• 8,086 replies
    marye
    Joined:
    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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  • Oroborous
    Joined:
    Otis

    31, bring it!
    Glad we got that Chocolate spot all warmed up for ya!

  • Thats_Otis
    Joined:
    @ Oroborous, DeadVikes, etc.

    Thanks, my man! I think it sounds pretty sweet - especially that Shrine 67 LP release, played LOUD!

    Your Hershey story is great! Really wish I would have been around during those times! I would have partied right down in the mud with you!

    Not the same, but my first Phish show was at Hershey in 96. We too found a spot directly in front of the soundboard, figuring that it had to sound good there. To this day, my friends and I refer to that area at shows as "The Chocolate Spot."

    DeadVikes, everything's a-ok on this end. Thanks for the thoughts!

    So, are we on for Dave's 31 today?

    Peace

  • DeadVikes
    Joined:
    Otis/Oroborous

    Good to see you back in the loop. Hope all is well. New system is always exciting.
    I am willing to give Dave's 31 another try. Haven't listened to it since last year.

    Took out Good old Dave's 25, the BINGHAMTON NY 77 show. Some of these shows keep getting better with each listen.
    Oroborous, you are a wild man. What a ride!

    Be well folks. I have heard rumblings in other pages about big announcements coming. Don't know about that but we do know Dave's 35 will be announced in July. Maybe they will give Oroborous an 85 pick?

  • Vguy72
    Joined:
    6.28.85 Hershey Park....

    ....another one of my first tapes. Bird Song-> Comes A Time -> Deal. A rare Garcia trifecta to end the first. Music Never Stopped-> Tom Thumbs to open the second. How do you guys keep bringing up my first loves? And why does this band keep following me?
    Here's kind of a story. I tripped balls listening to this tape in 1989. That's all I got.

  • wilfredtjones
    Joined:
    Hershey

    You know it's on Dave's radar as he has played some of it on 30 Days in past years. Good show and one of my first tapes. Keep the stories coming! :-)

  • Oroborous
    Joined:
    6/28/85

    So after basically staying up for 2 days at SPAC, we finally pack it up and hit the road the next day. I believe it was a rainy, gloomy day most of the day. But that didn’t stop our idiot patrol from basically racIng at high speed through the fine but conservative state of Pennsytuckey, where they were one of the last to let go of the 55 mph laws, and back then there usually wasn’t much tolerance. So 2 cars of totally raging nutknicks, with probably enough cargo to keep us detained for decades, thought it’d be a good idea to race at speeds up to 90!, Idiots!.....yes, one car had a radar detector, but in those days smart cops would wait for some nut traveling high speed and click it on when they had ya dead nuts.
    Luckily, all was well and it was one more “miracle” as we earnestly pursued our quest for “too much of everything is just enough”, aaaa, never considered back then maybe Bob was being sarcastic? Lol
    So we roll on into Chocolate town late and all beat up. I’m guessing we grabbed some kind of drive through, but not sure and as we were hardcore vegetarian then, perhaps we thought we’d grab something there? It’s all such a blur, I do recall the lot we were in had no or little Shakedown action going on. That still wasn’t in full flight anyway, and don’t recall much there, so maybe we drank our supper? I know I scored some Carlsberg Elephant beer, and believe I may have finished it, though that is a tall order even under good conditions so perhaps not. I’m sure I put in dent in it at least! So, that and the last of one z of veggies, though the tricky part was it was mostly just powder and scraps and so no normal produce to properly gage etc, which would turn out to be a tactical error...
    So it’s late, we’re tired, but tweaked, perhaps no dinner, and of course it’s horrible out. Dark, rainy, and cold is usually not how you want to do your Dead. Eventually we get in perfect time, slip right in front of the SB and try to make the best of the situation. Well I had a shirt, a black baseball jacket, and the electric Buffalo Hyde, but even still it was damp and cold at first. Eventually, when things started to take hold and we started boogieing, we began to warm up a bit.
    Meanwhile, the set list is awesome, but the conditions, which necessitated all the stage and PA speakers being covered in plastic (there was no stage lid) thereby severely effecting the audio. It’s was such a weird show that way, loved the little “stadium” and the nice audiophile stereo set up, with surrounds, great set list, mostly good playing, yes JGs vocals are a little ruff in the first set, but you have to cut some slack as it was terrible, I mean depending on the wind/rain they were getting rained on playing electrical instruments! Weird indeed, but like so many times in adverse conditions our heroes seemed to rise to the challenge. Thus the playing was perhaps more relaxed, steady and together and not forced like the previous night. Really, besides JGs vocal issues in the first, its a top notch show!
    The second set really starts to take it higher with stellar versions of Music Never Stopped, Terrapin, Miracle and one of the best Dews I’ve ever seen! I think I saw about 14 or 15 Dews and when I think about Dews I’ve seen, this one is the one I always think of first! Rocking Stones/NFA with a spirited Day Job. I liked Day Job, but by now it was getting a tad old, and was a disappointment for this show considering how high it was at that point. A She Belongs or Baby Blue would of been a perfect Cherry on top, but perhaps that’s being greedy?
    Now since the weather was such a factor, we must discuss that and how it influenced this show. The second set starts out with their “signing in the rain” as Bob says, and it’s a good’n! Next they slowly slid into an unusual sounding Tom Thumbs which I had never heard yet, and wasn’t even sure at first what it was, but hey, it was Phil so that’s all I needed to know! Good but perhaps truncated Estimated, followed by an awesome Terrapin. So as the set started to progress, so did the weather until (I think?) around Estimated it really started to clear up and they started pulling the plastic tarps down. It was almost like you could immediately hear it get better after each one was removed. Eventually by about Terrapin, they tarps we’re gone, the moon and stars were out, and Healy started increasing the volume and tweaking the mix. I remember we were goading him to turn it up, and man eventually he sure did!
    As the night wore on it began to warm up a bit too. But as you’ve heard this scenario, or been there yourself, many times I didn’t feel quite high enough so what the hell, one more time with the powder veggie crumbles just before drums......hee-hee....you know, “I’m not feeling it?” and then...Dooah!
    So the problem with those baseball jackets is they don’t really breath and the electric Buffalo Hyde was thick plastic. We didn’t have all the nice technical outer gear we have now, or at least WE didn’t. I could barely afford the free plastic one from the old mans work.
    Well a perfect storm mounted; little or no food, Elephants, veggies etc, no sleep, excess everything and underlying exhaustion, with me starting to overheat due to the above and dancing with that plastic shell on. Things were going unbelievable well, and partly influenced by the very recent passing of my Grandfather, during Dew, things peaked musically, the sound, the night, the stars, emotionally etc etc until I had one of the most powerful musical/emotional/psychedelic peak experiences of my life. Perhaps my all time GD moment, it was that powerful. But what goes up must come down and just like that the radiator blew and that last handful of shroom dust fully kicked in and somewhere in Throwing Stones, right during ashes, ashes all fall down, well.....I say i didn’t really fall down, it was more like an immediate realization that if I don’t sit down rapidly, I’m going down! LOL, so one way or another, depending on who you believe, I end up down in the soft, cool mud until near the end of the song, but I swear just as I tried to get up I knew it wasn’t going to happen, so right on que again I go back down. My friends to this day always bring up my perfectly coreographed “Dance moves” above all else that happened on this tour..35 years later and it’s still “ashes, ashes, Pedro falls down” !
    That would of all been well and good except things were very strange and weren’t wearing off, and I was barely functioning. I never would of found the car etc If not for my homies. Honestly all I remember is them pulling into a Wendy’s or something, but I just sat in the car with my face literally stuck to the window and crackled! Zzzzttttt. I really thought I had finally fried some essential circuits and thought this time I really did it. At some point I snapped out enough to find some kids in another car staring at me with a look of concern if not fear. Luckily, the boys finished up and came out and got us outta there. Somewhere near the state line we finally grabbed a motel as we all had had more than enough rain and adversity. Plus the next day was off and the drive short. I remember they propped me up in bed and I just sat and crackled and worried. Eventually I slept and though I felt better the next day, I didn’t feel normal and don’t recall much except when we got to Merriweather and found a good spot just over the creek, right next to the path, in some trees, on the way to the big parking lots to the right of the venue. But now it was nice and I was feeling more normal so not so freaked out. I also remember going to a nearby sorta plaza with an upscale liquor store where I scored my first sixer of EKU 28 ever which was awesome!
    So now we’ve moved beyond the insanity of TOGA, the adversity and majesty of Hershey, and ready for perhaps the best overall show of the tour on 6/30/85....

