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    heatherlew
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    RFK Stadium 1989 Box

    LESS THAN 5000 LEFT

    The Grateful Dead battled the elements in July 1989, enduring drenching rains and stifling humidity during back-to-back shows at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in the nation’s capital. In spite of the bleak weather, the band thrilled the massive crowds both nights with triumphant performances that rank among the very best of a busy year that included 74 shows and the release of the group’s final studio album, BUILT TO LAST.

    ROBERT F. KENNEDY STADIUM, WASHINGTON, D.C., JULY 12 & 13, 1989 includes two previously unreleased concerts taken from the band’s master 24-track analog recordings, which have been mixed by Jeffrey Norman at TRI Studios and mastered in HDCD by David Glasser. The collection’s colorful slip case features original artwork by Justin Helton and a perfect-bound book with in-depth liner notes written by Dean Budnick, editor-in-chief of Relix magazine. The set will also be available as a digital download in Apple Lossless and FLAC 192/24.

    When Jerry Garcia, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Phil Lesh, Brent Mydland, and Bob Weir rolled into D.C. in July 1989 for the Dead’s two-night stand at RFK, the band hit the stage running with a stellar rendition of “Touch Of Grey,” the group’s biggest hit from its only Top 10 album In The Dark, which was released in 1987. The following night, the band returned to its double-platinum commercial breakthrough when it opened the show with a fiery version of “Hell In A Bucket.”

    “RFK Stadium '89 fell right in the middle of one of the best tours of the last 15 years of Grateful Dead performances, with these shows being the sixth and seventh of an 11-show tour. This tour is widely considered the start of a nine month period of sustained excellence, which ran from Summer '89 through Spring '90. The RFK shows are as good as any of the more famous shows from this period, including July 4 in Buffalo, July 7 in Philadelphia, and the Alpine run,” says David Lemieux, Grateful Dead archivist and the set’s producer. “When Bob Weir has asked me to provide copies of Grateful Dead songs to give to his bandmates to learn and rehearse, he almost always requests Summer '89, and I've often drawn upon the RFK shows for this purpose. It's really that good!”

    Both shows feature standout moments, but the July 12 show is notable for a few reasons. Perhaps the biggest is that the first set featured at least one song sung by each of the band’s four lead singers – Garcia, Weir, Lesh and Mydland – something that rarely happened. Another surprise came when the band opened the second set with “Sugaree,” a song that almost always appeared during the first set.

    Pianist Bruce Hornsby — who briefly joined the band between 1990 and 1992 — is featured on both shows. He played accordion during “Sugaree” and “Man Smart (Woman Smarter),” with a touch of keyboard-tinkling, on July 12, and then played more accordion the following night for “Tennessee Jed” and “Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again.”

    For fans of Mydland’s tenure with the Dead – which began in 1979 and ended in 1990 with the keyboardist’s tragic death – these stellar shows capture that incarnation in peak form. Among the long list of highlights are performances of live staples such as “Eyes Of The World,” “Wharf Rat” and “I Need A Miracle,” along with rarities like “To Lay Me Down,” which was played only a few times in 1989. The July 13 show also features the band road-testing “I Will Take You Home,” a track Mydland wrote with Dead lyricist John Perry Barlow that would appear later that fall on Built To Last.

