Grateful Dead releasing 80-disc Box set of previously unreleased live shows

[Booche]

05-16-1981

 

Barton Hall – pretty sure we are all familiar this venue even though none of us has ever been inside - https://archive.org/post/93123/conspiracy-theory CIA EXPERIMENTS, YO!

 

Feel Like A Stranger has always been a familiar opener to me and the Dead are now really comfortable with this one. Some fantastic sounds emanating from Brent. Friend of the Devil reminded me how seemingly oft-put I was when I first heard the extremely slowed down versions they became known for rather than the upbeat tempo first heard on Workingman’s Dead.

 

A really nice Althea, another song they immediately owned, followed the venture into cowboy country with an Uncle>Big River combo which preceded an all too rare CC Rider. Hahaha. I just re-read that sentence and had to re-do the math in my head. I always enjoyed getting tapes with CC Rider. Even though Bob sang it one has to wonder if Brent somehow brought the idea of the song to the band in some way since it started appearing shortly after he came on board. I’m going to take a big guess here and wonder aloud if Bobby and the Midnites used to do perform it.

 

Brown Eyed Women comes out next and I can’t recall if I stated this earlier but this is one of the few Garcia songs I have never really cared for but I was enjoying the groove of this one. This was also the moment I realized Phil seemed rather restrained for most of this show thus far. He has simply been Phil-solid without drawing much attention to himself with bombastic notes but perhaps I haven’t been paying close enough attention to those details.

 

Two shows in this 30 show release in a row with a Passenger and I loved how this came into the fray, sure enough, with a bomb from Phil. What a great song. Jerry just starts going off. I really wish the Dead had kept at this one. I would have loved hearing the Vince/Hornsby era throw this one out especially during the 1992 Hamilton shows. You kids out there with up and coming bands, get this cover into your repertoire because it’s balls out rock and roll in which you won’t be able to hide.

 

And BOOM! A nice surprise with High Time. This song was simply not done enough but then again, perhaps that is what helps give it the charm it possesses. A super charged Let It Grow flowed out and once again proved to be the song of the set. Garcia was a madman. Notes were coming from everywhere imaginable. This was such a great era for this song. Don’t Ease sent everyone off for cokes and pees. Again, this was a solid set. This was as close as things have come for me but nothing thus far has disappointed. Guessing this show made it for the second set but I didn’t give this first set my full attention.

 

Shakedown opened set two as Phil dropped his signature bomb but again, things felt like he was restraining himself however I am so fucking biased. I have seen and heard him play so many incredible shows over the years that even a normalized Phil Lesh seems like he is holding back. He’s clearly not here because he is maintaining that backbone while ploughing the fields for Jerry et al to sow but he isn’t digging the deep trenches that I love to dive into. Hahhahaha, we aren’t even 5 minutes in and I am bitching like a little entitledcunt so I decided to turn the speakers up much louder and……..well, let’s just say you should always play the Dead loud, unless Phil is being demanding because he has ruined 3 sets of my speakers over the years. Am I right DaveyBoy 2.0? You’re g-damn right I am.

 

Another surprise call in this show with Bertha being featured in the second set, which was one of my favourite little treats the Dead offered from time to time. They always seemed to have a bit more kick to them but that might be simply due to my expectations of it being a first set song.

 

Bertha snaked into Sailor>Saint and we are in the midst of a really fun set. The pulsating tempos are making me rethink my earlier comments about Phil. I’m so used to his expansive traverses across the frets of his bass and the deep thoughts he throws I often forget how great he can be when he just performs like the deep end that bands pray their bass players hold and this Saint Of Circumstance is a fantastic example of how he is holding it all together……. But lucky for everyone in attendance Jerry’s ear caught something and his fingers started running with it because this somehow delves into fucking Spanish Jam with Phil was right in tow. I take it all back. Phil is driving this bus while Jerry suggests where to go and you either have to get off at the next stop or pray you can hang on for dear life. Things get amazingly weird which is what got me to board in the first place so I wasn’t surprised this was when the fearsome foursome decided to leave things to the dynamic drumming duo for a Drumz that grabs you right off the bat. That’s the key to this segment in this era. If they can’t get me right off the bat then I am checking out until things get to the bigger drum units, which may not happen. Thus far these segments have been delicious sounding on this release.

 

Things sound great as the band slowly filters back in. Everyone is catching the smoove grooves and this is the stuff where Mickey Hart shines. I could listen to those jams for an entire show but all of a sudden Jerry and Phil start throwing out ideas that suggest Truckin or The Other One or something else in the key of E while we hang on every note until a decision is made. I always felt for the drummers in these situations “What the fuck do you want us to do?” but then one of them blows a whistle and off we go, Truckin’ it is and the bus has left the station again with Phil steering the wheel and signalling the turns which eventually leads us into a Nobody’s Fault But Mine jam directed by Jerry ‘the fucking man’ Garcia. He was so full of ideas and this is a great example of how his mind worked, while Bob Weir worked perfectly with him on the slide.

 

Staying in the same format, one of our collective favourite ballads slid out and I am guessing most everyone in attendance hung on every note at the beginning of Stella Blue. One aspect I love in this song are the harmonics Bob Weir provided but more importantly it also appears that this was one of those ‘forgot about the tape reel’ moments and we end up with a phenomenal audience capture. Isn’t it just so perfect that these 30 shows include some of these sound bites that aren’t jarring but actually work? A part of me is proud that they had the balls to do this. Is there another band that would, or even could? But if you were a band and could provide a Stella Blue this good with the necessary patches, wouldn’t you do it? 2 things come immediately to mind. First is that you gain an appreciation for how quiet a crowd of this size would get during a ballad as strong as this. Second is that you also gain an appreciation for the technology, determination and hard work these tapers put forth show in and show out. This one track made me miss the Good Ole Grateful Dead because a flood of year’s worth of memories came back, especially during Jerry’s fantastic solo at the end. I missed these moments at shows when we hung with Jerry on every note from his voice or guitar. I missed the joy of receiving a box of tapes in the mail I worked so hard on seeking out but I really fucking miss Jerry Garcia.

 

A raucous GDTRFB was up next and things rounded out with Saturday Night. A perfect choice for an encore in Uncle John’s Band, complete with crowd clapping thanks to this audience source, must have sent everyone home happy.

 

I used to have this on VHS and loved it because we got to see a little more personality coming out, not to mention Ken Fucking Kesey - You are going to want to watch this:

 

[Booche]

[bradm]

CC Rider. Hahaha. I just re-read that sentence and had to re-do the math in my head. I always enjoyed getting tapes with CC Rider. Even though Bob sang it one has to wonder if Brent somehow brought the idea of the song to the band in some way since it started appearing shortly after he came on board. I’m going to take a big guess here and wonder aloud if Bobby and the Midnites used to do perform it.

 

 

I found this:

 

https://archive.org/details/bwb1978-03-08.late.aud.116174.flac16

 

Bob Weir Band (with Brent), 1978 doing CC Rider.

 

I like what you're writing. Keep it coming!

 

Aloha,

Brad

[Booche]

That's fucking awesome Brad. Thank you so very much.

