Pick of the Day, with Discussion

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April 6, 2020 - 9:47am

8,086 replies

marye

Joined:
May 26, 2007

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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June 29, 2020 - 7:09am

#6671

Oroborous

Joined:
June 19, 2007

Otis

31, bring it!
Glad we got that Chocolate spot all warmed up for ya!
June 29, 2020 - 6:12am

#6672

Thats_Otis

Joined:
May 12, 2011

@ 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
June 28, 2020 - 9:31pm

#6673

DeadVikes

Joined:
October 26, 2016

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?
June 28, 2020 - 9:27pm

#6674

Vguy72

Joined:
June 29, 2007

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.
June 28, 2020 - 7:19pm

#6675

wilfredtjones

Joined:
June 4, 2007

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! :-)
June 28, 2020 - 5:16pm

#6676

Oroborous

Joined:
June 19, 2007

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!
June 28, 2020 - 4:14pm

#6677

Thats_Otis

Joined:
May 12, 2011

@ 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
June 28, 2020 - 11:41am

#6678

Oroborous

Joined:
June 19, 2007

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....
June 28, 2020 - 11:14am

#6679

bob t

Joined:
November 21, 2007

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
June 27, 2020 - 4:07pm

#6680

The Good Ole G…

Joined:
December 29, 2015

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!

John Perry Barlow

John Perry Barlow

Forums

Currently Listening To...

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.

Dave & Poor Playing

I would give my right hand to play well.

Give your right hand?

If you were left handed you'd have nowhere to put your slide if you did that .

Re: Giving Your Right Hand

Dennis.. tried this, it did not work for me. Kayaking is proving tricky also (I keep going in circles), but I'm working on it. Your friend Hound Dog played with six fingers.. imagine the chord work and finger picking that could be done, a 16.67% increase in productivity. Cheating to be sure, but man he could play the blues. Interesting side note, a friend of mine's wife was born with six fingers and I think toes. So was her daughter. The had the extra digit removed shortly after birth.

Somehow Jerry got by with 9 1/2 fingers. After burning his hand, Django Reinhardt had basically two working fingers on his right hand and he more than got by and was a big influence on Jerry, especially circa 1973.

Thanks for pointing me towards that youtube. That black and white looks more like 1923 than 1973 until you see that Fender looking guitar. Great stuff. Convinced me to get that Natural Boogie LP, but I seem to have misplaced the PIN of your wife's card. If you'd be so kind to send me a PM. I don't want it to sell out while it's still in my cart.

As you were.. on to the second set of 9/6/80 for my afternoon hike. Life is good.

Edit: Looks like Hound Dog played a pair of Kawai-made Kingston S4T's, so not exactly a Fender but a similar looking headstock.

Newcastle, Tivoli, Aarhus

Three more down, seventeen to go, lol.
All excellent shows. It's hard to find fault in any of these mammoth first sets but Aarhus (4-16-72) hit the spot for me of the three. Had great song selection, pace, and order of the songs was more to my liking. The second sets are where the special goodies are so far in every show. I'm particularly impressed with how Keith really shines especially on Pigpen's songs. His beer barrel style just fits perfectly. Yet his jazz chops are evident too as in the Dark Stars. Donna seemed particularly "engaged" on 4-14 at Newcastle and Bob is definitely going to lose his voice by the end of the tour at this rate, lol. Aarhus had a stately smooth feel to the whole thing which I found to my liking and would put it at number two of the five I've done with 4-7 Wembley still in first place.
Discovered I had on tapes the Stepping Out release which looks to be an odd compilation ala the road trips and I also had Hundred Year Hall on tape, which was not a complete show release BITD. Gotta look through my tapes more often! Also had burner CDs of Rockin' The Rhein which I had also completely forgotten. Has four CDs with the Academy of Music filler so likely a whole show. Can't go there, got to stay in order.
That's the news from EU. Cheers to all

Aarhus

1stshow - I was going to jump ahead to Paris this weekend - the shows, not the city - but I think maybe I should give Aarhus another spin after reading your comments. I can remember it's good, but I'm damned if I can remember why!

