Capacity 8000
The Louis Brown Athletic Center, or The RAC as it’s often called, is home to the Rutgers men’s and women’s basketball programs.
"What used to be called Livingston College Campus or what we that were students in 1981 called the "Rock"."[3]
Opened in 1977, the Louis Brown Athletic Center is one of the great arenas in the nation to watch exciting college basketball. The reasons for this are numerous - Excellent sightlines! Outstanding lighting! Incredible acoustics! The fans are right on top of the action. It's also the perfect-sized venue to see a basketball game. This arena has been dubbed, “louder than a 757 from nearby Newark.” The RAC is definitely one of the toughest college basketball arenas in the nation for visiting opponents.
Most fans and students still refer to this truncated pyramid, which lies on the northern end of the Livingston campus, as "The RAC," which is short for Rutgers Athletic Center, the original name of the facility.
The arena opened on November 30, 1977 with a win against rival Seton Hall.
The arena was known as the Rutgers Athletic Center until 1986, when it was renamed for Louis Brown, a Rutgers graduate and former member of the varsity golf team, who made a large bequest to the University in his will. Despite the name change, the building is still largely referred to as "The RAC" (pronounced "rack") by students, alumni, fans, and players.
The building is shaped like a truncated tent with trapezoidal sides on the north and south ends. It is home to the men's and women's Rutgers Scarlet Knights basketball teams. Previously, the University used the 3,200-seat College Avenue Gym from 1931 to 1977.
The RAC was named the second-loudest arena in the nation by cbsportsbeat.com.
5/15/81 Grateful Dead[2]
I:Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo>Franklin's Tower>New Minglewood Blues;Dire Wolf;Cassidy;Candyman>Little Red Rooster;Jack-A-Roe;El Paso;Ramble On Rose>Looks Like Rain>Don't Ease Me In
II:Scarlet Begonias>Fire On The Mountain>Estimated Prophet>Eyes Of The World>Drums>Space>Not Fade Away>Black Peter>Sugar Magnolia. Encore:U.S. Blues
Promoter John Scher Presents.
"I vividly remember the lightning flashes through the skylight during Looks Like Rain! There was almost a dialogue between the band, audience, and electrical storm that really upped the energy. Right around Black Peter time, I worked my way up front stage left...really, really close to Garcia. I was basically touching the stage about 10 ft from Jer...and feeling slightly overwhelmed and almost unnerved.
You see it was really loud, and those notes Ol' Jer was hitting were more than just notes, well they were waves."[4]
"A major thunder/lightning storm outside & interplay with the band...a glass dome inside the auditorium so you could see/hear the storm during the show."[5]
Rutgers Athletic Center (Busch Campus, Rutgers University), Piscataway, NJ
1.)^The "RAC", http://www.scarletknights.com/facilities/rac.asp
2.)^http://www.deadlists.com/default.asp
3.)^cmitchell10, comments, 2010-02-27, https://archive.org/details/gd1981-05-15.sbd.miller.86783.sbeok.flac16
4.)^Mountain High, comments, 2008-04-03, https://archive.org/details/gd1981-05-15.sbd.miller.86783.sbeok.flac16
5.)^wheelman, comments, 2014-05-09, http://ratdog.org/community/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=318779
the 11/10/82 JGB show was NOT at the RAC,Rutgers athletic center. It was in the Livingston College gym. Presented by L.O.C.O. ie Livingston's own concert organization. Garcia Band contract was for 25K
ReplyDeleteTickets were $6. I have ticket no. 0001. Garcia set up a small tent in the' hospitality' area backstage as there were no formal private dressing rooms.He was obviously ready for this touring playing numerous small college shows. The tent was so he could go in and do his pre-show rituals in private. Scully was manager they were touring on a bus. The next show was Rider college(also in NJ) and then I think they played the old Felt forum in Madson Square garden. That was an awful venue with seating extending about 270 degrees so if your seat was on the edge you were at a strange angle to the stage
ReplyDeleteRider College was the year before, 11/8/81. And are you sure about $6 tickets? The other shows from this tour were twice that.
ReplyDeleteIn between Caldwell coleg and cape cod was a s r rip mall show in hems team called good skates
ReplyDeleteI grew up there and remember climbing the girders of that place when it was being built. It was in the middle of nowhere then. Saw the dead in 81 with the thunder and lightning and the cops that beat people senseless. There was almost a riot out front. Saw JGB there as well, not sure of the date but i know they played there, there was a big fire next to the place and the whole venue reeked. Also saw Allman Bros there probably 1979.
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