 

Bobby Cochran and the rest of the band take a vicious solo during this CC Rider and you answered the question in my head.

[c-towns]

[Booche]

07-31-1982 Austin Texas

 

The minor radio hit Alabama Getaway into The Promised Land set things off to a wonderful start for those looking to boogie. Phil sounded like he was ready to dance especially after it sounded like Jerry sang “I heard you pee in the courthouse?”

 

Candyman is another one of those all-too-rare Garcia ballads that we got to chasing, which seems like a shame missing this song because he takes a particularly drippy solo. It’s fantastic. There is also a wonderful build while Jerry reminded everyone to tell everyone else that they meet that the candy man was in town. Great version here and this show started out pretty searing. Seeing as they were in Austin, El Paso made a bunch of sense in this slot.

 

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah, Bird Song…….where have you been throughout this box set? This is one of my favourite songs and it’s a shame there haven’t been enough of them up to this point because it provides such a wonderful avenue for a walk in the woods which the band heartily takes part of during this version. Although to be fair, the song disappeared for 7 or so years so there weren’t very many to pick from. Bird Song segued into Little Red Rooster and this is proving to be a very enjoyable first set. The band is feeling good because this was a powerful 19 or so minutes of music.

 

Another first set favourite of mine, Ramble On Rose, followed things up. I don’t know exactly what it is about this song that I love so much. Whether it are the whimsical lyrics which can be about anything you want, the punchy rhythm you cant seem to nail down even though you have that shit timed to your very breath or the soaring leads Garcia was able to deliver time and again but this song has it all. Speaking of Garcia solos that I always enjoy, It’s All Over Now added to this fine first set. This was a cover also performed at my first show which had me so utterly confused it was a Kinks cover thanks to what I sucked on before the show. I can still feel that anxiety and joy combo from that night but hearing Phil play bass on this one makes me know I am not in that same moment.

 

Another Brown-Eyed Women and yet another eye-opener for me. I am really getting into these early 80’s versions. Phil is just hopping. Perhaps I have finally unlocked the key to enjoying this song. Oooooooooooh yeeeeeeeeeeeeah….a great start to this Music Never Stopped which doesn’t let up. Totally popping version that you wish never ended. Garcia flying all over the place during an all too quick Deal was a wonderful bookend to the boogie-loo that started things off. Some might say the band punctuated a set that was longer than it seemed.

 

“We’re gonna take a short break. We’ll be back in a few minutes so everybody hang loose and get a lot of beer and have fun” – that pretty much sums’er up Bobby. Well done. I am guessing many folks were jacked after this set.

 

For my money, there aint no better chords to open a second set than the 2 that signal Scarlet Begonias and the pace this song provided in 1982 always makes me feel that nip to the air because there is nothing wrong with the love within her eyes. One of the things we all love about this song is whether or not it will be paired with a favourite and whether or not that transition has the capabilities of taking us *there*

 

This most definitely does. There is this really small section whereby Garcia harkens back to his slide days during the Scarlet outro but he isn’t using a slide. I almost fell off the floor of my floor but he continues on and quickly makes you forget he even did it. Ideas are being bounced around from everyone and we are deep inside the Grateful Dead mind. This is what it’s all about if you ask me. It’s a constant segueing tease which finally resolves at Fire on the Mountain when Phil decides it’s time. Everyone is heavily involved at this point and it ends up being another pumping Phil song. He’s the fucking man and helped provide a fantastic 25ish minutes of music to start things off (I looked at my phone when it started)

 

Estimated Prophet follows and you have to wonder again if it might have another wonderfully perfect pairing. “Are they really going to go back to back to back to back?” but as soon as I thought that I realized how deep the tempo was on this Estimated was feeling. She aint tight like they were in 1977 but hot-damn if this aint no other level. The solo sounds soooooo good. Once again, they were nailing a second outro in this set with Bob Weir doing his best to wail his voice to invoke spirits.

 

But then all of a sudden it gets dropped upon us. “Where in the fuck did Eyes of the World come from?” I always wanted to see one of those combos live just to see how they did it that night because that was one of my favourite Grateful Dead wildcards which led to some great weirdness before Drumz which sounds amazing and is making me look more forward to what is coming in the later-day shows during that segment. You can hear things building.

 

Space into Uncle John’s and is about as deep as this band gets into a two song metaphor. If you haven’t got the Grateful Dead yet then it’s time to walk away. This shit is potent and you want to be hanging on for dear life. You want to be afraid. You want to know everything is worth it. You want to wonder “I cant believe there are a number of songs left?” ….while Phil and Jerry are floating inside every cloud during a buck dancer’s choice.

 

We then get blammo’d with a Truckin’ intro suggesting I Need A Miracle until Bobby counts things in and Truckin does it’s thing which is what you always want it to do. Punch you in the face while picking you up. Being the ridiculous Deadhead that I am, I always wonder what that final build will be like. This one softly lands but quickly delves into boom spots we dream of and once again we are within another perfect combo

 

Morning Dew. Had I been to this show ya’ll would be sick of me talking about it for all these years because this is stupid good. Everyone will get it. One More Saturday Night smokes to the end and then Don’t Ease Me In dances us out of the venue. They killed this show. Immediately one of my favorites of the lot.

 

 

In the meantime...............

 

[edger]

Hell of a setlist

[Booche]

10-21-1983 – Brent Mydland’s 31^st Bday

 

A clearly amped up crowd is greeted with The Music Never Stopped and everyone showed their appreciation which is a possible sign of things to come because Phil seems locked and loaded. I was always surprised by the amount of folks arriving late, I know we missed an opener in 1994, and I am feeling sorry for those who decided to have “just one more beer” because the band was feeling great. Loser was up next and we are off to a wonderful start. Jerry’s voice sounds like the tale teller in this one as if he truly lived this one a few times. Loser contains one of my favourite solos. In fact, it was the first things I heard once I learned Garcia had passed away and I couldn’t stop balling. I had maintained my composure for the most part but once his strings started to squeal with just a perfect amount of distortion while letting them ring, well you know the score.

 

CC Rider comes out once again and if you put your face close enough to your speakers you can feel the breeze from Mydland’s leslie rotating speaker during his solo. Bob’s slide playing his really come along by this point, its no longer jarring but I doubt anyone will ever confuse him with Duane Allman although his slide is endearing to my ears because its so unique much like all his voicings.

 

Off we travel to slave away in the mines Cumberland. Where exactly? Well that’s the sort of folklore the Dead liked to toy with much like “Which Springfield do the Simpsons live in?” I always felt it was a shame that Cumberland Blues became such a rare song, only appearing perhaps a few times a year because it is such a fun dance along with the potential for some classic Garcia train lines which you get a taste of here. Cassidy followed and once again I am all in with this first set. Classics mixed with odd rarities. I could listen to the open ended jam that always seemed to surprisingly land on the “Flight of the seabirds” line, as if we just spent our time watching said seabirds fly. For that split second it’s just a perfect combination of music and lyrics.

