Grateful Dead

Photos from the March 1968 show at the Washington Hilton?? Fantastic, oh yeah, the chicken man... for a while, people thought it was staged, as Jimi was tackled but kept playing, not missing a note... a story in the WaPo later, revealed a college age prankster, not scripted. There were two shows, that was at the evening show. Opening group was Soft Machine, with Alan Holdsworth. Found a recording of the show on the web quite a while back, cassette audio quality of course, this now can be found on YouTube as well as the Summertime Blues you note. Excellent Red House. How great is that, to have this stuff at our fingertips. Have a copy of the poster showing ticket price $4. Recall going over to friend Chip's house summer 1967 with music/band buddies for my first listen to "A.Y.E." on Altec Lansing studio monitors the size of refrigerators, vinyl spun on a Dual 1019. Eye, ear and mind opening. Those days, most home audio speakers were nothing special, at Chips house, we cranked it up.

to Philski! Keep on rocking in the free world!

DMCVT: 67, Altecs, what were you powering those puppies with?

Hey now, I still own a pair of Altec Lansing speakers, they still sound great 49 years after I bought them in 72. AYE was a major "mind blown" moment the first listen. Hey Doc, that 71 project sounds quite cool, can I get a copy? Thanks

Oh yeah, the reason I came here, Happy Birthday Phil, bombs away bro.

....ain't no place that I'd rather be.

Only love can Phil.
Live-Dead 1971 papers are super detailed, well researched. It adds to the knowledge of an amazing era of one of the most significant bands in American history.
Safari so good.

I have had a couple of scratched CDs that came loose during shipping on Get Shown the Light box set. I have had what appeared to be box cutter slice damage to a Dave's Picks. I have had dented in CD case corners due to the CDs being shipped in bubble wrap mail envelopes. I had a damaged 30 Trips box from the shipping handler. Customer support, Mary E, and Dr Rhino took care of every issue I had. It seems to me there is an escalation chain, and sometimes customer support can take care of a problem and sometimes Mary E or Dr Rhino need to care of it. The box cutter incidents happened to a few people 2 picks in a row then stopped. Issue taken care of by management. There has never been a box set with loose slip covers like GSTL since then. Issue taken care of by management. Dave's Picks now come packaged in a sturdy cardboard packing cover to protect them from shipping damage. Issue taken care of by management. The point is that the customer support team is obviously aware when issues occur and they ensure they do not occur again. If the front line customer support phone number and email does not get you the results you want, simply get hold of Mary E and she will either take care of it or let you know she has let Dr Rhino know. That has been my experience and why it seems to me there is an escalation chain for customer support. I occasionally hear people report that they don't get results fast enough or that they don't hear back from the customer support phone number center reps. Out of 25000 Dave's Picks, it doesn't seem like a very high number to me. If I did not hear back from customer support I would simply get a hold of Mary E or Dr Rhino. Their contact information is not a secret. I don't know the reason that customer support reportedly does not respond up to expectation. Personally I've never had this kind of experience, but since several people have reported it on the message board I assume it happened. I ask those those people who report these troubles, what would you do to fix it? I hope not throw money at the problem. That would just mean more expensive product. I would rather have the prices remain reasonable and deal with the occasional issue one at a time. All of this we're not going to take it talk sounds a little overbaked to me.

Nappyrags post about Reno/Davis brought back a memory! Strange that I still have them, but sometimes I do. And I think maybe this really happened.

I remembered, somehow, that me and my roommate Claudio drove to Davis without having any idea where the venue was. Davis is a small town, we thought, how hard could it be to find a Dead concert there? We didn't really know where Davis was, either, but we knew it was on I-80, so we figured that would work out. We had in our possession various herbs and exotic fungi, but being responsible lads, we had decided we would not indulge until we found the town and the concert.

Well, you know how that goes. At some point we started calculating arrival times, did a few algebraic equations and decided it would OK to down maybe 1/2 of what we had now, and save the rest for later. Like I said, we were being responsible. And a few minutes later, look, there's a sign, it's Davis! We found the town! Now, we just need to find the venue.

