From the S&S archives:
There's nothing like a 'Dead' concert

THE GRATEFUL DEAD experience — it always starts before the show. Last week at the Walter Koebel Halle in Ruesselsheim was no exception.

People were outside selling their wares: assorted Grateful Dead memorabilia, T-shirts, posters, programs and the like. People from all over Europe as well as Americans gathered.

"What will they play tonight? Did you see their Munich show?" All were common conversation starters among an extremely uncommon crowd affectionately known as "Dead Heads."

The Dead took the stage shortly after 8 p.m. with Alabama Getaway, a fast-paced tune that immersed the band-crowd relationship into magical unity. During their mellow songs like They Love Each Other, Cold Rain and Snow and It Feels Like Rain, we had time to realize how the Dead have progressed. The group's music become polished over the years, calmed down, grown up.

Although the crazy fun years of Golden Gate Park, the Fillmore and Winterland may be behind us and we have traded in our hippie regalia for a more conservative mode, the Dead have not musically abandoned us nor have they gone stale.

The innovative drum solos of Billy Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart get better with each performance.

Amidst our reminiscing our minds were shook back to an earlier concert night with an old song, New Minglewood Blues, brought back to life with gusty vocals by rhythm guitarist Bob Weir and the articulate licks of lead guitarist Jerry Garcia.

The highlight of the second set was an old favorite of ours, Sugar Magnolia, which created an electric energy throughout the crowd.

The show ended with a surprising encore, a 1963 Rolling Stones classic, Satisfaction. That is exactly what they gave us that night. For those who came to see the Grateful Dead for the first time found out what we have know for years — there is nothing like a Grateful Dead concert!

(The Flanders are from the Heilbronn community)