Ashton Slater’s Grateful Getdown: Hampton Coliseum 10/8/89

The Grateful Dead tried their best to stay under the radar on October 8, 1989, when they took the stage at Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, Virginia, billed cryptically as “Formerly The Warlocks.” The pseudonym — a nod to the band’s original name before they became the Grateful Dead — was the only hint Deadheads needed. Word spread like wildfire, and those lucky enough to score tickets knew they were in for something special.

Hampton Coliseum, affectionately known as “The Mothership” among fans, had already earned a reputation as a venue where the Dead consistently delivered some of their most inspired performances. But this night was different. The secrecy surrounding the show created a palpable, almost conspiratorial energy in the room before a single note was played. The intimate knowledge that you were part of something unannounced, something deliberately hidden from the mainstream, bonded the crowd in a way that even a typical Dead show couldn’t replicate.

And the band rose to the occasion. This was the night Brent Mydland was firing on all cylinders, Jerry Garcia sounded renewed and locked in, and the setlist choices reflected a band that understood the weight of the moment. The “Warlocks” shows — there were two that run, October 8th and 9th — have gone down in Grateful Dead lore as some of the most talked-about performances of the late ’80s era, a period when the band was navigating massive commercial popularity while still chasing the transcendent improvisational moments that defined their legacy.

For a band that built its mythology on spontaneity and the unrepeatable magic of the live experience, playing a secret show under a secret name was perhaps the most Grateful Dead thing the Grateful Dead ever did.

Join Ashton and company for a Grateful Getdown tribute to Hampton Coliseum 10/8/89, one night only in Redondo Beach.