 

Ramble On Rose is another great call in this set and then My Brother Esau put on his roller skates to roll over the crowd. You can’t ask for more from this first set and if you do then tits/cock or gtfo. Speaking of trains, Big Railroad Blues followed Esau. Phil has had such a great set but the band was starting to sound just a touch spent during it so it came as no surprise that Promised Land sent everyone backstage to refuel. In fact, Bob announcing that they were going to take a short break sounded like Jerry’s. You have to wonder if everyone was fighting off the fall tour flu but you certainly couldn’t tell based on the music.

 

A quick nod of Happy Bday led into Scarlet Begonias which immediately told me it was on and its gonna be go time, especially once I listened to Garcia’s solo. He came out for that second set ready to fire along with Phil. Saddle up boys and girls. I sure hope you secured your strap nice and tight because the transition to Fire was well executed rollercoaster of a journey with the collective fret boards locked in as one instrument. I often find that if this song is uninspired it can drag you through the mud, not unlike what those of us who experienced Coventry had to deal with but this one is not in that category. Everyone is right on top of where Fire needs them to be.

 

Then Uncle John’s Band? Are you shitting me? Fantastic. Especially with Brent in the band but I did always feel for the high part Bobby had to sing yet he slid in perfectly with Brent and Jerry here. In the grand scheme of things none of it was very pretty and they never were going to sound like they did on the album but this 3 part harmony section worked when they got there. They certainly do here, for the most part. While they understood harmonies, having learned from CSN (little known fact) this was not a band known for them. Too many factors worked against them, the primary one being the huge catalogue of songs they employed as well as the fact they didn’t do those songs all the time, let alone practice, which is what a harmony band has to do but they got there during this version. No one can fault them for that but one thing we can all appreciate is a Playing In The Band coming out from insides of UJB. Hell fucking yes we can!

 

Phil is all over the place during this one. It’s a damn shame this isn’t a 20 minute plus version that you might find in the 72-74 era because the ethos from those days is most definitely there even if it doesn’t sound like anything from that time and space. The lead in to Drumz is absolutely magnificent and had I not heard everything up to this point I would have assumed Lemieux included this show just for the final minutes of Playin’ - total must hear as is the Drumz if you are into that sort of thing which I am. I often think I can convert people based on my stupid-ass huge speakers and some of the great versions I have but the only folks who have heard anything on them from this portion of the second set is my six year old son. He fucking digs it so perhaps I am onto something. Come on over. Bring some party favours and let’s test out my theory bitches!

 

Garcia was first to board the Space shuttle this evening and I figured we were in for some kind of treat. Couldn’t you listen to him run through whatever scales/frets/ideas/sounds for an entire night? Bobby quickly joined and I soon thought of the Other One because that’s what I do during the ideas they bounce off one another. They love to dance around that tale but it stands to reason. Bob whammy-bars the fuck out of his guitar and I immediately am reminded of all those times his guitar would go out of tune during the mid-80’s “So that’s why”. You don’t notice as much when the entire band is onstage but while he is pounding on that thing when it’s just the two of them you are able to do the math. None the less it sounds fucking awesome during this segment. This is honestly a must hear Space and a loooooong time is spent with just Jerry and Bob onstage. I can’t recommend it enough. Just as I write that I totally hear where things might be heading but if they don’t come out with Truckin’ or even Miracle then I am gonna guess someone died onstage but I suppose they could still get into the Other One. This is a neat one.

 

Truckin’ it is and perfectly slides in. I love how quiet things were from the audience during that Bob and Jerry segment. As soon as the band gets on and they inform their intentions you remember that they are in fact playing in front of a few thousand people. Meat and potatoes stuff here folks. It’s a frontal lobe change party now folks!

 

Wharf Rat must have destroyed everyone in the house and if that didn’t then surely the I Need A Miracle that vivaciously stumbled on her high heels yet finally came into the fray must have. If you don’t have a boner by now then you aint no friend of mine. Touch Of Grey follows and I figure will sound different to a lot of folks unless you were an avid tape collector. This is how I first got to know it outside of the MTV video hit. At this point it is still in it’s infancy and gained some stature for having been involved for so long prior to making it on an album while becoming the biggest hit the Grateful Dead would have. Many older fans complained about the Toucheads but don’t kid yourselves, every single one of us reading this review (save for a couple who may stumble around here) are a Touchead. I highly doubt I would have come across this band had that video not hit so many people who inadvertently got me to my first show. Luckily I know who my Patient Zero is but I have never chosen to go beyond that simply because the story leading up to it was so influential.

 

Johnny B Goode closed things out and my theory still stands this particular test in time. They knew it was a fucking great show.

 

 

[edger]

Nice read. Another great sounding set. I have to say though a Johnny b Goode closer has and always will be a pet peeve of mine. Out of all the songs that could be played...

[Booche]

Think of it this way edger......

 

"Here's the one it's all about"

 

[Booche]

10-12-1984

 

Stranger opened again and right off the bat I had to get used to the sound because it was quite open when you heard the vocals although there were some cool delays. Dan Healy wanted to have some fun which I always welcomed. It’s too bad they didn’t continue along this path for at least one song a show but that probably proved to be a next to impossible task once the larger venues started happening a few short years from here. Totally locked version with all members firing right off the bat.

 

It Must Have Been The Roses was a great second song call with the slightest of delay from Jerry’s guitar, tune your ears to hear it folks, and a touch on the vocals on the again which continues through On The Road Again. This one feels nostalgic because I used to love getting tapes that sounded like this, which tended to be in this era. I wonder how people here would feel about this sound if they haven’t been exposed to it. I would totally understand if they didn’t get it but hot-damn if this stuff doesn’t sound incredible when you crank it on a proper system (ie: not your phone or pc). It’s an interesting dynamic that also provides a further aspect to “No two Dead shows are alike” and something that adds to my appreciation of their music and what they offered. We used to refer to these as the “trippy” tapes, as much for the band’s playing as the sound we could hear. It wasn’t so much in your face as it was dancing around your mind. This isn’t the best example right now but I am guessing it’s coming so if you hear me say it’s a trippy tape or sound then you will know what I am talking about.

 

Jack A Roe featured Jerry doing his runs and gave credence to a band having fun. It’s All Over Now followed and you can almost hear the crowd hopping along. Whenever I listen to this cover I think of the amazing guitar player Johnny Cash got to play with, Luther Perkins. I can’t say why, perhaps Velvet will help me frame this thought pattern some day but it’s definitely been there for quite some time. A well intro-d Cumberland Blues followed which fit perfectly…….oh, and we get another audience tape mix near the end of Cumberland? I was in the kitchen and something sounded weird there. Perhaps Ringo Starr hit a button and fucked things up for a moment. He’s a natural born button pusher don’t you know?

 

The Music Never Stopped ended this set and I am sure more than a few people were more confused than normal. While unbelievably short, it’s still fun containing three songs from Reckoning and three from the first set of my first show. Let’s all remember that I we all contain bias so I am going to put this set on cd just for those drives that I know will be laborious this coming winter as I skid towards my office but I doubt this will be a go-to set for most folks. They all cant be home runs. Speaking of which, I love love love my Dead/Baseball analogies  so here is one Blue Jay fans might appreciate. This is akin to when Rickey Henderson would lead off with a solid single off the first pitch and we waited in breath for him to try and steal second………..