    EDIT: Otis, congrats on the stereo. All that matters is if your happy with it. After all the specs and hyperbole etc, no matter how big, small, expensive etc, in the end, that’s all that counts!

  • Thats_Otis
    Joined:
    @ Bob T and Pick for Monday

    Nice rec for the TDIGDH 6/28/76 show! I'd never heard that one before, and it is pretty sweet. The "Happiness is Drumming" is certainly a highlight!

    I have been out of the loop for a bit - trying to deal with some personal stuff on my end, and I just kind of lost track of things around these parts. I hope to be able to participate more going forward.

    To that end, how about a pick for tomorrow, Monday 6/29? I am thinking Dave's 31 - 12/3/79 Uptown. I feel like this pick got a short shrift on the DaP page, but I remember being very happy with it, though I haven't given it a proper listen since it first came out. What do you all think?

    One positive thing that I have accomplished since I've been away has been the set up of my first component stereo system. I don't know if it compares to all of your "big boy" systems, but it certainly feels BIG in my little row home! Looking forward to playing it LOUD tomorrow when the wife goes to work.

    Peace

  • Oroborous
    Joined:
    Voodoo senile, slight return. 6/27/85, and why 85 Dead is like

    Bode Miller...

    First, GOGD, I did not mean to single you out, over generalizations, which become stereotypes, which become truth etc, really bum me out. So it was more of a trigger to that, not you personally. I know you were just repeating this line.
    Actually, as I’ve dug in deeper, there are probably a significant number of shows where he often doesn’t sound so good, but to over generalize that “his voice was shot”, as in never more, to me, imho, that completely devalues and discounts all the amazing, great sounding stuff he was still able to do. 87,88,89,90,91anyone? Micro view versus macro perhaps?

