They played this song for my friend Brian. We had backstage passes. We were only 16. Make a wish had also restored a 1978 VW for him. I met him in drivers education. By the time we were at this show he had one lung. I remember Phil Leah offering me carrot cake. I remember Jerry looking spun lol. Brian was a beautiful soul. Love you Brian, Carrie
What a beautful story!! I am watching a movie they shot in London & Jerry was talking to someone & he used the analogy of a pebble thrown into water. This got my attention, but he didn't use the word ripple in his description- instead he used the word waves to illustrate his thought. Soooo, that made me look into when precisely Ripple was written. I was suspecting perhaps this conversation somehow planted a lyrical seed. It WAS written in London! Along with a couple other songs all at once over a half bottle of Retsina. Pretty cool! Then I saw a link to this video & saw your touching comment. I only saw West Coast shows, but that would've been awesome to see! Peace & Love to you & the rest of my Brothers and Sisters!
This version was done for a Make A Wish request of a kid dying of cancer. I was there. It really was something. Is it any wonder we love the Grateful Dead so much?
@@RadioFiasco i heard it was a kid's wish AND bobby bet jerry that he wouldn't remember the words. so i believe you're both right. it's in the steve parish book.
It is true . His name was Brian Conlin. We flew out there together and had backstage passes. He was dying from bone cancer. We were only 16. 30 years ago. He asked them to play Ripple. 💗
I was there. Remember returning to the house I was staying at. Saying what a great encore. They left during One More Saturday Night and didn't believe me & my boyfriend...till the next day in the parking lot.😅
9/3/88, a date that I will remember as long as I live. One of the most special nights I ever spent at a Grateful Dead concert, and I did quite a few. When the boys stayed on stage after One More Saturday Night, we knew something was up. After, we were all walking around the parking lot for hours saying "Did we really just see that". Good crazyness. That was why you went to GD shows, something like that might happen.
I was there and when they got to "If you should stand..... " The tears started running, by the time they finished the verse it was just pure warm fuzzy joy... RIP Jerry, you have shown light in areas I needed to see and will forever be grateful for the nights I got to be a part of your universe.
I was there. My friend Tim was taping this show. I left my seat so he could have space for his gear, and danced in the halls with some of the shiniest, happiest people ever. Sadly, he ran out of tape (the show went a little long, I think) , and didn't record much of Ripple. As he was bumming out over it, another taper said, "Just enjoy it. I'll send you a tape." He realized that the moment was too precious to be less than happy. I went back in to find him and leave together. A lot of people were leaving, thinking the show was over. Glad I didn't! Tim died a few years back. I'm bringing my only photo of him to the Chicago shows. It's all I have of Tim, and he was a good friend. We shared the first Ripple the Dead had played in like 17 years, or something. I'll never forget that night. I miss Tim, and Jerry, and the others who are no longer with us. They are not forgotten. They will be celebrated. Supposedly, a Deadhead with a terminal illness made a wish through the Make-A-Wish Foundation for the group to bust out Ripple. Luckily for everybody, the band complied. I would have expected no less. The Dead were quite generous, and generated millions of dollars deadicated to good causes. Of course they'd do it.
Yes my friend Brian Conlan . We flew out to Landover, Maryland. I met him at drivers ed. He already was terminal but make a wish restored a VW bus for him. We learned to drive in that bus. We both loved the Grateful Dead. He got backstage passes for us to Landover. I remember Phil eating carrot cake during break. Lol. Brian asked them to play Ripple and they did.
My name is Carrie Ming but it was Carrie Hodapp then.. this was my friend Brian Conlan ‘s wish. We were only 16. We flew out to Landover together with back stage passes. He asked for this song. He loved the Grateful Dead so much. He died the next year. That was 30 years ago. I didn’t know this video existed.
