The RAC the Sphere and the Dead

[R1766U_rivals]

I am a 40 year old Rutgers Fan who has only been to a handful of modern concerts at the RAC.

I recently got back from seeing Dead and Company at the Sphere in Las Vegas and it was beyond words. While I was there, I couldn’t help but think of what it was like to see the Grateful Dead there in 1981. I have read stories about the Thunder and Lightning during the show and have listened to it in its entirety here:

Was anyone here there? Would love to hear some stories.

Also, the Sphere is an ABSOLUTE must do for anyone. It is beyond words. The pictures and video do not come close to doing it justice. The sound clarity, the visuals, the haptic/vibrating seats that synchronize with some of the drums…. The entire experience was life changing. Seriously.


One last thing—- I wonder if there was ever any talk of adding a museum type experience to the RAC where there is at the least a display of all of the different musicians and artists who have performed there. I think that would be neat.

 

[richthedentist]

I am a 40 year old Rutgers Fan who has only been to a handful of modern concerts at the RAC.

I recently got back from seeing Dead and Company at the Sphere in Las Vegas and it was beyond words. While I was there, I couldn’t help but think of what it was like to see the Grateful Dead there in 1981. I have read stories about the Thunder and Lightning during the show and have listened to it in its entirety here:

Was anyone here there? Would love to hear some stories.

Also, the Sphere is an ABSOLUTE must do for anyone. It is beyond words. The pictures and video do not come close to doing it justice. The sound clarity, the visuals, the haptic/vibrating seats that synchronize with some of the drums…. The entire experience was life changing. Seriously.


One last thing—- I wonder if there was ever any talk of adding a museum type experience to the RAC where there is at the least a display of all of the different musicians and artists who have performed there. I think that would be neat.

I was there my older brother waas a huge Dead head and it was my first was Dead show ever and what an experience it was the show itself was great I can't remember specific songs per se but I just remember people dancing where the concession stands were and going to the concert there were so many people with signs needing tickets and me thinking as a college student I could have made a ton of money as I had bought 8 tickets

 

[PiscatawayMike]

I wasn't at the RAC show. WPLJ gave these away to fans at the concert. I didn't get into the Dead until a few years later in the mid 80s.

However, I did attend the July 11 Dead & Co. show at the Sphere. What a blast! I also saw U2 at the Sphere last year. As a whole I think U2 did a better job of using the Sphere's graphics and special effects. With that said, U2 is known for going over the top with that kind of stuff. Dead & Co. used what the Sphere has to offer perfectly fine for the type of music it performs.

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/dead...OUKvOFSmuRv9HpVBhg_aem_NYQpsG_ay6wX6Eq7Ll08YA

Did you go to Shakedown Street at the Tuscany Hotel on the day of the show? If you didn't, you really missed out on a good part of the total Dead experience.

 

[hoquat63]

Lots of big acts at the College Ave gym back in the day:Four Tops, Temptations, Simon and Garfunkel, Charlie Daniel’s, Lovin Spoonful, Ray Charles, Muddy Waters, Judy Collin’s, et al.

 

[RUDiddy777]

I am a 40 year old Rutgers Fan who has only been to a handful of modern concerts at the RAC.

I recently got back from seeing Dead and Company at the Sphere in Las Vegas and it was beyond words. While I was there, I couldn’t help but think of what it was like to see the Grateful Dead there in 1981. I have read stories about the Thunder and Lightning during the show and have listened to it in its entirety here:

Was anyone here there? Would love to hear some stories.

Also, the Sphere is an ABSOLUTE must do for anyone. It is beyond words. The pictures and video do not come close to doing it justice. The sound clarity, the visuals, the haptic/vibrating seats that synchronize with some of the drums…. The entire experience was life changing. Seriously.


One last thing—- I wonder if there was ever any talk of adding a museum type experience to the RAC where there is at the least a display of all of the different musicians and artists who have performed there. I think that would be neat.

Buddy of mine saw Phish there a few months ago and sent me videos. It’s high on my todo list.

 

[R1766U_rivals]

I am a 40 year old Rutgers Fan who has only been to a handful of modern concerts at the RAC.