Unfortunately, in the meantime, my '69 Buick Riviera, usually capable of piloting itself in these kinds of situations, melted into an Aztec submarine and I could neither find the periscope nor properly man the mizzenmast. We were forced to abandon ship and wander the mean streets of Davis, looking for clues as to where the concert might be.

Suddenly we found ourselves in a parade. We were part of a Flowing River of Freaks, longhairs and tie dyes and space aliens and a guy who looked like Santa Claus except his glow in the dark dashiki, all going in the same direction, so we went with the flow. And just as suddenly, we were standing outside the venue, which looked suspiciously like Peewee's fun house, but never mind, the show was starting (with, IIRC but this can't be real, 'Saturday Night'), let's get in there!!!

Once inside, all was bliss. Except ... oh shit ... what happened to Claudio? Aw man .... I lost my roommate and I'm never going to find him, never ever in all eternity, here in this writhing mass of legs and eyes and antennae. What to do? Well, obviously, the first thing was to eat the rest of the shrooms. And enjoy the show. Done, and done.

Afterwards, two miracles happened. First, Claudio and I found each other, by literally bonking foreheads in the restroom after the show. We were momentarily elated, with much excited jabber about the show, etc. Then we realized: we had no idea where the car was. None. We started walking anyway. By now, the Earth was regaining its familiar contours. But our spirits were sinking. There was really No Way we were ever going to remember where we docked the Riviera.

And yet ... we walked right to it. We couldn't have taken a straighter path if we'd had a map and a GPS. There it was, parked halfway up the curb in front of some unassuming person's abode. There was a brief muted celebration, as we quickly realized we better quietly get the flock outta there. We jumped in, pulled the periscope down, engaged the 8-track, and hit the road.

:)))

My DaP36 arrived today. Thanks to all for the good thoughts and other help along the way.

I agree Dark-Star that the issues may be few and far-between. And yes, Marye and Dr. Phil ARE very responsive, but only if you know to reach out to them! Their existence is NOT listed anywhere publicly (if I'm wrong, please show me where). Bottom line: If they're the only ones who can provide an actual answer, why have a Customer Service link that's just a black hole?

Thanks to Dead.net for resolving this issue. I'm looking forward to now checking out these shows. I see Dave's liner notes indicate this Bird Song is the best he's ever heard? I have to listen to that....

....starting to feel a little bit more normal around here.

That’s good news! Through the rabbit hole, but you’ve come out the other side. I’m glad you received it. A dozen scarlet begonias for Marye, again, for making magic happen. (Marye would make the most extraordinary concierge ever - any restaurant you wanted, any tickets you needed, and problem solved!)

Enjoy 36!

And the Psychedelic Remark of the Week Award goes to The Crow, for "Aztec Submarine" for a Buick Riviera! (Man, that's a blues vehicle if ever there was one.)

I never trusted myself driving on psychedelics. I still don't. But I still do it! (Dirt roads in the backcountry only, with ABB and a beer, just to remain calm...)

Thin -- glad you scored your DP replacement. Enjoy!

Vguy -- how do you justify putting the word "normal" into a sentence with Las Vegas??

Ah yes, I remember that little run well...a weekend run, we skiied in Tahoe Saturday, went to Reno that night, and then Davis was on the way home to SF from Tahoe. What fun!

Doc, I would love to peruse your 71 tome, please send to me also. Thanks also for your 'this day in 1971' posts, very interesting.

interestingly, watching an old X-Files last night, the show opens with a soon-to-be-wrecked guy driving up to a burger joint drive-through...in a Buick Riviera.

"Aztec submarine" is indeed a tremendously cool image

hopefully with no human sacrifices

my lil' ol' white Prius is a "Mayan marshmallow" (insert Goofy laugh)

Great story!
Thanks for sharing.
I miss giant hulking beasts of Detroit, cars so big you could live in them.

....well, normal for Las Vegas that is. Crazy drunk people having a good time. Methinks we'll be able to hit some live concerts by the end of the year.

Here here for that... the annual Bluegrass Fest out my way, Delfest, is always Memorial Day Weekend. They scheduled it this year in September. That's my meter stick. Freaking freely before the leaves change into a beautiful, psychedelic kaleidoscope of fun.

Vegas.. normal. That's a good one.

