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    marye
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    Bolo24 says: An Idea, Perhaps? Since we're all going to have a fair amount of spare time on our hands for the foreseeable future, what about starting another thread where we all listen to the same show/release on a given day and then share impressions afterward? Folks can submit suggestions and one person (not me) picks what we'll all listen to - call it Deadnet Picks or something. Anyway, if this idea is deemed to have merit, I'd suggest one of the loyal regular posters take the lead and do the picking - y'all can decide who. Might be fun. If it does go forward, I nominate Dick's Picks 18 for the first listen. Been talked about here lately, and, had it been a single show rather than a compilation, we'd probably be talking about it in the same conversation as Cornell, Veneta, etc. Or perhaps even Gainesville?? Stay safe and healthy, friends - this planet needs as many Deadheads as possible.

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  • rockthing
    Joined:
    5/19/74 (Part II)

    Wrote these notes on Monday morning while drinking my coffee and getting ready to do some work from home. After a while I was mostly distracted by the show.

    I'll get to that Feb. 22 '69 show if I can, but I don't have that one handy. Hafta stream it.

    The ETree identifier of this source is 115876, btw. I don't have the box set, so these are my first impressions.

    It Must Have Been The Roses: Ok. /Now/ I'm awake. Possible tape change? There is suddenly a big improvement in sound quality for this hauntingly sensitive rendition. Jerry's voice is now clear above the guitars. Everything, save Phil, is suddenly much clearer and the sound field feels wider. Up to this point the tape had sounded like the tape the biker is listening to at the beginning of the Dead Movie. Nice harmony work during the refrain, blended well in the house mix.

    Loose Lucy: Gettin' in the funk. Jerry's just perfectly behind the beat to make it nice and nasty. If the syncopation isn't just right, this tune can completely lose all form really quickly. Loose Lucy must be a pretty new song at this point. I have no idea when this tune debuted. They didn't do this in concert much, as far as I know. I was lucky enough to see'em do it once, but the performance I saw was almost unrecognizable. Something was wrong with the timing, so it sounded all backwards. I was embarrassed to not even recognize it until Jerry started singing. This is a nice treat.

    I Know You Rider? Something seems to be wrong here. The info text says Money Money should be next followed by China/Rider, but we're just dropped into IKYR. Looks like some minor surgery might be needed on the meta data.

    Money Money: Ok. Someone's just mislabelled these files. Man, this has always been one of my least favourite songs in the Dead's catalogue. I rarely skip songs on albums, but being the album closer on Mars Hotel makes it easy. I don't think I've ever heard a live version of it, so this is kind of a treat, in its own sort of way. Having not heard it in such a long time, I guess it's not such a bad song. The negativity of the lyric just sems to strike such a contrast to most of the other stuff in the repertoire. John Lennon, for example, has a lot of negativity in his lyrics, but when I listen to him, I expect that.

    China Rider: Yeah. They're keepin' that funky groove going that was working so well during Loose Lucy. The transition jam seems to go almost immediately to an I Know You Rider feel. The guitar tone is very unusual here. It almost sounds like Bobby's Gibson 335 tone. He's playing lots of double-stops, where he plays two notes at a time even while soloing… wait… maybe that /was/ Bobby!? Some very cool interplay between Bobby and Phil before a guitar sound that is unmistakably Jerry joins in just ahead of the trademark unison bit before I Know You Rider. What is now clearly Jerry's tone keeps it going after the unison part, and now there's a Feelin' Groovy jam. I can almost see the smiling faces and twirling homemade sun dresses with flowers in the hair right now. Big, big ovation from the crowd as they settle into the Rider vamp before going into the first verse. They know what they've just heard. That was sweet, breezy, and smooth as can be. I'm guessing Jerry had some sort of equipment or other issue causing him to stop playing for a bit at the beginning of the transition. Oh, yeah, Jer, dig into that "On a north bound train" line. This and the out-of-place IKYR are going to get merged into one track when I get a chance.

    Set II:
    Promised Land: Yeah. Everybody's definitely up off their blankets now.

    Bertha: Got a little "Yee Haw" from someone nearby for "All night pouring, but not a drop on me." It's quite amazing how inobtrusive the audience is, considering this was recorded with a handheld mic by someone just hanging out in crowd.

    Greatest Story: Nice wah wah Jerry licks. Jerry's wah is so bubbly and has a rich swell, like the sound of a wave on the ocean. Using the rocking motion of the foot pedal definitely puts the player physically off balance, so I can understand why he seemed to abandon it later in favor of the Mutron "auto-wah" tone filter. Sounds so good here, though. Jerry's volume sounds cranked, though, totally drowning everything out. I ain't complaining. Oh, yeah. A little jam in GSET? They seem to have gone into something altogether different. I'm not sure if this is a set piece, but it feels unfamiliar to me. I know that I've heard occasional jams in Greatest Story, but they seem rare. This is definitely no longer the Greatest Story chord progression, but I don't know what it is, and then Wamp, Wamp-Wamp, right back into it. Now I'm gonna hafta start checking out Spring 1974 Greatest Stories. That was hot and adventurous, like maybe something went wrong and they fought through it… but maybe there was just a jam in this song back then.

    Ship of Fools: Giving the manic dancers their first break of the second set. The taper is stopping the tape between songs, though, so who knows how long they spent tuning in between. Very nice harmony work from Bobby and Donna.