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  • JimInMD
    Joined:
    8 Tracks
    My first GD exposure was 8 track. Ha.. that's one medium I wont miss. I guess I had a bad machine, it kept eating all my tapes. It was really a bad technology... Cassettes were much more reliable.. and contrary to popular belief, I do not see them making a robust comeback. My prized Nak died about ten years back.. the belts had all dry rotted and it started to play reeeeaaaaalllllyyyyyy sssslllllloooooowwwwwww. There is no advantage to cassettes over CD's as far as I can tell, and a lot of drawbacks. I do see the Vinyl appeal, but 8 tracks and cassettes, I just don't see this becoming a wave.
  • alvarhanso
    Joined:
    Sittin' on a fence (not a pole)
    The limited announcement yesterday did what it was meant to do in piquing my interest, but I'm still on the fence. These could probably be broken down to 4-5 discs, and there probably won't be any filler, and once again I'll be miffed at short discs, though this time for 65 bucks for 2 shows. I think I'd find 5/8-9/77 as a 2 show box for 65 bucks to be pricey, so it has nothing to do with Brent or '80s hate. I actually like Summer '89-Summer '90 a lot, they were playing at the peak of that incarnation, as evidenced by how much of it's been released. (But feel free to throw this post back at me if they offer a 2 show box of RFK '73 for the same price and I buy it the minute it's announced, because that would likely be my reaction to that RFK box.) The book is probably nice, and I love the books in the boxes. The books are what I really miss about Spring '90 and Europe '72 (though I really love the idea of the steamer trunk). If it's around next year and I got the extra cash, I'll get it. If I miss out, I'll survive, and enjoy the subscription for Dave's 2018 and next year's big box.
  • MinasMorgul
    Joined:
    Since 15K is the number
    5K will be added to the available quantity at some point. It's gone down exactly as I posted it would, although I'm surprised they're going with 15K. They still started with 10K and are now down to 3800 - 3900. Sales, Space Brother are at 6200 roughly, which leaves about 8800 left (5K which muse still be added). I'm not sure what numbers are "more or less brisk", but these are the facts. Brisk is relative I guess. Bottom line is that a good seller is great for us all.
  • LedDed
    Joined:
    Eight-track Renaissance
    I hear eight-track is on the rebound. Might want to fish around the yard sales for one of those Panasonic boom boxes with 8-track, AM/FM and a cool shoulder strap for rocking the 'hood. At least they still make D-cells. Glad to see the RFK '89 box going limited. Why not? I like physical product. Blu-ray's, cd's, more than just download. That being said I fleshed out my missing Dick's Picks off iTunes for a fraction of the cost of what the cd's have gone up to now. There's something reassuring about the certainty of a tangible, physical product on my shelf, should (God forbid) my laptop get stolen/destroyed, hard drive crash, etc. I have so much music from so many sources - friends who have kindly loaned things, items from the public library, iTunes and other downloadable sources, etc. It would be impossible to remember it all, were it to be lost or corrupted, however I know those cd's sitting on the shelves aren't going anywhere and as much of a pain in the ass it is to burn them all in, it's a 100% backup. I have Carbonite cloud backup as well as a portable hard drive but I don't trust it. That pole freak on Veneta is the ultimate acid casualty. Most people made it through but some of them just fried. If that dude is still breathing, he's drooling right now.
  • JimInMD
    Joined:
    Blue Ray, DVD, etc.
    I have two Blue Ray and a DVD in the living room.. I found myself nodding to what the Ice Cream Kid had to say.. mhammond too. Thin is clearly correct in what he wrote.. but I have one subtle comment to add. I got into a back and forth email chain with Lemieux a few years ago about DVD's, etc. I think it was when the other Alpine show came out, and I missed it due to work.. so there was a little bite in my initial outreach. He did reply.. at length. Keeping in mind.. he was hired as the video archivist as Dick was still alive and well back then. His comment was layered, he was clearly keeping certain things close to his chest, but it was revealing nonetheless. I think the issue with video in general is the market is more segmented and aggregate demand has not justified all the costs involved getting this to market (my words, not his..). The 16,500 number (soon to be higher) is a magic number for vault releases in 2017. Keep in mind Terrapin Limited is still for sale, I'm quite sure it is limited and it has been for sale since 1997. There are tons of deadheads but not everyone has to have the 150 or shows that have already been officially released (what is that number again?). At this point, it is a numbers game for them and contrary to popular believe, once everyone (including the band) gets their cut I doubt if there are mountains of money left over. So back to the video topic.. Dave is all in with video releases. The hesitancy is not on his part. Rhino sells CD's and records.. DVD and Blue Ray is more like an after dinner mint for them.. if they sell and they make a ton of money on them, they'd do more. Reading between the lines from the correspondence all those years ago, there simply is not a terrific demand for GD DVD's. I can't get enough myself, but I say the same thing about the official CD releases too. Another factor is very few were recorded on film, most (the 89 and go forward material) was recorded on the crappy 4" tape common at the time. Find your favorite 1989 sitcom, go to YouTube and watch