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    You can listen to Grateful Dead records over and over again and never understand the attraction they have for certain people until you attend one of their concerts. Sometime during the Dead's usual five-hour set, it will all click: Jerry Garcia's Indian bead string of notes on the guitar, the ozone ooze of the vocal harmonies, the shifting, shuffling rhythm of bassist Phil Lesh and drummer Bill Kreutzmann, and the distant echo of the oldest of American folk music. - Columbia Flier

    "Certain people" will know that we're coming in hot with one that's got all these things and more, DAVE’S PICKS VOLUME 41: BALTIMORE CIVIC CENTER, BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, 5/26/77. Yes, there's still plenty of spectacular May '77 to go around. Nearly chosen for Dave's Picks Vol. 1, 5/26/77 delivers three-fold. There's one count for the energy - all the precision of the Spring tour conjuring up the raw power of the Fall tour that was to come. There's another for the setlist which featured beloved songs from WORKINGMAN'S DEAD and soon-to-be favorites from the freshly recorded TERRAPIN STATION. And a third for its element of surprise (or shall we say surprises) from an astonishingly peak 15-minute "Sugaree" to new delights ("Sunrise," "Passenger," "Jack-A-Roe') to a rare first-set finale of "Bertha" to the second set's "Terrapin>Estimated>Eyes," traveling leaps and bounds towards the improvisational journey that is a nearly 17-minute "Not Fade Away." 

    Limited to 25,000 numbered copies, DAVE’S PICKS VOLUME 41: BALTIMORE CIVIC CENTER, BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, 5/26/77 was recorded by Betty Cantor-Jackson and has been mastered to HDCD specs by Jeffrey Norman at Mockingbird Mastering. Grab a copy while you can.

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  • proudfoot
    Joined:
    Trivia

    "yours truly on public saxophone"

    Who said that, and where were they?

    Answer correctly and win a smile

  • Crow Told Me
    Joined:
    That was Rich

    Wow, great story, Rich! Really nicely written. I could almost smell the back seat burning.

    Pretty sure I was at 7.13.84 along with Proudfoot. We used to call those early summer shows at the Greek the High Holy Days. I still wonder why there has never been a Greek box. Tape quality issues, maybe? I sure remember those shows fondly.

    I think maybe that particular show was the one where we decided to get a room at this motel on University Ave maybe a mile from the Greek. Which was convenient cos we were none of us in especially good shape for driving after the show. We had like six of us staying in a one bed motel room. We couldn't really sleep, for various reasons, but fortunately a party started up in the parking lot. The whole hotel was filled with Heads, evidently, because some guy started playing tapes out of his van, that night, but instead of complaining everybody just started hanging out in the parking lot, passing around beers and whatnot. I still remember this one couple, they might've been the owners/managers, they were older, the guy was wearing turban, and they were watching us all with wide eyed amazement, wondering who the hell were these crazy people and what was that music?

  • nitecat
    Joined:
    Third Listen - Dave's 40

    Ok I gave this Dave's release a third listen over the last few days. I really like it. I think Spring 90 was more together and energized, but Summer 90 is pretty damn good. I'm finding I like the second day, 7/19 a little better. It has a Foolish Heart, one of my favs, and some really great guitar work by Jerry throughout. The jam after Playin is really cool, as is the jam out of Uncle John's. I found myself playing those jams a few extra times, they were so good. Jerry sings with passion on all the ballads, even if his voice isn't as sweet as it used to be. The crowd singing the NFA chant at the end gave me shivers, and reminded me how much I loved to see the band with a crowd of deadheads. With such excellent playing, I even look forward to hearing the US Blues encore when we get it in a couple weeks. No shipping notice for me yet.

  • PT Barnum
    Joined:
    gr8 story Rich

    had an olds delta 98 that was as big as that biscayne, that back seat was literally a couch on wheels.

  • proudfoot
    Joined:
    And now

    I think I heard Airto on 4 22 79

    Probably cant be released

    Hot show. Ignore the sfb review in the compendium.

  • proudfoot
    Joined:
    The Great Trek To The Greek

    1984
    Drove from LA to Bay Area on 7 13 84

    Mike's 69 Ford LTD

    big ol' thang

    AC didnt work

    But it got us there and back

  • icecrmcnkd
    Joined:
    Good story Rich

    Detroit Land Yachts.

