Comes A Time - Grateful Dead
10.09.94 - Cap Centre, Landover MD


1994 ended up being the final fall tour for the Grateful Dead. Fall ‘95 dates were announced, mail order was processed, and tickets were shipped, but of course, it never happened. This meant that the ‘94 Cap Centre run were the final shows ever at the home of the Washington Capitals and Washington Bullets in the D.C. suburb of Landover, Maryland. The Dead played the Cap Centre 29 times during a 20 year span. That’s more performances than the Boston Garden (24), Hampton Coliseum (21), and Meadowlands Arena (16). It was the biggest arena in the metropolitan D.C. area in the 70s, 80s, and early 90s. That was the primary reason why it was a regular tour stop. At least that’s my opinion. I don’t see why else the Dead would frequent the place so many times. My only stop at the Cap Centre was October 9, 1994 and from what I recall, the venue sucked. Out on the beltway, it was a large cavernous hockey arena with crappy sound and strict security. When I caught the boys there in ‘94, the name of the venue had changed to US Air Arena, which Deadheads coined US Scare Arena for more reasons than one.

Even so, I was going to see the Grateful Dead and what I wouldn’t give to see them again, even in their ‘94 form. 10/9/94 was a Sunday. I had just spent the last 48 hours destroying my liver at Virginia Tech for Homecoming, my first one as an alum. I extended my weekend of debauchery by making the trek up I-81 and then east on I-66 to Northern Virginia for the big show. Years later, I found out that my wife, who I met in 1997, was at the show as well - the only Dead show she attended. We arrived there in grand style, in Grandma’s Oldsmobile (not my Grandma, but someone else in our crew). It was raining and cold for October, so the lot scene was pretty lame except for this photo opp with Felix.



Once inside, we actually sat in our seats, which were in the nosebleeds. There was really no room to find 4 better seats and as I noted earlier, the security sucked so seat hopping was a difficult task. The sound was horrible, very muddled. The set list was strong, especially for ‘94. It was a Rex Foundation Benefit show, so tickets were a bit pricier than normal and I guess the boys paid us back by extending each set by a one or two songs. Still though, it wasn’t a stellar performance. It was the Grateful Dead in 1994.

But, to steal the cheesy phrase from March Madness, there was one shining moment that I will never forget. After a post-space Miracle, Jerry led the band into “Comes A Time”. During the Jerry ballad portion of second set, you could always hear a pin drop. The 10/9/94 show was no exception. It was so quiet, that the sound in US Scare Arena became crystal clear. The Dead busted out the first “Comes A Time” in a year and a half, and it would prove to be the final “Comes A Time”. It’s not an epic version, but it is the last and most important to me, a memory from this evening that I will never forget.

My view on 10/9/94

When it was all said and done, the Dead only played “Comes A Time” 66 times in 2,318 shows. Compare that to the other Jerry ballads that were debuted in the 60s and 70s: “Wharf Rat” (393), “Morning Dew” (253), “Black Peter” (343), and “China Doll” (114). Even “Standing on the Moon”, first played in the late 80s, was performed more times than “Comes A Time”. When you look back at the setlists though, it’s not surprising that the Dead busted out “Comes A Time” that night. The Cap Centre has a history of firsts, busts outs, and finales. The first “Touch of Grey” was performed there on my sister’s 9th birthday, 9-15-82. The final electric version of “Ripple” was a bust out at the Cap Centre on 9-3-88, first one in over 17 years. The first “Black-Throated Wind” in almost 16 years was played on 3-16-90. The final “China Doll” (10-11-94), “Reuben & Cherise” (3-17-91), and “Two Soldiers Jam” (3-17-93) all happened there, and then there was the final “Cosmic Charlie”, performed on 9-25-76.

While the acoustics, the surroundings and physical structure were nothing out of the ordinary, the memories and music inside the Cap Centre were quite the opposite. The Cap Centre was truly a special place to see the Grateful Dead.

Setlist:
Grateful Dead, Sunday 10/09/94 - US Air Arena, Landover MD

Set One:
Hell in a Bucket, Bertha, Spoonful, Stagger Lee, Broken Arrow, Me & My Uncle > Big River, So Many Roads, Promised Land

Set Two:
Here Comes Sunshine, Samson & Delilah, Way to go Home, Ship of Fools, Saint of Circumstance > Drums > Space > I Need a Miracle > Comes a Time, Throwing Stones > Lovelight

Encore:
Rain