Grateful Dead Comes a Time live versions: 66 shows
Explore 66 Grateful Dead performances of Comes a Time from 1971-1994, with first and last dates, venues, setlists, and listening links.
Use this song page to choose a version, compare eras, and open show pages with listening links.
Start with these Comes a Time versions
Best first listen: May 9, 1977 · Buffalo Memorial Auditorium · Buffalo, NY, US
Buffalo opens with one of the sharpest Help Slip Franklin entries of the month and stays taut deep into the second set. It feels slightly less mythic than Cornell on reputation alone, but not by execution.
Another strong choice: June 24, 1985 · Riverbend Music Center · Cincinnati, OH, US
River Bend is one of those 1985 shows where the second set keeps uncorking surprises. The deep sequence after He's Gone makes it essential for listeners who want the year at its most adventurous.
Another strong choice: June 28, 1985 · Hershey Park Stadium · Hershey, PA, US
Hershey's first set is anchored by Cold Rain And Snow > Promised Land and a Bird Song > Comes A Time > Deal closing run. Set two moves from The Music Never Stopped and Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues into Estimated Prophet > Terrapin Station > Drums/Space > I Need A Miracle > Morning Dew > Throwing Stones > Not Fade Away, with Day Job encore.
First catalog performance: October 19, 1971 · Northrop Auditorium, University of Minnesota · Minneapolis, MN, US
Last catalog performance: October 9, 1994 · USAir Arena · Landover, MD, US
Top shows featuring Comes a Time
May 9, 1977 · Buffalo Memorial Auditorium · Buffalo, NY, US
June 24, 1985 · Riverbend Music Center · Cincinnati, OH, US
June 28, 1985 · Hershey Park Stadium · Hershey, PA, US
November 7, 1971 · Harding Theater · San Francisco, CA, US
November 10, 1985 · Meadowlands Arena · East Rutherford, NJ, US
March 23, 1972 · Academy of Music · New York, NY, US
May 4, 1977 · The Palladium · New York, NY, US
September 16, 1991 · Madison Square Garden · New York, NY, US
December 10, 1971 · Fox Theatre · St. Louis, MO, US
May 10, 1980 · Hartford Civic Center · Hartford, CT, US
October 2, 1980 · Warfield Theatre · San Francisco, CA, US
August 31, 1980 · Capital Centre · Landover, MD, US
May 12, 1977 · Auditorium Theatre · Chicago, IL, US
May 23, 1972 · Lyceum · London, England
July 18, 1972 · Roosevelt Stadium · Jersey City, NJ, US
May 21, 1977 · Lakeland Civic Center Arena · Lakeland, FL, US
May 16, 1978 · Uptown Theatre · Chicago, IL, US
July 26, 1972 · Paramount Theatre · Portland, OR, US
April 11, 1972 · City Hall · Newcastle, England
June 14, 1985 · William Randolph Hearst Greek Theatre, UC Berkeley · Berkeley, CA, US
November 1, 1985 · Richmond Coliseum · Richmond, VA, US
September 7, 1985 · Red Rocks Amphitheatre · Morrison, CO, US
October 15, 1976 · Shrine Auditorium · Los Angeles, CA, US
September 15, 1985 · Devore Field, Southwestern College · Chula Vista, CA, US
March 23, 1986 · Spectrum · Philadelphia, PA, US
December 4, 1971 · Felt Forum, Madison Square Garden · New York, NY, US
August 19, 1980 · Uptown Theatre · Chicago, IL, US
June 12, 1976 · Music Hall · Boston, MA, US
July 8, 1987 · Roanoke Civic Center · Roanoke, VA, US
September 3, 1985 · Starlight Theatre · Kansas City, MO, US
May 25, 1972 · Lyceum · London, England
March 31, 1986 · Providence Civic Center · Providence, RI, US
March 27, 1993 · Knickerbocker Arena · Albany, NY, US
October 21, 1971 · Auditorium Theatre · Chicago, IL, US
November 16, 1985 · Long Beach Arena · Long Beach, CA, US
May 1, 1977 · The Palladium · New York, NY, US
February 9, 1986 · Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center · Oakland, CA, US
December 27, 1986 · Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center · Oakland, CA, US
October 19, 1971 · Northrop Auditorium, University of Minnesota · Minneapolis, MN, US
February 9, 1979 · Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall · Kansas City, KS, US
October 19, 1972 · Fox Theatre · St. Louis, MO, US
July 21, 1972 · Paramount Northwest Theatre · Seattle, WA, US
October 26, 1985 · Sun Dome, University of South Florida · Tampa, FL, US
October 3, 1976 · Cobo Arena · Detroit, MI, US
May 3, 1986 · Cal Expo Amphitheatre · Sacramento, CA, US
October 22, 1971 · Auditorium Theatre · Chicago, IL, US
December 5, 1971 · Felt Forum, Madison Square Garden · New York, NY, US
October 9, 1994 · USAir Arena · Landover, MD, US
December 1, 1971 · Music Hall · Boston, MA, US
May 11, 1986 · Frost Amphitheatre, Stanford University · Palo Alto, CA, US
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