I recently got back from seeing Dead and Company at the Sphere in Las Vegas and it was beyond words. While I was there, I couldn’t help but think of what it was like to see the Grateful Dead there in 1981. I have read stories about the Thunder and Lightning during the show and have listened to it in its entirety here:

Was anyone here there? Would love to hear some stories.

Also, the Sphere is an ABSOLUTE must do for anyone. It is beyond words. The pictures and video do not come close to doing it justice. The sound clarity, the visuals, the haptic/vibrating seats that synchronize with some of the drums…. The entire experience was life changing. Seriously.


One last thing—- I wonder if there was ever any talk of adding a museum type experience to the RAC where there is at the least a display of all of the different musicians and artists who have performed there. I think that would be neat.

I wasn't at the RAC show. WPLJ gave these away to fans at the concert. I didn't get into the Dead until a few years later in the mid 80s.

However, I did attend the July 11 Dead & Co. show at the Sphere. What a blast! I also saw U2 at the Sphere last year. As a whole I think U2 did a better job of using the Sphere's graphics and special effects. With that said, U2 is known for going over the top with that kind of stuff. Dead & Co. used what the Sphere has to offer perfectly fine for the type of music it performs.

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/dead...OUKvOFSmuRv9HpVBhg_aem_NYQpsG_ay6wX6Eq7Ll08YA

Did you go to Shakedown Street at the Tuscany Hotel on the day of the show? If you didn't, you really missed out on a good part of the total Dead experience.

Small world, I was there for the 11th and 12th shows. Yes, went to Tuscany, was awesome. I still can’t get over how awesome Drums in Space was with the seat haptics. Wish I could go back one more time.

If anyone is on the fence and able to swing making it to one of these last few shows, do whatever you can to get there and see them. You won’t regret it.

 

[Tango Two]

UFO and Cheap Trick at the RAC

 

[PiscatawayMike]

UFO and Cheap Trick at the RAC

 

[Loyal_2RU]

Lots of big acts at the College Ave gym back in the day:Four Tops, Temptations, Simon and Garfunkel, Charlie Daniel’s, Lovin Spoonful, Ray Charles, Muddy Waters, Judy Collin’s, et al.

Opened for music by Linda Ronstadt in a Rutgers Cheerleader uniform. Classic

 

[NiTeKnight]

Opened for music by Linda Ronstadt in a Rutgers Cheerleader uniform. Classic

Great voice and good looking too!

 

[RUShea]

Wife and I are big Dead fans. The RAC show was a partial factor in picking our 5/15 wedding date. I will never forget my anniversary now!

@RUDiddy777 I also have friend who saw Phish at the Sphere. Heard it was pretty amazing. I regret not going, but I'll likely be at MSG for New Years.

 

[RUDiddy777]

Wife and I are big Dead fans. The RAC show was a partial factor in picking our 5/15 wedding date. I will never forget my anniversary now!

@RUDiddy777 I also have friend who saw Phish at the Sphere. Heard it was pretty amazing. I regret not going, but I'll likely be at MSG for New Years.

I’m not even much of fan of Phish and if they’re there again I’m going.

 

[Tango Two]

Cheap Trick Setlist

Cheap Trick Setlist at Rutgers Athletic Center, Piscataway

Get the Cheap Trick Setlist of the concert at Rutgers Athletic Center, Piscataway, NJ, USA on March 5, 1981 from the All Shook Up Tour and other Cheap Trick Setlists for free on setlist.fm!

www.setlist.fm

UFO Setlist

UFO Setlist at Rutgers Athletic Center, Piscataway

Get the UFO Setlist of the concert at Rutgers Athletic Center, Piscataway, NJ, USA on March 5, 1981 from the The Wild, the Willing and the Innocent Tour and other UFO Setlists for free on setlist.fm!

www.setlist.fm

 

[Tango Two]

Cheap Trick and UFO at Rutgers. March 5, 1981

 

[willisneverrana43]

. . .

One last thing—- I wonder if there was ever any talk of adding a museum type experience to the RAC where there is at the least a display of all of the different musicians and artists who have performed there. I think that would be neat.

Sorry for the aside, but I promise to bring it back to what you're wondering.