Very, very difficult memory right here. Drove down from Connecticut for these shows. A buddy of ours had to take the worst leak known to man and we were dancing in one of the tunnels during One More Saturday Night. As they wind down the encore, he says “Come on. I have to get outside and best the rush”. Literally the moment the glass doors crashed behind us, we heard them break into a 2nd encore. We tried and tried to listen through the open door to tell what it was & around 30 seconds later we heard Garcia start singing Ripple. I begged & begged the security guard to let us back in. Told him he had no idea how important this was to us to see this. Tried to desperately explain to him how long it had been and what a special moment this was, but he stood his ground and told me “Then u should have never walked out after the first encore” (and he was certainly right about that). Plus, he just couldn’t relate to how special this was for Dead fans to witness. This really affected my mood in life for a solid few weeks ... Even a nice, little argument with my buddy for thoughtlessly dragging all three of us out with him cuz he didn’t wanna use the Men’s Room.
@@Ken-pc9lt just told my 10-y-o why you never leave before the house lights come up b/c you might miss the first terrapin encore since 1978. Once in a lifetime!
This version was done for a Make A Wish request of a kid dying of cancer. I was there. It really was something. Is it any wonder we love the Grateful Dead so much?
Second show. I was hooked for life! The energy in the hallways leaving the arena was ecstatic! It was like we had all glimpsed a little of the divine and would carry that glimpse safely along for life! Unbelievable!
I got kicked out for smoking (a bowl) inside at the intermission. That didn’t bother me so much as the parking lot was hopping. Then, all of sudden, a dude comes running out of the arena screaming “Ripple” at the top of his lungs. It kind of sucked for a little while until I saw the beaming faces of everyone as they came out. That made everything OK again. We had our car torn apart by the cops at the same venue at a Pink Floyd show in a case of mistaken identity. I guess I’m kinda glad they tore it down. 😂✌️
I did the Philly NYC run after this show. It was all the buzz that they were going to do it again, but it never happened. It was a great time to be alive anyway. GOD BLESS THE GRATEFUL DEAD!
Was at this show. Fun little story: This was a Sat night show, 2nd of 3 or 4 at the old Cap Center (Fri, Sat,Mon, Tues?) if I remember correctly. Anyway at the time I was working at the Nat'l Gallery of Art bookstore in DC & on Sunday (off day) I was working (barely) & who walks up to my counter? Phil!!! He bought a book on, I want to say, the Italian Ren. muralist Veronese but I'm not quite sure. I told him I was shocked by the Ripple and he said "kinda surprised me too." Rang up his order & then asked him to play Bertha for me. Alas they didn't :( Follow-up: As it so happened on Monday the whole band came in, but I wasn't there b/c I was where I was supposed to be: on Shakedown St. in the parking lot looking for nitrous & a grilled cheese sandwich :) Oh well, Phil's good enough for me.
Yes it was a Fri, Sat and Mon, Tues set up. On Sunday night the cover band New Potato Caboose played at the Warner downtown. The real pisser about that Ripple night was leaving the Cap Center like on a beam of sunshine with the tears still in the corner of my eyes and then hearing about people who left halfway thru Saturday Night lol. Unfortunately very shortly after that the beam of sunshine evaporated when the PG County Sheriffs came over the hill on horses and proceeded to drive everyone out of the lots. Get in and drive NOW!! People were trying to pack their coolers etc and the cops just smashed them with nightsticks and said now you don't have to pack GOOOO NOOOOW. Kinda put a damper on the festivities.
I was at this show. It was my last Dead show that I ever attended. I still remember the crowd losing it when they broke into this. Nothing but good memories.
We were all in the hallway dancing as usual completely sweaty after one more Saturday night. They busted into Ripple everybody just started hugging each other and then back to getting our groove on for those fleeting moments of pure Bliss. Rest in peace brother Jerry on today the 27th anniversary of your passing. Going to have to go toast you in Forest Knolls California at our local watering hole about half a mile from where you passed... where you used to hang out back in the day.