    Weather Report: Seems a bit tentative in the earlier segments, but the Let It Grow jam is developing interestingly. The whole band just seems sort of in a gentle mood this night. Everything is soft and malleable, and most of all, creative, when they go off into improvised sections. The straight tunes are tight and, well, straightforward, but I'm hearing all sorts of novel ideas coming through during the instrumental segments. There seems to be a completely different confidence at work during this jazzy work out. You can hear Billy getting back to his swing roots and playing off Keith. This is fantastic. Such subtle interplay. Normally when I hear the full suite performed I wonder why they didn't continue to use the first parts, but in this case I didn't feel that way.

    Peggy-O: Jerry's picking is quite aggressive, and his tone is very chimey, even behind his vocal. Relaxed tempo, even by Peggy-O standards. In this recording it sounds almost like Billy and Jerry doing a duet, but Keith adds some accents here and there.

    ??: What is this? A playful little jam and some quiet noodling where the audience's shouts and requests become more prominent. Bobby announces technical difficulties.

    Truckin': Nice buildup, but not the major bomb drop I'm used to, and from there things start to get really weird. It's not spacy weird, just, "Whoa, what the heck is this?" weird. Some of the early 70s Truckin's could get totally abstract, so this is just the way they rolled back then. Great stuff. Gettin' that funky groove goin' from the first set again, even as the changes take on some jazzy influences. Bobby is very clear in the mix, and my oh, my it's gettin' Weir'ed. Jerry busts in with a burst of guitar feedback which seems to shock everyone for a moment, but they're still groovin'. This is the gold I look for in any show. It's funny because Mind Left Body actually sounds a lot like Loose Lucy. Billy and Phil getting' into a little funky-drummer exchange. Finally Phil breaks through in the mix with some space for him to hit that Bootsy one. In the info text "Jam" and "Mind Left Body Jam" had been listed separately, but they're actually all included in the Truckin' track, which is my preference. Cousinit made a real mess of this file set, but I can fix it. Rarely are there such glaring mistakes on the Archive, but this one has definitely been put together somewhat carelessly.

    NFA: This interesting because I've been listening to a lot of Alligator era NFA's or Bean era NFA's, and that gives a nice context to compare to this Wolf tone… of course, there is a LOT of recording tech affecting the sound here, but even though there's a nice honk, everything seems so nice and round and gently muted. Hey. What's this breakdown in NFA. Pretty sure I've never heard that before… and GTRFB. THAT, was an interesting transition.

    GTRFB: Nothing to worry about here. The old standby. Billy's hi-hat figure during the breakdown is, again, getting really funky with a swinging 16th note feel, or something. Very cool.

    US Blues: Mars Hotel weighted setlist. What month did that come out? Good, tight version.

    Johnny B. Goode: Full colosseum clap along for a high energy reading that does justice to the Check Berry original. Sometimes this can get a bit too languid. This one is rockin' hard.

    On repeated listen, I've messed with the EQ some. First of all I bumped up the EQ preamp level, I dunno, about 10db, I guess. I then added a further 12db of 64Hz, and 125Hz on the 10 band EQ to bring Phil nicely into the mix, but also lowered almost everything else about 6db on frequencies that had been flat to make the bass frequency differential greater. The bass still isn't terribly defined, but it at least brings Phil into play. He was completely inaudible without EQ. Got just a touch more vocal by giving the 1KHz and 2KHz about 1db. The tape has a sort of nostalgic cheap car speaker sound, so I actually wanna preserve a bit of that… not that I could really get rid of it. There's quite a nice venue ambiance, especially when there is more space in the arrangements, like during the Mind Left Body Jam.

    The vocal drop-outs others have mentioned were not audible to the audience.

  • daverock
    Joined:
    2/22/69

    That is a great show. According to the cd notes it was recorded, along with shows in late January and the Feb-March shows, for possible inclusion on Live Dead. It probably won't happen - the song lists are obviously very similar, but it would make a great box set to release all the shows recorded.
    The shows from 1967-1971 inclusive are the main ones for me in 30 Trips.

  • Forensicdoceleven
    Joined:
    You can't blame gravity for falling in love…..

    Mornin’, rockers!!!

    Pick Of The Day: Dream Bowl February 22, 1969

    Relatively speaking, the yang to the yin of February 21, 1969. True art is characterized by an irresistible urge in the creative artist…..

    I have the space, you have the time, let’s revisit. Officially released in October 2015 as part of Thirty Trips Around The Sun, one almost never hears about this show, possibly because it gets overshadowed by the blazing white hot glare of the Fillmore West Shows of February 27th to March 2nd. This is very much “of a kind” with those shows, featuring the typically sweet Mountains Of The Moon (always loved that song!), a long exploratory Dark Star, a fierce, crunchy Other One, a deathly Death Don’t, a fine Eleven, and a greasy Lovelight that clocks in at a mere 21+ minutes.

    Great music, great sound quality, I suggest you find the time…..

    The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once…..

    Rock on,

    Doc
    There comes a time when the mind takes a higher plane of knowledge but can never prove how it got there…..

  • daverock
    Joined:
    Heads in Mississippi

    That's good to read - they opened with Mississippi Half Step - Franklins Tower the first time I saw them 3/24/81. A great start to the show for sure.

  • PT Barnum
    Joined:
    5-19-74

    In my experience, any show that starts off with Mississippi half-step uptown toodleloo is usually a great one and 5-19-74 is no exception. That pacific northwest box grows on ya, for sure.