it.. it's grainy and has the same limitations as the stuff directed (recorded) by Len Dell'Amico during the late 80's. The video will not get better regardless of the medium as the source tapes are subpar. The sound, on the other hand, can benefit from the better mediums... depending on a few things... But look at this another way.. they do have a good bit of video recorded, some of it is pretty damned good. Most of it does have those distracting special affects baked right in. It will get released one day, perhaps they are just keeping their powder dry for when demand picks up a bit. If there are still some SSDD left and I bet they have a ton of the Fare Thee Well left (back to the numbers thing...) my guess is they are just biding their time and will begin releasing them when demand exceeds their magic number. I do prefer Blue Ray, it could be a dying medium, probably because it costs more and people are streaming a lot these days. Us hard-core, especially the audiophiles, will want DVD or probably Blue Ray. I really don't see that changing, streaming is not going to take precedent over the physical product for the person that just shelled out $12,000 for their new surround sound system. ..but who knows for sure what the future will bring except that quack Ray Kurzweil (yes.. I said that). If you made it through this post.. congrats and accept my apologies.. dry stuff.. but we like the GOGD and there's nothing boring about being there, front row center in the comforts of your own living room.
  • Cousins Of The…
    Joined:
    cassettes
    I was about to guess it's a hipster thing, but apparently Justin Bieber had something to do with it.Which doesn't make sense either way...
  • Thin
    Joined:
    Space - you are correct
    Spacebro - You are correct, sir. I forgot there was a DVD/Blu-ray segmentation in the Veneta release. How many Blu-rays did they produce? I don't recall how fast the DVD's sold out. I guess I passed on that because I didn't have Blu-ray AND I'm not enthralled with DVD vid quality, which is like a 720 vs 1080 pixel format (if someones previous post was accurate). I didn't really want to see Polesitter dude in 1080 OR 720 pixels - LOL. As I said earlier, I hope for both our sakes that they continue with the '89 releases. There's a ton of great stuff from that era sitting in the vault. Once the video format gets sorted out, I think we'll see a LOT of '89-'90's releases. re: Cassettes - I've heard they ARE making a comeback. Martin Sexton was on "Above the Basement" recently (highly recommended Boston-area music podcast) and he mentioned that he recently issued his recent release "Mixtape from the Road" on cassette as a novelty item and said they sold out of 1,000 of these in just a week or two, to his amazement. I blame the "Guardians of the Galaxy" movie series for romanticizing the format. https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/above-the-basement-boston-music-and-co…
  • Romberg
    Joined:
    Packaging Size
    Dead.net, please put the packaging dimensions in the description. I'd like to buy this but I need to know if it will fit on a CD shelf. I've been burned too many times on oversized packaging to blind buy a Grateful Dead box set ever again without knowing he packaging dimensions first. Thanks!
  • FloridaBobalooToo
    Joined:
    Makes NO difference to me
    Numbered or Limited sets don't sound any different to me. Fact is that has nothing to do with my motivation on buying GD stuff. Actually I think I might offer a swap of my GSTL Limited box to someone who really must have it in exchange for a music only set.For the amount of bother to try and turn one of these things for the little profit, just wouldn't be worth my time. Yes I know some sets bring big pricing. Theres the moral thing as has been discussed too. All n All Im after the music. Weekend is HERE!!! 24th Anniversary is the biggie in my trailer park. Taking the wife out for Bar-B-Que and a night at the Shooting Range! Woo-Hoo!!! 9/3/93
  • Thin
    Joined:
    Spacebro re: 8/27/72 - makes my Blu-ray point
    Spacebro - Thanks for helping make my Blu-ray point. 8/27/72 is indeed still available after 4 years sitting on the shelf despite only producing 12,500 copies, but I find your conclusion that this means 80's is more popular than '72 laughable (respectfully) - it is rather a reflection on Blu-ray, per my previous post. 8/27/72 was a single show plus Blu-ray for $55. That is the only release I have never purchased because I don't have Blu-ray and I didn't want to blow $55 + shipping for 3 CD's I already have (from my DAT days) in pretty darn good quality. (And Mr. Polesitter guy in hi-def NOT a draw) I also doubt they have sold as much of this '89 box as you think - when they plugged the initial number into "inventory" they hadn't yet decided the final production #. Probably input a nice round 10k, not the current 15k you are using in your math. But I could be wrong. We'll find out the next time they update the site. But going numbered/limited edition should boost sales of this box. So ALL the other releases/boxes have sold out or are close to it - most at 15k units or more - while the relatively low 12,500-unit EPIC Veneta show released 4 YEARS AGO on Blu-ray still sits on the shelf... this is why they aren't releasing more Blu-ray.... edit: icecrmkid I just saw your post. I'm not saying Blu-ray is going away forever (though Betamax, Laserdisc, Selectavision, and DIVX did), but the dream of Blu-ray becoming the universal video standard, like CD is for audio, is dead. Again, I think they are waiting for a ubiquitous video format relevant to ALL before releasing more video. Veneta teaches us that Blu-ray is not the answer.
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RFK Stadium 1989 Box