Gotta admit.. the first time I went there was for work and I really didn't think I would like it. I was wrong. Then again, we really didn't gamble that trip. I have been back several times since and tried my hand at gambling with an unexpected and wonderful outcome. The outcome being, I don't gamble anymore.

The edibles are just starting to kick in.. I am hoping they make my afternoon chore of sanding a big stack of wood more bearable.. got 3/14/71 in the coffer. I'm not nearly as far behind as I thought I would be. Life is grand, play dead.

"it's what keeps me on this Earth"

- Jerry talking about playing with the GD

if I didn't have the GD and refreshments (like making "a five dollar bill", it keeps me happy all the time), I 'd be...rather dour.

5/18/77 is my saving grace at the moment

after a winter of freedom from them, guess what has reappeared in my humble abode

GAHDAMMUTHERPHUQING ANTS.

I do get some satisfaction from delivering "death from above" to them...

if you perform a song called WAP (Wet Ass Pussy), you are declaring female empowerment (see: Grammys).

if I performed a song called HAD (Hard Ass Dick), they'd put me away.

just saying.

anyway...

The Music Never Stopped

what does the 2nd set of 5/18/77 have in store for me?

NITECAT check your pm.................

Doc
Lean your body forward slightly to support the guitar against your chest, for the poetry of the music should resound in your heart.........

I'm having a hard time imagining how this will go... okay, "everyone" gets vaxxed; show your proof or you don't get in. Outdoor venues are a must. So scheduling shows for late summer, fall, okay.

I guess my question is, if venues aren't at 100% capacity, won't tickets cost more to enable bands to tour? And do patrons get spaced apart 6 feet or more and have to wear masks? Which, if true and sensible, cuts down on the dancing, bouncing, meeting women/fun people angles?

So, not to be a stick-in-the-mud (but here I go!), higher costs, lower audience density, thus less live music vibe, and still some risk due to variants?

My hometown reference point is Red Rocks, where it's just a massive scene, which can be good and not-so-good. (Maybe the concert-yappers and snappers will stay home??) But I'm also into little blues outfits on brewery patios and, no doubt will go to listen and/or play if it's not too crowded. Partying down with the mask in place -- even the most disciplined among us is going to slip up after a few brewskies, no?

Maybe I'm answering my own question: scale is an issue, as is cost, as is crowd density. I miss it crazy, but I may pass until 2022. And I feel for the bands, venues and vendors.

Let's get back to the Buick Riviera. A buddy of mine once had a 1959 Ford Fairlane -- the year with giant fins -- and we'd take that sucker up on Buffalo Pass outside Steamboat Springs, CO, and try to stay on the road at high speeds. I recall yakking out the back window on one turn. Oh the fun... Front seat fit at least four of us, five in back. We tried to drive back East in it with 20 cases of Coors to "make our fortune," which would have been like $100 each, if that. This is 1974; I'm missing the entire summer's GD tour to hitch across the country, stopping to work where I knew folks. Blew a rod in Middle Park and abandoned that damn thing in Kremmling. My buddy "Moose" proceeded to hitchhike East and I stuck out my thumb back to Steamboat with 10 cases on the side of the road. I was welcomed back to my former dwelling with open arms.... Ah, to be young and stupid again. Or just young...........

I purchased some fruit cube edibles from a Framingham Ma. dispensary and will be in the same boat as you in a while. I'm watching the jimi Hendrix criterion Monterey pop fest and just digging a good monday.

uhhhhhh.........

Acid Mothers Temple?
Swans?
D&C, if they played on this side of the Cascades. the ticket prices, though, i'm sure, would $200 for the cheap seats. F that.
I am so freakin' old...

This amazing video may have already been posted, but here it is...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxiGvmtkkhs&t=4s

The Terrapin Family Band & Friends wished Phil Lesh a happy birthday with a video of his Grateful Dead classic “Unbroken Chain.” The video features The Terrapin Family Band — Grahame Lesh, Ross James, Alex Koford, Jason Crosby, Nathan Graham and Elliott Peck — as well as Mike Gordon, Warren Haynes, Joe Russo, John Scofield and more.