“Oh ooo, half way there,

Oh ooo smell my underwear” 🎶

Yep, just finishing 5/3 for the first time ever, and I still don’t have any damn time.
So I’ve been listening, sometimes multiple times, in order, but I haven’t had time to keep track.
Oh well, guess that would be more like actually being on tour.
4/11 was a first time listen for me. Another great E72 outing but it felt like they let go of the stick a tad after perhaps grabbing it too tight at the Wembleys? I’m guessing back in 72 in some of these locations there wasn’t much media etc. But the bigger gigs, like the first ones at Wembley probably had a level of attention and possibly sales via that attention, that might have made them, aaa, not stressful, but, would definitely like to start right. Add to that the natural energy of itching to play etc, and yeah, can see how Wembley got the freight train and perhaps Newcastle received a more loose presentation? I definitely noticed more miscues, start offs like Jack Straw, Good Lovin, others. Now they all grooved past these brief moments, and delivered fine versions, but maybe they show a loosening that facilitated elsewhere?
Like an unusual Truckin and jam that covered some cool ground including King Solomon’s teases/coincidences? and some free jazz like moments (think Phil might of been quoting some actual song too?).
Another sweet suite, including a decent CAT, though I think the 4/26 is perhaps the bar? Nice to hear, especially as a change from the repetitiveness. Same with the even rarer Brokedown!
4/14s a blur at this point, they start to expand out more I guess, in several ways…
A nice DS, and a big pork fest ending. All good, but I find others more to my liking?

4/16, yes, agree, always felt there was something just a little different about this one. Perhaps being such a small informal, perhaps totally away from the spotlight! A brief chance to vibe like the ole daze, perhaps?
4/17 is just too much of a monster overall. Perhaps why I think this may be the first time I’ve done the whole show in one listen? I have the DVD, and Ive spent time with that 3rd set etc. So that was a treat to be sure! I’ll prolly go back and hit the dvd of there and Bremen after, but for now I want to go in order…
First time Ive just listened to 4/21, though we saw the Shakedown stream. Actually hit this one a few times. Love the stop and restarts, another cool inside look.
4/24 is another that feels a little more aaa, whatever the vibe I can’t name is, not stress, or pressure, their certainly having fun, but like Wembley, and the first non English speaking audience gig, that tenseness, yeah, that’s the ticket, tenseness, the good kind!
I think Phil especially was emotionally invested a tad more in the German gigs, and man does he and the boys take care of bidness! There’s a reason this was the first complete show they released…
And of course there’s a big reason they released parts of 4/26! Another freight train!
But I had never down the whole show until now, and was rewarded with good versions obviously left off only due to space required for 2 disc chop job. So that was cool.
4/29 I think I’ve heard the whole show at least once, I know I’ve heard the second set multiple times, though not the encores, until now! Another sick show and big DS, and a proper Caution Pork fest to close. I’ve really been enjoying the 2 Souls, Chinatowns, amazing Hurts Me Toos etc, but not so much the Good Lovin, Lovelights? Not dislike, just think that stuff doesn’t resonate the same to this old guy as it did the young one lol. Just burnout?
All good, just really noticing the other goodness more. But the Cautions have always been a big draw for me on this tour, and this one’s a beast.
5/3 was a first time for me, today. The whole damn show just sounds like the actual E72 album (streamed version)?
Like the sound of it, it sounds like E72!
The reverb etc. I’m sure having? 4 I think songs on the album from this show probably has something to do with it, but I kept chuckling about that reoccurring feeling. So many songs on this one could have been on the album. It’s a strong show, and by now you can feel the subtle morphing of band and songs into one that’s taking place over the tour.
It would be cool to take all the versions of each song and listen to just them in order!
None more so perhaps than He’s Gone! But that’s a task for another time, which I don’t have enough of to do this proper, let alone all that lol, but at least I’m finally getting to em all and enjoying the ride!
ONWARD!

No Deadheads ?