LESS THAN 5000 LEFT

The Grateful Dead battled the elements in July 1989, enduring drenching rains and stifling humidity during back-to-back shows at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in the nation’s capital. In spite of the bleak weather, the band thrilled the massive crowds both nights with triumphant performances that rank among the very best of a busy year that included 74 shows and the release of the group’s final studio album, BUILT TO LAST.

ROBERT F. KENNEDY STADIUM, WASHINGTON, D.C., JULY 12 & 13, 1989 includes two previously unreleased concerts taken from the band’s master 24-track analog recordings, which have been mixed by Jeffrey Norman at TRI Studios and mastered in HDCD by David Glasser. The collection’s colorful slip case features original artwork by Justin Helton and a perfect-bound book with in-depth liner notes written by Dean Budnick, editor-in-chief of Relix magazine. The set will also be available as a digital download in Apple Lossless and FLAC 192/24.

When Jerry Garcia, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Phil Lesh, Brent Mydland, and Bob Weir rolled into D.C. in July 1989 for the Dead’s two-night stand at RFK, the band hit the stage running with a stellar rendition of “Touch Of Grey,” the group’s biggest hit from its only Top 10 album In The Dark, which was released in 1987. The following night, the band returned to its double-platinum commercial breakthrough when it opened the show with a fiery version of “Hell In A Bucket.”

“RFK Stadium '89 fell right in the middle of one of the best tours of the last 15 years of Grateful Dead performances, with these shows being the sixth and seventh of an 11-show tour. This tour is widely considered the start of a nine month period of sustained excellence, which ran from Summer '89 through Spring '90. The RFK shows are as good as any of the more famous shows from this period, including July 4 in Buffalo, July 7 in Philadelphia, and the Alpine run,” says David Lemieux, Grateful Dead archivist and the set’s producer. “When Bob Weir has asked me to provide copies of Grateful Dead songs to give to his bandmates to learn and rehearse, he almost always requests Summer '89, and I've often drawn upon the RFK shows for this purpose. It's really that good!”

Both shows feature standout moments, but the July 12 show is notable for a few reasons. Perhaps the biggest is that the first set featured at least one song sung by each of the band’s four lead singers – Garcia, Weir, Lesh and Mydland – something that rarely happened. Another surprise came when the band opened the second set with “Sugaree,” a song that almost always appeared during the first set.

Pianist Bruce Hornsby — who briefly joined the band between 1990 and 1992 — is featured on both shows. He played accordion during “Sugaree” and “Man Smart (Woman Smarter),” with a touch of keyboard-tinkling, on July 12, and then played more accordion the following night for “Tennessee Jed” and “Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again.”

For fans of Mydland’s tenure with the Dead – which began in 1979 and ended in 1990 with the keyboardist’s tragic death – these stellar shows capture that incarnation in peak form. Among the long list of highlights are performances of live staples such as “Eyes Of The World,” “Wharf Rat” and “I Need A Miracle,” along with rarities like “To Lay Me Down,” which was played only a few times in 1989. The July 13 show also features the band road-testing “I Will Take You Home,” a track Mydland wrote with Dead lyricist John Perry Barlow that would appear later that fall on Built To Last.