  • daverock
    Joined:
    5/19/74

    I haven't played it this year yet, but it has become one of my most played shows from this year - mainly because I bought it on vinyl. But it is really good, too. To me, it's better than its song list suggests - the songs leading up to the Truckin' jam are well played and forward moving, and that final jam is superb. It has been castigated in some quarters for the vocal drop outs. A price worth paying, in my opinion. All three 1974 shows in the box it was culled from are top notch.

  • DeadVikes
    Joined:
    Dave's 13 and 42

    Hey Bluecrow, #13 is definitely in my top five. Love this show. Listen to it quite a bit. #42 hasn't resonated with me as much as #13, don't know why. How do you all feel?

    I will throw out Dave's Picks #7, 4/24/78, for our old buddy That's Otis. I believe you are fan of this era. Hope all is well out there for you and the rest of the crew!

  • rockthing
    Joined:
    5/19/74

    I've got a beta-max transfer of 2/24/74... which stayed in heavy rotation for a long time when it first hit my library, but low and behold Portland 74 has collecting proverbial dust in the old hard disk, too. Time for something brand new (to me).

    A Pat Lee master cassette passed down the generations.

    It's a little hissy, and I'm not getting much Phil at the start, but Jerry and Bob's gutiars are crystal clear. Jerry's voice coming in a close second in the mix with some occasional Keith flourishes wafting to the fore. Billy's cymbals sound crisp, if somewhat thin. Getting a nice Jamaican dub sound when he switches to the highhat. Kick is in there, clear, but with with a soft tone, and none of the hyper-compressed abrasive contemporary festival sound. Donna's harmonies are on, and blended well with Jerry and Bob for the Across the Rio Grande-oh finale of Halfstep. Jerry plays an aggressive outro solo.

    Mexicali: The mix and tape quality remain consistent. It's mostly a guitar oriented sound, but Bobby's voice is clear, if slightly too far back. Even in '74 they could do this one in their sleep. Have you ever heard a real train wreck during Mexicali? I can't recall one. A fan let's out a hoarse, "Whao!" apparently feeling the southwest polka vibes.

    Big Railroad Blues. Love me some BRB. There are short pauses in the tape where Pat Lee is clearly well aware of the need to conserve footage. Could do with A LOT more Phil in the mix. Might fiddle with the EQ in a bit.

    Black Throated Wind: Awkward song that I sometimes really like, and other times can do without.

    Scarlet: Crowd gives Donna a big cheer as the song reaches it's finale. Of course they egged Bobby on with some of his crazy antics, too, but it's nice to hear that early 70s audiences appreciated her contributions.

    Beat It On Down The Line: Always love this one. Nice double vocal from Bobby and Donna. Some unfortunate microphone feedback during Jerry's solo. Phil's backing vocals are there. The bass frequencies either never made it onto the cassette, or have evaporated through the generations of open reels and cassettes.

    Tennessee Jed: Nice bounce to this laid-back rendition. Another one of my favorite tunes, as I've mentioned before. Another nice, appreciative response from the audience who are almost completely unnoticeable for the majority of the time.

    Bobby McGee. I picture the audience mostly having a lie-down on the lawn during this first set. Just a nice day in the park with some live music in the background.

    Ok, well, that's as far as I'll get in this sitting, but really looking forward to that big Truckin' jam at the end of the show. Now spoilers! 😉 Just kidding.

  • rockthing
    Joined:
    Woodstock

    >DAVEROCK>

    "It's about 37 minutes long, but it seems more like an hour when you watch it."

    HAHAHA

    I'll be on the lookout for that CCR set. John Fogerty strikes me a somewhat difficult man. Brilliant songwriter and producer, though. Never get tired of Cosmo's Factory, in particular. Gotta get reacquainted with the first album. I recall it being more psychedelic.

    Got a trove of stuff to listen to after yesterday's catch up. Thanks!
    Not sure where I'll start, but probably with something that already has ID tags. lol.

  • daverock
    Joined:
    Woodstock

    There was a good cd of CCR's set that came out a couple of years ago. Apart from Hendrix, possibly my favourite set of the whole festival. "Lovelight" was included on a dvd as an extra, on one of the celebratory reissues of the festival. I don't think I'm being controversial when I say that it wasn't there finest hour. It's about 37 minutes long, but it seems more like an hour when you watch it.
    The Dark Star, I've just remembered, was included in the 6 cd 40th anniversary release of Woodstock, too. That's okay. But it's not a show I would suggest as a contender for an official release.

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Bolo24 says: An Idea, Perhaps? Since we're all going to have a fair amount of spare time on our hands for the foreseeable future, what about starting another thread where we all listen to the same show/release on a given day and then share impressions afterward? Folks can submit suggestions and one person (not me) picks what we'll all listen to - call it Deadnet Picks or something. Anyway, if this idea is deemed to have merit, I'd suggest one of the loyal regular posters take the lead and do the picking - y'all can decide who. Might be fun. If it does go forward, I nominate Dick's Picks 18 for the first listen. Been talked about here lately, and, had it been a single show rather than a compilation, we'd probably be talking about it in the same conversation as Cornell, Veneta, etc. Or perhaps even Gainesville?? Stay safe and healthy, friends - this planet needs as many Deadheads as possible.
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It seems like Bob's guitar drops out of the mix as the show goes on? Which is a fairly big problem. May be the case for next night also?

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I can't get to it today BC. I quote have to unquote stick to official releases. The universe is currently pointing me towards 12/28/79 and I have it lined up. If anyone has anything else official I should call up, or another direction I can point I have a lot of time with the FLAC player today. Thanks.