    SECOND: I must humbly recant my tale of dancin in the rain. As we were diligently experiencing TOGA last night. Too things became apparent. First, perhaps JG was a tad “caffeinated” at the start of both sets. Listening close on a real system, (not the big boy, but the living room system which ain’t no slouch!), he seems a tad to fast and/or their not fully entrained. One could argue not fully so until Women Are?...so probably something to do with him totally skipping the Key Rain Storm, and Jailhouse versus, of Bertha, lol.
    Thus, while I wasn’t deceitful, I was not accurate. Sure enough, when Holmes and Watson ripped a spleef and fired up Bertha from SPAC 6/24/84, and bingo, ding, ding, ding, ding! Right venue, wrong year! 😂 Ooops, my apologies to the dear reader...but hey, it’s a fun interesting new tid bit, and it did rain, I think, lol.
    While doing this research I was listening just on the iPad and interestingly he doesn’t sound as bad? Also, I’ve been going with the HS matrixes, especially shows where I want to hear those crowd big moments. Generally they’ve been pretty good, but researching, I used a CM transfer and man, definitely a big difference. Perhaps number one being the speed/time of the Miller seemed better and more natural?
    Subjective I know, just that it’s interesting how every variable can effect perceptions.
    6/27/85: so this beast is still as much of a rocket sled ride as I’ve thought, but it’s perhaps a tad more unpolished then I would of said in the past. But that’s being picky, and you know I prefer danger dead to safe, so as at this moment, Hell in a bucket is scorching, I stick by this show for that, the cool set list, and the fact that eventually, say around Women Are on out, that part of the show stands with its lofty summer 85 neighbors. Probably have to give 6/24& perhaps 6/25? a slight advantage overall, but man I haven’t been to many shows that had the vibe, fun, and overall madness of this puppy.

    So why is 85 Dead like Bode Miller? He often was criticized for his erratic style, or lack thereof, his nonconformity, often disregard for the rules, including parting then basically going 80 MPH down an insane pitch, that was usually hosed down to make it more icy, and thus faster! So just like this era of Dead, sometimes he’d DQ, sometimes he’d slack off, sometimes it was ugly, but when he brought it, that mofo brought it!! and when he was able to be one with the force, it was fucking breathtaking! Scary, but breathtaking. No matter what, if he was racing there was an energy, an excitement, that larger than life vibe......that, to me, is 85 Dead.
    FINALLY: Ladies and Germs, May I present the Electric Buffalo Hyde! as christened by my degenerate cohort due to my resemblance of the great beast of the prairies back in the day, and this baby used to be so bright people would ask if there were batteries. But Alas, like youth itself it’s faded dramatically, and is old and bartered. It definitely gave it’s all to R&R. So many Dead shows, festivals, camping, parties, you name it! Also, it will be a part of an unfortunate situation at the next night, where I lost my shit in Hershey! So until then....

  • bob t
    Joined:
    only time played anniversary show 6/28/76 Chicago Auditorium

    If you are too busy to listen to whole show, listen to Happiness is Drumming from set II, if you have never heard or listened to listen you will be pleasantly surprised!!! There is a Charlie Miller soundboard on Internet Archive!!!! bob t

  • The Good Ole G…
    Joined:
    Good Times Great Oldies

    Sounds like the ole SPAC '85 show will get some play today.

    Always a fun revisit. Vguy & Keithfan that was you guys?! That's funny.

    I guess I always thought this was an indoor show because of the balcony stuff and didn't know about the rain storm.

    Tell us more.

    And just for the record if I happen to say Jerry's voice is shot, what I mean to say is I love Jerry's voice, even though it's a little shot here. ;)

    I agree, it always sounds great to me.

    Enjoy party people!

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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.

They have terrible anti lenque logic (lenque, a word that cannot be written.. nor use of the dreaded back slash and a host of other seemingly innocuous characters). Once a post gets marked, no matter how you change it.. they don't seem to let it through.

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5-24-70
it's got a Cryptical>TOO>Cryptical sandwich and a Dark Star>St. Stephen from across the pond.

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In reply to by PT Barnum

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And so it is.. 5/24/70 works for me. I am fitting in my second listen to Dave's Picks 43 too. Perhaps the brightest release in the third position of the subscription so far... I think they need a follow-up 1980 matrix to round off the year in the 4th position. #8 was real and it was spectacular.

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In reply to by rockthing

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i use Id3-Tagit, works great.

I also use a program called "file renamer". This allows mass file renaming (files, not folders). Sometimes I get stuff in that will have for a file name ..... 01 - mary had a little lamb (this can be a long descriptor that goes on and on). And this extra will be on every file. File Renamer allows me to replace that whole string with nothing. You can also insert "stuff" or change occurrences of things. Very useful.

Sorry sports fans, been busier than a one legged man in an ass kicking contest, and been spending much of my limited precious listening time getting down with my new Jazz gems! No at work listening for probably another week too : (

That and I have one spin of 43 in. Going to hit Planet Drums new on In The Groove next.
But I’ll mark em down and get em in when the situation allows.

I tried pasting in yesterday's post that I'd saved, but no go.

Anyway, I got into 8/6/82 based on a Jesse Jarnow tweet and am listening to that a second time. Also had a run through of the 11/30/80 Fox Theater show, but I hesitate to type anything of substance for fear of another error. My comments are saved in a text file, but the forum won't take'em. Think I'll circle back on that 5/24/70 tape while I dig into these two shows that were new to me... as the 5/24 show will also be.

Also, thanks for the ID3-Tagit (Bag it?) tip. I impatiently spent money and got something called EZ Meta Tag Editor, which is brilliant.

Now let's see if THIS will post.

Once their logic fails your post, it's hard to get that post through. I've had back slashes trip up a post, but they are often included in dates, i.e. 9/8/82. Perhaps slashes next to letters?? I know this issue has been passed on to their crack IT department, emphasis on crack as in they are probably smoking it as I write this..

alas, it is what it is. Good luck man..

5/24/70 was sweet. A nice little show that I somehow had not listened to before. Perhaps a snippet or two, but no the whole show. In addition to the big jams.. there's a nice Hard to Handle and the final Jam in Rider is strong. The recording I listened to became pretty saturated by the time Lovelight came around.

