Grateful Dead

You haven't got a spare copy of the first 1990 box set knocking about by any chance ?

...for some reason today, I was in the mood for some more 80’s, maybe because I enjoyed The Road Trip series 4-4. Spectrum,PA. 4/5-6/82 yesterday. So I’m listening to Daves Pick #27 Boise, ID. 9/2/83 at the BSU Pavilion, Boise State Univeristy. Not the best of the year but I must admit it’s growing on me after repeated listening, one day it just click for me and I pretty much enjoy Jeffery Norman Mix from the Vaults master cassettes of this show that ‘gratefully’ were in A+ condition/Primo😉... Rock on 🙏❤️😎

...I’ve been looking for quit some time for Daves Pick #5...maybe we could buy/sell/trade together.
I would be gratefully appreciated. 🙏❤️😎
I have sold a lot of my collection to members on this Dead forum, with no problems at all. I won’t list names but i don’t mine if any of them confirm themselves...have a grateful day. Hope to hear from you soon. 🙏🤠

I have an extra copy of this gem if anyone is interested in a trade for some other goodies, send me a PM.

Absolutely love these box sets, brings back so many great memories. Agree with all your points Sixtus. These boxes are always in my regular rotation. Love Queen Jane!

The funny thing 80s fan is that I know this release pretty well, but I must fall asleep at the wheel for he's gone and row Jimmy. I will pay attention next time. Greatest Story is tits up. Can I say that here?

Just a Little Light! Wish they had more time to develop that one :-(

….. to give me just a little sweetness, just a little light.... wah, wah, wah

As referenced along the way, I successfully put my ears to the complete Spring 1990 more or less spot-on with their show dates, save for one or two. I think many agree that it’s a great excuse to listen to a show on its anniversary date, for some reason this gives it more purpose and gravitas. And it made for a fun couple of weeks. I could only imagine doing it in person, city to city…

Anyway, I took notes as I went and pulled together a list of superlatives for this tour (why not?); all are totally subjective of course but it was fun nonetheless. And I purposefully left out 3/29 because otherwise it would probably sit at the top of a lot of these categories, for me anyway. When absolutely necessary it’s referenced but otherwise let’s just all agree that one is top shelf as-is.

Rockin’ Opener: This was a 3-way tie of course; but definitive energy and jamminess is going on in these. And check out that Stranger, I get why they included the one on Without A Net, but this one must have been a close contender:
Jack Straw (3/15/90, MD);
Shakedown Street (4/3/90, ATL);
Feel Like A Stranger (4/2/90, ATL)

Favorite First Set: 4/2/90, Atlanta; Stranger > Half-Step > The Weight to start; there’s a good Brent tune in there and a Queen Jane (I always loved Queen Jane for some reason), an upbeat and rare (on this tour) Brown Eyed Women, and a KILLER Let it Grown to close out. Again this one gives the version on Without a Net a run for its money from where I sit. But that opening triple whammy followed by continued upbeat songs with a killer closer does it for me.

Favorite Second Set: 3/28/90, Nassau Coliseum; This one is my favorite specifically due to its uniqueness in the top half: Foolish Heart > Looks Like Rain > Cumberland Blues > The Weight > Hey Pocky Way > Drums….and then it rounds out with all-time favorites: The Other One > Wharf Rat > Good Lovin’ (I really gravitate toward these during this era, especially the energy and vocals during the coda at the end of the song) and Revolution to encore it out. How COOL is that top half? Just fun stuff, great playing, good surprises, odd placements, it hits many check-boxes.

Favorite Song Sequence: 3/19/90, Hartford: Top of the second set, Box of Rain, Foolish Heart > Playin in the Band > Eyes of the World > drums. I always liked giving Phil an opening slot and Box of Rain is a great song; but my favorite moments of this one come first in the Foolish Heart – Jerry does his thing on that one, especially during the jam toward the end…his little ‘Garciaphrases’ and flourishes that only he can do…he does this several times during the end-jam and it makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up every time. Then in to a good Playin’ and then a really cool Eyes – fast paced, but with a pretty interesting jam at the end. I’ve actually had this show for years and was so psyched to get it officially released.

Favorite ‘Moment’: This one is literally a ‘moment’. Following Women are Smarter on 3/16 (Landover, MD) Jerry decides to continue playing, and off they go on a semi-Women Are Smarter jam with heavy doses of calypso peppered on top. At one point late in the sequence, Jerry VERY CLEARLY goes into Eyes of the World territory, even to the point of playing about a bar and a half of the lead, and you can just hear the crowd SWELL for that instant along with the musical quote as if in anticipation of plopping Eyes right there….but of course this never happens, and the crowd swell just as quickly dispels, and the jam then eventually peters out into drums. It’s a cool moment.

Best Segue: 4/2/90, Atlanta: Mississippi Half-Step > The Weight. This is referenced earlier, but it is noteworthy in its fluidness and how no one misses a beat. The only potential detractor is that they never actually sing the ‘Across the Rio Grande-EE-OOO’ part, but even so the outro in Half Step is still sweet as pie. Not only was the transition flawless, the actual placement of The Weight right there up front was pretty awesome.

Honorable Mention: Just A Little Light, 4/1/90, Atlanta. I give this one an Honorable Mention, cause it's just really, really good. This song sort of evolves a bit over this tour - they only play it 3 times I think - but by the final time it's played, Jerry is just spot-on with his wah-wah support, and Brent's vocal's are gritty and true, and they even take it out for a little walk toward the end, in a cool, spacey-jammy moment. I only wish they had expended on this one more - stretch it out in that same vein - it might have been cool. Perhaps there are other such versions, I can't say for sure....

Favorite Show Overall: Undecided. I know, I know – sad. But I can’t really say 3/29, cause that’s just not playing fair. I will say that I loved the Omni run at the end, there was a lot of good stuff those last three shows. And the opening shows were super strong as well, in retrospect. One of the other inspiring and seductive enjoyments is hearing all (well, most) of the songs from Without a Net in their proper setting. Context matters, and the fun in this listening activity cannot be understated.

In closing, this really is a great tour. Not overwhelming if you keep up with it, and each listen is different and unique due to the change-a-roo of the setlists on a nightly basis. They don’t over play any songs, and they keep others sporadic enough so as to ensure their momentum when they hit. And, we have access to all of them, officially released.

Now to see if I can pull this off for Europe ’72. That’s a much bigger commitment; shows are longer, and there are more of them…..ut oh. But what damn fun.

Sixtus

One of my ALL TIME go to albums

Hello again to all of my old friends. This is my first post on the new site. OMG! I took forever to get through the gate keepers. Hope next time is easier.

Rock on

KeithFan - Dick's 28 is one of the best...this one release manages to contain my all time favorite versions of not only Row Jimmy and He's Gone, but also 1/2 Step. Maybe it caught me just the right way when I first heard it years ago, but either way it's fully imprinted on me....

Nice mix dude. Your Estimated Eyes from DP 18 is the first I ever heard. And the Estimated is my favorite of all time. Also dig the Paris China Cat. Garcia absolutely shreds the solo. I hope you included Bill Graham's introduction to Help on the Way :D I know you did - that one and Veneta are my two favorites band intros. I look forward to checking out Row Jimmy & He's Gone (Dicks Picks 28) - no recall.

P.S. - come to think of it, I heard estimated prophet long before Dick's Picks 18, on a sweltering hot night at JFK Stadium in July of 89. Standing on the moon, Crimson white and indigo. Oh Captain My Captain...