On June 4, 1983, Andy Eisner and some pals set out from their New Jersey homes and headed due north to a city they had never been to, a city they would never visit again.
There was no GPS to be had; no Siri; no Google Maps; no nothing, no how, no way. This band of bold adventurers were living in an era now known as the O.G.—they were using hard copy maps to reach Poughkeepsie, NY.
Their destination was a former vaudeville house on Crannell Street, just a few blocks from New York State’s oldest newspaper, and the nation’s second-oldest behind the Hartford Courant, the Poughkeepsie Journal.
The occasion was a performance by the Jerry Garcia Band—and the Eisner crew was stoked. But the trip took a really long time, and it grew laborious. Never ones to back down from a Grateful Dead-road trip-adventure, they pushed on and reached The Chance, much, much later than they had planned.
The parking lot was full. But there was no scene, no tailgating, no nothing. They headed to the venue and as they were arriving, a tour bus pulled up, seemingly out of nowhere. The bus stopped. The door opened. And out came Garcia and his right-hand man, Steve Parish. Jerry was carrying his signature briefcase and turned to Eisner and his pals before disappearing through the stage door.
“He said, ‘Hey Kids,’” Eisner recalled.
The New Jersey posse ended up catching both of Garcia’s shows that night—the early and late offerings—and returned home to New Jersey quite late, no worse for the wear, and exhilarated by yet another adventure on the open road.
The melodic and rhythmic spirits of that special night in Poughkeepsie will likely be reawakened this coming Sunday, Oct. 19, at noon, when the latest incarnation of The Chance hosts a performance of live Grateful Dead music. And sure, in true Grateful Dead manner, there is a twist.
The Rock and Roll Playhouse Oct. 19 will take to the old Chance stage and deliver a performance of Grateful Dead songs for its core audience, families with children ages 1-7.
The musical endeavor founded by educator Amy Striem and national concert promoter and venue owner Peter Shapiro will also delight Hudson Valley families with games, movement, stories and, most importantly, according to therockandrollplayhouse.com, “an opportunity to rock out….It allows parents to enjoy the music they love while little fans are encouraged to explore their creativity and have fun!”
The Chance building on Crannell Street in Poughkeepsie’s historic downtown is now home to the Empire Training Center for the Arts. According to empirearts.org, this innovative educational hub’s goal is to train, “a new generation of live entertainment professionals in technical and arts administration jobs that do not require a college degree.” Trish Santini, co-founder of Empire Training Center for the Arts, said students will be working the Rock and Roll Playhouse Show as part of their training. Empire students have previously worked on the Jazz in the Valley festival in Poughkeepsie, and on an event at nearby Vassar College.
Santini and Shapiro got to know each other when the Rock and Roll Playhouse performed at New York City’s Little Island, a Hudson River green space, during Santini’s tenure as executive director there.
Set for noon on Oct. 19, this event offers Hudson Valley Dead Heads, who may or may not have children or grandchildren, the opportunity to return to the very concert hall where Garcia—and Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir a few nights later—brought the magic, the mystery and the music of the rock band that across decades was consistently ranked as one of the nation’s top-grossing touring acts.
And for those keeping score at home, Weir brought his Bobby and The Midnites side project to The Chance four nights later, on June 8, 1983. To this very day, the eyes of Hudson Valley Dead Heads light up at the mere mention of these two shows.
In honor of these historic nights of revelry, tickets for the Rock and Roll Playhouse’s Grateful Dead gig have been priced at $19.83. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. Sunday. Show time is noon. Click here to purchase tickets.
And let’s not overlook the fact that Shapiro owned the old Wetlands Preserve in Tribeca; and currently operates Brooklyn Bowls in Williamsburg, Philadelphia, Nashville and Las Vegas; The Capitol Theatre in Westchester County, NY; Garcia’s bar adjacent to The Cap and in Chicago; and the Bearsville Theater in Woodstock, NY, not far from The Chance. Each of these venues has more than a couple of Grateful Dead yarns to spin. Shapiro also hosted many the Dead Head for the Fare Thee Well concerts in 2015, in the San Francisco Bay Area and Chicago, featuring Weir and his former Grateful Dead band mates, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann.
Back in Poughkeepsie, both the Garcia Band and Weir gigs played pivotal roles in establishing and maintaining The Chance’s firm foothold in the realm of global music history.
The Chance on Oct. 23, 1978, a snowy Monday night in New York’s Hudson Valley, hosted a then-unknown British band for what at first glance was a less-than auspicious occasion. The Police drew just four-paying customers to this now-infamous gig at what was then called The Last Chance Saloon.
“One night we turn up in a town called Poughkeepsie to play at a venue aptly called The Last Chance Saloon,” Police guitarist Andy Summers wrote in his memoir, “One Train Later.” “It is bitterly cold and we unload our gear from the van into deep snow. It looks like a decent place, but obviously tonight we are not going to get an audience.”
David Bowie played The Chance on Aug. 19, 2003, as a warm-up gig for his “A Reality Tour.” And Bob Dylan performed at the venue on Aug. 4, 2004.
As far as The Rock and Roll Playhouse is concerned, moms, dads, grandmas and grandpas can get the full lowdown below. Visit therockandrollplayhouse.com to purchase tickets and get the low down on this musical entourage’s cross-country adventures.
Upcoming Gigs:
Music of The Beatles for Kids – Saturday, October 18 – Bluebird Theater – Denver, CO
Music of Fleetwood Mac for Kids – Saturday, October 18 – Brooklyn Bowl – Brooklyn, NY
Music of The Beatles for Kids – Sunday, October 19 – Sweetwater Music Hall – Mill Valley, CA
Music of Grateful Dead for Kids – Sunday, October 19 – The Chance Theater – Poughkeepsie, NY
Music of The Beatles for Kids – Saturday, October 25 – Felton Music Hall – Felton, CA
Music of The Beatles for Kids – Saturday, October 25 – The Atlantis – Two Rocks, Australia
Music of Chappell Roan for Kids – Saturday, October 25 – Basement East – Nashville, TN
Music of Hootie & The Blowfish for Kids – Saturday, October 25 – The Riviera Theater – Chicago, IL
Music of Grateful Dead for Kids – Sunday, October 26 – 29th Street Ballroom – Boulder, CO
Halloween Spectacular – Sunday, October 26 – First Avenue – Minneapolis, MN
Music of Chappell Roan for Kids – Sunday, October 26 – Ardmore Music Hall – Ardmore, PA
Music of Bruce Springsteen for Kids – Sunday, October 26 – White Eagle Hall – Jersey City, NJ
Halloween Spectacular 2025 – Sunday, October 26 – Brooklyn Bowl – Brooklyn, NY
Music of The Beatles for Kids – Sunday, October 26 – Harlow’s – Sacramento, CA
Music of Queen for Kids – Sunday, October 26 – Lodge Room – Los Angeles, CA
Music of Taylor Swift for Kids – Sunday, October 26 – Motorco Music Hall – Durham, NC
Music of The Beatles for Kids – Sunday, October 26 – Radio Room – Greenville, SC
Halloween Spectacular – Sunday, October 26 – Thalia Hall – Chicago, IL
Music of Billy Joel for Kids – Sunday, October 26 – Galuppi’s – Pompano Beach, FL
Music of Fleetwood Mac for Kids – Sunday, October 26 – Bearsville Theater – Woodstock, NY
Music of Taylor Swift for Kids – Saturday, November 1 – Garcia’s at The Capitol Theatre – Port Chester, NY
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