The amazing video also sees contributions from Jeff Chimenti, Adam MacDougall, Stanley Jordan, Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams, Amy Helm, Nicki Bluhm, Karl Denson, Holly Bowling, Eric Krasno, Anders Osborne, Jackie Greene, Tom Hamilton, Luther Dickinson, Jon Graboff, Scott Law and Dan “Lebo” Lebowitz. Phil’s son Grahame edited the video with audio mixing from TFB’s Ross James.

Am I supposed to hold the guitar in closer when I'm singing HAD? Please pardon any confusion.

I happened to watch the Simpsons X Files episode from the 90’s last night.

Coincidence.......?

I think the crosswalk photo I just got was the RR tracks between the San Diego Convention Center and the Hard Rock Hotel.

Not too good on gas but they sleep 4-6 people.

I had to go into Flagstaff today..was that you in a white SUV???...it had both a GD sticker and a Golden Knights sticker...just wonderin'....

....stuck at work. Would rather be in Flagstaff tbh. But that white SUV driver has impeccable taste. "I would like to meet him and shake his hand" - Red.

3-15-90 observances

I cant imagine going to any live gigs in London this year-as has been my habit for the past 20 years or so. Several bands have re-scheduled for later in the year, Live Dead 69 among them. But all the bands I see play in crowded venues-I have to get the train to get there-stay over night - it all seems a bit unlikely.

I can see my self going to the odd gig here in Lowestoft, where I live. They practise social distancing here as a matter of everyday life-and always have.

I enjoyed my one night in Las Vegas, about 30 years ago. We didn't gamble, just wandered around looking at what was going on - all that amazing neon. I remember seeing a young Elvis Presley impersonator perform in a club. Funny old night, actually.

I am going to back pedal here. Mary E and Dr Phil may not be on the customer support contact list, but most who post regularly know who they are. And she appears to monitor the boards for issues and jumps in and posts for us to send her a PM sometimes. If you don't know who she is, all you have to do is ask on here how to work through an issue and someone like JimInMD or Icecrmcnkd say "PM marye". That's what I did and gave her my customer support ticket number. I've had plenty of minor issues that the phone and email people have resolved too.

My main point is the only way the people picking up the phones are going to handle greater responsibility is if they're replaced by higher paid employees that have management skills, not worker bee skills. A move like that probably comes at the cost of higher priced products. Maybe no more early bird specials or maybe other CDs go up 5 bucks to pay for higher caliber people. I'm just saying for what probably amounts to less than half a percent of DaP sales, I would rather be patient and work with the system that is in place and has been working for years. I am not even saying don't post your issue. I am saying it is needless to criticize them harshly and to round up a cyber mob to try to solve a problem that can be be worked out with simple pleasantries. Especially when you consider that we are a small community and the same Mary E and Dr Rhino have been helping us for as long as we have all been coming here. They seem to me to be good people who care. But most important they resolve issues. No more "box cutter" issues, no loose slip covers or scratchy CD sleeves, etc. I will also say that with all of the online ordering this pandemic has caused me to do for all shopping needs, the service here is as reliable as any and better than most.

https://deadessays.blogspot.com/2010/11/very-short-tale-of-golden-road…. This is an interesting story about the Golden Road to Unlimited Devotion.

After a long trip far, far away the dead finally come back home!

:)))

Has anyone else had an issue with disc 1 in this show ? they replaced the 1 again and it still will not play in any only of the 6 CD players we have . not sure what to do about it and I swear im not crazy

First congratulations Thin, glad you got yours and hope you enjoy it.
overbaked: definition - done to excess or exaggerated, baked too much or for too long.
I think that anyone who has not received their product from this site after they paid for it, waited for it and didn't received it, and then complained, is not overbaked or exaggerating.
Some might think that it is pretty half baked to say, "Hey, I got mine, and never had any real problems, so you who didn't...well just be nice and everything will turn out all right"
half baked: definition - not really thought through. lacking a sound basis, foolish
So, using some half baked logic, if they raise the prices, we will get our product on time and not damaged.
Sorry, I ain't buying it.
TPTB have all ready diminished the quality of the disc by switching to "Made in Mexico" vs good old USA production, the quality of the sleeve has improved somewhat but in the past, faulty. How many more corners are they willing to cut to keep cost down (or probably profit up)? Customer service on this site has always been a running joke and if not for Mary, there would have been many more who were dissatisfied. Keep on voicing your opinions and complaints, it seems to be one of the only things that works.