Stay Grateful all and :-) :-) :-) today. :-)

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Just background music, not a deep dive. Got distracted by chores.
12-28-79 A six night run in Oakland. How could one survive that much fun? Sugaree start is unusual.
9-20-74 Love the Mars Hotel era setlists.
Good picks! Cheers! Remembering family veterans this weekend.

I'm not a rafter but I got to do the Upper Salt in AZ when I worked for R.E.I.
Rode Maytag rapid like Slim Pickins rode The Bomb in Dr. Strangelove. Front of the raft waving the free hand like a bronc rider (still peaking about then) as the 15 foot wall of water with a curl coming back at us came up. Most of the class 3-4 was mellow that day as the river was high that spring. My only raft trip. Unforgettable.

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Sorry, another diversion, but had to chime in: Been a while since my canoeing daze. Did a memorable Ponca to Pruitt run on the upper Buffalo River in Arkansas in February (BEFORE the river was declared a Nat'l Scenic River and became a Six Flags affiliate). It was a dazzling winter day following a couple of days of snow – ice stalactites chomping down from frosted limestone bluffs. My girlfriend and I were the second canoe to let a then unnamed rapids flip us – remember changing to "dry" while standing naked in the snow. In 22 years since I've been in west Texas, I've never made the Rio Grand's Santa Elena Canyon run, and now the river's dry as a bone. The times they are a changin'.

er, Tim. You guys will be just down the street. Wish the situation was different I’d come meet up, but the situation is the boss. TIP: the weathers been a little seasonal so I highly advise warm and waterproof gear! That amphitheater is a relatively unknown jewel, in some ways I like it better than the Rocks! Should be awesome time!
So glad yer still around and doing well! Don’t be a stranger!

5/26/72: did the first half at work, and that amazing second half while FACing. Proper!

WHITEWATER: unfortunately only three times. The Cheat in WV at peak, The Numbers and Browns Canyon on the Arkansas during extremely big water, and the Arkansas through Royal Gorge early season, but we ended up swimming after playing a gig and up partying all night.

5/25/95: rolling as we speak.

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so good it left our Senator speechless

me? I'm "speechless" 'cause a musical eagle landed in my mailbox on Saturday and only discovered it just now!! holy guacamole!!

hope everyone had a solid good fun weekend all things considered.

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A bit behind. I had my TB IPod out over the weekend and tried to hit 9/20/74, but did not have my reading glasses and selected the show in poor lighting. So I made it through To Lay Me Down before I noticed I was listening to 9/18 Dijon.

I'm gonna try this again today (after I finish TLMD, I just love that tune)

Onward..

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Looking at 7/2/87 from Rochester today. There is a Miller transfer from 2021 out there.
OB might be interested in this one.

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Interested to know thoughts on this show. Jim being particularly predisposed to 1974 (aren't we all somewhat) I'll watch out for his comments more keenly. Alas, another 'officially released' day for me, so maybe I'll hit VFTV IV and something else jammy I think. Yesterday for me it was 11/10/67 and 10/12/84 twofer. The primal stuff really packs a wallop. Best wishes all for a Grateful Day! Jeff :-)

P.S. Traffic lights (to pole or not to pole) and Motorcycles?

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Speechless, not this frog mouth, more like a day late and a dollar short!
5/25/95 was enjoyable though. Not sure I have the same enthusiasm BC, sure ya had to be there, but if I had been, I would of been pleasantly surprised by the playing etc. Just goes to show there’s good GD to be found elsewhere.
Ok Stranger and Bertha. Not sure how I feel about Schoolgirl? Nice novelty, and they did ok with the different arrangement, but not sure if I like the arrangement, er, not sure how I feel about messing with ghosts of sweetness past? Made me fell kinda dirty lol, like we was cheating on Pig? Decent Cassidy to close.
Second set, Though it was good for the times and definitely not bad, I wasn’t able to quite get as much as you out of it, BUT, that Drumzpace was a real doozy! Overall solid show and I’m glad we checked out something completely different!

9/20/74: another of thus not as bad or as good as you may have heard shows. Overall I found it to be mostly status quo 74. Definitely noticed some occasions were someone was, a, ahem, getting a little ahead of the rest of the band, some rhythmic fluctuations etc, but nothing was as bad as one might be led to believe by some of the reviews or even comments from inside the organization over the years.
I don’t recall many stand out big highlights either, except some nice weirdness and jam outta Truckin’ Oh, and that Scarlet caught my attention too, sweet stand alone version! Another I’d not heard that I’m glad we did!

7/2/87: ok DV, rolling. New pull sounds good! FYI, there’s also full show on the tube of you.
Don’t recall much: really really crowded, hell that whole tour seemed overcrowded, except for Canadaland (killer S/F).
It was first time at an old ball park in the middle of a neighborhood (old school), so quite the scene. For the most part the locals were into it selling beers and partying on their front porches.
It was one of those extremely muggy mostly cloudy Great Lake summer daze.
You could feel the lectricity in the air, er, maybe that was sumpthin we snorted ; )
Think we were left side of SB? So sorta left if that video? Big blur…
Outta the 14 shows I saw on the spring and summer tours, this one might be the best?
The energy was big at this show (listen during Bertha!) huge, cranked crowd with beer trucks on the base lines for good or for ill? Alpine, here, and worst of all Foxboro, things were just getting too big and crazy, so didn’t hit any of the fall shows. Didn’t dig the venues they picked and thought that would just compound the crazy madness that happened that year when they hit the big time lol.
Do remember the Step Back and “Who do you thinks playing bass” banter.
This one really gets mixed up for me with the next year? Cept the Green Onions of course!
Think I’ll have to check out some of these on blewtube this summer, thirty five years ago…where does the time go?

