Grateful Dead

9/26/81 - all in!!

glancing at set list night before that and there's something I've never seen - a Sugar Mag / Sunshine Daydream sandwich post drums. '80 and '81 are filled with great shows and it would have helped if Betty had been at the helm recording a whole bunch of them on reels (cue picky deadhead comment).

DeadVikes - trust me the Midwest is still the land of my childhood heart. I know you're back there but was thinking you were somewhere a bit north of Chi-Town?

Hey Oroborous, 9/26/81 sounds great to me. A little Buffalo NY and your first show.
Had a chance to listen to the 3/20/81 London show. Wish there was a better sounding recording available. I seem to remember Blair Jackson talking about how great these shows were and what a bummer it was that there was not better recordings available.

Hey Bluecrow, you got to see Dead and Co. Sounds like fun man. I need to check out your 80 recommendation. Oh and remember some of us live in the Midwest.

Stay well out there.

3/21/81✔️ More of the same, in a good way, just nothing extraordinary, that stands out during these shows so far?
9/26/91✔️ This one goes both ways...it has some of the consistency of the tour, but this night, has somewhat out of the ordinary stand outs. Big shhhhooooeee, (think Ed Sullivan) on paper at least.
I feel the same about some of these versions, as perhaps other post re-entry versions: there not the best performances of the songs you’ve ever heard, but so what, overall, there enjoyable, invoke the spirit of the music, have good jams, space, etc, and when tied all together in a nice container like this show, said container should be pasteurized and served cold to a thirsty public!
Not unlike other official releases, this wouldn’t perhaps be the most polished show from the neighborhood, but to me, the bigness makes up for it. What can I say, I’m a Dark Star junkie and sucker for any attempt to tapback into the timeless reflection of matter...and hey, it’s got a Cumberland!

BC: 80 shows noted for future mining...but first, perhaps one last indulgence:

9/26/81 for mañana, mucho por favor...
Besides being my 40th anniversary of this show, it’s shown up over the years on tapers section and GD channel etc, and I believe Dave has specifically mentioned it before, so since we’ve been enjoying some 81 lately I’d hoped y’all indulge an old freak uno mass?

September 91 just keeps on giving.

For those who do torrents I noticed (and then acquired) that several remastered September 91’s had been posted recently.
I haven’t checked them out yet to see what improvements had been made, but I did notice a few days ago that my copy of 9/22 has a several second long gap of silence between Drums and Space. I was going to edit that out but maybe I won’t have to if a remastered version is available.

speaking of weather shows - this is a pretty good one from back in the early Brent years
8-16-1980 Mississippi River Festival, Edwardsville, Illinois
I think i remember reading one of those random reviews in Deadbase. managed to miss the Uptown run a few days later but caught Alpine right after that. Second set 1st night at Uptown is insanely good.

Yep Oro - I was in the neighborhood! Needed a 2 hour mind and body recharge and hoping I wouldn't get rousted. Saw a few snowflakes at Loveland and Vail. The live fix was a big deal after the last couple years. brother(s) - "as your attorney I recommend you see a show." more below.

Jim - The Weirwolf - yeah I think its pretty f*ckin funny. I didn't see any Shakedown near Wrigley. Remarkably little vending. after that magnificent second night curving back around front of the stadium on way "home" and there's a lone(ly) Head holding up a sticker that reads - God Bless the Weirwolf. I think "that's pretty good!" and also notice that no one really seems to see him. It was odd - he's holding these stickers just above his forehead, silent, and its like he's invisible as the crowd flows around him. I wasn't really in acquisition mode and got about a hundred ft past before I turned to my brother and said I gotta go back and get that (1 for $3, 2 for $5 - picked up 2). The seller sincere - "Thanks Brother" as Bobby the Weirwolf was blessed and reaffirmed. A small momento of those nights which I'll remember forever. Bobby looks wild nowadays. His singing on Days Between was like a possessed Spirit. Archetypal. A freaking Weirwolf for sure howling out visions and prophecies.

Rain first night was one of those added dimensions that doesn't phase me nowadays. Of course tickets were covered, high in the Upper Deck just past 3rd base so we weren't getting cleared off the field (not once but twice.) But yes, I can dig some weather. By end of delayed and abbreviated first set we were hanging in upper aisle with room to dance and just checking out the parade of China Cats - so cool to see all these happy people. D&Co with Weirwolf singing opened second set with a very slow groove, funky Dancing in the Streets, nothing like any version I've heard elsewhere. Really really dug it. "Dancing in Chicago" Segued into a nice always welcome Playing, then Scarlet. Mickey on the BEAM was awesome - the whole stadium in rumble-vibrate cobalt-light phase. I love that shit. Special shout out to NY Tim and crew from that 1st night. God it was fun.

althea > uncle john's > he's gone to open second night. really? yes! and that second set night 2 had a fine fine groove all through. sweet sweet sound and all jammed out. Milestones was crazy - i was dancing so hard to that. It seemed like something was afoot between Chimenti and Mayer during space before they got to THAT. and the H>S>F to close was out of this world - all of it - wild how "Roll Away . . . " carried through the stadium.