Thanks Nitecat (and others?)for posting the Phil birthday video. I guess I've been searchin' for the sound because I felt Dead again watching that beautiful piece. Wish it had identifiers; I'm too out of the loop to know any of them. Knew Scofield, Haynes, and Chimenti but all the younger folks were a mystery to me. Most impressed with the guitarist with a full beard, brown hoodie with old rainbow stripe graphic; he really had the JG runs. And the guys who looked like brothers together. The one singing sounded just like Phil! Is that his son? That video really made my day, week, month!
And speaking of driving while focused. No one in my trip posse was comfortable driving so it fell on me to take the wheel of some of the best vehicles I have ever driven. A '66 Mercedes 200 and a '77 BMW 320i. Tim's Mercedes is still my favorite car ever driven; 4-speed, 4-door, peppy 2.0L OHC, and the best ride imaginable. Stuart's Beemer was new and amazing and he had gotten a DUI so I was the chauffeur for 6 months. Heaven to drive on those long ski trips to Steamboat. He kept saying "Keep the revs up! You're doggin' it! I don't want Betty to get used to being driven like an old lady." What a privilege coming from my humble '68 VW bug. I guess I had earned their trust to be our Capt. Trips. That, and they knew I could be counted on not to double dose which is very easy when confused. Thanks Tim J. in CA and Stuart R. wherever you are! Cheers, Doug

Point taken - I get it. I'm sure it seemed petty and rabble-rousing. My goal was to determine scope of the problem by having people speak up so the powers that be could actually see the numbers. Sometimes the managers don't realize how bad things are until you make some noise and get a show of hands. Not a lot of people spoke up, which I take as a good sign - maybe not too many had my experience. (They only reprinted 300, implying only 200~ effected customers - I wonder of they considered just buying 'em off eBay..... lol)

But hell yeah, I was also driven to squeak the wheel as much as I could until I got what I paid for. And to make D.net aware how frustrating the information vacuum IS on the customer end.

Finally, I wouldn't suggest more employees, but rather that they work smarter. If Marye and Dr. Rhino are the only ones who will give any real answer beyond a perfunctory reply, then they should just re-direct the CS emails to them to begin with. ANY business that doesn't respond meaningfully to a product no-show for 3+ months WILL have irate customers.

And thx Unkle Sam for your comment, support. Back to the music.

https://www.reddit.com/r/gratefuldead/comments/m5y62h/this_seems_signif…
....things that make you go hmmmm.

So DL says "OK" to a demand for Lewiston. That's meaningless! DL could hold an old cassette of the show in his hand, then "release" it to gravity. Or, he could agree to actually release the tape as a DP "someday."

Although, perusing the Taping Compendium II, I focused on the brief March and October 1981 Euro tours and thought, well, if they had the tapes, maybe THAT's the upcoming box. So, in Jimi's inimitable song title from Band of Gypsys, "Who Knows"?

Ya know I'VE never been wrong before.

I’ve had an issue with disc #1, it doesn’t play at all and disc 2 & 3 constantly pause and skip. I’m currently waiting on replacements, but it sounds like from your comment they’re sending out faulty replacements. Quality control check? FRUSTRATING!

when was June 76 announced? release date was 3/20/20, according to Wikipedia.

there are many things to do, consider, think about in this life and world

but what I really wanna know is...

what's in the new box???

if I at least knew the year...or years...

the suspense is killing me (so to speak. isn't there a snippet of Jerry saying that at the end of So Many Roads release?)

Meanwhile, 5/10/78 plays

Got an email from dead.net the other day (3/12) that my DaP 36 was on its way. My third such email, but this one at least had correct addresses on the email in both spots, and the tracking at least did get the correct destination city and state. But then nothing until it shipped yesterday, and should reach Saturday if Louis DeJoy doesn't add to his collection of purloined DaP 36s. But the kicker is that I just received DiP 36 on vinyl from another company that licensed it. They only put it out there that it was going to be released around 2/1, then word was it was delayed until at least 2/14, but they would email when it was ready. I got the email on 3/2, placed my order in the nick of time, and it was actually delivered yesterday, 3/15, but just picked it up.