 

Sure enough, Rickey got the pitch he was looking for while Devon White was at bat and he took off during what is normally a first set song if not an opener – Cold Rain and Snow. Phil was leaping from the bench in excitement while Bobby and Brent ensured Jerry was making sure he was still focused on batting cleanup. Rickey slid safely into second without a throw from the catcher. Bobby Alomar sat there taking throws to tire out the pitcher while fouling off the strikes with a great at-bat of Lost Sailor and Saint Of Circumstance. He hit an easy double at one point but a fan reached out and caught the ball on the first bounce (great bare-handed catch though). Luckily the umpire ruled it foul. Brent was up third and also took a walk with an all-too rare Don’t Need Love. He had eyes in the back of his head as he watched breaking balls just miss outside. Four pitches, four balls. It’s time to lose it because the bases are fucking loaded fanners.

 

Jerome Joe Carter Garcia sat there and fucking nailed the first pitch he saw which grazed the foul pole but since instant replay wasn’t a part of major league baseball they missed it and Uncle John’s Band wasn’t what we had hoped it should have been. To this day there is a pile of lament but we got to see the rest of that at-bat and for that we praise what came. Another pitch that Jerry missed because he was butting out his unfiltered Camel beside the plate, without touching it of course because that would be on out.  Drumz was a ball. 1-2. Space? Ball. 2-2. Playing in the Band? Ball. 3-2 A reprise into Uncle John’s Band? Another big foul off “I saw that pitch all the way. I dare you to bring it again.”

 

And then it happened. That moment we all go pay attention to everything. There is nothing like sitting on that very first pitch to when you hair is standing on end because you are now inside the batter’s box while simultaneously throwing. It’s a full count and a blazing fastball comes down the middle with no movement. “I dare you” Jerry mouths to the pitcher and then swings for the fence. BLAMMO! The bases are cleared and it’s 4-0 nothing Grateful Jays. As he rounds the bases the entire Skydome is dancing to the sounds of a thunderous Morning Dew.

 

It’s pretty much game over as Duane Weird and Bob Henke come out together to close things off with Good Lovin’

 

PS: Having said all that, it’s a crying shame Don’t Need Love wasn’t done more than the 10 or 12 times it was performed. CD 3 is an absolute gem. I cant believe I never got this one on tape. Perhaps it wasn’t in wide circulation when I was trading or no one talked about it to me but I love this one.

 

PPS: I had one helluva buzz while listening to this one. I barely recollect it now that I am posting it from a saved file. “I listened to this show?”

 

PPPS: and I aint sober now

 

[c-towns]

Here is an interesting Dead project someone compiled;

 

Internet Genius Compiles Every Guest To Ever Jam With The Grateful Dead From 1965-1995

 

http://archive.org/post/253261/the-crowded-dead-stage-1967-1975

 

http://archive.org/post/253296/the-crowded-dead-stage-76-88

[Booche]

06-24-1985

 

We are now into the start of summer 1985 and Garcia’s health/addiction problems are really starting to take a hold if you solely base things on his first soloing venture during Alabama Getaway to begin set one. He’s slowing down yet he’s still inside the music. By the second solo you get the feeling he has dusted off his rusty strings and there might be a fine night of music ahead. “Hey, maybe nothing is wrong with him so we don’t have to worry!” Greatest Story Ever Told is up next and the sweating has already begun inside the Rivebend Music Center.

 

They Love Each Other slowed things down a notch but not before you can hear someone say “What are you doing?” just before it starts up. God bless The Good Ole Grateful Dead for having little to no plans. Their controlled chaos could lead to magic for most people at the best/worst of times while either saving your soul or sending you to the depths of insanity. Jerry fumbled through some of the lyrics. It’s a little known ‘fact’ that if he got lost in the words he would look out into the front crowd to read lips to help him get back on track.

 

A dancey Minglewood brought back more stinky summer sweat. I will ALWAYS see this bouncy bald half nekkid Deadhead from Buffalo in 1993 in my head when I hear this song. Tripping balls I still remember thinking “There’s gotta be a way I can find my inner stomp like that guy”. Every time I see Gord at any show I think the same thing. I’m sure he is stomping somewhere as you read this. Tennessee Jed came out as I made these thought patterns and writings and then wondered why there isn’t a song about anyone we know but then I realized I had smoked a gagger so my thought patterns are fucking completely off-kilter. Its times like this Velvet has always helped bring me back to where I need to be. Is that metaphorically ironic or what?

 

Luckily another My Brother Esau has made its way into this massive release. Things got weird at the end. Bob tells the crowd that during the set break there will be a raffle and the winner of said raffle will get to hold the rhythm section hostage. It’s an interesting bit because Esau ended somewhat abruptly and you can hear a little argy-bargee going on. Clearly there are some nonplussed folks onstage so what Garcia does what he does best in these moments.

 

He dials up Loser. Moments like these must be cutting if you know who you are, especially if he comes out smoking like he does on this one. Although I suppose if a great song comes out of brotherly bullshit then who cares in the end? Instead of “Everyone’s bragging and drinking that wine” Jerry sang “Everyone is laughing and drinking that wine” so things feel like a Bob Dylan Idiot Wind scenario. Someone is pissed off. I don’t think he made a mistake. I suspect his intention was clear. If I were a betting man I would say that he was plucking his strings angrily.

 

A great Let It Grow with some dirty Garcia tones set the finale to this first set and I am hoping the animosity seemingly brewing between band members boils over into the second set. There’s no better way to dealing with personal issues on a stage then blowing off some fucking steam. Just ask Coventry Phish how that works out for ya.

 

 

So the other night I had a dream about Iko Iko because that’s always been one of my favourite dancey Dead covers and sure enough they opened the second set with it. Always enjoyed this song as a set opener. Turn it up boys because go-time has been activated. Everyone doing their Grateful Dead milkshake dance while Bob Weir sang, what? WTF was that? I was in the kitchen dance my ass off doing the dishes and then that happened which leads into an awesome percussively led intro to Samson and Delilah. This is smoking shit that should be turned up really loud because everyone is everywhere which is where you want them to be. I got sore sitting there listening to them pump this one out after I had come into the living room to get more into being enveloped.

 

He’s Gone led us into the other spots we love in the second set. It’s such a perfect pre-Drumz song. No wonder they ended up placing it there for years to come. “Let’s slow slow things down but not do a full-on ballad” yet when you hear this vocal delay you wish they performed it every show especially when they jump into a blues staple like Howling Wolf’s Smokestack Lighting while somehow bleeding into Cryptical Envelopment? Are you fucking kidding me? This is deep bleed material. One can only wonder what they might do after Drumz.

