Grateful Dead

One that sticks out for me is 12/27/79; right in between two of the best shows of the year, this was a letdown. Listening to it on the Archive, it's not that bad, but in person it sounded like Jerry didn't come alive until the post-drums.

Maybe it’s like hockey where a team has a great game, but the next night they never really get up to speed until it’s too late. So the next night they come roaring back.

I love 12-26 and 12-28. Not sure if I have listened to 12-27. Think I have video of 12-30.

I recall a lot of friends -- and this was a large entourage -- saying towards the end of this show that it was well below par. Another friend and myself were of the opinion that it was a great show and we took some lumps for our disagreement: "Oh what the hell do they know: they don't have as many tapes as we do?!?"

And all those years later when it was officially released as Dick's Picks 13 and the LateGreat Dick Latvala wrote in the GD Almanac that this show was "The Big One!" Dick wrote that it was a show that had some unique playing and jamming quite unlike anything they did before or afterward for that matter. My friend and I were obviously right despite The GD Scholars-Idiot-Savants-of-Every-Note-Ever-Played being wrong. I took the high road after its release and never rubbed there nose in it but did feel quitely vindicated.

On a personal note I will add that Bob's dedication of He's Gone to Bobby Sands who died after an extraordinarily long Hunger Strike in The H-Block Prisons was very moving at the time. Likewise, Jerry's singing and playing. Coming from an Irish family and having lived in Ireland too, that was an especially heart-felt and moving moment. There may not be a more painful death than starving to death over a sixty day period of time. Having said that, that does not mean that I condone all actions of The Provisional I.R.A.. The British soldiers who perished, among all of the others, have friends and loved ones left behind too. You have a heart, you know? Similarly, and not to get too political here, but since internet postings are so easily misunderstood, past and present U.S. Administration's actions are equally questionable. That would, however, apply to any and all conflicts.

Despite, and it was what a lot of attendees thought, May 6, 81 was not a "Dud!" It was a show that the band being moved by the news headlines truly delivered on. Dick L could tell and wrote so in the Almanac at the time of its release. And thanks Bobby W. for the dedication of He's Gone for it was a thoughtful gesture even for those who wanted a ballot-box solution to The Troubles. You're a good man Bobby W.

...."seemed to be 90 every day." I'm guessing Bob, that you never saw the Dead at the Silver Bowl in Vegas. 90 degrees was a cool down!

I'm hoping it will be in my mailbox when I get home, but no shipping notice or anything as yet. I may be so enthused if it's there to immediately rip and listen to the bonus disc and save the Dark Star for the weekend if I can. Probably won't.

If anybody has received, I'm dying to know the bonus disc tracklist. :)

As far as duds, I never got to see the Dead, so I can only go by an auditory exploration. But I've seen several offshoots, mainly Phil and Friends through many iterations, and while I never saw an actual dud, 6/28/06 Walnut Creek was a terrible setlist on paper, but the performance was fantastic. They Love Each Other (in a fantastically upbeat arrangement) was perhaps the highlight, that and Friend of the Devil> Hardest Part (a Ryan Adams original), and one would think that it wasn't a good show based on the paper and saying that. But Phil and his friends, particularly Barry Sless, Larry Campbell and Joan Osborne killed it. It was no 4/20/01, but it was a really good show. But can you imagine a better first Phil show than 4/20/01? 23 min 1st set Wharf Rat, 2nd set sequence of Dark Star> Blues For Allah> Dark Star> Night of 1000 Stars. Still one of the best shows I've seen. Oh wait, the subject was duds... :)

At every Dead show I also felt like I was at the best place on earth. Some shows it took a while for the band to get going.

One obvious 'dud' that has been mentioned before was Boreal Ridge 8/85. I was there. It was advertised as "the highest Grateful Dead Concert in the world" because it was 7,200 feet at a ski resort in the California Sierras. They had big equipment issues that day, and had a hard time getting some juice going. I think it was the only time they played "day tripper".
It was fun, as usual at a Dead Concert, but was a little weak.

I just finished DaP 8 11/30/80 at the Atlanta fox. What a great show.

