience recording is like a virtual reality Dead show. Close your eyes and you're in the crowd with all the other Heads grooving on a special night with the Dead. And no one shouts into the mic, the downfall of many an audience recording.

I saw this show with the ticket given to me by my best friend. His brother, who had turned us on to the dead several years before, had bought the ticket and then died when his girlfriend drunkenly slammed his side of the car into a telephone pole. With mixed emotions of sorrow and pride at having been given this ticket I can tell you my eyes were not dry when the boys broke into the saddest Hes Gone that Ill ever hear but I Need a Miracle gave me hope and Day Tripper left a smile on my face that remains to this day. Thank god these shows remain for me to hear again what a gift.

This could be my favorite show that I attended. I drove up solo and was so glad I did! It was a very mellow uncrowded atmosphere in the arena, general admission if I recall right. You could walk right up the seat-free floor close to the stage with absolutely no hassle. Besides all the comments already provided about song selection and so on, and the superb audience recording quality, I'd like to add a few details of this memorable show.

Jerry was on stage for practically the entire 2nd set, except for maybe 1 or 2 minutes. After the superbly delicate China Doll and a bit of a jam, everyone left the stage except the drummers (can't recall Mickey was off or not), and Jerry stayed, noodling and hitting some really cool spaces with nice effects. It was beautiful. Billy is playing a slow, tribal, repetetive beat, ending each phrase or whatever with a hit to a wide hanging drum right behind his head. On the recording, you can hear the crowd cheer after this Thump. The reason was the when it was time to hit that big hanging drum, Billy did it by flinging his head back to hit the drum. A lot of people were cracking up, including me :-)
20th Anniversary is coming up soon. Wow.

This is the favorite of all the dead shows I attended. Drove up from Oswego State College in Upstate NY on spring break after a night of partying in Boston on the way. Had a great Lobster dinner on the Warf with a salad and steamed clams appetizers and beers all for under $25 that afternoon. Downtown Portland is small enough that it was wall to wall deadheads. I think the vast majority of those attending had partaken in the purple gels that were available in abundance. They were little prisms that were smaller than the size of a pez and they were coated with the type of shell on an M & M. The energy and the tension were palpable waiting for the band to come on. Music never stopped was a great release. It had a very groovy slow pace. This audience recording lets the crowds energy come trough wonderfully. Smiles were everywhere and the children clapped their hands. This Candyman is hands down my favorite version with bright silicone leads, roaring vocals from Jerry along with some sweet moaning harmonizing with Bobby and Brent.

The whole show is solid but its the opening two songs and everything from china doll to the end of the set that stand out. The first east coast day tripper was pure pandemonium. Never before or since have I scene and audience react with like that. The lights were on the crowd for the ahhhhh, ahhhhh, ahhhh ahhhhhhs and everyone was cheering at the top of their lungs with their arms up in the air.

We came out of the show into a near whiteout spring snowstorm, but I would not have trade the beaches in Dayton and Ft Lauderdale with any of my classmates in a million years.

cannot believe i have never heard of this show or listened to this before.... yet another '85 barnburner each song played to perfection jam after china doll is rocking and miracle day tripper... this whole thing crushes it.... 5+

Great quality, it's nice to hear master auds in '85 after only listening to SBD's for so long. I prefer this over the SBD version of this show. It's great to hear the crowd reaction to the opening notes of Day Tripper. And the Playin is neat too. It starts off as Playin reprise but then they decide to sing all the lyrics.

Also, it's great to hear the crowd reaction to CandyMan lyrics

Well I have to be honest I didnt really understand what was coming from the front. My first show was and experience. Sumner and I laxely wedge to the front of phil and bobby. After ripping off my coat relized the wrippin bubbles from across the way. Spent the rest of my days trying to find a copy. This site is great. thank you thank you thanky s.creamer

after being shut out of this show, drove home in a funky, big flake, late winter / early spring snow storm. for us who didn't make it in, thanks for the sweet auds.

I can't say enough about the Oade's audience recordings from this tour-BEYOND SMOKIN'!! I think it is a natural thing to try and grab a board version of a show-these aud. tapes put you right there! I thank the Oade brothers for capturing the true GRATEFUL DEAD experience from these years! I re-live every one of these shows like it was yesterday! Only 19 years later. I tip mmy hat to the brothers and search for all you have laid down before going to the next best thing! PEACE AND THANK YOU!!! Did i mention-SMOKIN"!!!