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I remember (I'm dam sure of it!) more than once in grade school ('50s) sitting in a circle and the teacher whispering a short story to first person and then each one of the students whispering the story to their neighbor until at the end of the circle the final version was compared to the original. Invariably different.I don't think it had anything to do with the '70s or '80s... human nature :-) DE
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Super excited to get these shows. Arrived last night while I was at a Hall of Fame induction for a sibling- she rocks! Ripping them as we speak. Gonna light a fire and fire up these shows. Can't wait to hear em. As for the art- I love it. I know not everyone is a fan of the copy and paste, and I get that. For me, I think it's just exactly right. Great colors, art, and packaging. Glad I got the physical product for this one. Happy Saturday, ya'll! Happy listening, and Go Irish!
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Good morning, I want to take a moment to collectively thank you guys and Rhino for all of your efforts to offer and deliver this music to us. Woke up this morning and went right for the July 12th discs, and the sound is superb and the packaging, which is important to me, is perfect. Probably speaking for many, 2017 has been a fantastic year in regard to these Grateful Dead releases... Cornell, Buffalo, and others are now in our collections and are so well produced. For me, the news surrounding the 2018 Dave's Picks subscription show the decisions made what to release consider what many fans are passionately wanting... if the sound is there...you guys make it happen. Again, thanks so much and enjoy the holidays... Sincerely, Neil Glotzer Visalia, CA
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Jerry's solo RIPS, and "I started out on Heinekin, but soon I hit the harder stuff..." Happy fall Saturday, DeadLand! Only through Disc 1 of 7/12 and the first 2 of 7/13, but this release is one of the best sounding I own. I like the packaging too! Peace
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9 years
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Yeah, thanks to the crew that keeps bringing us these releases. Time to announce the next mini-Box.....which is coincidentally also from RFK.......6-9,10-73.......followed a few months later by 7-27,28-73.......
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I love the sound on these shows.. I've only got one disc under me.. I have some comments though. Warlocks, 10/89. It sounded better inside than the CD's sound. This sounds much better than it sounded at the venue and continues with the stride Jeffrey hit when he mixed Spring 90 TOO. Whatever he's doing, it's working. I wish we could go back and remix the Warlocks shows and Spring 90 #1 and get them to sound like this box. Great sound and Jerry's voice sounds quite fresh for the era. On to disc 2.
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7 years 3 months
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Got the dreaded "late UPS trailer" and since its UPS ground which isn't delivered on Saturday either, I have to wait until Monday. To add insult to injury, it's actually here in Orlando but they won't let me pick it up either - agghh!!!
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9 years 2 months
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Got mine yesterday, and just finished listening. Sounds fabulous. Thanks
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15 years 2 months
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Listening to "Far From Me" from the first show...The mix is great, band is in sync, great guitar work from Jerry. At the end, Brent sings "This song's my last fucking song for you, BITCH!" Really nice. I'm sure his daughter will love listening to this version
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If this is the worst show of the tour, as some have said, then all I can say is it must have been one amazing tour! Usually I read all of the posts I have missed and then chime in. But today was Leafapalooza here in my yard in Western CT., so I slapped on the old iPod at max volume and went at them listening to the first show here. Unbelievable! The boys came out hot and stayed that way throughout. A truly amazing first set. I can't wait for show #2 tomorrow. I am a '72 fan for sure, but this is AT LEAST as good as DaP24. The only other thing I have to say is that I will take Donna's screams anytime on PITB over those of Bob here at the end of Estimated! Lol If you have not ordered this yet, get on it immediately! You will not be disappointed Rock on
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11 years 4 months
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Can't really comment on the music yet, but Gorgeous packaging with 2 separate tri-packs as I had hoped. Sound is amazing. Booklet inside is perfect. Just an amazingly beautiful product to hold in one's hands and hear with one's ears. I like this compared to the beautiful but delicate and oversized/awkward Cornell Box. (I think sometimes artists and designers want to stand out for the awards these packages now earn, and a bigger box/flat surfaces means more "canvas" to stand out.) Many thanks to all involved in producing this gem. Can't wait to really listen to it now!
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12 years
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the sound quality of this set is fabulous.
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the sound quality of this set is fabulous.
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17 years 5 months
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Sound quality and performances are fabulous!
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9 years