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In reply to by JimInMD

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we had to put Spirit to sleep. the most profoundly hard and sad choice i've ever made. 14-1/2 years old. Pyrenees mix. drop-off from the Rez who wandered into our garden at 8 months of age. left hind leg had been broken and healed straight by that time. despite that, with love and care, the strongest runner for a big dog I've ever known. thrived on being outdoors. at first an exuberant young dog who "landed with his butt in butter" as a friend put it (to our very best luck) and in later years an old soul, all that while bringing so much joy into our lives. in last year that old straight leg (his dog leg that had no dogleg) started going south in an irreversible way but he still kept moving if he could, slow and steady, with the occasional short burst hearkening back to the those earlier days. A second leg suddenly failed him and that was too much, despite his heart and core still being so very strong and his mind very much present. such a beautiful sweet being. looking closely you will see that's him on that same rainbow day that was my original avatar.

Sunday, 8/7/22, was the 40th anniversary of what i consider the most emotionally and spiritually "important" show I saw of a total of 50 - 8/7/82 (DiP 32). A strange and powerful synchronicity. Now Spirit is out there running free again in the High Desert.

and here we are now, 8/9, the anniversary of Jerry's passing, a day I remember very clearly in terms of its own synchronicity, when I first was living and working here. a tape gifted to a coworker in a parking lot of the K&C, by a stranger, Cornell 5/8/77, Set II. Last day of a 10 day session and so my own car not company vehicle. Blasting that Scarlet>Fire loud as the new rising sun lit the clouds as we headed to the site. so beautiful and no idea that Jerry had passed.

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Condolences on your loss.
Going through a similar choice with a 17 yr. friend.
Someone said and I agree,
I'm not interested in heaven if all my pets aren't there.
Peace

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In reply to by 1stshow70878

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Yes I want so much to be with Spirit again.

Sorry to hear that you're in that same place. Hard and terrible place to be.

Just listened to 5/8/77 Set II. Now DS>SS>Eleven>Death Dont Have No Mercy from 11/2/69 (DaP 43). I'll get to 8/7/82 later.

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Bluecrow, sorry about you losing your pet, losing a pet really sucks. Hopefully the passage of time will make things better.

May the four winds blow him safely home!
I swear damn pets are harder than people.
Still gets me all chocked up if I start thinking about my ole buddy : (
I suggest David Bromberg’s cover of Mr Bojangles off of Best of Album.
After 25 years I still grieve, which is to say we feel your pain brother.
Sounds like he hit the lottery finding you, so at least you can celebrate a good life well lived!
And, the good ones never really go away, their with you when you need em…that joy they brought will always live on in your heart!

Sorry to hear about your dog Bluecrow. Hang in there and 8/7/82 is a great way to put the mind in the right direction.

Sorry to hear about your issue as well 1st show. Be well.

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In reply to by DeadVikes

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Spirit was such a sweet strong beautiful doggle woggle.

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Phoebe the 17 y.o. cat has made a comeback as she has done many times.
Just when I think she's used all of her 9 lives she does the energizer bunny.
The vet says her lameness is a growth of keratin and not anything worse.
As long as she is not in pain and loving a hobbled walk in the sunshine we will keep on truckin'.
We've had a series of one dog and six female cats with as many as three at a time.
And when she goes the wife wants two male kittens next time.
That should be fun! We can never wait more than a month between loss and adoption. There are so many out there who need us.
Cheers all!

Wow.

Tell Phoebe to stay away from the Special K. Catnip and a little cannabis are fine but stay away from Keratin and all the other hard stuff. Some cats never learn....

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One of the joys of old age.
Stuff (or hair) growing out of places it shouldn't.
Or where it hadn't before at least.
Cheers

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In reply to by 1stshow70878

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Looking at the 8/1/82 show from Oklahoma City for today. The hot summer 82 run.

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A nice little show. I explored this one a little before this thread started, probably late 2019. It makes a good companion to the night before in Austin. Apparently hot that day and Jerry was up most of the night celebrating his birthday. Hot jams in China > Rider.

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Out there in the internet world