 

A supremely weirded Space that provided hints you are in a jungle constructed by Dr Seuss, that’s what. I loved this segment of these shows from this era and I am guessing Hunter S Thompson did as well because when the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. Garcia starts throwing around The Other One. Obviously that’s the call here but noooooooo. Somehow the decision to throw everyone off was an interesting choice as Comes A Time makes it’s way onto the stage. Fucking perfection and anyone deeply engrossed in this one can feel Jerry while he sings “and I feel the wind and I taste the rain, never in my life to cause so much pain”

 

And there it is. The segue into The Other One we have all been waiting for. This is the kind of direction Deadheads must have loved where the Dead were heading when it came to these sorts of setlists because it does feel like anything could happen. We look back now post-Jerry and see what Phil/Bob did with all their incarnations but this was a band who seemed lazy when it came to thinking out which songs they should play because as we all know, they had a vast repertoire but songs got slotted and that was that. Having said all that we get to the end of the song which segues back into Cryptical. Thank you. Heads must have been exploding. “I totally forgot they did the first part!”

 

Following Cryptical we get a second post-Drumz/Space ballad from Jerry. Wharf Rat. Again, thank you. Around and Around followed with Bob and Brent having a ton of fun with Jerry doing his standard rhythm guitar but another surprise popped out with a spirited Good Lovin’ with a short Weir speech about the state of the world and why we need to change things. I always love when he invoked Pigpen or was invoked by Pigpen. Fantastic set closer. US Blues was a perfect encore and completely complementary to the speech Weir had just delivered. “Son of a gun, better change your act”

 

God bless the Good Ole Grateful Dead

 

[Esau.]

Here is an interesting Dead project someone compiled;

 

Internet Genius Compiles Every Guest To Ever Jam With The Grateful Dead From 1965-1995

 

http://archive.org/post/253261/the-crowded-dead-stage-1967-1975

 

http://archive.org/post/253296/the-crowded-dead-stage-76-88

 

 

Nice. I remember back in the early ninities a couple friends and I pooled all our shows and started to put togther something like this. Awesome to see someone actually do it. Thanks for the links.

[c-towns]

Intriguing Garcia interview from '79

[Davey Boy 2.0]

I'd party with Studs Terkel

[Booche]

05-03-1986

 

Cold Rain and Snow opened the show and as it slowly plodded along I couldn’t help but wonder how worried fans were about Jerry Garcia’s well-being at the time. 1986 was a rough year for Garcia. Years of poor diet and even poorer decisions left his body a mess. In July of that year he fell into a diabetic coma that lasted 5 days. As we all know he made a miraculous recovery and one I am selfishly thankful for or else my life never would have changed in the way it did once I saw the band.

 

The Race Is On told everyone in attendance that the Kentucky Derby was underway, or soon to be or had been completed.  By the time They Love Each Other was halfway through I started wondering if this might end up being the weakest show of the set. Garcia just isn’t quite there. Phil was certainly doing his best to keep this ship afloat while moving forward. CC Rider makes another appearance and I soon hoped this might be the turning point in the show since its one of Garcia’s best accompaniment songs.

 

High Time was up next, complete with some cheesy synth from Brent during the intro. Man. The 80’s was one fucked up decade but I love this song so full pass. BIODTL flew right into Promised Land with Phil providing fire charges throughout. A rollicking Deal closed out what had to be the quickest first set thus far clocking in less than 48 minutes. In fact this the first show which only takes up 2 cds. So much for marathon Dead shows that one could potentially hope last up to 4 hrs. Youch.

 

My favourite second set opener featured Scarlet Begonias but with a far too quick intro. I could listen to those chords for minutes on end before Jerry starts to sing. Brent Mydland and Phil came out ready to rock for this one while Garcia’s fingers were back to their nimble selves as they danced around the fret board, especially during his solo and then the segue into Fire On The Mountain. There is some really layered playing going on as they make their way to Fire. This show has picked up a ton of steam and I am starting to understand why it was chosen. Any worries a fan may have had up to this point about Garcia’s health must surely had been alleviated or at the least forgotten. Heck, most were probably concerned for themselves by now. Garcia was forgetting some words and his voice was having technically difficulties but all in all this was a pretty fine version.

 

Man Smart Women Smarter began and I was almost immediately giggling. Which other band would dare offer a massive retrospective of this scale and include Garcia’s issues as well as Weir’s out of tune guitar? God bless the good ole Grateful Dead. Funny enough, my other favourite “Weir’s guitar is fucked and out of tune” moment from all the tapes I gathered over the years also happened in 1986. GDTRFB comes out during the tail end of Women Are Smarter and I have to say, I love it when these intros are as seamless as this one but for my money the early 70’s had the absolute best ones. This one has a really nice spirited finale with Jerry, Brent and Bob giving all the vocals they had.

 

I could still hear some issues with Bob’s guitar and not long after that they left the stage for Drumz which was a touch sad because it seemed like Mind Left Body Jam, or something in that vein, was about to float from the speakers. Drumz was interesting due to what sounded like a loop and some digi-weirdness. I’m not sure how well it ages but at the time I am sure a few heads were exploding. My favourite part about this one is that it inspired me to create a playlist of some of the ones which I find particularly tasty. This stuff always sounds incredible on my main stereo. Bob and Jerry come out to start Space and they create a fantastic canvass of sound together, especially Weir. He sounded perfect to my ears. Great sustain and delay happening from the two of them. By the time Phil had a belly full of wine and joined the stage we were on our way to The Other One. The second verse was really trippy and it was a shame this version ended far too quickly.

 

Comes A Time made an all-too-rare appearance and it’s one damn sweet version. Brent Mydland added the most important colours to Garcia’s solo. I think this was my favourite part of the set but we are definitely heading to the era when his ballads were the best parts of shows that we all waited all night for.

 

Sugar Magnolia inched it’s way out and before you know it we are back into a blazing dance party thanks to Phil getting behind the wheel so he can drive the bus again. Weir’s guitar sounds completely fuckadoozled once again but it’s easy enough to drown him out since everyone else is pounding away. None the less, I could never blame anyone for getting caught up in how bad his guitar sounds here because its almost fun to listen to how shitty it is coming across.

 

Sure enough after Phil hits a note there is a colossal sound of badness. Something bad went down. Before you know it, Bob states “Listen. My guitar is broken. Jerry’s guitar is broken…’and all hell broke loss?’…..we’ll see you all tomorrow” Phil steps up and says “What Bob meant to say was is that Jerry’s fingers are totally frozen his guitar is broken and my mind is blown so I don’t think we are gonna do an encore tonight. We’ll see you all tomorrow”

 

Just like that. Show over.

 

By the way, what were Garcia’s first words when awaking from his coma and seeing a room full of family/friends you ask?

 

 "I'm not Beethoven."

 

[Northern Wish]

Thanks again Booche.

[Booche]

09-18-1987

 

I had never heard this first set so I was most looking forward to it. The second set was a staple thanks to a wonderful Maxell XLII that snaked its way into everyone’s collection. I gave all my tapes to Chris Paul and that one was a hard one to hand off. I wanted to keep it for posthumously nostalgic reasons but I soon realized I no longer need trophies.

 

Right before they drop anything Bob Weir yells out “Hey Rocky, watch me leviate Garcia” which may have been a nod to their bizarrely amazing appearance on David Letterman. No idea who makes the Rocky call-back. Fucking immediate weirdness. The east-coast madness is palpable and you know this is gonna be a good one. Those tapes always crackled with energy.