Too big to fail, or too big to succeed? I criticize as a consumer who has done quite a bit of business with this site, and has had very few problems. The problems I have had, have, however, been massive. My copies of DaP 30 never left the warehouse, then supposedly got refused at my house or some bs that never happened, and 4 months and change later, I finally did get my 2 copies with bonus disc. I didn't and don't care that those and the 2 DaP 36s will be from a small other batch, I just want my stuff. And I don't see why 4 months seems like a decent fix to an easy problem. And here I will make a suggestion that would have mellowed me out for months without worrying so much about when they were going to send me my stuff: send those of us waiting for it an mp3 download link, so we can at least listen to it! How hard would that be? If you screw up 300 orders and don't want 300 irate customers, toss them a bone. Don't make us feel like we're hounding you via email. Dr Rhino was called in late in the game on that DaP 30 fiasco, and he's the one that got me my stuff, and it seems like he made it happen in less than a month. I cc'd him very early in this one, and it seemed events were controlling him with the warehouse not seeming answerable to anyone. I know COVID has made all facets of life exceedingly difficult for everyone except hermits who live in caves, and the USPS has disgraced its former glory (the very fact you could send shit across the country for literally pennies and have it there in a few months to a few weeks to a few days made people think it's easy to do it, but they knew how to do it so efficiently that people only notice when something is late or lost), but other companies are able to fulfill their orders in a timely fashion even despite all of those factors. And I will also note having received 3 orders from dead.net placed since DaP 36's release, one from the Thanksgiving sale, DaP 37, and the DaP 37 glass and shirt. So, they could take and fulfill some orders, but not DaP 36, and couldn't give an actual update. If it's gonna be 4 months to get a new smaller batch made and sealed up and shipped out, so be it. Tell me and I'm good with that. If not quite "good", more I can deal with that a lot better than getting shined on. And perhaps in juxtaposition to my query at the beginning of this long paragraph, this is why the stuff that is unlimited and dead.net sends to Uncle Jeff, I will happily procure from Uncle Jeff, get free shipping, get it closer to release date, and lock in probably a cheaper price. Because somehow Uncle Jeff can fulfill not only that order, but millions of others. I just want a happy medium...

Rant over. Oh, and ironically DaP 30 was the last listen to Dead. Moved from that to String Cheese 3/15/00 with the one and only Joe Craven guesting all over it, and killing it as Joe Craven does on a variety of instruments. Seeing him play Lonesome Fiddle Blues with Vassar Clements and Larry Keel and David Via and Curtis Burch was one of my top musical moments. The guy can fiddle as well as anybody, plays mandolin as well or better than his former bandleader, the Dawg himself, and is one of the most inventive percussionists out there. Cheese let him just do his thing for half the show. Incredible. That 1/2-3/70 was damn good, too. :)

I've been wondering about something for some time, and now Alvarhanso brought it up, so I'll ask: why not offer subscribers the opportunity to download a copy of their DaPs? It seems like a very simply way to alleviate the complaints about late shipments and defective CDs.

Alvarhanso suggested mp3s, but I think ideally we could choose to get FLACs or some other lossless format. It would still suck if your discs didn't ship, but at least you could hear the shows while you waited. Lots of record companies will give you a download code when purchase physical format music. Even Amazon does it for some records and CDs.

I assume this has come up before, so maybe somebody knows why they don't pursue this simple solution. Maybe they're concerned about file sharing? I've got news for you: that's already happening. Maybe they're worried the availability of digital versions would devalue the limited edition CDs? All I can tell is that some of the early Dave Picks are on Youtube right now, and physical copies still sell on ebay and discogs for hundreds of dollars. If Rhino did something like made a download part of the subscription package, and then offered to sell downloads to the public after each limited edition sold out, wouldn't that be a win-win?

What am I missing here? Besides, you know, a DaP 37 disc one that doesn't skip?

Just read about this in Stereophile. I just had to share after watching it.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/listening-video-tribute-art-dudley
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNrcb-9Gi8c

Was announced on 2/13/2020 and as you said PF released on 3/20/2020. Actual delivery date of course varied.

Maybe we get some news soon??