Grateful Dead

I've been considering this lately, too, while I wait for my Dave's Picks 46 (yep - it's still not here yet. Replacement was shipped June 6th, but still I wait. I'm not sure why this is turning into such a quagmire...)

So outside of the Giants Stadium box set, Dave hasn't dipped his toe into the Vince era yet, and one could say he's overdue: Dick's Picks #9 (Released 25+ years ago now!) was a Fall 1990 show, and Dick's #17 was Fall 1991(edit: forgot about #27, 12/16/92).

But counting inclusively there are 6 official releases from 1991. Meanwhile, 1988 has but 3; 1984 and 1985, 2 each; and 1986, just one. Even the formerly neglected 1981 and 1982 now each have 5 shows officially released thanks to the MSG box set.

I've heard that the quality of what's in the Vault begins to fall off in the mid-80s, and what's there is often on cassette, so I'm guessing that's one reason '84-'86 releases are limited. (I don't have sources for this so I may be wrong; if anyone wants to share more, by all means please do! I'm always fascinated by tales from the vault.)

Man, what a nice problem to have, and what treasure! Such loot! Thirty years to choose from, and outside of the first few years (and the black hole that is the 2nd half of 1970) most of it is archived in the vault.

More Real Folk Blues by Muddy Waters & Down and Out Blues by Sonny Boy Williamson. Bought them on EBAY, mint condition can't wait to get them.

Used to see him a lot at post Dead shows, especially Red Rocks.
Often he’d be in VIP right in front of the board, usually putting on a show of his own lol.
Remember one year he was leaning into the music so hard, leaning over the little section rope so far he damn near fell a few times. I can still see him doing this thing with his arms above his head to the wheel.
Quite the visual seeing this goofy psychedelic giant gettin his groove on.

So what’s next?? We’re in the annual deadnet doldrums again, everything’s moving here but much too slow…
Perhaps 47 will 6/22/91 to go with the MUATM?

I was a HUGE Walton fan when he was a player. I used to take the bus down to Pauley Pavilion to watch him and his Bruin teammates practice under John Wooden, the greatest coach of all time when I was a pup. Yep, I was that much of a gym rat, then. Used to spend an inordinate amount of time playing and watching hoops. Tried to pattern my game after Walton, in fact. Which worked for a little while: I am tall for a "normal" human, but not for a basketball player, so those moves that 6'11'' Bill used down in the post didn't work that well for me.

But he was great! Possibly the greatest college player of all time, but a guy whose body was not durable enough for the more physical game and longer seasons he had to endure as a pro. People forget this now, but the media at the time criticized Walton relentlessly for his vegetarian diet, blaming his injuries on poor nutrition. Which was bullshit. It later came out that team doctors had wrongly diagnosed and failed to treat his plantar fasciitis and other injuries. But it just shows you how a long haired, bearded, vegetarian, Deadhead athlete was viewed by the straight media in the '70s.

I, too, sometimes find his broadcast work to be over the top, but I have to say that in person he's really nice and genuine.

About ten years ago I was freelancing an article having to do with the NBA playoffs, and I was attending a game that Walton was broadcasting. I thought it'd be good to get a comment from him, so I stopped him in the hallway as he was leaving the court and asked for his thoughts, tape recorder at the ready. I thought he would give me a sentence or two and hurry on his way. Instead, he said, "let's do this right, let me give you my home number, you can call me tomorrow and we'll have a real conversation." I had to call several times, but eventually I got him on the line, and we talked for over an hour. I had what I needed after the first five minutes, but we were having such a nice conversation about life, music, basketball, food, etc, that we just kept going.

I remember telling him, "you know, in my mind's eye, I can still see it to this day: I'm 13 years old and sitting in the stands Pauley, and there's this tall red headed kid with a basketball on his hip, leaning down to listen intently to Coach Wooden as he talks." And Bill just says, "I'm a lucky, lucky man."

Such a long long time to be gone, and a short time to be there.

Last five:
Aaron Copland: Appalachian Spring
Grant Green: Carrying On
Sonny Rollins: Road Shows, Vol 1
ABB: 40th Anniversary at the Beacon
King Crimson: The Projekcts

Saw him twice at Red Rocks on stage right.
Once with his leg in a cast and on crutches.
Looked like he was having fun nonetheless.
He has some ridiculous number of shows seen.
Cheers

I caught the first two parts of this but haven't seen the next two. Obviously, Dead is infused throughout. Walton can grate on you with the hyperbole about things both Dead and non-Dead, but he was a fantastic bball player. His body just wasn't built for longevity. Shame, cause he had ridiculous skills and court awareness. Saw him, Parrish and McHale at a Worcester Mass show on side of the stage in April 87 and that was weird. Three skinny giants. Would love to know what Parrish thought of the show.

Thanks for the clarity. I remember now you discussing some this stuff before. My egg is obviously scrambled. Just thought when the MSG box came out that you might have been the one with the Playing/Crazy as the first show. Oh well. What was it? Confabulation. Thanks for the write-up. Man what a great start to a musical life. Have a friend who saw Hendrix at the 1970 Atlanta Pop Festival. Was that Baltimore show released. Isnt there a dead release that has Wolfman introducing them? Or was that in 1971? My scrambled egg might be over-cooked.

VGuy Congrats!!! What a spectacle of domination that was. Florida looked fierce the first 10 minutes of the first game, then they looked way outmatched. Congrats to all the Knights, top to bottom. What a great team they are.

Now that sports are effectively over for the time being, you may want to check out the Bill Walton 30 for 30 special on ESPN if you still need to get your fix.

I caught parts of episodes three and four last night between periods of the hockey game. Well worth my time.

Woooo whoooo, Nuggies AND the K niggits, two championships in 2 daze!
Congrates Vguy! What a game. Must of been ridiculous to be in the building!
It’s an awesome feeling to win, of course I would only know that from other teams as Bu faf still suffering the curse! Hey, at least the Leafs have won it numerous times, Bu faf has still never won anything…(well, lacrosse if ya count that?)
Being a Buffalo fan ain’t for pussies: watch that Bills/KC game where they lose in the last 13 seconds, then multiply times over 50 years…ummmhhhmmm…no bueno
So it’s nice to live vicariously and win one once in awhile ; )

Anticipation of replacement of that defective disc was heightened by significant number of automatic replies and rejected emails from wmg customer service. Marye had assured me she had put the request in soon after I contacted her, then about a week ago I had an email from a real person saying the disc was being sent out. Whats funny is that I am still getting automated messages from wmg that my request has been updated.
First Dead show was the March 73 concert at Baltimore Civic Center, w/ Wolfman Jack mc, brought a camera. Missed a couple of other DC area shows by moving to Maine in 1970. Summer 1973, made it to Watkins Glen where we set up a few feet behind where HendrixFreak was. Very first rock event, age fifteen, Jimi at the Washington Hilton ballroom, March 1968, where he was tackled by a college prankster wearing a chicken head mask and did not miss a note. Holy Crap, long time ago. On Long Island, Casco Bay today with old college buddy Andy waiting for fog to lift, go fishing.