 

 

Hell In A Bucket started and I was all in because I love this song as a show opener. Garcia has survived his coma scare, he has re-learned how to play guitar and this band is flying right out of the gate. Touch Of Grey has been a huge success and an influx of new fans are now descending upon the band’s shows. For better or for worse a new party had begun while many folks are becoming increasingly aware while being introduced to what train hopping may have been like to an earlier generation. We are stuck in the middle of a 5 show run at MSG and I am willing to bet this became an unforgettable Friday night for so many people that night. Everybody loved their ovations and the Z-rated scenes they created and this one is a barn burner.

 

Sugaree came out and everything is laying itself out perfectly. A killer 2-song combo to open things up features Garcia’s newfound way of developing a solo is on display here. Let’s remember that this is an individual who came out of a diabetic coma and had to re-learn basic motor skills, not the least of which was learning how to play the guitar again. Melvin Seals played a huge role in that process and each one of us should forever be indebted to his hard work and determination in helping Jerry get back into playing shape. To this day I can’t believe I didn’t force Velvet and nero into an opportunity meeting a personally hero but times were different back then, my friends. Think about that for a second. One of our collective favourite bands on this board opened for Melvin Seals. That is fucking amazing but I digress because Garcia is growling and it’s time we go.

 

Walking Blues came up next and once again I giggled at those who suggested the Dead didn’t know how to play the blues. The only retort I ever have to that is “Have you ever listened to the blues?” This is an Americana band that learned from the roots. If you can’t grasp that then it’s time to give up. Candyman came out next and I couldn’t help but smile because if I aint getting it in Las Vegas then I want it in the other city that never goes to sleep. This was followed up by a fantastic When I Paint My Masterpiece. Perfectly executed.

 

By this point in their career the best first set song one would expectantly hope for is Bird Song and after a false start we are off into a blissful land of peaks and valleys. Speaking of which, I always got a kick out of Ryan Adams having a song called Peaceful Valley that harkens the spirit of Bird Song especially when he and The Cardinals performed it live. I highly doubt that was an accident and it would be one of the few queries I would pose his way should I ever get the chance unless I just completely melted in front of his presence much like this set ended must have done to a number of people. It was incredibly short but man. This is the stuff you want.

 

Was there ever any doubt that Shakedown Street would open the second set? Had you been following setlists you may have made a percentage call on that one but based on the abundance of enthusiasm they were already employing it would have been an outstanding choice from the band and that’s exactly what they chose to perform. The delay on the voices/harmonies gives this such a larger than life feel. Even the sober people must have been seeing double. It must have been such a wicked disco dance party in that room because at points I swear I felt like I could hear Jerry’s big fat shoes stomping about those Persian rugs. This has to be considered a top-10 version.

 

Man Smart Woman Smarter came out next while Mickey mouse and Billy cat really applied their mettle. They sounded like one drummer without stepping on anyone’s toes especially while Brent took off with his solo. The crowd sounded like they were going ape-shit which always gets Bob Weir off and sends him off.

 

Absolutely loved this version along with everything else and then Terrapin Station gets dropped. May gracious be me because the Good Ole Grateful Dead have simply been winding everybody up this entire time while knowing they were about to smooth things over for a few minutes as Garcia told his tale based on Robert Hunter’s lyrics.

 

By the time I got to Drumz I had to turn the volume down a bit because my son wasn’t into this particular version. To be honest, it didn’t captivate me either until the beam came out towards the last quarter but like I said I had to turn it down. Apparently “dino-Youtube” had some epic shit going down that he felt compelled to delve into so I put on some headphones and we each went to our own Space. Mickey was still sliding along those massive strings while Garcia and Weir joined him. It was at this moment I wondered why no member of the Space team ever jumped on the beam once the drummers left. Perhaps they have at some point but I can honestly say I have never heard of it happening. At this point in their existence we are still at a point when the majority of Space is Jerry and Bob but we are getting close to the midi-days. This one is fairly uninspired for the most part and I wonder if the vast confines of an arena like MSG may have had an impact on how hard it was to be inspired yet at the same time, Jerry wasn’t in the same place he was only a couple of years before when these jaunts could truly give you the haunts.

 

GDTRFB is immediately picked upon at a wonderful clip. Albeit short, it made its rocking mark and led in a fantastic All Along The Watchtower. This is a tape I listened to for years at home and in my car but totally forgot this song was a part of the show even though it is such a killer version and one of my favourites but perhaps you might understand once you hear what follows.

 

Whenever someone says to me “The best one ever is 09-18-87” the last thing I am going to do is debate them, minus Bob’s out of guitar moments because that’s pretty much a standard at this point in their history. He was regularly beating the shit out of it to stretch notes. Anyways, this is the one it’s all about as far as I am concerned and you are getting a high-five and a hug from me. I certainly haven’t heard them all but most people I have met point to the Cornell version. I get that. Many have pointed to SPAC in 1983 and I most certainly get that too. Winterland in October of 1974 is also another one folk will talk about and in 1984 the Dead smashed one out in Augusta Maine but the sheer power coming from this band during this version is stupefying for my ears. At the end of the day everyone wins with regards to this argument but I have always loved meeting a Deadhead who has never heard this monstrosity. Coupled with the sound of this release you are getting the best of the best with regards to Morning Dew.

 

But this band isn’t done delivering yet. Good Lovin’ perfectly walks out and you know we have hit the show closer time. I always had a “Enjoy this one as much as you can” one their rocker was bringing the show to an end but something else happens here aside from Bob Weir just fucking going for it. In 1987 a biographical movie about an up and coming rocker named Ritchie Valens (he died at the age of 17 in that fateful flight with Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper) took everyone by storm. During the summer of 1987, Los Lobos had number one hit with the title track of that movie. Jerry Garcia, he of Spanish ancestry, came out from the insides of Good Lovin’ and plowed through La Bamba just mowing everyone over while singing words everyone knew even though they didn’t know the language. This eventually gives way to the finish of Good Lovin’ and we are officially sitting on a set for the ages.

 

I’m sure most young ragers complained about a Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door to encore this night but for my money it’s perfect. This band must have been spent because they gave their all and chose to perform one of the most oft-covered songs written by a man who made his mark by moving to New York City. I certainly would have needed a breather and a place to catch myself before I made my way back into the mad mad world.

 

I know a pile of people who enjoy the Dead but having never seen them it just isn’t something they have to gather. This is A+ and one you should immediately seek out, Sean Taylor I am looking at you, especially if you are of the “I love MSG” breed. The energy this show provides between the band and the audience is a pure bouncing ball of blue electricity that howls in the bones of her face as it gets passed back an forth from the stage to the crowd.

 

 

 

[Northern Wish]

I listened to 11.14.73 on a drive from CT to NY on Sunday. I got a fucking speeding thanks in no small part to that Eyes > Other One, Wharf Rat, Me and My Uncle. I was blissfully unaware of everything except the sun shining and the road in front of me until I saw red lights in my rear view mirror.

[Davey Boy 2.0]

I was blissfully unaware

of everything except the sun shining

and the road in front of me

until I saw red lights in my rear view mirror

 

 

that right there is the makings of a crunchy noodling jam-hit, I tell you what.