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Yeah, I saw this film at the last Meet Up At The Movies this summer. When Mickey said that, everyone in the audience with me had quite the chuckle. I was glad it was caught on film.
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But I'm underwhelmed. Before a certain cohort accuses me being a "70s mafia" member, let me preface by saying that I have never been dissatisfied by a 1989-1990 release before. 10/16/89 is one of my all-time favorite shows, and 3/24/90 is my oldest tape. I own both Spring '90 boxes, the Warlocks set, Dozin', Nightfall, DLS9, and both stand-alone July shows. This set is a snoozer. It's beautifully packaged...and the SQ is impeccable....and there's nothing on here that's terrible (except Brent's theatrics on Far From Me and Little Red Rooster), but there's nothing great here either. Part of this is setlist-driven (the post-drums on 7/13 has to be the most stereotypical "late-80s" ending ever), but there's also no over-the top great moments. The end of 7/13's first set has a fancy TLMD and LIG, but there's no main course after the delicious appetizer. I'm really happy those who wanted a 80s show got one. And again, if you love this release, that's great! I just don't understand why these two subdued shows were selected over so many other worthy contenders from the month, let alone the year.
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The reason this was released now is to bring you and your money back later for what you really want. Set list may be generic but I haven’t found any negatives yet (except the lack of video which we all know exists). Again, sound quality is spectacular.
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17 years 5 months
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ok....lol who hollered "holy fuck-in' SHIT!" during Drums. if it was someone in the audience that's highly amusing.
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17 years 4 months
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....liking the second RFK show better that the first. So far. As far a someone saying "Holy Fuckin' shit" during drumz, if I had a dollar for every time I said that during a Grateful Dead show, I would have a lot of dollars. That person is my spirit animal....Mr Jack Straw said the post drumz song selection for the 13th are stereotypical late '80's. My view on that statement is that these are late '80's shows. What does one expect?....
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the drums on july 7th is something to hear as well. or see if you have the DVD
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9 years
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I’ve noticed this season that during play stoppages at Red Wings home games when they play music that Greta Van Fleet is played at least once per game. Showing some love for the MI boys.
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17 years 4 months
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....and probably the best part of a Red Wings game. Shots fired!! Lol
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17 years 4 months
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....who has the better record? Let me break out my gavel as I rest my case....even better. Hockey players don't kneel. I can talk smack with the best of them.
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17 years 4 months
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....I wanna know, will you be my girl?. The Brentster doing his best Brent impersonation.
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Let it Grow is awesome, Mississipi Half Step is awesome, Throwing Stones is awesome. The rest is kind of slow. Estimated Eyes is where it's supposed to be, but nothing extraordinary. It seems like they needed a rest and went with some easy numbers. Not that I think that's what happened in reality. I'm sure this is just what they felt like playing. The end result just seems slow, easy does it. The sound is what I expected, I'm so glad they started taking recording shows seriously again at the end of the 80s. It's not even close to Dave's Picks 24, that's just not even on the table. Agree it's a snoozer for the most part, but worth it if you need to have every great performance the guys did, because the ones I mentioned are upper echelon. I see this as the litmus test for 80s/90s material. I received an email that there's just under 5000 left, which means they can sell 10,000, which is pretty damn good. Not sure what they need to turn a profit, but I'm sure the rest will trickle out over the next couple of years.
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....Im thankful that I'm not as picky. Otherwise, I think I would lose my mind.
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....with the '72 blues again. Dusted off my Warlocks cigar box set just because. Bobby stated that '89 was a great year for the band. You're not gonna go against the grain, are ya?
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I myself will probly pull out the Warlocks box. it was a great b day present. was afraid I wasn't going to get it when it sold out the first time in 2014 but came back in stock 2015. but also will probly pull out truckin up to buffalo. I bought it when it first came out at a Meijer's and never gave it a full play. that crimson white & indigo. watched the dvd but never played the music. I agree with v guy I think I like 13th more. I only got up to Cold rain & snow. but for me I think the mix is a better on that bobby seems to be more audible than on the 12th but that's me. I like Hell in the Bucket bobby's guitar starts sounding like clanging church bells. and the Cold Rain & Snow I could put that on repeat. I'm only two tracks in though. i'm also not used to hearing bob using his MIDI set up that much. from what I have he mostly used it during Space not regular songs.