A quote from John Mayer on Jerry's playing from a guitar players perspective ...
Part of the genius of Jerry Garcia, was all guitar players have little segments we work with, little riffs, and licks. We work in these building blocks: at the bottom are scales, then working up to riffs, then licks, then inverted licks if you are the best around.
Jerry's building blocks were molecules of playing. Not licks. The smallest pieces that could be put together. Everything you are hearing is original, off the top of his head, and represents his spiritual place he was in on that day. John Mayer on Jerry Garcia
This is the forward John wrote for Jay Blakesberg's book "Secret Space of Dreams"
"I’m a good enough guitar player to know a great guitarist when I hear one, but I had to become an even better one to begin to understand the depth and complexity of Jerry Garcia’s playing.
I’ve always said that musicians play like they are, and in the case of Garcia, his performances serve as a detailed map of a man, his intentions, his desires, and his impressions of the world around him. And going by that map, Garcia was a lovely, mighty soul. I never met him, and will never understand the loss of those who did, but the vast archive of his music amounts to the makings of a starry night sky that turns listeners into explorers.
Several years ago I set out not just to learn Garcia’s approach to the guitar and the songs he played, but to learn what about it has allowed millions of people who don’t play the guitar to key into it for hours on end. Soloing has been known since its inception as a kind of self-indulgent expression. Why, then, could so many listeners, myself included, listen to him do it endlessly without fatigue?
To best understand what makes Garcia’s guitar playing so unique, it helps to start with what it sidesteps: though it drew from blues and R&B, his guitar approach left a few traditional elements out of the equation, he didn’t play from that well-worn feral, sexual place that traditional blues music traded in, nor did he really touch the sinister aspects that were born into the idiom. Garcia didn’t sing about wanting to rock a young woman all night long, and any of his deals with the devil existed metaphorically as mere setbacks. (What’s 20 bucks, anyway?) These changes affect the fundamental color palette of the storytelling. I’m not sure the sun ever rises in Chicago blues music, but in the musical storytelling of Garcia and the Grateful Dead, it shines so bright it hurts.
On a more technical note, he played most often in a major blues scale, which added to this mix of innocence, and even joy. Minor blues notes lend themselves to the exquisiteness of pain, while major blues scales kind of explore the relief from it. Garcia played to relieve people of pain. That melodic innocence must have something to do with bringing so many people to their “happy place.” He wasn’t pulling notes from an anguished place within, he was catching them with a butterfly net as they went flitting by overhead. On a tactile level, he held the guitar with grace. It wasn’t a weapon, it was a vehicle. He took it easy. He may have played fast, but he was thinking slow. And that makes us listen with a smile.
I put Jerry Garcia on the same level as Miles Davis and Bill Evans because of the intention in his performing; once you’ve learned all the notes, and the chords, and the bends and the runs, you come to the final frontier of playing which is the why of it all, and that’s where the power was and still is in his playing. He played from a real place, a place that faced out to the world, not for his own reception or gratification. He played for the joy of interacting with the band and with the music he loved. If you listen close enough to a musician, you can tell what they’re looking to get out of each and every note they make. Garcia, to me, was looking to bring music to life out of the tacit, sacred duty to use his gift. Even after learning these things, they offer very little help in sounding anything like the man. That’s because he didn’t play anything stock or repetitive. There are no “signature Jerry Garcia solo riffs” as exist with so many revered guitarists. To “sound like Jerry,” you have to make people feel like he did, and well—good luck with that.
The real magic—the kind that will make the Grateful Dead music live forever—that’s in the way we carry it on in our hearts and minds. I don’t listen to Garcia and the band play—I watch it. I believe we all do, and that what we see is a blend of the music, the year in which it was played, the season and location of the show so as to understand the state of mind the band was in that night, that week, that presidency. We see it differently from one another the way we do our own dreams, but we all agree that our dreams contain these songs, and this band, those places and names. And that’s how the Grateful Dead managed to freeze time. We discuss our favorite years in present tense; we say we just heard the best version of something last night as if that was the moment it first took place. Your favorite year of their music "wasn’t", it "is." And in that way, inside that beautiful dreamscape the band created, the Grateful Dead is still up there, still playing. And Jerry is right there in front of them, and time is held in place by those who refuse to let it fade, and even as we sleep, as long as one of us is listening, the band is still playing.
We lose the ones we love, we pine for those who have left, and we lament the changes of modern times. But the makers of this music dug a tunnel, and it runs beneath time and space, and we, the ones who love it like family, crawl through to visit 1974, and 1969, and 1987 and 1990. If we were alive at the time the show took place, we see ourselves as the people we were in the lives we had, and if we weren’t born yet, we get to wistfully dream what it must have been like.
We only get a few minutes on earth, and Jerry Garcia gave all his minutes so that we could forever visit his life and times through his playing, and let it unravel into a new kind of now." --- John Mayer on Jerry Garcia and The Grateful Dead

Thanks for sharing that piece from Mayer. Really good.

Going with 2/21/71 from Workingman's 50th. Love the Rick Turner Peanut sound.

1st Show - glad to hear the Kitty Kat is still trucking on

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I think Big Brownie had talked about this one a while back.
I'm finding so much early 80's I didn't know I liked.
It's all about the energy not so much the era.
Cheers
Thanks BC!
And Dennis thanks as well. JM is well spoken.

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on Jerry's style.
A cerebral description.
Whatever he's doing I'm OK
as long as I focus on all those notes.
I won't get lost.

Cheers

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Yes, thanks Dennis.

ah.. Blue Crow, I'm with you. I love that 2/21 show, it has really grown on me and man does it sound good. I think I will split my time between that and a revisit of Dave's 43. Nothing wrong with hitting the released stuff from time to time here, right?

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I see no mention of it,,,, Owsley Stanley Foundation is releasing a new "Journal".

The Chieftians in San Fran..... 1973 and 1976

A vinyl and a cd.

Stans site was a little cheaper than amazon.

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Yes, absolutely. Always welcome.

Can't say enough good things about that hot summer 82 Tour. The Zoo in Oklahoma was another good one. Love these China Riders from this summer. Agree, they are smoking Jim. Nice Playing, Iko Iko, Lost Sailor, SOC. The wheel out of space is always good. Great US Blues encore.

The 71 Port Chester shows are some of my favorites. Listen to them often. 2/18, is probably my favorite right now, but my favorites fluctuate.

So for #44, I am thinking we will see a 91 release. Any predictions?
Enjoy the weekend out there.

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5/10/91 if for no other reason than I like the recording. Maybe a bit saturated at times, but it's pretty clear and balanced. Besides Phil was on a tear during this period and it must have been hard to keep his bass in check when he amped things up.

I think tossed this show out on this forum in the beginning. I like the Cal Expo shows too, but no Bruce for those three shows.