It was one of the summers in the Midwest where it was 90+ everyday and no rain!! Not even close to the temperatures that you are use to!!! bob t

From my own limited experience of seeing the band, I would say that there was more of a difference in quality on a nightly basis with them, than with other bands I have seen a lot. Going off the only run I saw them play, in London 1990, the first night, 10/30, was great. It was very exciting to actually see them after all the tapes I had heard and books I had read. I was right up at the front of the stage, and it was hard to believe that that was actually Jerry Garcia in front of me-within shouting distance as I remember it.

The second night, 31/10, we arrived after it had started, and I could hear the strains of the first song Help On The Way, from outside the hall. Even from there, it seemed clear that they were playing way better than they had the night before. The energy level was sky high. I had been happy enough the previous night-but they were clearly much more in synch on this night than that one.

The third night...I don't know what went wrong. I was upstairs in the balcony, on Bruce's side of the stage, and his piano playing seemed much, much louder than everything else. The music overall seemed quieter-a bit flat. I'd taken some mushrooms before this one, so you would think I would have been right in the zone-but I wasn't. It was a great set list, too-they played Dark Star-but I felt very outside things. It wasn't a dud, as such, but they didn't seem to play as well as they had on the previous two nights. Or was it me? That goes for many things in life actually-do I like something because of the quality of the "thing" in itself or because of the way I felt when I experienced it?

I liked Deadegads expression of compassion for Bobby Sands. We surely don't have to agree with someone's ideology to feel saddened and moved by their suffering.

Five times played.. Blossom was especially good in my humble opinion and likely a releasable show.

12/28/84- San Francisco Civic - San Francisco, CA
02/20/85- Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center - Oakland, CA
03/31/85- Cumberland County Civic Center - Portland, ME
06/25/85- Blossom Music Center - Cuyahoga Falls, OH
08/24/85- Boreal Ridge Ski Resort - Donner's Summit, CA

Speaking of taking a while to pick up some steam, in the later years sometimes they started strong and ran out of steam..

I didn't catch a Day Tripper. What a fun song.

That's exactly it, even though I don't watch NHL :-)

No Pick in the mailbox, no shipping notice in the email box. Now, that's a dud. Was really needing something uplifting after a long, hard day at work. No dispensaries within my state's borders, and my guy's out of the country. Oh well, back to 11/10/67 it is! Around 8:30 of Alligator, Jerry starts a little First There is a Mountain jam, and Phil joins in around 20 seconds later. Not full blown, but familiar.

Eta: went searching to see if anyone had info and on SteveHoffman someone pointed out the release date this time is 5/3. When did that change? It's always been 2/1, 5/1, 8/1, 11/1 for the release dates, no matter whether the 1st fell on a Sunday or a Tuesday. But we should still be getting shipping notices if it's 2 days away, and kind of peeved that after 7 years, all of a sudden the 30th one changes dates. Granted it's published on the sales page, but I have no need to go there since I subscribe.

Silence from the boys in charge RE: a shipping notice. However, like many here, I usually get mine days after many other folks here, and sometimes after I've actually received the discs. Not worried... yet :)

Jimbo, your enthusiasm for 5/1/70 is certainly warranted! Perhaps the best sounding acoustic 70 set out there! Charlie Miller magic all over this one! IMO, it beats the next night at famed Harpur College. Check out that MaMU and Mama Tried with Marmaduke on high harmony! Great stuff! The electric set is great too,... not quite up there with 5/2 (that Viola Lee! Damn!), but fine nonetheless!

https://archive.org/details/gd1970-05-01.sbd.miller.95683.sbeok.flac16

Peace

Oh, on this fine May Day, let's not forget Hampton 81! What a great show that is too! 2nd set is FIRE from start to finish!

1967:

1. The Byrds - Younger Than Yesterday
2. Elizabeth Cotten - Shake Sugaree
3. Miles Davis - Miles Smiles
4. The Strawbs w/Sandy Denny - All Our Own Work: The Complete Sessions
5. Gene Clark - 1st S/T w/The Gosdin Bros.

Don't post much so I'll just spew it out now. I saw the Day Tripper Blossom Show in 85. I don't live in Cleveland but I saw the boys there twice and the Talking Heads in the early eighties. The place was a bitch to get in and out of but once you were there it was sweet. One of the better sheds at the time. I think the Dead started early that day, maybe a 4 or 5 oclock show. The Day Tripper opener blew me away but it didn't seem weird because of the early start time. The first set was unusually long, 10 or 11 songs. I'm on board with looking at this as a release along with other summer 85 shows. The last summer tour before the scene totally exploded.