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17 years 5 months
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I haven't had a chance to delve into this set fully as of yet. Trying to stay on the official release "anniversary listening" binge I started at the beginning of this year. I've been pretty deeply entrenched in the Winterland '73 box shows, and am a day behind (in the middle of the "Playin' > Uncle John's > Morning Dew > Uncle John's > Playin'" from 11/10/73 as I type). However, I did listen to the first two tracks from 7/12/89 yesterday, and, oh my....."snooze" and "dirge" are the exact opposite reactions of mine. Right out of the gate, Touch of Grey is energetic, Jerry's obviously feeling great and playing/singing his ass off, the mix sounds massive, the Hammond B3 is the sound that should ALWAYS have been a part of the sound, because Pigpen and Brent were/are the shiznit (Keith was great, of course, but wish he would have taken more chances by expanding his tonal palate, but he was awesome and made that slot his own). The band is clearly playing at the top of their game. This then led into Minglewood, which could at times be pedestrian, but not this version. Jerry's guitar solo work on this alone makes it THEE definitive version released thus far. 60's, 70's, 90's and even many 80's versions don't hold a candle to this one. That's as far as I got. Never imagined I would meet a Minglewood that alone would make a boxed set worth the price of admission, yet here it is. I did see 7/12/89 at the Meet-up this year, and the mix at the theater wasn't even close to as nice sounding as this is, so far. Hopefully when they do release this on video, it will be a high def multi-channel surround mix utilizing the 24 track tape. First impression with first two songs, mixwise.....too soon to tell, but so far I think they outdid themselves. Always stepping up their game. Good job and thanks to all involved with getting this out there. My final point on this post is, it's very difficult to resist the temptation to jump off of the anniversary listening program, because this is the type of release that tends to stay in my CD player (actually iPod or computer these days) for days, or even weeks on end. So much detail and depth in just a brief encounter, has me chompin' on the bit, so-to-speak. There's a two day respite between 11/11/73 and 11/14/73, so I will definitely jump in right there, if not sooner. edit - 7/12 & 13/89 being labeled the worst run of the Summer '89 tour is like saying 4/14 & 17/72 are the worst of the E'72 tour. In other words, like '72, there isn't a bad show in '89. Both peak periods for those respective line-ups....and no, I'm not comparing '89 with '72, because they are both great years for the Dead.
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6 years 11 months
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'89 was an outstanding year for the band, Bobby speaks the truth. Just saying this pair of shows is average for the Grateful Dead. Would rather have Alpine Valley a week later. The Minglewood is good for this era of the band, but it's not one of my favs to start with, and as far as #1s go, I'd roll with 1/23/78 or 4/29/71 (but then again, I can't really think of anything from '71 that sounds better in '89). kyleharmon, definitely go for that crimson white and indigo. Great all the way through. iko iko, scarlet/fire and knocking on heavens door are unreal. Also lovelight.
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17 years 4 months
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....excuse me while I exchange my gavel for a hammer and pound that nail.
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17 years 5 months
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yeah why didn't they put out alpine valley? or Foxboro '89? id rather have an audio than a dvd. both would have fine stand alone non limited releases. I vaguely remember down hill from here when my sister brought it home when she worked at Hollywood video. I really don't even think I finished watching it either.
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9 years
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...uttered the expletives during Drums on 7/12. He was caught on film and it was shown at the Meet-Up at the Movies this year. Not gonna pick up an audience member on a board tape. :)
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6 years 11 months
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You just reminded me. When I bought crimson white and indigo, I didn't realize there was a DVD in there too. I ripped the cds and put the thing on the shelf for years. Then I lent to someone at work this summer, and when they returned it they said the video really took them back to the 80s! So I'm like what are you talking about willis? Never realized there was a DVD of the performance. Ha! Still get a chuckle out of that.
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17 years 5 months
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it's real easy to forget there's a DVD for that one. they don't usually put a dvd in with an audio release. its a good one I received it in april 2016 and didn't watch it till summer of 2016
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7 years 11 months
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I received 2 boxes because of a mix up. My first order was cancelled but I was charged and received it anyway. Numbers are 11000 apart! After a day of debate, I think I'll gift it to my buddy who brought me on to the bus (way back in high school) instead of doing a return while losing shipping charges.I have between now and christmas to compose a card so that I don't offend him by such an extravagant gift. Suggestions are welcome.