[Booche]

07-03-1988

 

One of my favourite show openers (DB 2.0’s first Dead song he saw live) came blaring out of my speakers after I had forgotten to turn them down from a previous listening experience. Hell In A Bucket – complete with the revved up motorcycle from the studio version. This is one of those songs that although sung by Bob and showcasing some great guitar work from Jerry it features Phil’s fantastic bass runs. It gives the song that oomph and drives it home. I’m sure many Heads who had too much too fast wondered where they were heading. I loved the ending, with Bob’s voice echoing as if he was in a canyon’s cave. Sugaree followed offering a healthy one-two punch to start things off. Walking Blues was the third song on the list enabling the double guitar slide work with just a perfect touch of delay on Jerry’s guitar.

 

The song ends and Bob approaches his mic “There’s a guy down there yelling let Mickey sing now he has obviously never heard that. I mean, you can have it if you want it” I guess that is the 1988 My Dog Has No Nose joke. Tennessee Jed began and a part of me hoped that Mickey would sing the first line. Now that would have been a good joke but alas it was just a straight run through one of the band’s first set party anthems and Jerry’s voice is sounding particularly strong on this night.

 

Bob Weir shuffled in with one of my favourite Dylan covers he provides by introducing Queen Jane Approximately and I always love the solos Garcia takes on Mr Americana’s songs this version being no exception because he is all the fuck over it. I guess it makes sense since about a year before the Dead toured with Dylan as his backing band. Let that sink in for a moment. The Good Ole Grateful Dead backed Bob Dylan during a small stadium tour of 6 shows. Totally cool but I digress because Bird Song came out next and before I knew it I was heading straight for that place they take me. About ¾’s in Phil was teasing the drummers into catching up with him or slowing down based on where he thought things were going while Brent Mydland began laying down some unorthodox chords or perhaps inauthordorky ones, I am not sure but it worked and this was a great version to end another short first set which clocked in around 48ish minutes. They certainly got to the point they were trying to make without us having to endure Mickey singing. 

 

“We’ll be back in a little bit”

 

And just like that they were!

 

I suppose one of the positives of listening to the Dead at home vs. being at a show is that you can actually listen to a wonderful sounding board at home. Touch Of Grey quickly entered the fray. Bob’s guitar was in the forefront for this one while Phil pounded away. I will forever love his bass playing on this song. Every time I hear the anthemic line “We will get by…….we will survive” careened by Jerry I cant help but smile because I figure he must look down from heaven and know that everyone done did good. His boys made it, his fans made it and everyone has tried to make each place a better place.

 

No sooner had I thunk that thought when the New Orleans funk of Hey Pocky Way came busting through, complete with Brent smashing chords. I was pretty damn fucking stoked hearing it since I have done my absolute best to avoid setlists/songs/spoilers while ruining the fun for all of you. This could very well be Brent’s best cover song and it’s by The Meters. Check them out Phish fans. They provided a couple of fantastic albums in 1974 and 1975 – Rejuvenation and Fire On The Bayou. Your favourite keyboard player has played a few shows under the moniker The Meter Men with original members George Porter on bass, Leo Nocentelli on guitar and Zigaboo Modeliste on drums. Seriously, if your drummer goes by the name ‘Zigaboo’ you are probably a pretty damn fine band.

 

Had to be a wicked party to start out the set and I would have been high-fiving er’body when Looks Like Rain started up. Bob’s voice sounded rather growly on this one when things started out. He may have caught the hippie flu from some filly in Rochester or perhaps SPAC or Pittsburgh or Buckeye Lake. He’ll never know but he clearly didn’t have it together to deliver one of his signature finishes. Jerry and Brent took care of that one for him even after he brought it back with a “Listen……..turning grey and it turns like rain…..” but he then he turned a corner and started slamming things home because as we all know, Bobby double U cant stand the rain. 

 

A surprise entry came flying out and we entered the territory occupied by Estimated Prophet. I certainly didn’t expect this after L-squared Rain and I certainly wouldn’t have guessed they were going to be hitting on all cylinders like they do inside this version. The Jerry solo slot is fantastic. He’s in the background the most as Brent/Phil/Bobby just pummel this song. It’s these sorts of moments when I am able to understand what I once read Jerry say about himself as a member of the Dead and how he feels like he is an accompaniment rather than a lead player. There’s a great jazzy jam stomp out of this one that reminded me of the feel that the Estimated from Rich Stadium in 1992 offered albeit this one is far better.

 

Another difference between the two versions is that this one falls into Eyes Of The World. While a staple for a long time in the band’s history I am gonna guess that this is the last Estimated > Eyes offered on this box set. They became rare and for good reason. The combo just didn’t work as well as it had used to but thus far we are on a great ride with this particular one. Bob and Brent have had a fantastic show up to this point, Brent Mydland in particular. He has been feeding everyone ideas and then this falls perfectly into I Will Take You Home. Wow. I don’t know if I have ever heard this song come in so well.  If you are the father of a daughter then I suggest you look this song up on Youtube. I have my own particular bedtime I sing to my son but if he were the opposite then this would be the song I would sing to her every night. Drumz came out and not too long after that it seemed like Bob Bralove had his hand in on a bunch of those sounds. There was some extreme delay on Jerry’s guitar going on early within Space with other touches of weirdness that suggested Bob was now a heavy player during this segment. For those who don’t recognize his name he could essentially qualify as “the musician under the stage” but until one of his interviews him we will never fully know the impact he had during these segments.

 

Yet another Going Down The Road was yielded an entrance and we are seemingly getting back to normality, unless you were there of course. Love these tempos and it’s not surprising this song became more and more rare but at the same time her later-day appearances always suggested to me a band that was firing on all cylinders. There aren’t too many shows left on this box set and I wouldn’t be surprised if this is the last one we hear and then the slight Jerry fanning happens and that’s that. My theory is standing stronger all the more. If memory serves based on the tapes I had it aint on the 89 show, it aint on the 90 show, it aint on the 91 show and I know for a fact it aint on the 92 show (having been there of course). It aint on the 94 show so it may appear on the 93 or the 95 show but I digress as we wind done towards what used to be the Bid You Goodnight melody but instead Bob bursts from the seams with I Need A Miracle and who fucking doesn’t Mr Weir?

 

Fantastic. This is high-five nation stuff for me – note to self, write a song called High-Five Nation. Phil bombs in the house, which eventually make their way into Dear Mr Fantasy and it’s quickly become clear this is a Brent Mydland show while the band smokes their way through this version of a classic Traffic song. One of my favourite dual harmony moments of all their covers happens at the end but before you know it they take it to another level and it’s one of all our all-time cadences flowing from Hey Jude with everyone in tow minus the vocals but none of us were there that night, or were we? We would have been the singers or star in a new band called the Brent Weirs.

 

Not Fade Away provided the perfect encore allowing another sing-along. Maybe the audience could be called the Budding Hollies.