    I’m not familiar with the Biscayne but in the mid-80’s my friend had a 67 or 68 Oldsmobile Luxury Sedan that could easily fit 8 teenagers comfortably.

  • Vguy72
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    Awesome story Rich....

    ....slow burn lol.

  • Rich McManus
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    Remembering Baltimore '77

    Burnin' the Seats of the Biscayne
    or
    Leavin' Town a Quart Fuller
    by Rich McManus

    The trip to Baltimore from the District of Columbia is virtually a straight run up the neck of a guitar--almost as invariant as a string. You get on I-95, point the car north and let about 30 minutes go by.

    My brother Tom was the wheelman for the ride up to catch the Dead at Baltimore Civic Center. He was then in his first year of law school and, with proceeds earned from pumping gas, had bought a 1962 Chevy Biscayne, which is basically a living room on tires.

    The bench seats, front and back, were full of guys. There was a cassette player, but it was one of those $89 models plugged into the cigarette lighter, with speaker wires trailing into the rear of the car where they attached to tinny speakers free to wander the car's rear deck as the vehicle pitched and rolled up the highway. At several points, the speaker wire was spliced by hand; once in awhile someone had to reconnect errant strands.

    The tape for the ride up had to be one I had just scored in Chapel Hill, where a kid named Ivan Spector had allowed me to dub cassettes from his reels. He had permitted me to copy an April 1977 WNEW radio performance including a song I had called "Inspiration," and another I labeled "California."

    So we had recent Dead to enjoy as we rolled up 95 on May 26, 1977. Somewhere along the way, a pipe was filled and passed across the expanses of the Biscayne interior. Hand to hand, to mouth, and front to back, crossways, frontways and oops, it fell into the crease in the back seat.

    "A prophet on the burning shore..." Ten minutes after the pipe had made its rounds, reports of the scent of smoke reached the driver. Some in the back seat complained of warm bottoms. But there was no smoke or visible flame, just a persistent odor of burning leaves.

    Tom pulled the Biscayne into a gravel lot near the Civic Center and we all hopped out, more curious now about the source of the smell than about the impending concert. We pulled the rear bench out, flipped it upside down and discovered an ever-expanding black circle in the straw matting that formed the interior of the seat: the thing was on fire, albeit a slow burn. The only thing with which to douse the sleepy blaze was cold beer. It seemed a shame to spend beer on the little fire, but that's what we did, then reloaded the bench in the car.

    On the walk up the ramps inside the Civic Center, I wondered if such a secret fire would outwit our attempts to extinguish it. Would there be just ashes when the show was through?

    We were in the balcony, on the left side as you faced the stage. Jerry was on the far side. All I really remember from that night is Bobby chastising the crowd for arriving late to the show, and Jerry grinning broadly as he rocked back and forth playing, the music rising out of him and his bandmates. They seemed like happy spectators at a circus they had called forth.

    The pipe came with us on the trip inside. There was a girl sitting by herself in the row in front of us. The custom in those days was to pass what you had around. I leaned over to interrupt her concentration on the show, but she declined. She couldn't take her eyes off the stage.

    Walking out after the show, I was convinced I'd just seen the best Dead show of my life. Which is exactly what I thought after leaving perhaps a dozen previous shows. "How can they play any better than that?" we wondered, worn out, giddy.

    "Roll on up, gonna roll back down." One of the guys in our group, Dan, was from Baltimore. He knew of a corner bar nearby where the bartender would fill any container you had with beer, call a price, and you could walk out the door.

    From somewhere within the acreage that is the trunk of the Biscayne, Tom produced an empty glass Tropicana jar. He disappeared into the corner bar, which on that May night was wide open, not even a screen on it, and emerged moments later with a frothing jug that the barman guessed was worth around $2.50.

    "Took a whole pail of water..." The seats were mercifully cool as we whisked down 95, passing the glass from mouth to mouth. The dirty little six-banger under the hood was purring that night, past exits and overpasses and open spaces that are no longer there. It would be almost 20 years before we learned that people taped the show that evening, and would share that show (thanks Rick Wurster and Tom Melvin!) with whomever showed an interest.