In the center of Rutgers's original campus lies the the site of the very first college football game. Pretty big deal. In fact, a huge deal. That location should be a shrine. It should have a beautiful, restored field with a museum attached to it, with pictures, drawings, historical discussions, and explanations of the history of the first game and how football itself evolved. Rutgers would plant its flag, a beautiful one, right in the Garden of Eden of college football, something that all visitors would understand (visiting fans would pay to see it).

But, alas, it's a dirty, unkempt eyesore of a parking lot that no one ever wants to see.

All of this is to say that if we can't get that (incredibly obvious, advantageous and wonderful) thing, there's no chance you're getting your RAC musicians museum.

 

[richthedentist]

UFO and Cheap Trick at the RAC

I was there also we had a big snowstorm that night and there were not a lot of people at the show but I only had to trudge through the snow to the North Tower

 

[R1766U_rivals]

Sorry for the aside, but I promise to bring it back to what you're wondering.

In the center of Rutgers's original campus lies the the site of the very first college football game. Pretty big deal. In fact, a huge deal. That location should be a shrine. It should have a beautiful, restored field with a museum attached to it, with pictures, drawings, historical discussions, and explanations of the history of the first game and how football itself evolved. Rutgers would plant its flag, a beautiful one, right in the Garden of Eden of college football, something that all visitors would understand (visiting fans would pay to see).

But, alas, it's a dirty, unkempt eyesore of a parking lot that no one ever wants to see.

All of this is to say that if we can't get that (incredibly obvious, advantageous and wonderful) thing, there's no chance you're getting your RAC musicians museum.

Agree . Its a shame.

 

[Vlife]

Sorry for the aside, but I promise to bring it back to what you're wondering.

In the center of Rutgers's original campus lies the the site of the very first college football game. Pretty big deal. In fact, a huge deal. That location should be a shrine. It should have a beautiful, restored field with a museum attached to it, with pictures, drawings, historical discussions, and explanations of the history of the first game and how football itself evolved. Rutgers would plant its flag, a beautiful one, right in the Garden of Eden of college football, something that all visitors would understand (visiting fans would pay to see it).

But, alas, it's a dirty, unkempt eyesore of a parking lot that no one ever wants to see.

All of this is to say that if we can't get that (incredibly obvious, advantageous and wonderful) thing, there's no chance you're getting your RAC musicians museum.

 

[Ru-baby]

Wife and I are big Dead fans. The RAC show was a partial factor in picking our 5/15 wedding date. I will never forget my anniversary now!

Outstanding!

 

[hoquat63]

Great voice and good looking too!

Was there - acoustics in the RAC were not great

 

[knightfan7]

Opened for music by Linda Ronstadt in a Rutgers Cheerleader uniform. Classic

I was there on the floor. Also saw Steve Martin.

 

[Caliknight]

I've been to the Sphere a couple of times now. Definitely must see if you haven't. They are having real problems monetizing it. Will be interesting to see how it gets used in the future. It's losing a lot of money.

 

[Letitrip]

Lots of big acts at the College Ave gym back in the day:Four Tops, Temptations, Simon and Garfunkel, Charlie Daniel’s, Lovin Spoonful, Ray Charles, Muddy Waters, Judy Collin’s, et al.

Also remember -

Devo (fun)
Van Morrison (awful)

And then there was Peter Gabriel at the Livingston Gym (awesome).

 

[BigLou]

Also remember -

Devo (fun)
Van Morrison (awful)

And then there was Peter Gabriel at the Livingston Gym (awesome).

I was at the Van Morrison show. a couple days later he cancelled the tour and went into rehab.
Is my memory correct that Rockpile opened up for Van?

 

[BigLou]

I was also at the Dead show. I was an usher at the Rac and that show was thelast event I worked before graduating. Me and a friend were stationed on the side with access to the 100 level/floor seats. You know how the Dead Heads all wanted to get to the stage, well we would only let people down to the floor if they had a ticket or would pay us $5. Made enough to get through senior week.

 

[LeapinLou]

This is a fun thread. @PiscatawayMike has some killer memorabilia. I imagine what's on this thread is just the tip of the iceberg.

 

[RU at the shore]

Any reason why the RAC does not host music or perhaps even big time comedy shows presently ?