I was also the first one since like 71 or something close to that. Now Jerry used to play it alot on the solo shows with J Kahn but that was for many folks the one and only shot to see it.
I was there. Tentatively played but the roar of the crowd at the opening notes still brings shivers. The roar continued exiting the venue and well into the parking lot.
This version was done for a Make A Wish request of a kid dying of cancer. I was there. It really was something. Is it any wonder we love the Grateful Dead so much? Reply
Fuck n a I was here ! Wish I could remember....I was 21.....just moved to colo to go to CSU ......I'm sure it was as good as when they busted out St Steven in NYC ,which was earlier, but I remember 🥰⚡💥🔥✨💓
Unbroken Chain at this show??! Two breakouts in one show!?! Amazing! I've heard that version of Unbroken Chain - the crowd slowly realizes how amazing it is that they're actually playing that song! The crowd roar is OUTRAGEOUS once they all recognize the whole uniqueness of that moment!!!
*Ripple* If my words did glow with the gold of sunshine And my tunes were played on the harp unstrung Would you hear my voice come through the music? Would you hold it near as it were your own? It's a hand-me-down, the thoughts are broken Perhaps they're better left unsung I don't know, don't really care Let there be songs to fill the air Ripple in still water When there is no pebble tossed Nor wind to blow Reach out your hand, if your cup be empty If your cup is full, may it be again Let it be known there is a fountain That was not made by the hands of men There is a road, no simple highway Between the dawn and the dark of night And if you go, no one may follow That path is for your steps alone Ripple in still water When there is no pebble tossed Nor wind to blow You who choose to lead must follow But if you fall you fall alone If you should stand then who's to guide you? If I knew the way I would take you home This was the last time Ripple was ever played, was in honoring a request from a teenager with a serious ailment at the concert she requested to hear the song for possibly and almost certainly her last time to be at a Grateful Dead concert. I've read it was impromptu, the band did not practice nor plan the song to be even remotely considered, but Jerry called a huddle, and the rest is a kind bit of Dead history, the encore ended with Ripple never to be played again.
Oh how video has come the last 30 years. The audio.. perfect. Love the full band of Ripple . Jerry’s voice is not strong nor weak. My favorite of their songs. This and Brokedown Palace. Dead Set did a fine one. RIP JG. Loved the 13 times I saw you play.
I was at that show. Didn't realize it at the time what this was. Heard about it after he show. Not many knew about it while it happened. Now the Loose Lucy performance in dc 1990 was a different story.
Hell of a time. 4 nights in Landover. 2 shows, a night off to see the monuments at night, then 2 more shows. A bunch of us stayed at the Hilton and towers in dc.
I don't know why they retired this song. It was barely played even back in 1970/1971. I heard it a few times at Radio City in 1980 and then those JGB versions in 1987 on Broadway, but would have loved to see it in the regular rotation, with GD, a-la Attics, for example. Attics was a song I thought I'd never get to hear (along with Death Don't Have No Mercy, NSB, Loose Lucy, & HC Sunshine)but the band proved me wrong.
I was at the Garden Shows(last 3 shows including Rain Forest Benefit Show) and the Garden was all a buzz about the Ripple. Sadly, no Ripple but yah, I imagine it was a moment. love the 120P lol but it is 1988. Good Times.
There is a certain poignancy, reminiscent of a moving on through life, to some unknown territory on the bitter journey to Ghost Town, populated by only the most repugnant haters, the most insufferable rabble of the cult. The zombies denying the reality of life and the cup that maybe full, may it be full always rings hollow to the barely sentient cult members waiting for the latest Fatwa, death sentence to "enemies of the people," the crazies are all ginned up, into a stupor: it's gonna be wild.
I was there too. I was a senior in college, working for the food service at American U. We got tickets from the Budweiser distributor. Yesterday, I found my ticket stub in a box of things: instagram.com/p/B_V7brtFrpZsiKKHZ24139zsITqieKA4-6irzo0/
