Grateful Dead

what a fn bummer

Loved that run despite the disastrous one and only Stir It Up! (it was fun though, and spontaneous). I think we caught that wonderful Merriweather flood in '83 too.. one of my all time most fun shows, primarily because apparently I survived it. I am sure we passed each other on the freeways countless times. I was the one driving very carefully, wearing the tie dye with the bumper stickers on my Toyota. After all, you can't be too careful driving too and from shows.. especially when the speed limit was 55.

We surely were at a lot of the same shows together. And a lot of good ones. I guess you brought good karma. Hampton "88 was another run I enjoyed. Bobby and Phil engaging with the crowd that was demanding Phil, and then giving in to the "wisenheimers" with Box of Rain for a "Hampton redux of the breakout" was fun.

Dead of the Day: March 20, 1971http://gratefuldeadoftheday.com/03-20-1971 Iowa Field House Iowa City, Iowa Though there is good stuff from 1977 and 1970 on this day, we head to March 20, 1971 for our Dead of the Day. The band’s playing is tight throughout, and Jerry throws out some fiery jams, but Pigpen owns this show. He is lurking about through the Truckin’ opener and Loser, but comes to the fore in the gritty Hard to Handle. It is not like the rest of the band is slouching, though. They get everything out of that tune, with Garcia leading the way and Phil busting a great bass line and throwing in some funky bombs. The boys also play a very fine Bertha, Uncle John’s, and just about everything else. But, again, Pig provides the highlights in the Good Lovin’ and, especially, the closing Lovelight. At various times throughout the show, the vocals sound slightly off-key in the recording. But it is not really clear whether it is the boys or the tape, especially because there are parts, like Jerry on Bertha and Pig’s ragged blues intonations in the Hard to Handle, where the vocals are just perfect.

March 20, 1970http://gratefuldeadoftheday.com/03-20-1970 Capitol Theatre Port Chester, New York This is the late show from this date at the Cap. There was also an earlier show, which is out there in circulation, but is not available on Archive. First ever Friend of the Devil and second Deep Elem, not played since December 1966 at the Matrix. Capitol Theatre website has a nice t-shirt https://the-capitol-theatre.myshopify.com/collections/t-shirts/products… and dose of the dead poster for sale https://the-capitol-theatre.myshopify.com/collections/poster/products/d…

Too funny.. you have to be my favorite tour buddy I never met. I bet there's a dozen or more shows we shared and it appears we even frequented the same hotels.

I was at that show.. The lead-up started much earlier.. Phil had a mic, but didn't use it. For a while, perhaps back into 1985, I don't recall.. one day he had a mic.. Then he started to sing harmonies, but just barely.. he would lean his mouth up the mic and sing a little.. Then he started singing songs, I don't recall if this was the first song he sang lead in after retiring his mic, if I have time today I will look into it. I remember it being hot inside that night, everyone was red faced after a few songs and beads of perspiration were flying around or coming off the ceiling.. the place was packed.. it was the first set closer and Bobby said something before the song like "Practice Makes Perfect" or something like that.. Then the opening chords of Box of Rain were played but it didn't sink in, we just looked at each other in disbelief.. until Phil stood up to the microphone and belted out the Look out of any window opening, then everyone went nuts. It was complete frantic chaos inside for the next minute or so. The Eyes of the World was sweet too. A good show for the period. I think we got a Visions of Johanna the night before and a Roadrunner (Bobby on Vocals), Duprees opener and a Supplication>Jam>Let it Grow to close the first set the next night. Perhaps one of the better runs that year. Goosebumps.. I loved that little coliseum, I have some great memories there. This might have been the night we didn't have a room and the group of us (plus about a hundred of our closest friends) ended up sleeping on the floor of the ballroom at the Holiday Inn. ..at least until the heat arrived just before dawn, just after folks starting getting some shut eye. :D ..but that's another story and one I am not very proud of. Sorry about the phone KF..

My notes, composed whilst working my way through the TTATS box, have this entry for 1967:"A++: Might be the Grate-est Dead EVER!!"

I was there too. Just before they started it Bobby did say "this one proves practice makes perfect". I was on the floor, a bit in front of the soundboard. When they started, the place did go crazy. It was so loud that for about 30 seconds after Phil started to sing I couldn't even hear them. It was a special moment. I slept at the Holiday Inn as well (always the Holiday Inn when in Hampton), but I had a room. So that worked. The next night they did start with Roadrunner. In the second set they finished the Playing they started the first night (which I missed, so no Visions or Quinn for me). To finish the third night they played Sugar Magnolia - my notes show that Bobby climbed the speaker bank during it. He was in full on crazy Bob Rock Star mode. Good for you to see all three Jim, Always felt bad I didn't find a way to get there a night earlier to see the whole run. But the middle night was the winner.

Daverock-- enjoy those two gems. I'll be spinning the Shrine vinyl upon my return home tonight- can't wait to hear that first bomb into Viola Lee- that show just grabs you from the start and doesn't let you go. If I smoked cigarettes, I'd definitely fire one up after listening to that one. The art for that one is awesome too. Poster/ t-shirt? I'd buy em both. I'm told that today is the first day of spring, but the weather says another Nor'easter is heading towards the Philly area, so my snow day show, DP8, will be hitting the turntable tomorrow. Looking forward to a long listen (with the wife and kids this time) a nice fire in the stove and some leftover Guinness from St. Paddy's. Not a bad way to start spring if it's gonna snow a foot. Happy Spring, y'all!