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Was wondering what Spirit looked like.
Here's to him.
Cheers

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Spirit from about 2 years ago. Shaded up out in the High Desert.

sorta having trouble with linear time and thought yesterday was today (8/12) and thought then it would be good to go back 35 years to Red Rocks 8/12/87. Didn't get there yesterday and woke up today and saw it was 8/12 today and so it all worked out. Was thinking about the opening notes of Terrapin. A personal favorite. Damn those drummers, Phil too, everybody, loved to play with the sound off those rock walls. Solid '87. Magic and fun night. Moon rising from the great plain during Quinn. Jim, I know you were there.

Sort of surprised there are no recent upgrades to the circulating SBDs for these shows, say a Pearson-Healy Ulramatrix.

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Jim, that would be a great Dave's. I would love to see it happen.

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Pet's are the best. My family have a long history of rescues, and also dogs that just wandered in and stayed. I wouldn't want to subject a pet to my current, highly urban, limited indoor space, where I'm away from home for the most part of the day - lifestyle. It wouldn't be a life. Tennessee Jed always reminds me of my late grandfather, a great lover of hound dogs and horses. He always talked to them as if they understood every word, and when he talked to them, I think not only did they understand every word, but he understood their replies. Tennesee Jed is just the kind of self-depricating story he would tell, too. People in town would ask him why he always rode around with his dog in the front seat and he would say, "Well, SOMEbody's gotta know where we're goin'." Dogs just know.

Cornell set II was the first tape anyone ever dubbed for me, too. It took several years to finally hear the first set. There are a lot of anti-Cornell people out there who will bring it up even when no one else is talking about it, but I never get tired of it. Grabbing the Eaton SBD when you could still grab SBDs was one of the best decisions I ever made. Managed to hold onto that first tape all these years, though. Had it in my luggage when I was travelling in northeastern Thailand in August of '95. That and some Mekong whisky were on the menu "that" night. Next day a dude in a tie-dye Dead T wandered by the cafe where I was just staring out at the bright blue Thai summer sky with a cuppa. I didn't have any iconography on me at all, but somehow he just knew and he came over and sat down at my table.

Port Chester 2/18/71 is also an old stand-by. All those debuts, Mickey leaving, and an ESP experiment to boot. Lots of tape his between songs, too. lol. :) That one is like a warm blanket. Rough and ready, but just exactly perfect at the same time.

8/12/87 Red Rocks show sounds interesting... though I have yet to get back to the 1970 tape from a few days ago.

I may, instead explore some of that August '82 run, however, since I've found myself going back to 8/6. Summer tour in August. That's just nuts. I recall visiting India in late July, early August and hoping to see some classical music concerts, but being told by a sitar craftsman, whose shop I just happened by, that no one schedules concerts in the middle of summer. It's too hot!

The John Mayer quotes were also interesting. Thank you. "Good luck with that-," indeed!
Reading that, having listened to mostly John Coltrane, while reading about him, the past couple days has got me inspired to do some woodshedding. There is always a kind of tight-rope act of playing more intelligently and with greater facility, while avoiding becoming too locked into orthodoxy.

Good to see Rockthing back round!

5/21/82 Greek. Great run of shows. I think they got a little better each night?

6/28/92: I hit that recently. Mos def worth checking out. Yeah, 92 is sneaky good at times, just gotta poke around.

5/24/70: have only seen the few songs included on the Long Strange Trip Bluray. On the list to do!

8/3/69 also on my list to do…

DAVES 8: WORD! One of my top DaP! What about Gainsville?
9/2/80: great show, I was there front row! Interesting set list and my first Dew which was proper!

8/6/82: Bueno!

8/1/82: this has been on my to do list so I should do it ; ) Perhaps 8/4 also?
Hopefully I’ll be able to start knocking some shows off this week, which would be nice because “I got a lot of catching up to do”

2/21/71: I think I like this one better than 2/18!
#1- 2/19/71(funny cus I wasn’t a big fan of this when it first came out, then one day, Shazam!)
2- 2/21/71
3- 2/18/71
4- 2/24/71
5- 2/20/71
6- 2/23/71
All are muy bueno!

5/10/91: need to hear this one? Loved the Shakedown Stream of 5/11, and 5/12 which we covered here on POTD!

8/12/87: yeah, why aren’t there updated tapes?? I hit these back a couple months when I was on a tear.
Recall I thought they were good if not great? I perhaps liked 8/11 best? But the whole run was solid.

Well, I guess I better shut up and start listening!!
Glad things have continued….
ONWARD!

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Jer bear sounded strong outta the gate with a spirited Jack Straw. But then he seemed to step back into the mix for awhile? Solid first set but it seemed a bit rushed to me. Rushed compared to fast if that makes sense?
But solid versions especially Bob with a nice Desolation.
The second set things settle in nicely and the pre drumz half is especially good! I’ve really increasingly appreciating these 91 and especially 92 CrazyFingers! No matter what era or what was going on it seems like JG always had at least one song that he consistently owned!
The back side is fine too, perhaps just a tad more formulaic? Though nice touch ending with the Baby Blue!
Sweet energetic jam outta Pete too.
Audio was good throughout, perhaps the highs were a tad dull? The mix was decent once he got it dialed in etc.
overall another good outing from 91, and part of another Solid WE at the Heap!