Still haven’t had time for RT 1.3, and those shows WTJ mentioned are temping too!
Might be able to sneak 11/10/67 in later?

'87 was my most "abundant" year for shows, lots of sweet memories, and 7/2 was really fun to listen to and right in that sweet memory space. Great Pick DV. Second stop after Alpine and kick off for the East Coast leg. 12 song first set - that's a lot and they're having fun. A Dire Wolf!! Esau, Push, Tons of Steel are all songs firmly associated with that year in my brain and all just fine with me. The Brown Eyed Women is really late in the set to my mind (I love that song), and a Cassidy > Deal to finish!! Very nice '87 China > Rider to open Set II. He's Gone is always special. Going Down the Road is an unusual treat \ coming out of space and wow its into Watchtower (3rd ever). I well remember the electricity of the opening riff at Alpine - Holy Mother of Goodness. And then Stella Blue. A beautiful version. For a long time I've been really dug Stella from that era (another great version is Park City 8/20 later that summer). And Black Muddy River for the encore, another song that I really like and that is firmly in that '87 place. For me it was '88 where the scene felt way too crowded at Alpine (and at Buckeye). My only complaint about the tape here is that there were some dudes who would not STFU in the right channel of the audience feed for the matrix. In real life I would have lost those guys quick.

Not that we need to follow a '87 with an '87 but I just noticed that there is a new (to me at least) Ultramatrix of 7/6/87 Pittsburgh, show where the Nevilles dropped in. Last I checked there were only audience tapes in circulation. I definitely need to check this out. That was a fun freaking show (Caution - Driver Listening to Hot Shakedown).

Oro - nice that you lent your ear to 5/25/95. Of course on some level you had to be there and I was on a John Deere time machine with the headphones traveling back to that. The Jerry I saw and heard during those shows was nothing like the one I saw less than 2 months later at Soldiers Field. he was happy, very present. And yep, that Drum > Space was a freaking doozy. And into the final Wheel (a very special place in my heart and life for The Wheel). I would love a SBD upgrade for 5/25. Just listen to the suggested the "extra credit" which was the SBD from first half SET II first night 5/24 which was first broadcast on the Grateful Dead Hour but is available on relisten. Zero in on Want To Tell > Estimated. Very fine and beautiful sounding.

And that Avs - Oilers game sounds like it was a shootout at the OK Corral. Wowza.

Enjoy the day folks.

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Forgot how good this show was.
Hit that 11/10/67 too. Proof that there is good primal dead in the vault!
So hopefully someday we’ll get a primal box?

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Glad you guys enjoyed this one. A walk down memory lane for OB, or maybe a partial walk. Yes, the talking during the show was a tad bit annoying Bluecrow, but agree the music was great. What a first set.
The scene definitely changed when Jerry came back post coma, but we still had a blast, it was just way more people. Would love to say more about the my time at Alpine 86-89, but I will save that for when the big box comes out. Shoot, most of you all on this tread were there as well most of those years. So, I am up for more 87 Bluecrow.

And when do you all think we will hear about the 2022 CD box set?
I am thinking late July.

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Did seem to flatten out a little after the initial hoopla etc.
I mean it was already growing steadily, but 87 it was really noticeable.
After, when the initial trend slowed and they had to clamp down on merch and camping to attempt to keep the locals who weren’t there for the music away, it did seem to subside a bit. Plus, If you knew where to go some places weren’t as bad, by the standards of the times anyway.
Hell watched the same thing happen with D&C.
First year of Boulder, Folsom field (+50K) was half full. By 2019 it was damn near full, and I think 2020 would have been packed if not cancelled. Much of the same vibe too: folks who were interested, but not necessarily in the know and still many there just for the party.
People like to dump on the Touchers, and some where clueless, but to me it seemed more just the huge number of people that showed up without tix, or locals just there to party that fucked it up. Unfortunately, that aspect of the scene seemed to get worse…it just got too big for us to self regulate, and the poor band of course didn’t want anything to do with telling folks what do, about anything lol, but they tried, fairly and tactfully in true GD fashion.
Yeah, massive stadiums and ball parks etc, quite a difference from the old beat up 8-10K seat War Memorials up and down I-90 we started going to in the 70s, hell some places wouldn’t sell out, or not until showtime.
My first show was at a small theatre (3K), my last, Soldier field, what 60-70k?

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Test

reCRAPTCHA is preventing me from posting a typed message. I copied it, logged out, logged in, pasted, but still got denied.

conekid - I had that happen once with a lengthy post. Best I could figure was use of the word "yah**s" which was close to something you might find in a certain lynq. Took that out no luck and no matter how I reconfigured and rewrote the post it would not let me pass. I too gave up. Somewhat maddening. Though the problem being solved is real, whatever detection system they're using seemed like a blunt instrument.

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sounds like its a go then DV with 7/6 and Nevilles and a "newly" circulating Miller transferred ultramatrix? for years I figured a sbd of this show would never see the light of day. surprise surprise surprise.