    Back then, it was as likely as your pants suddenly bursting into flames that the world's greatest rock and roll band would roll all over the world for 30 years, amaze everyone, and preserve performances--for that broad bench seat that is the future--that burn, unextinguishable, like a secret fire.

  • 1stshow70878
    Joined:
    Blues Interpreters

    Not my favorite interpreter but a Muddy & Wolf Joe Bonamassa at Red Rocks show is on PBS next Saturday. Probably an old one recycled for begging. I find him difficult to watch but there's no denying the skill of the once child prodigy. Virtually all the true blues legends have said speed doesn't equal soul, starting with the "British invasion" blues interpreters. But influencers they are and thankfully many of us did trace back the true roots eventually. Give me a Stevie Ray any day.
    Cheers

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You can listen to Grateful Dead records over and over again and never understand the attraction they have for certain people until you attend one of their concerts. Sometime during the Dead's usual five-hour set, it will all click: Jerry Garcia's Indian bead string of notes on the guitar, the ozone ooze of the vocal harmonies, the shifting, shuffling rhythm of bassist Phil Lesh and drummer Bill Kreutzmann, and the distant echo of the oldest of American folk music. - Columbia Flier

"Certain people" will know that we're coming in hot with one that's got all these things and more, DAVE’S PICKS VOLUME 41: BALTIMORE CIVIC CENTER, BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, 5/26/77. Yes, there's still plenty of spectacular May '77 to go around. Nearly chosen for Dave's Picks Vol. 1, 5/26/77 delivers three-fold. There's one count for the energy - all the precision of the Spring tour conjuring up the raw power of the Fall tour that was to come. There's another for the setlist which featured beloved songs from WORKINGMAN'S DEAD and soon-to-be favorites from the freshly recorded TERRAPIN STATION. And a third for its element of surprise (or shall we say surprises) from an astonishingly peak 15-minute "Sugaree" to new delights ("Sunrise," "Passenger," "Jack-A-Roe') to a rare first-set finale of "Bertha" to the second set's "Terrapin>Estimated>Eyes," traveling leaps and bounds towards the improvisational journey that is a nearly 17-minute "Not Fade Away." 

Limited to 25,000 numbered copies, DAVE’S PICKS VOLUME 41: BALTIMORE CIVIC CENTER, BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, 5/26/77 was recorded by Betty Cantor-Jackson and has been mastered to HDCD specs by Jeffrey Norman at Mockingbird Mastering. Grab a copy while you can.

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4 years 11 months

In reply to by Vguy72

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My prior post was about DP41. And my follow-up comment you saw was because I keep holding out hope that Dave or someone else at the company will read one of my product comments... but when comments about the product get buried in an avalanche of unrelated discussion, it seems even more unlikely that anyone at Dead-dot-net would ever hear product feedback.

Not saying you guys aren't entertaining... I enjoyed your responses and certainly don't want to rain on any parades... just that I would ALSO like a way to get product feedback back to the folks I send lots of my money to.

Annnnd... I just found the customer service email... so I guess I'll give that a shot for customer feedback and come back here after I've had a chance to think carefully about my position on pork chops.
✌️

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It is widely assumed that the powers that be do see what gets posted on here, but there is no definite proof of this as far as I know. Certainly they never communicate with us via these boards. As for customer service, I think that is outsourced. Contact with customer service is via a contact form that can be found under "help/customer service" at the very bottom of the page. You can also find "feedback" at the bottom of the page. By clicking on that you can send feedback about anything you choose. Maybe that is what you were looking for. Certainly it has to be worth a try.

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7 years 7 months
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This is as good as the Dead ever played. 1977 may be their zenith as live performers... by 1978 I hear a certain element of fatigue and overindulgence creeping in. From somewhere between late 1971 to 1973 and 1977, it was the best it would ever be. Disc 3 here is so good, I've earmarked it for newbies and people who dismiss the band as sloppy.

Been listening to a ton of Little Feat lately. Awesome, underrated band especially when Lowell George was still with them.

Happy weekend everyone!

\m/

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4 years 1 month

In reply to by LedDed

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Monitors at least. Dave might read this stuff. But in the long run, I don't any of the ptb have any fux to give about our salad de wourde.

Outside I hear a massive cacophony of crows (this is a fact)

Crows told me. About 80 of them flew overhead when I was out with the dog: "Time to pop the shrinkwrap on 41, bitch!"