Onto 8/1/82: good start but audio (keys too hot in TLEO?) it’s early…

EDIT: 8/1/82 fully dug!
Fun at the zoo with Bob ready to let all the animals loose!
Another solid 82 outing! Sound got dialed in nicely, mix was decent cept took awhile to get Brent’s keyboard dialed up (too hot), organ didn’t seem to suffer same? Good start and status quo continual morphing as she goes!
Personal highlight perhaps the Black Pete? Was watering plants etc so, did I miss a happy biffday for Jer, don’t recall hearing anything?
Good show, yes MR DV 82 is surely growing on me while fostering lament: wish I had caught a few more shows back then, but being a roadie was not able : ( Yin/yang.
Not sure how I compare this? Decent, to say 5/23, 8/6, 8/7&8, but not not like biggest thrill/surprise so far: the second Veneta, 8/28/82. Must listen 82 if your exploring 82!
Don’t forget the Florida shows PT turned us onto, and 9/24/82 merits consideration, looking forward to tge MSG box shows I’m not familiar with, but perhaps the “king of the hill, top of the heap”, Frost not NY ; ), 10/9& 10/82!! Have waited to hear 10/9 for years, but have had a awesome tape from 10/10 since BITD! Best LL Rain? ; )
Yeah, “don’t let the glasses fool ya” 82 baby! Boo-yah! Ha, and that’s not even considering the shows from earlier in the year!

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It looks like the blew away a bunch of our posts..

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a wide net they cast. following is what was inadvertently caught up and "lost" and now restored (bluecrow the archivist).

1) JiminMD - Bad Timing
I find it in poor taste and bad timing that we get this incredible offer for cheap loans AFTER the box set announcement. Where were you when Boxzilla came out? On the other hand.. this might come in handy for those that could not afford The Grateful Dead in NYC Box, so now's your chance. Might as well get a little extra so you can get that ivory back scratcher you always wanted.
I realize as soon as go through the Crapatcha and hit send they will remove the cheap loans spam post and I will look like a bigger raging lunatic than I actually am.
Out and about today.. Today's show is a drummer choice... grabbing a waterproof shuffle and we will see where it brings me. Venturing into another state, a grand adventure in wild and wonderful West Virginia. I loaded up my devices with killer music in the spring as I do each year. What I grab is pure chance, they are unlabeled. Have a good weekend rest of the weekend all. Play Dead.

2) bluecrow - hey - he loaned me 20 bills
can't be all bad
Jim - I always thought of you as a thoughtful and deliberate lunatic. If you're down on the Gauley please say hello to the spirit of John Dragan for me.
I saw the May '91 Cal Expo shows the week before those Shoreline shows. Jerry was in fine form. Had a lot of fun. No Bruce, and given these were the only shows I saw in the Bruce/Vince era never did get to see him full on with Jerry. Funny thing was I saw Bruce as a guest with the Dead twice - 1st Buckeye Lake 6/88 and second GW Forum 12/89. Could have hung out for a week and hit Shoreline but headed back up the coast. Oh well, couldn't believe I missed It takes a lot to laugh (plus 3 sweet shows). Remember really good post-space ballads nights 1 and 2. When Blair Jackson reviewed the shows he evidently felt same as me and dubbed the first night Stella Blue "Stella Dew" and 2nd night Standing on the Moon "Standing on the Dew". 2nd night was really buzzy - found myself with a bunch of coyote howling crazies out in front of the stacks to right. Weir looked our way at some point Set II maybe during Space and seemed to say What's up with you wacky folks?" 3rd show was afternoon I think and had a fine Trucking > short Spanish Jam > Terrapin leading into Drumz. Ganz broadcast it on DeadHour and you can find it paired with material from 1st night Seattle '95 (Want To Tell). It's on relisten/archive.
The only 1/2 way focused listening I did yesterday was Set I and Scarlet > Fire from 12/3/79 DaP 31(I'll say it again, an awesome release.)
Take care everybody. Onward is the only way right now.

3) Oroborous -8/4/82
Keeping with our group enjoyment of August 82 etc, I figured I back up 8/1 with this one.
Another status quo 8/82 show (in a good way, this tour is solid!).
Decent Stranger Friend O openers, nice upbeat Row Jimmy. Never Trust/Good Times unusual second set opener, nice Terrapin and what is it with these 82 Black Pete’s! Perhaps not a tour topper but a fine show non the less!

4) JiminMD - 8/4/82 & Assorted Snacks
Classic fall '82 Oro. Nice recording, a little thin at times, but fuller than most from this period, plus very clean.
Good performance too. What the heck happened to Healy after '82? I guess I was not a fan of the ultramix.
Thanks BlueCrow. We did the mighty Cheat today with decent water. It's only 20 miles or so away so a local run, but it's a decent sized canyon so between the river and shuttle it's an all-day affair. The dam on the river I live on is broken.., they cannot release enough water for a run meaning we are completely dependent on rainfall this year (well for another three weeks). The Yough is dry, but the Cheat (the next river West) is flowing strong. It must have rained a lot somewhere the last couple days.
Sweet Brown Eyed Women from 8/4 just kicked in. Love that song.. a Hunter/Garcia classic. It reeks Americana, the song is rich in symbolism and covers such a broad tapestry it almost feels like it was written about people I know (or their parents, but they made their kids cut hickory just to fire the still). There's plenty of moonshine to be had in the mountains out here and people still fire their stills. Delilah Jones went to meet her God, and the old man's never been the same again. Goodness.. goosebumps.
Looks like this old man's gettin' on. I've got about one beer to go before I am in horizontal happiness. Man.. Cutting hickory for firewood. That's an arduous affair, Hickory is no fun to cut and split.

5) DeadVikes - 8/4/82
Will get this rolling today, Kiel Auditorium. This is a great tour.