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In reply to by bluecrow

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I finally finished 9/20/74 and for extra credit fit in 9/21/74 for context. I like 9/20, it's very Jerry and Keith centric, the solo's are bright and inventive and there's some high moments. In Let it Grow, for example, Jerry and Keith are both going at it during the climax, both firing on all cylinders and having an active conversation bordering on argumentative dialogue. You can hear Bobby play at points, certainly in the beginning of WRS, but I agree.. he is almost lost in the mix which is unfortunate. There is also some interference on their turn on a dime well oiled machine.. some are turning on a dime, others on a penny and others yet on a quarter. I think in Skully's book he mentions there were opiates involved at this stage of the tour, but I certainly wasn't there and I doubt if anyone else is talking about that. That's my take.. another good show but there was some interference, haze and a lost bobby that make their mark. Both the 20th and 21's were most enjoyable to me. The start of Morning Dew on the 21's is so subdued.. it's like, oh.. did we start, yea.. well, let's not fire into this too quickly, we don't want to wake up the baby.

As for reCrapatcha.. I think they have some sort of history tracking in your posts, something that once a no/no character is placed in a post, they will never let you send it no matter how well you clean it up.

Frustrating, there's some bad code in there that they don't feel any need to clean up.

I'm out and about today so unless a show is already loaded in Podzilla (which 7/2 and 7/6/87 were not) I am not sure I will be able to partake. Perhaps I can catch the highlights tonight.

Onward..

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In reply to by JimInMD

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Iron City Phillies start looking good. Sounding great so far Bluecrow. Nice call on this.

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Has become one of my favorite shows. Such a great energy from start to finish. One of the best Shakedowns IMHO

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In reply to by adedhed68

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Good show!
Wasn’t sure I was in the mood for Neville’s/guests, but yeah, great energy, good for the work at hand aka banging my head against the wall today!

Shakedown goat, easy now!

Curious if anyone has heard the Roanoke shows? Can’t recall why I didn’t go, but BOO469, and Burnout etc went and said the scene and the shows were awesome? Never checked them out as I was afraid they’d be real good and I’d be bummed I didn’t go lol.

Hitting 4/5/82 for extra credit, hey, my head ps not gonna bang itself!

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In reply to by Oroborous

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On the road around midnight after escaping Pittsburgh, stopped in a rest area and was chatting with some heads who asked me if I was headed to Roanoke. Nope. Major mistake. Word later was both shows were excellent. When I first landed in this hot stinking desert got to know a sweet gal from Virginia who saw both. She was downsizing her collection and gave me some tapes from Roanoke and 88 Spaceship Hampton among others. Been ages since I've listened to Roanoke but I was pondering those yesterday at the same time I saw the upgrade for Pittsburgh.

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In reply to by bluecrow

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glad folks enjoyed this. the ultramatrix is pretty darn good, a very welcome upgrade, and this was one fun show. Desolation Row is a definite first set highlight for me. Over 50 shows I rarely drew the Shakedown card, only 5 times (first at UIC 4/10 that year). All the others were show openers - this is the only one that is burned in my brain. Phil's base line at times is crazy (listening on the Sennheisers this time around I was like wowza Phil) and the whole thing had this ever building electric tension that Jerry's scat singing brought to this sweet let er rip peak. Whew. Jerry is tearing it up on Samson. Having the Nevilles show up was like a dream, even more so as they dropped into the Banana Boat from Iko. Great Drums > Space into a Knocking on Heaven's Door that was sublime and beautiful. Still remember the lights as band and guests drifted back onto the stage - blues and greens. Seemed like Dylan himself might be out there before they started singing. This is the first Knocking by the Dead without Dylan and maybe the only time it wasn't an encore. Again, whew. A special night.

I've mentioned this story before during an earlier POTD listen - I left Chicago at something like 5 am to drive to this show. Got a speeding ticket coming into Ohio from Indiana when the speed limit dropped from 60 to 55 I think ( not on the Interstate and i was going like 62) and if the Statie had known I was heading to a show I'm sure my car would have been disassembled. A long day's drive. Found the stadium by following cars with heads in them. As I wandered the lot prior to showtime I saw this bumper sticker -

Caution - Driver Listening To Hot Shakedown.

Ironically it was after that speeding ticket that I decided it was best to remove all Dead bumper stickers from my ride as they occasionally attracted unwanted attention.

I definitely want to check out Roanoke at some point - the second set list from night 2 really got my attention BITD. Simply loaded. I mean - Space > Crazy Fingers > Trucking > Comes A Time ??!! Are you kidding me?? As before not saying it has to be now . . . .

Happy Friday everyone. Onward!!

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In reply to by bluecrow

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Yasss, did enjoy that Shakedown, and the Banana Boat song was a fun highlight for me, fit nicely into the flow.
Did not know that about Knockin, just figured it was because of the Neville’s as they seemed to always do that one when the Neville’s were visiting.
Have noticed Phil playing extra melodic during these 87 shows we’ve hit. Sounds like we need to hit Roanoke, perhaps next week we do a twofer?
Since no pick today, and it’s Friday, and almost summer depending on where you hale from, how bout a summer show from 6/25/92? Cool guests and summer tour fun, perfect to get the WE going and thoughts of summer!
Been meaning to hit this one for some time but waiting for right vibe.

OHIO STATE PATROL: gulp, yeah, too many close calls over the years. Unfortunately many of the touring years was when the limit was 55 (god how lame that was) and those bastards would pull you over for like one over the limit, and yeah, they loved the “full cavity search”. Funny, once you were in Indiana you good fly, but not Ohio. Things are a little different now, but I still don’t like cruising Ohio, no offense to our fine Ohio bros and sisters.
Funny, did the same thing with my stickers after a narrowly averted tragedy in Maryland. It was after JGB 89 at Merriweather. Long story short, total BS profiling as we weren’t doing anything illegal!
Luckily, the douggie houser punk ass prick who pulled us over didn’t know who he was dealing with. In my prime channeling Neal years road warrior, and luckily, a reasonable veteran cop came along and eventually shut down juinor.