:)))

Recall that Norman responded once to admit that he did in fact jack up the bass on 8-25-72.

And several years ago Marye relayed us a message indicating that (at the time) Rhino/WMG weren’t really interested in processing the video Vault for commercial release.

It was during one of those times that we were discussing the release of video, much like a week or two ago, and as we frequently do, to keep getting the message out that we want more video.
We got a taste with the Giants Box, and some teasers for Shakedown Stream.

I think that streaming or download is the way to go for the 90’s shows that are a recording of the video feed during the show (which includes the computer generated graphics mixed in).
For physical product we still need complete, or as close as possible, audio/video Boxes of:
Winterland October 74
Fall 80
Alpine 89
Tinley Park 90
And everything with Pigpen

I have that Family Dog DVD, it’s grate. If video of the whole shows exists get it out there.
And everything from Europe like Rockpalast and 72.

LedDed,
I like the Little Feat show from Rockpalast.

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7 years 4 months
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Sounds great so far. Tonight I will listen to 2nd set. As far as the HOF, what a joke. Ted nugent said recently, "MC5 is nominated, but triumph is not?" Very true. Triumph was a great band. Rik emmet played a flying V guitar for christ sakes.

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17 years 3 months

In reply to by carlo13

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Saw them at Klienhans Music hall, where the philharmonic plays (very small) on 7/7/79.
(Dead played there with the philharmonic On 3/17/70. I saw my first Bobbie show there on election night 1980)

Since Triumph were perhaps more used to playing hockey rinks etc, they had pyrotechnics which they blew off opening song, and thus instantly completely filled the tiny smoke free venue with a cloud of smoke so thick we were having a hard time breathing up in the balcony LOL. Almost had to stop the show right there!
It was like something out of Spinal Tap: clueless rock band almost stops show first song at historic Music hall
God I love Rock and Roll!

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10 years

In reply to by carlo13

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Now there's a rock n' roll hall of fame type of guy ! I'd never heard of Triumph up until 2 minutes ago. And in 2 minutes time I will have forgotten about them again. Unless of course there is a heated debate on here about their pros and cons.

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17 years 2 months

In reply to by daverock

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....now there's a band I haven't heard of for a long, long time. Thanks for that. Checking out Allied Forces now.
Got the house to myself for the first time in a long time. I heard my amp goes to 11.
Music is the best. Currently partial to some 79-84 new wave/hair metal/punk, so Triumph fits the bill. Remember Fastway?
Let's get heated. The Early '80's is in my wheelhouse. I'll take stuff I'm knowledgeable about for $500 Alex.
Edit. I miss record stores.

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17 years 2 months

In reply to by Oroborous

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....don't mind if I do!
Anyone here remember Saxon? They used to toss their guitars to each other onstage. And Biff Byford has a voice for the ages.
Oh. And so did Jerry.
Apologies to J3FF btw. I didn't scroll back far enough. My bad.

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In reply to by nappyrags

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I saw Fela Kuti twice, once at the Berkeley Community Theater in '86, once at the Warfield in 90. Not rock, but very exciting polyrythmic music with nice melodies on guitar. He was quite a character, a real showman in an eccentric way. While the music was happening around him, he would stalk the stage, singing and talking about social issues. I taped both shows, and my friend has been bugging me to digitize them so he can hear them.

I listened to the third CD last night again, and it's a winner! Nice smooth transitions between songs, great guitar work, especially in eyes and the very sweet, if a little short, encore of Uncle John's. I started playing it at 10;30 pm, and my housemate, who was about to go to bed, stayed up for the entire set, entranced.

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Allied forces is your classic american 70s/80s keg party music. Rock on V. Fastway-say what you will- has a video with hot chicks on an assembly line of beauty. Oh to be in my twenties again.

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17 years 2 months

In reply to by carlo13

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....I think Whitesnake has a patent on that. Rock on indeed.
Triumph has some damn good riffs.
Can I change my username to Flying V?
BRB.

....that no one had mentioned the gatefold on the Baltimore release.
Awesome pic. 👌
I'm going into the third disc. Will comment live.
"But he cannot be bought or sold."
"Inspiration. Move me brightly."

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17 years 2 months

In reply to by Vguy72

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...."two, four, six. Don't worry about me no."

