How I memorized the setlists during concerts by The Grateful Dead

Grateful Dead setlists changed from show to show, with few or no repeats in multi-show runs at one venue. The peak for me was when they played 97 songs with only five repeats at a six-show run at the Berkeley Community Theater around Halloween 1984. I got good at memorizing the lists during shows; I’d remember the first word or letter of each title. For the second set on 30 October 1984, then, I would have remembered Scarlet Fire Far Estimated Eyes Drums Space Other Stella Sugar US or perhaps just SFFEEDSOSSU. On the way home after shows, my friends were always surprised I could remember the whole list so well. (Andrew Shields, #111Words, 9 July 2024)