So yeah Oro - getting to experience all of that live was very cool and very necessary .

I saw a few post-Jerry shows from '96 - '05, all in the Front Range, a fair number at Red Rocks that most awesome of venues. Totally forgot until this evening that the first was a Merle Saunders show in a tiny club in Colorado Springs. Awesome time - my first Dark Star! But it was a Further event at Fiddler's Green in '97(?), including sets by Mystery Box and Rusted Root, that really brought me around to the fact that Jerry was and is still with us. With all those shows it wasn't simply "nostalgia" - there was always new music being played. The first P&F show at Red Rocks July 2001 (7/6) "floored" me (check out the set list for that show and second night). When they dropped into Blues for Allah I looked at my friend with one of those wide-eyed big smile yhgtbfkm looks of pure joy. dream and myth. Really dug what Warren Haynes brought always. And Jimmy Herring. John Molo. Ryan Adams in the guest slot with Phil 2002(?). Mayer and Oteil and Chimenti. Every one of the music makers.

So yeah - my thought is someday maybe "we" can all enjoy a few beers together. Even a show or 2.

Which reminds me - where in the heck is GOGD?

Take care friends. Enjoy the evening and the weekend.

Under Eternity

onward :)

All kinds of colors to address today.

BLUCROW: glad you were able to get a live fix! Couldn’t believe how much of a soul hole got filled with P&F last week and that was just streaming, I can only imagine how great it would of been live...
You talking “our” Eagle? If I’d known I’d have bought you breakfast! Lol, but I’m sure it was an unplanned stop...

JIM: yass I’ve been fortunate to see ? (Perhaps more than Dead?) many post JG shows by TOO, Mickey, The Dead, P&F, D&C, Furthur etc, I don’t understand why some folks dislike it so much? Too each their own, one one gathers.....

VGUY: bet 10/27 was a powerful show to be at! Looks like ole Strider was there too.
Any comments on the other three shows from this run, as I’d like to tag those next week?
I enjoyed this show, good energy, it’s yet another solid, well played 91. Only miss I recall was in Cassidy...great guests with extracurricular highlights take it up a notch. Must of been fun to be at!

3/20/81✔️ Fuck this sucks having to do all this over again, ahem, but I digress..
Hit this first thing today.
Good solid show, perhaps not the barn burners of May 81, but good show. First perhaps a tad laid back, perhaps keeping things tight and right for the first return to the continent in seven years?
Nice rainbow mix of songs to present to the crowd, many perhaps seeing the band for the first time?

Second set picks it up with some good energy. Slight transitional hiccup from S-F, but overall a well played show.
By Truckin’ their starting to feel their oats and bring it all home with a classic R&R ending!

Okay, forgot what else I tried to post?...on to Dicks 17 9/26/91 as I need some higher fidelity R&R for FAC!
Relative new comer to my collection, but I recall being pleasantly surprised when I first heard, so looking forward.

Hoping to hit 3/21/81 and 9/26/91 mañana...really looking forward to 9/26 as it has a sexy set list and was on that early wish list of Dave’s...

Sunday, I have a special request I think you’ll like?

But, hup, hup, bavpck on the crazy train, I got shows to tag!
Happy Friday Amigos!
ONWARD!

Just wasted another half hour of my life so this lame ass web site could eat my post and tell me I’m “not authorized”? WTF?

Ha.. love it.

I'm a convert to the after dead bands. I think I've written about this before here.. but after ignoring it for more than a decade.. I saw Phil by coincidence on Halloween in 2007 and kicked myself in the ass for being such an arrogant snob about my dead life. First, it was a good show, second.. I had so much fun. I was working in NYC and got off the subway to a complete circus in full swing, scored a ticket at cost still wearing my work garb, PC over my shoulder and the rest unfolded rather nicely. What a blast.. I get that people don't like or won't like D&C, but I think they are good.. listen to Oteil sing Comes a Time / China Doll or Chimenti throw out these incredible fills in Eyes of the World.. and yes, Help/Slip!/Franks is awesome. As much crap as people give Mayer, he is talented and capable. My favorite meme sent to me this week by someone here actually.. was of Chumlee wearing a steelie knit hat telling the Pawn Shop owner guy he wants to see Garcia on Acid.. and the reply.. the best I get you for that is Mayer and Advil.

So I finished 4/1/91 this morning, a great little show.. I love Bruce in these years, but I think they kept Vince in a box. I would have liked to see him play piano more and synth less. As we rode down to Fenario....

Anyway... I will start 10/31 later today and I have marked my Calendar on 9/24/2022 to start all those great shows Oroborous picked out. Really looking forward to them. :D

....first show since Bill Graham died. Honored him by opening with Sugar Magnolia, which I believe was one of his favorite Dead songs.