....GDTRFB with a palate cleanser.
Someone earlier said UJB was cut short. I agree.
Awesome Not Fade. Four 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟's out of four or so.

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From not having listened to May '77 in quite a while, I was yet again blown away at how clean the music is. It's like they are saying 'Hey doubters! We too can play like this. When we want'. Jerry in particular. Just firing away with precision first set. And check out how solid those lines are in Terrapin. That bold lead allows the rest of the band to just naturally fall off to decorate the wake behind what he's pulling forward front and center. Those perfectly placed and timed sustains. Love 'em. And the last minute or so of GDTRFB is quite the surprise!

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The sopranos had a quote about Maryland. Tony Sopranos father-in-law said "In the army, russ had a case of the crabs so bad that they called him the governor of maryland.".

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In reply to by proudfoot

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....takes off sometimes 🚀.
Edit. Just finished watching Disney's Encanto at my son's behest.
7.7/10. Good songs 🎵.

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In reply to by Vguy72

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Just me and my headphones....A CM Board...Second Set Only...whew....

Grateful Dead
War Memorial Auditorium
Buffalo, NY
September 26, 1981

--Set 2--
Playing in the Band ->
Bertha ->
Estimated Prophet ->
Goin' Down the Road (Feeling Bad) ->
Drums ->
Space ->
Not Fade Away ->
Morning Dew ->
Playing in the Band ->
One More Saturday Night
--Encore--
Johnny B. Goode

Beauty eh!
Was fortunate to be at that one.
It shows up a lot via Dave and Sirius etc, and ranks high in surveys…

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4 years 1 month

In reply to by Oroborous

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Ja, gerne

I had it on cassette for a long time

A little speedy and almost no Phil

Soundboard out there?

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11 years 10 months

In reply to by proudfoot

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I checked my copy, meh. Checked archive,,, the copy with 22,335 downloads had the best sound,,,, maybe not for the whole show. Miller seem to have a good sound second set.

later

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8 years 11 months

In reply to by Dennis

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Nice work Dennis.

The sign says long-haired hippie people need not apply.
But short-haired upstanding citizens? Welcome aboard.

I’m pulling a Vguy and have sports on (Olympics) with sound muted, and GOGD playing.
Just finished 1-3-70%, now on 6-15-76.

Got 5-26-77 processed and on my music player. Played it today and it sounded spectacular. Lots of Phil coming out of the subwoofer. Precision jamming. Yes, the NFA is mighty fine, as commented on by others previously.

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17 years 2 months

In reply to by icecrmcnkd

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....aww shucks and thingies.
I bought an acoustic Yamaha today btw. An entry level one. Also had an electric Ibanez Roadstar II handed down to me by my late father in law restrung. Found his old Peavey amp in the spare room closet to boot. Time to stop thinking about it and actually do it.
Winter Olympics are fun and treasures can be found in random closets.
I used to carve on a snowboard....but not like these pros. It's cool when they land a 720 to the beat of whatever im currently playing on my stare-ee-o. Which happens to be a phish Tweezer.
Step into the freezer.
Edit. 1620 degree jumps. Poetry in motion.

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I had a chance to listen to the whole release in one day yesterday. When the filler came up I was into it. I kind of liked the way the NFA chant faded in giving a nod to the jam highlight of the release - NFA! I like filler. Liked it on my tapes and like it on my discs. Otherwise you can get to ripping and burning to scratch yer itch. And on the subject of NFA - wow - this could be an all time NFA>GDTRFB! Dig Phil channeling Caution upon the return to NFA at about the 15 minute mark! So on the subject of filler I like to quote Uncle Bobo himself: "mua, mua, mua"!!!

My guesses would be:

April '78
April '69
Oct. '89
Summer '85

But, you know what they say: Good things come to those who....Pester, Pester, Pester! :-)

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13 years 7 months

In reply to by wilfredtjones

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Dear Dave L: A September 1979 3 show run in N.Y.C. @ MSG would be a great mini-boxset. These were Brent's first N.Y.C. shows and at MSG to boot. They were very solid shows: The GD Came, Saw, Conquered!!! As another poster noted Steve Parish' Harley was parked on stage and someone gunned the engine multiple times during the show and it was noticed by the audience and would be audible. Cool. Period.

Pester, pester, pester because this squeaky wheel will get that oil!

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