 

[rutger80]

Lots of big acts at the College Ave gym back in the day:Four Tops, Temptations, Simon and Garfunkel, Charlie Daniel’s, Lovin Spoonful, Ray Charles, Muddy Waters, Judy Collin’s, et al.

Elvis Costello with opening act, Squeeze!! Amazing show at the Barn.

 

[Smols]

Any reason why the RAC does not host music or perhaps even big time comedy shows presently ?

I could be wrong, but I think it has to do with the promoter, in this case Live Nation, and what venues they use. The RAC is not one of them.

 

[BigLou]

Elvis Costello with opening act, Squeeze!! Amazing show at the

Feb 23, 1978, Elvis Costello played at The Ledge. I was there.

 

[richthedentist]

Elvis Costello with opening act, Squeeze!! Amazing show at the Barn.

Ramones with Blue Angel opening act Cyndi Lauper before she was Solo

 

[rutger80]

Feb 23, 1978, Elvis Costello played at The Ledge. I was there.

I regret not going to that.

 

[Knight Shift]

Sorry for the aside, but I promise to bring it back to what you're wondering.

In the center of Rutgers's original campus lies the the site of the very first college football game. Pretty big deal. In fact, a huge deal. That location should be a shrine. It should have a beautiful, restored field with a museum attached to it, with pictures, drawings, historical discussions, and explanations of the history of the first game and how football itself evolved. Rutgers would plant its flag, a beautiful one, right in the Garden of Eden of college football, something that all visitors would understand (visiting fans would pay to see it).

But, alas, it's a dirty, unkempt eyesore of a parking lot that no one ever wants to see.

All of this is to say that if we can't get that (incredibly obvious, advantageous and wonderful) thing, there's no chance you're getting your RAC musicians museum.

I was reading the Wikipedia entry on the CFP today, and it contained this, which was a bit of a revelation to me:

"College football is arguably the oldest organized sport in the United States. It is substantially older than its professional counterpart, the NFL, and its earliest game, in 1869, was occurring at almost the same time professional baseball was getting started."

Your post coupled with the above (if correct) makes it stunning that Rutgers (or the B1G) has not done more to enshrine that area. But Rutgers is gonna Rutgers.

 

[willisneverrana43]

I was reading the Wikipedia entry on the CFP today, and it contained this, which was a bit of a revelation to me:

"College football is arguably the oldest organized sport in the United States. It is substantially older than its professional counterpart, the NFL, and its earliest game, in 1869, was occurring at almost the same time professional baseball was getting started."

Your post coupled with the above (if correct) makes it stunning that Rutgers (or the B1G) has not done more to enshrine that area. But Rutgers is gonna Rutgers.

Yup. In other words, it's not just the start of college football. It's the start of football. I parked there when I was a student, and it was a dump then. Turning it into something beautiful, informative, and worthy of its own history should be a no-brainer, and something that the entire university and state, not just the football program, would get behind. It could make money or just lift the prestige and beauty of the old college avenue campus and the university as a whole.

But alas . . .

 

[knightfan7]

I could be wrong, but I think it has to do with the promoter, in this case Live Nation, and what venues they use. The RAC is not one of them.

Was it John Scher who was involved in bringing acts to the RAC?

We played on the West Orange Pop Warner team a long, long time ago.

 

[PiscatawayMike]

Was it John Scher who was involved in bringing acts to the RAC?

He was the promoter for most shows, but not all.

 

[motorb54]

Lots of big acts at the College Ave gym back in the day:Four Tops, Temptations, Simon and Garfunkel, Charlie Daniel’s, Lovin Spoonful, Ray Charles, Muddy Waters, Judy Collin’s, et al.

Don McLean, Arlo Guthrie

 

[Loyal_2RU]

Don McLean, Arlo Guthrie

Art Garfunkel with special guest, Steve Goodman,
Billy Joel
Genesis
Harry Chapin
Pete Seeger
Eugene Ormandy and many other classical greats

 

[LeapinLou]

I was in Vegas last week and saw the "Postcard from Earth" video at the Sphere. The resolution of the screen is amazing. It's as close to real life as I've ever seen. I wouldn't say go to Vegas just for this. But if you are going to Vegas for another reason, you have to make time to do this.

 

[RU_PAYBACK]

Don McLean, Arlo Guthrie

Going to see John Sebastian next month!