After that, I only had one of those earth stickers with no writing etc, so you really had to be in the know.
My car after that I only had a Cats Under the Stars sticker, again no writing and not too obvious.
Nowadays, no identifiable markings as cops are out of control (probable cause, WTF is that?), and besides, I drive too damn fast. Hey, it’s one of the good things about living out west!
Love the folks who blatantly drive around with 420 this and weed leafs that etc, wonder how often they get jerked around?
Imagine if the cops actually went after REAL bad guys instead of most of the non critical chicken shit BS that they waste most of their time focusing on? Ahem but I digress.
K, happy Friday amigos!
ONWARD!

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In reply to by Oroborous

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sure thing on 6/25. '92 was a gap year - my only tickets were for the big deal anniversary in Veneta which got canceled just prior. very much a disappointment though no doubt Jerry really needed the recupe time.

Went back to DeadBase to be sure my memory was good. First Knocking was encore with Dylan on 7/4. Then 7/6 out of Space. After that Heaven's Door was always an encore, except for 7/24 with Dylan when it was last song of Set II. Last time played 7/23/94.

A good friend totally rebuilt a 21 window bus back around '90. Found it abandoned in the woods of NC with a tree growing through the roof (I think). His work was impeccable. A thing of beauty inside and out. It was all lit up so to speak - no doubt it was a Dead Head vehicle. Drove it cross country to Eugene in '93. Never got stopped once, on that drive or any other time. I marveled at that. It was like it had a cloaking device when it came to John Law.

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In reply to by bluecrow

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I haven't gotten to this show yet, but I was there. I have a little catchup to do..

I listened to the Oade bros audience way back but more or less pushed it out of memory because the audience tapes were a little too punchy and noisy. (I know, I know.. booo hooo soundboard snob, sorry for that)

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Back in the 80's I used to have one dead sticker on my car, a stained glass looking sticker that just said Grateful Dead, from this one sticker I learned to never put Grateful Dead stickers on your car, you are asking to be pulled over, searched and taunted by the cowards who call themselves cops. I don't know any cops, but I did meet a few and they were all assholes.

That was one of the ones I had on when they went fishing on us: long and skinny, believe it had rose vines intertwined with letters? It’s not like I had the full billboard going on either, just a few. Dancin bears on the back probably what did it.

6/25/92: decent show, but was a little disappointed. Everything was good, just felt a tad reserved, especially considering at a big stadium with special guests. Thought I heard it was, which leads to expectations, which leads to disappointment lol.
Also, Had to switch to an aud GASP! (just kidding) because the headphone mix they were using for SB wasn’t balanced enough and way too dry. This show felt much like the ones we saw that tour, though I think pits boig on the 22hd was good. Another decent but not mind blowing show.

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In reply to by Oroborous

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I don't typically keep track of this sort of thing but there seems to be veritable shit ton of newly uploaded (relatively speaking) Miller mastered and transfered SBDs. many many Pearson / Healy Ultramatrixes, and I noticed at least one in '94.

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With 2/27/77 Robertson Gym last reel coming back, does this make this the only 77 show with no Soundboards in circulation??.... Listening to set II right now... good set list.... Have a good weekend everyone. bob t

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Hey, rockers!!!

Pick of the day: Fillmore West June 5 1969

As far as official releases go, the Summer of 1969 is certainly underrepresented. One wonders why? Although there’s not a lot of classics---if any---from this period, and while the playing can sometimes be uneven, the shows are almost always at least interesting, many with unusual song sequences, big jams, nice versions of the “recent” Aoxomoxoa material, and early versions of Workingman’s material (although many hadn’t quite found their true footing yet, the kinks needed to be worked out lol).

It seems that this show never gets talked about, but it’s solid. Powerful Dew to open, Weir channels his inner cowboy early on, the band pays their respects to Mark Spoelstra with a long, soulful Friend Of Mine, greasy Hard To Handle, stand alone Charlie, nice CE/TOO/CE to close out a gooey, rockin’, psychedelic first set.

Our heroes kick off the second set with a solid China Cat transitioning nicely into Sitting On Top Of The World, leading into the classic Live/Dead big jam sequence. And big it is!

Miller’s remaster is very nice, perhaps some day this worthy concert will be Normanized and unleashed on the world!

The June 69 Fillmore West run was quirky is as quirky does, check it out!!

Doc
Oh, the summer night, Has a smile of light, And she sits on a sapphire throne……

There are definitely quite a few new upgrades and new SBDs showing up in the last couple of years and I hope they keep coming. The Pearson Healy combos are usually really good sounding shows. Do you think most of these are coming from Healy?
Hey Bob t, yes, the 6/4/77 show from the Forum, not sure if a SBD of that show will ever show up, but it would be a great surprise.
Okay, 6/5/69, I will try and get this one in soon.

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In reply to by DeadVikes

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Rolling!

EDIT: nice little show. Can’t add much to Docs synopsis. Thanks for another old school nugget!

Bob T with 6/4/77: Rollin’ for extra credit!

Anybody up for hitting Roanoke 87 tomorrow for a two fer Tuesday?

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In reply to by Oroborous

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Sure thing, though I may well need Wednesday to complete that.

Enjoyed 6/5/69. Thanks Doc! low-fi listen on the laptop speakers but still feel the power. someday with the Senns.