My balls are still sweating from the Alpine shows in 88. 4 shows over 5 days. 2 shows, take a day off, 2 more shows. The medians on the highway were scorched from cigarette butt fires. Much has been said about this on the boards, but Jerry came out of space on the third night and totally fucked up Stella Blue. I knew about his health problems and heard the rumors but it was the first time I had seen his issues really affect the music and I left the show feeling concerned about him and the future of the Dead.

I can't speak for everybody but after spending 5 days in the 90 degree heat,,,, my skin and mind fried, I really wasn't expecting much from the final show, My future ex wife had sun poisoning from playing cosmic wimpout in the sun on the day off. She was miserable and I was just feeling drained. They came out and killed it. They played Believe it or Not for the first time and I thought it was one of the most amazing songs ever. It was almost like Jerry was saying, hey, I slipped , but i love you ..... redemption for the previous night. The rest of the second set rocked.

Then something amazing happened. I was totally sober that night. No smoke, shrooms, beer, nothing. They were playing Morning Dew and when they were bringing it in, I felt myself leave my body and I was underneath the top of the pavillion looking down at the band and the crowd. This sounds weird, but it felt like a full body orgasm, I was within myself and outside myself at the same time. It was the most ecstatic moment during all the years I saw the Dead and certainly one of the most spiritual moments and I was totally straight.

I can still listen to tapes from that night and feel a quiver of that vibe that pierced me.

....now we're talking!!!! The Miller mix is primo. First Me & My Uncle followed by Mama Tried? But the acoustic Cumberland followed by a Race Is On got my attention fo' sho'. Is there anything this band can't do?
....edit. nice post unclejohn61. I caught a Believe It Or Not as well. High five! Also caught a Monkey & The Engineer at the Fab Forum in '89 as a one off, a song also included on the 5.1.70 acoustic set.Yup. Not many duds on my attended list.

Woodstock was the worst. They came on late, power outages during the set, I was shriveling hard on brown acid, no place to go to the bathroom, mud everywhere.

I realize it's shameful to make fun of any medical condition... but well, since the first four letters are narc I hope I will be forgiven.

A pharmaceutical commercial just came on the TV about Narcolepsy and one of the symptoms is "Hallucinations while falling asleep or waking up." How do I get this condition? I think they need to create a med that brings it on.. oh wait, they did, Hoffman/Sandoz 1938.

Good to hear hype and comments from so many shows and different eras, especially the ones that have not yet been slated for release. All my kids are named Charlie Miller, the guy is a miracle worker. :-D

I was fortunate enough to catch the Portland Day Tripper. The place came unglued.

Believe It or Not was another rarity I saw. The band played the only version of Green Onions the same night. Very cool song.

Your posts got me to thinking about which infrequently played songs I caught over the years. An incomplete list of the more memorable.

Revolution - odd but I saw three of the eleven ever played.
Walkin the Dog
Willie and the Hand Jive - saw two of the six and both also included Comes a Time
Keep on Growin
Road Runner
Revoluntionary Hamstrung Blues

Hiya, kids, hiya.

Can't divulge much about what I've been up to lately. Let's just say that I finally proved that those photos China released recently from the dark side of the moon were fugazis. They were actually taken in an underground garage in El Segundo by a guy who dresses like Liberace and calls himself Munch.

I've been to the dark side of the moon. The only thing there is Kesey's Thunder Machine. And a Starbucks.

My trip back here to this site has been long and strange. Hmmm...that sounds oddly familiar. I was trapped in a chrono-synclastic infundibulum a couple parsecs from Earth for what seemed like a decade, and only made it back here by the grace of God and my life-sustaining supply of flamin' hot Cheetos®.

As I've aged backwards because of my inter-planetary excursions, I'm a bit out of sorts vis-à-vis Earth time. I assume you all have the mighty tasty DaP 30 in hand with that glorious bonus disc, and you have no doubt rejoiced over the box set announcement. About time they released those incredible shows, am I right?

Anyway, it's good to be back, although my soul is still drained and weakened. Think I'll take a nap.

P.S. Does that Capthcha thingy show you pictures from different stages of your life, too, or is it just me?