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9 years 9 months
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Great sound, tight performance, awesome smelling booklet. They start strong with Touch of Grey and New Minglewood Blues, but I quickly lose interest on Mississippi Half Step, once the Brent starts singing. It just never gets tolerable for me guys, sorry to say. Cassidy aint too hot either. From there on, 7/12 is kinda slow, I get those remarks. Friend of the Devil, more of the same with the backup vocals and midi nonsense. But there are great versions of other songs throughout the set. Throwing Stones has that awesome insrumental jam in the middle. Great Jerry on Eyes of the World (and great Phil too, and great Brent synths). Probably my favorite 80s version of this one. Dig the Lovelight. I can't not buy a Dead set, and some of these will go into my 80s / 90s mix, but largely underwhelming as a whole. I do like Jerry and Phil's performance a lot, and I really like when Bent is in "sustained synth mode", adding smooth texture and atmosphere, as opposed to zippy "synth-piano" fills. The Hammond is nice, but I prefer Pig's "sparse" playing style, as one of you fine people described it the other day.
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13 years 4 months
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Did you get the sweepstakes winning, soaked in Kush Oil, linter notes made from Owsley blotter paper special edition? Mine smelled.. like a CD. I think this is a fine release. Honestly I have not finished a full listen, but the Lay Me Down Let it Grow is enough to at the very least not call this a failure. ...and really, hat's off to the care that went in to making it sound as good as it possibly could. This is really important.. they seem to not get a second chance on re-mastering.. once it's done, it's done, so do a great job on the first try, which they did here. If there's something to learn from this release it's that Senor Norman can do a fine job if only we don't give him 30 shows to master in like 31 1/2 days or something. Plus.. it keeps the price tag a shy under $700. These two, three, four and five show mini boxes are the way to go. A big plus for allowing them to fit on our CD shelves. Easy on the wallet, closet space and they just seem to sound better then monster efforts.. how about two or three mini box sets a year instead of a cardiac inducing monster box every year? Those with significant others would greatly appreciate it.
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9 years 9 months
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You don't love the smell of the fresh booklets and new CD packages? It's like the xerox copies from high school. No, not at all a failure, quite the opposite. Will sell out eventually, and I believe a little more than 2/3 sold already has got to be enough to turn a profit.
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15 years 6 months
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I had the 89 show at Philly with 3 CDs and DVD. That was a great show. They did a lot of videos in 89,What I don't get is why the Dead were not really even in the ballpark of popularity compared with like the Rolling Stones or Led Zeppelin. I mean they did very well with their fanbase, They had a large set of material, They had 1 hit song, but musically they were more talented and played very well together, but it seems without Jerry Garcia, they dropped down a lot. Jerry was something special, even playing on a lot of opiates. I mean they didn't even consider going on without him. The group now sounds really pretty good, and they look like they are enjoying it ,I don't think I would enjoy a show now. But at least we have access to tons of their past shows. I would love to see them release the RFK stadium weekend from 73. I went to Saturday where the Dead played the afternoon and the Allman Brothers at night . It was a grate day!
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16 years 4 months
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Everybody polka!!! Hey there rockers, rollers, lovers, and others……….. The first of the wonderful three Fall 1971 Texas shows: https://archive.org/details/gd71-11-12.sbd.clugston.4759.sbeok.shnf Or, if you prefer the Millerized version of Set 2: https://archive.org/details/gd1971-11-12.sbd-set2.miller.14916.sbeok.sh… In either case, the Live/Dead groupmindmusicmelt running like a well oiled machine, fantastic recovery from the Atlanta fiasco. If 11/11 was a bad acid trip, 11/12 is the mellow mushroom rebound. Some new things, some oldies, cowboy tunes, rockers, Black Peter (love me those 71 Black Peters!), and a mammoth Other One. What’s not to like about this fine fine show? Looking forward to my possible upcoming sabbatical, perhaps more later……………….. Rock around the clock, Doc Death is not an event in life: we do not live to experience death. If we take eternity to mean not infinite temporal duration but timelessness, then eternal life belongs to those who live in the present……….
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13 years 5 months
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That "Formerly the Warlocks" box sounds really bad to me. They let someone other than Jeff Norman mix it, and why? If you ever wonder why digital sound gets a bad rap, listen to that. I can't even. Why no video on this new box?
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17 years 4 months
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....big man come and asks him why? This set has a Man Smart, Women Are Smarter for the ages. Never thought I would say that, but yet, here I am, saying it. Dueling keyboards anyone?....
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