Oro - I agree that 6/25/92 band and guests not quite in sync / hitting on all cylinders. Schoolgirl seems like the principals are trying to figure out what the others are going to do and it never takes off. A little bit better on Watchtower and Lovelight. I really was digging the sound of Cotton's harp and given the special opportunity of a legend of his stature on stage the featured songs needed a whole bunch more of his harp playing IMHO. Miller didn't really seem to cut loose either, unfortunate also. Overall I think Jerry was sounding a bit fatigued. But I have no doubt that the Gloria encore would have blown my hair back. Enjoyed hearing So Many Roads though they stumbled into it out the Wheel. So Many Roads is such a beautiful tune. I only heard it live once - that last night at Soldier Field in '95 (16 rows out pretty much DFC) and it was so very powerful.

And as a side note re Schoolgirl - I have no idea what Bobby was thinking with that new arrangement he sang in Seattle in '95. I was puzzled then and puzzled on recent relistens, It simply doesn't work.

edit - and damn Eric Nesterenko died today. Legend. Played over 1000 games with the Blackhawks.

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In reply to by Oroborous

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Are you thinking 7/8/87 OB? I am in.

Thanks. Keep the train rolling. We need some action on this site.

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DV - I think both nights 7/7 and 7/8 for "two-fer extra credit" but only the second night available as a SBD, and interestingly its not listed as an Ultramatrix.

Good question as to who is source for all the new Ultramatrixes.

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In reply to by bluecrow

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I can fit these in today, it's raining which puts me indoors.

I've been in the mood for an oldie, pre-released show that I have not hit for a very long time. When the battle is fought and the victory is won for 87, any interest in livening up the middle of the week with 2/23 and 2/24/68 at Kings Beach Bowl, Lake Tahoe?

I'm in the middle of a big outdoor project and I don't always have my devices loaded with everything from the archive. I guess I should start using relisten on my phone.. but I purposely separate myself from my phone or it's quite possible (probable) I wouldn't get stuff done. People have a way of finding me when what I want most is to remain lost.

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In reply to by JimInMD

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Wow, just finished the seventh. My buddies weren’t kidding. Bet the laid back fun scene and not the big stadium/Dylan/press BS gave them a chance to relax, let loose and enjoy.
To me, you could sometimes tell right from the get go, and this one gave me that impression.
Great Aud that enhanced the vibe. Playing, set list, and vibe all wonderful.
Yep, can’t believe I didn’t go with those guys! Besides the great shows, I hear the pool party was worth it itself! Not sure why not, but in hindsight, I think I would have dug Pittsburgh and Roanoke better than Alpine?
Ce la vie!
Ok, onto 7/8 though I’m not sure I’ll get it all in today.

Dicks 68: not sure I’ll do those at work (streaming only : ( , but thier due so at some point this week I’ll fire that up!

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Hello good question brother from androtekno.my.id

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In reply to by Dri

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Good to see Dri back online.

Gave the 7/8 SBD a shot. I will have to check out an audience as I was not feeling the SBD. Will have to go back and check out the 7th. Both shows need some upgrades. Hopefully there are some out there, love the energy.

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In reply to by DeadVikes

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What Oro said. On from the get-go - Finiculi-Finicula into a ripping Mississippi Half Step. '87 Jerry (which I really dig) at his finest. And whole band is there with him.

Went with the Dave Cohen source on the headphones. Really nice sounding pull.

I was reading in the comments on the Archive that these shows were added on to the tour - no mail order.

How’s bouta 4/7/78 from that great Spring tour. Something with a 7 in front for some variety.
More on those wonderful Roanoke 87 shows later…(if you like 87 and haven’t heard them, YOU MUST)

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In reply to by Oroborous

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Yes, sounds good to me OB. I have never heard this one. Will get it going tomorrow.
Thanks.
Yes, 87 is hot.

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In reply to by DeadVikes

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I think y’all did 3/19/77 awhile back and I missed it?
So going to forge on with that.
Hopefully I’ll get time for the discussion part of these last few shows…
ONWARD!

Nice show, great recording. This is one Pretty Petty-O, I would surely Marry-O. Tight, powerful and fun. If I had a complaint, it would be that they did not seem to leave the solar system in the second set. The Terrapin>PITB>..., ...>PITB tango was fun but walls remained rigid and nothing melted, exploded, imploded and nobody was walking bow legged due to an alien abduction. First world problems, I realize. 78 has a lot of those, and post drums seemed to be shorter overall.

Still, excellent show, most enjoyable and a great pick.

I might relisten to the PITB and see if perhaps I missed something.. I was sanding and finishing some cabinets outside and that part of the show transpired just about the time the 14 year old ignored the no ball in the house rule. Predictably an errant lacrosse ball went through the front door window. If I hadn't done (almost) the exact same thing myself when I was his age, I'm guessing I would have been pretty pissed off.

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In reply to by JimInMD

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Hey enjoyed this show. Great recording. Longer first set for this time period. Yes Jim, Jerry hits it nicely in Peggy O. Great Minglewood, TMNS.
Enjoyed the second set, the finish with NFA, BP, Playing reprise. JBG.
Good pick OB.

Thinking of going back to the PNW box today with 6/24/73 Portland. Let me know.

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June 22 GD Bulletin just hit my inbox and at the end there is this:

"1969? 1992? 1987? In Pick of the Day, With Discussion, the spotlight seems to be turning to Roanoke, 7/8/87, so come on down and join in."

To which I would add, if you're just tuning in - Welcome!! And don't overlook the first night at Roanoke, 7/7/87, cause it smokes!!

Onward!!