....is not being played in my house! Just got it. Bolo. Flaming hot Cheetos. Synchronicity. Endgame.

Nice to hear from you. You should really sell the movie rights to your story, man.

Nice tease about the "box set announcement". Now we shall begin parsing your words with surgical precision to ascertain clues that you may or may not have intended :)

I had a sort of funny story that involves MDJim, tangentially.

I had Good Friday off, so I decided to spin 4-19-82, which I have a nice recording of thanx to MDJim.

But, I got interrupted by some family complications, and yadda yadda hadn't gotten back to it until the other day.

I started at set 2, and then when it got to that crazy Quoth the Raven / Space segment my dog started flipping out. She did NOT like that maniacal howling in the background.

So I stopped it again, and put on my new Warfield RSD vinyl, which soothed the savage beast. Finally got through the whole thing at work, not without interruption though. It just wasn't meant to be this year. Next time, headphones. Its a good show.

Peace

Shipping notice received for this one. Looking forward to it.

Oh, hello, Bolo.
Good, good morning. So good to see you. Interstellar travels bringing tidings of box sets and other Universal Mysteries, as always.

Sixtus

Without you, this site has been like a foot without a big toe.

Now if I may speak of you in the third person......

With regard to the box set, Bolo said, "About time they released those incredible shows, am I right?"

I'm going with April or February 71, Fillmore East or Port Chester. How many unreleased can you mix the words " those incredible shows" and "about time"?

It took me some time, but I have cracked the clues Bolo laid on us last night and figured out both the contents of the box set and the reveal date.

Now, some much needed sleep.

:)))

Europe 90 or Beacon Theatre 76...

so maybe the '72 Texas tour

but it could be Ark 69
or Port Chester 71 because Starbucks was established in 1971
Dark Starbucks?

Liberace? what does he have to do with anything? piano? Keith G.?

Dave's 30 shipping notice received. And fine to synch up with you again Bolo! All the best as you wait out that nasty case of time-dilution bloos. Stick around – hope the present "present" doesn't scare you back to that Starbucks on the Dark Side. Onward!

...welcome back, happy to hear you returned with help from your higher power! Amen🙏
Did you have rations of Reece’s Pieces on your long journy back home? 😉🙏❤️😎

Would they possibly release more 73? Universal Amphitheater shows would be nice. Long shot would be summer 91 NY-Chicago-Sandstone shows all smokers.

Lots of palindromes in bolo's post - could it be Aoxomoxoa related? Say a 1969 release? Could we be in for the much clamored for Ark shows? The dark side of the moon reference - pink floyd - were playing a tour at the time called "The Man and the Journey" (Dave's insterstellar travels?) during which they often stopped for a tea break during the set. The Ark was later renamed "Boston Tea Party".

Hey now that sounds like a well-thought-out explanation for Bolos clues. So you mean the Boston Tea Party December 69 shows right? Those would be really nice!

Keith Fan I'm calling bullshit on your Woodstock dud show. From references you've made in other posts, you probably weren't even born during Woodstock.

....who lived and performed in Las Vegas. Vegas Box Set? w/ guest stars?

Just received and delivery is scheduled for tomorrow! Sweet!
They must be using a different shipping method this time around as I have never received a shipping notice with delivery on the next day.
Hope you all receive your pick tomorrow as well.

Welcome back Bolo😁
More box clues please.

Shipping notice received! Hmm Bolo clues...

2/25-2/27/90 Oakland Coliseum Arena, Oakland, CA

chrono-synclastic infundibulum + a decade = 1969 (i.e. Vonnegut's Sirens of Titan, published 1959)

moon + Starbucks = Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (Austin is sent back in time to 1969)

As in (Port) Chester-Cheeta?
They are flamin'-hot shows.
Hmmmm…..
Good to see ya Bolo

I’d be thrilled for a 1969 box. It’s been a long time coming. Would sort of fit the anniversary thing. That said the anniversary thing is being done on aoxomoxoa already. DaP30 is from early ‘70. RSD was from 1980. So I’m leaning away from a 1969 box. Dave mentioned in this seaside chat that this year has great variety so that brings my box guess into the 90’s.

And there are 3 pages to scroll through, including a reappearance of Bolo and his clues.
Bolo, regarding your passage through the space-time continuum, I will repeat the words of Dr. Nick Riviera that he spoke to Homer Simpson, “Did you feel your brain being damaged when you were in a coma?”.