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bounty of whitewater riches out there Jim. another beautiful deep river valley.

for whatever reason, I always seem to forget about the St Louis show (8/4) in the summer '82 tour. The Stagger Lee was one of 2 songs of filler on my audience of Set I - 8/8., and partially for that reason, and also since its hot, its a favorite Stagger Lee. Can't help but think that Set II predrumz is "missing" a song or 2. I forgot that there was a Set II Brent opener this show just like Set II 8/8.

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I always thought the outside of Cali part of summer '82 tour started with the 3 shows in "Rain Rocks". Damn - there's a show in the low desert of AZ. Set list looks fat. No SBD circulating but a very recent Miller upgrade to a Jim Vita audience, a Jim Wise source also, plus others.

8/4 is fun. Yeah DV, it was a great tour.

Yeah, that was weird?

But luckily McBluCrow to the rescue!

5/24/70: aw-ight?? Sounded a tad thin. H2H, Attics!, Cryptical, sweet Dark Star!
Lol, like how you can hear someone say “watch where your going motherfucker” in DS just before the shimmering cymbals.
Not so familiar with 70 to rank, but compared to the official releases on Good, Better, Best scale I’d call it a good.
But maybe I forgot some things after the next one!

8/3/69: I sure hope this one’s in that Banana Box!!
The precision, tuning etc might not be as top shelf as the legends, but holy crap Batman this could be my favorite show from 69? Sax and violin and jazzy jams etc: Dark Star, are you kidding me! Who was that playing sax, dude either to prep a little, or he got it. Like when to play versus not etc. High Time, sloppy but funHi Heeled Sneakers, H2H, BIODTL, and no Me & My Uncle! Yep, this one needs more exploration!
Once again the good doctor has taken us where we might not have gone otherwise , which is why I’m here!

7/25/82: I hit that not too long ago BC. Seem to recall started a little slow, eventually built up. Outta Good, Better, Best I’d call it a good? Hope to find the right time to hit the Rain Rocks shows, but might need to wait a bit…

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...but what I really wanted was that number for cheap loans. I planned to visit VGuy and double my money and then pay it off.

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Charles Lloyd is playing the saxophone, and David Laflamme( Its a Beautiful Day), is playing the Violin.

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Phishers beware.

Enjoyed 8/4/82, these recordings are good. Really good FOD, yes, that Stagger Lee is great BC. I think rare at the time. Good extended LLR. Never Trust a Women, nice Terrapin. You can hear Jerry's voice not being what it once was, but, the song still moves me. Solid finish, NFA, BP, Around and Around, Good Lovin and close it out with US Blues. Great show.

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Mornin’, rockers!

Pick Of The Day: Woodstock, August 16, 1969

Is this the elephant in the room? LOL I think there may have been many elephants in the many rooms of the Grateful Dead…………….

It may be more insightful to ask, what were the expectations? By this time, the Dead had released only three albums. Yes, they had played the Boston-New York-Philly corridor, and yes they already had a “reputation”, but how many in attendance had actually seen or heard the band? And truth be told, sometimes what is astounding before 3,000 people at the Fillmore West has less impact upon 300,000 people in a field in New York.

Chaos reigns. Late night, muddy field, misbehaving electricity, equipment issues, long delays, “tripped out jabber”, bad acid, hordes of people. Truncated St Stephen, decent Star, raucous Lovelight. Judging by the reaction at the close of their set, it sounds like those who were awake and paying attention enjoyed it. Did anybody there expect anything different?

It is true that the Dead didn’t always “play up” to historic occasions. For the Dead, the Summer of 1969 was an uneven time, so this fits right in, and in its own uneven way it is “historic”. Certainly not classic, but not the piece of elephant poo it was rumored to be back in the day. Decide for yourself, there are excellent recordings out there……………..

If you've never seen an elephant ski, you've never been on acid.

Rock on,

Doc
Nature's great masterpiece, an elephant; the only harmless great thing.

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I created a massive traffic backup out front, stripped off all my clothes and dropped two hits of brown acid to commemorate the event. Might as well let the hose lose on the back yard and spray a little on the circuit breaker for good measure. There.. got it..

What could possibly go wrong?

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late at nite, tripping hard, raining, wet, sound difficulties and electrical shocks enough to "blow Bobby's lips off". What a night.
Perhaps the band not wanting their performance to be included in the movie might be why some thought the elephant had dropped a load this night, or perhaps the band did not want all that publicity and capitalism surrounding their music. After all, they were kind of a well-kept secret back in those days.
Several years ago, TPTB released the director's cut of Woodstock that has the Dead's reading of Lovelight that night. Not bad but it was dark, can't see much but the sound is good and there are some good sources for this show. I agree that there are some low points, but the Dark Star is good and the entire set as a whole is typical 69 Dead. If you like 43, you will like 8-16-69.
Would be nice to get an updated remastered copy of this show, it should have been released on the 50th anniversary of that momentous 3 days. The Hendrix set was released a while back and it was always one I wanted to hear in its entirety. Wish they would do that with the Dead's set.

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Afternoon, rockers!!

Actually, recordings of the entire festival (including the Dead's entire set) were released as a box set about 3 years ago. 38 discs, limited edition of 1969 copies. Not all of it was great, but indeed it was historic.

Anybody who needs/wants, you know where to find me.............

Rock on,

Doc
When people hear good music, it makes them homesick for something they never had, and never will have......

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how about some Bruce with that morning coffee? The second set is where it's at. A very nice Dew.