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2OI6zx-yCw

[Booche]

On 2/15/2016 at 7:34 PM, Booche said:

10-26-1989

Fall tour 89 could be argued that another peak was taking form and five days from this show the band would release their final studio album Built To Last. Appropriately enough they opened this show with Foolish Heart which would end up becoming a hippie slayer of a song. How many foolish hearts amongst their crowd knew they were in fact foolish hearts? I certainly met and knew my share but I suppose for most people their 20’s, and sometimes much later, was a time they had to learn from their mistakes in order to figure out their lot in this world. I know I enjoyed seeking out the answers to questions I didn’t even know I had and this song contains one of my favourite Robert Hunter lines “Dare to leap where angels fear to tread”. That was a rallying cry on far too many nights during my mid 20’s but we all survived and got by. I think.

I have often considered this song to be massively underrated amongst Deadheads. The jam that quite often delivered wonderful peaks, which sadly doesn’t develop during this version perhaps because it is still a relatively new song, became one we would all hope to see live and I have often wondered why I haven’t seen more bands cover this song. It’s still a well performed version that leads into the call of the wild, Little Red Rooster. There is some fantastically dirty slide guitar going on between Jerry and Bob during this version. The sound on this show is absolutely stellar and if you are a fan of Without A Net I am going to recommend you get this one right now. It’s thumping. Phil’s bass is perfectly captured with no detail left unforgotten for any of the other musicians.

A really fun and all too rare Stagger Lee preceded the cowboy combo of Me and My Uncle into Big River. The band is firing on all cylinders and you get the sense the crowd will lap up anything thrown at them. Everything is a party throw down at the moment and during this era it must have always felt like Saturday night. “Worry about it tomorrow!” Brown-Eyed Women simply continued the theme and hot damn if Mickey through done the thunder drum during this version.

In keeping with the theme of the impending album release Victim Or The Crime came out and it was slamming, most definitely too close to home for many in attendance. Mickey must have been practicing on the thunder drum during the prior number because it comes out in perfect spots. I’ve always loved Garcia’s work on this song and this one is no exception. Actually, it enforces the rule and an outstandingly weird ending bleeds into Don’t Ease Me In to end the set. I love hearing Brent’s B3 on this song. I could listen to that stuff for a long time.

Back in my days of tape trading I would get a box of Maxell XL II’s that I would fire off to people who had shows I was interested in getting. I didn’t have much money so whenever I could afford to buy some tapes I was ecstatic.  Back then 10 tapes cost more than a case of beer (so I always jumped on sales of course). I almost exclusively got 2^nd sets because it made the most efficiently economic sense. This was a second set I sought after very early on but more on that later. Estimated Prophet opened this one and you immediately get this wondering questionable sense of “Really? That’s fucking cool. Normally they save that for closer to Drumz”. No warming up for this one, they just dive right in and it must have floored folks because the normal rules regarding setlists were thrown to the wind not to mention how peculiarly quaint the Good Ole Grateful Dead gets out there during this one. Phil and Jerry are slinking inside and outside of one another. Bob keeps offering the weird chords and Jerry starts softly offering his newly found love of midi, think the Hampton - Formerly The Warlocks shows from earlier in the tour. I wonder had I been on this tour if I would have suspected what was coming based on the way this version fell apart within the seams but there is no fucking way I would have heard Brent Mydland’s Blow Away come out of that Estimated. Totally awesome stuff for this guy so high-fives everybody.

This is a booming version that just stops. There is some soft notes that suggest we have no idea where things are heading, Brent has been suggesting a new song? Wait, I think we know that key…is it?......nah………cant be………they are plunking around because someone is out of tune or something…….….and then……holyfuckballs it actually is Dark Star!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

Monumental. Garcia’s quote “There is a little Dark Star in everything we do” is so damn fitting within their ethos but this could be argued as the last truly great Dark Star. It harkens back to a day gone by because as soon as you hear Jerry and Phil dive in you know something is different. While you are listening just think about the stage they are playing this one on versus the early ones within tiny spaces. Those ended up sounding compactly expansive. This sounds……well, you will know. I am not going to continue to drag on because it is somewhere around 30 minutes tracked so do yourself a favour. Test drive your new vape pen or do a Cam Newton dab or whatever it is you kids do these days but make sure you allow an outside turn into the inside of your mind. Have enough cans of Coke, the order of Chinese food has already been eaten, your alarm is set for tomorrow and your phone is turned off because it’s time.

A wonderfully weird Drumz that somewhat eventually normalizes follows up and it just couldn’t be more fitting in the context of what had just happened. It’s as if you can feel the pulse and feel the building breathing. I can’t even begin to guess what it must have been like for those in attendance. This is drippy stuff and cements the bands psychedelic legacy well after the fact that they had already done precisely that. Space creeps in and I am wondering if I would have survived up to this point. This feels like one of those “I am leaving the show so I can find a pay phone to send my mother a collect call in order to tell her that I love her but I am dying and that she was a really good mother”. I actually met a Deadhead who did that. He left during the Drumz/Space section. You can’t make that shit up but it should also inform those of you who never saw a Dead show how much of a warrior you had to be at times and how delicate your life’s balance felt.

The Wheel bled out and that is one of my two favourite ‘regular’ songs that can come out of said madness. It’s a song I love with all my heart but you just can’t pull it off at a campfire, or at least I certainly cant yet have tried to find some kind of acoustic balance. It’s as layered as they come while providing the warmth of a mother’s blanket. Maybe buddy should have stuck around.All Along The Watchtower brought some rock and roll back to the fray but it wasnt quite as pumping as other versions I am familiar with. It wouldn’t surprise me that they aren’t plowing through this one simply due to the fact that much of the music has been so intrinsically introspective but at the same time it’s a very interesting version that is gunning.

Stella Blue was the Jerry ballad slot song and once again I was absolutely stunned by the song selection even though that section is the one I have to dial myself back because I wait for in every show. Perfect call here. One can never argue these choices but some are better than others and this is one of them. While I was listening to the Dark Star on this I wondered if Jerry had caught the wookie flu. His voice was ragged. I wondered if he simply needed to cough that shit out but it’s apparent he had caught something during tour and hopefully it didn’t extend to his extremities. Sometimes when I come up with these revealationary theories I begin to question how much I have listened to this band because it’s fucked up that any person assumes they can distinguish such intricacies.

Not Fade Away closed the set. It was always such a perfect call to me even though this song seemingly never transfers to tape as well as it did while they were performing. No matter how connected the room was this song always brought it more together but they made their point during the encore when they provided everyone with the “time to go home everyone” song Bid You Goodnight.

This one is grand, you guys. Bop bop bop, bop bop. 

 

By the way, did you know the Dead did California Earthquake following the devastation in San Francisco on October 17^th 1989

 

 

 

[Booche]

“I don’t present a song to the band until I have a basic rhythmic feel for it, the melody as I imagine it to be sung, and the chord changes, The thing that’s interesting about ‘Foolish Heart’ is it doesn’t have any pads in it. Nobody’s playing chords in the song. Everybody’s playing lines, and the lines hook up and tell you all you need to know about the harmonic content of the song. You don’t wonder where it’s going. It’s so beautifully designed, it’s like a clock. It’s really lovely. It surprised me it came out so interesting and so perfect and so totally its own personality. That’s the Grateful Dead in action, really.”
 

[c-towns]

Pretty cool online book can be seen here;

http://www.gratefuldeadfamilyalbum.com/#!chapters/czem