The previously deciphered clue pointing to a 1969 Box fits nicely as it is the 50th anniversary.

Got a shipping notice but it has no tracking number.......

No, I’m not a robot. I’m a Deadhead.

...may be over different years. I base this on the following comments by Bolo: 1) reference to long strange trip, 2) aging backwards, and 3) pictures from different stages of you life.

No clue what the link among years would be - venue, city, state?

that was the condition we used back in the 70's to get Black Beauties from the good old Dr. Feelgood. Then, of course, he would have to prescribe some Quaalude to take the edge off and get you to sleep at the end of the day. It worked every time we used it.
Bolo returns and assumes we all know what the box set will be, no real hint except that it's about time these awesome shows were released. That could be a whole lot of shows :) 69 would be awesome, but some 90's show would be so cool too. How do you get that orange glow off your hands after you have your way with a bunch of cheetos? aging madly backwards on a sea of air with Kesey's thundermachine in high gear? Do they serve frenchfries at starbucks? I need a nap too

Also received the shipping notice. It will be here tomorrow, excellent. May just see if I can work from home tomorrow...

I think the strangeness in shipping notices probably has something to do with the notice they posted that their warehouse is changing to a new location, and therefore to expect a delay.

Dark-Star, I'm surprised you got that one - but yes you are correct - I was not at Woodstock. Final Jeopardy is a lot tougher though, so you're really going to have to put on your thinking touk.

...playing 3/18/90 Civic Center, Hartford, CT
Excellent show from start to finish, everybody is on their game for this performance during the Grateful Dead’s 1990 Spring Tour! “Primo Audio Mix” on this release!!! Love it. 🙏❤️😎

Couldn’t find any shows that were played in El Segundo, or where Liberace sat in

Fugazis?
3-20-67 Fugazi Hall, San Fran

Have to say after Bolo emerged last night after a long absence there have been some awesome guesses.... Ark Boston Tea Party....etc... I can't wait for what ever they release!!! But I do have to say.. secretly I am hoping for Stoltzfus' guess of the Texas Tour from 72!!! Couple of the shows that are in circulation aren't the best quality!!! I wonder if we will get another muppets video as a clue.... have a good night everyone bob t

Hola Senor Bolo! Welcome back and thanks for the clues, I think ; )
Speaking of clues, I like deadaremydealers hypothesis.....

Unclejohn61: enjoyed your post. Had a similar Dew experience, not exact but definetly out of the ordinary, though I was certainly not sober....

DAY TRIPPER; we went a day early to Toga in 84 and had such a high time that some of us did the same in 85. Now we most denfinetly had an unbelievably time and all that, but when those of our clan that went to Blossom instead showed up and started going on about Day Tripper, well, to this day I wonder if I made the right decision....always liked the tape of the Blossom first set, not so sure the second is all that? Part of my decision was because Blossom was such a cluster that we missed 3 or 4 songs in 84, so I think I had a negative vibe about the place that may have influenced my choice? This is that whole situational thing I’ve been referring too....

Did get to see Believe it or not a few times and that Green Onions AJS was taking about.
Actually lucked out over the years with rarities, firsts and reintroductions etc...only biggies I missed that I theoretically could of seen were Casey Jones and, big sigh, Here comes Sunshine!

BOX; I’d be down with a 69, not so much early 71.....though I’m sure I’d grow to love it.

Fugazi formed in 1987. Space references make me think 1980s onward. Returning from the dark side of the moon could be a reference to coming back west after a run at the Spectrum. October 1987 Shoreline shows (starting on el segundo during a heatwave)?

....not sure how that fits in this discussion, but it's a very good record.

Spinning 11-10-67 vinyl.
Sounds great.
Caution does span 2 sides. Guess that’s why we need Jim’s wall mounted, 5-ft diameter record player.

Various unlikely theories derive it from "fucked up, got ambushed, zipped in [a body bag]" (if this is not simply a backronym), French fougasse (“land mine”) or English fugacious. Derivation from an Italian word *fugazi (“fake”) is sometimes suggested, but no such word exists in Italian.

Some refer to 5' record players as Fugazi Turntables.

Edit: Source from above https://www.yourdictionary.com/fugazi