One thing about the European tour in 1972, was that they weren't, as far as I know, playing to Deadheads. I seem to remember one of band said in print that the Newcastle crowd was the coldest one they had ever played to. I would think that most of the people who saw then that night lived in, or fairly near Newcastle itself. Didn't the crowd at one of the shows head for the exit after the first set, assuming that the gig was over? That also suggest an unfamiliarity with The band and their way of doing things.
If this is true - it certainly didn't harm the music. It may have affected the way they played - and for the better.
Having said that, I don't know when the Deadhead culture started in America - by which I mean when people travelled the land to see them. Up to a certain point they must have been playing to new people in The States,too. People who had no pre conceived idea of what they were like, but just went along because it was a rock gig. By 1990 everyone at Wembley seemed to be a Deadhead. I can't remember 1981 being quite like that.

Re:

Oro.. good job, you must not sleep much.

DRock, I'm sure you are right. Beyond the few Americans that ventured East for that tour.. most did not fully understand what their tickets brought them. SimonRob was at Bickershaw, not sure if he reads this thread though. I also wonder how prevalent the psychedelic scene was. Jessie Jarnaw speaks a bit about the travelling circus and when / how it evolved in his book, "Heads." Beyond the few that were exposed early on and could afford the travel with no work, it wasn't until a little self-sustaining economy emerged before it became widespread. By 81, a few, but 90 quite a few.. we probably all know one (Lemieux for starters.. still in college)

Yeah

Can you imagine: not only playing for folks who have little or no idea what your about, but also many/most who don’t speak the language! Yet after almost every set and especially at the end, you can hear the crowds love it!
The power of music, the real language, the real form of communication!
Amazing!

EDIT: Heads, is that book any good?
I have it but haven’t read it yet?

Heads

I thought that Jesse Jarnow book was excellent - one of the best books I've read on the subject.
There were a few good books on Psychedelia that came out about 5 years ago. A British equivalent to "Heads" might be "Albion Dreaming" by Andy Roberts. "Psychedelia and Other Colours" by Rob Chapman is also excellent, covering both America and Britain.

On To Germany

Starting Beat Club Bremen as I write. Is that Bob doing their own introduction?
Some omissions in my Deadbase X in these first 6 shows I've done:
4-11 list omits 2nd encore of One More Sat. Night.
4-14 list omits a Ramble On Rose between Good Lovin' and NFA.
4-16 list calls a Me & My Uncle "Uncle John" and omits the TOO jam before that song and after the Caution.
And now I see Bremen does not list the duplicates omitted in the TV show airing? A studio recording session rather than a concert so it's interesting to hear the restarts and banter.
This Deadbase was copyright 1997.
Cheers
Edit: And one more; 4-24 second set list is out of order and omits the great Jam between Me & My Uncle and Wharf Rat. Now I'm wondering if BITD the available tapes had these mistakes or were some from reordering to fit on CDs later.

OK

excellent

Proper

Proper!

EU 72

Germany: Some time traveler here once said my favorite show is the one I just listened to. Now it's Hamburg 4-29. They just keep getting better. Jerry mentions in response to an obvious audience call for something, we'll get to that, this is going to be a record, we have to do some new stuff. An awesome archive for Pig's legacy too. The He's Gone finding it's groove, that doesn't have the vocal harmonies worked out yet and so ends like a Bird Song. Priceless. And the Dark Stars. My pages of note are struck dumb. Paris next!
Cheers

Paris

They're just getting warmed up by the time they get to Paris.

I'm glad they didn't do this, but they could have divvied up the tour into little mini-boxes and it would have worked nicely.

England Part I (Empire Pool, Newcastle & Bickershaw)
Denmark (Copenhagen, Aarhus & Copenhagen)
Germany (Bremen, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich)
France (Paris, Lille & Luxembourg [close enough])
The Netherlands (Amsterdam & Rotterdam)
England Part II (the Lyceum, London)

The performances by country partner well with each other. By the time they get to Paris they are just getting comfortable in their shoes. 5/3 is the monster and really is a masterpiece, but the second set of 5/4 has a jazzy aloofness to it that really works. The Netherlands shows also partner well with each other.

But one box is better. I like the way the artwork has a central theme and is personal to each show; one box same artist for each show. Plus, as others have mentioned, at least once in your life the tour should be listened to from start to finish. Separate boxes would have resulted in a disjointed experience.

Mini boxes

Maybe they could do that with vinyl releases, like they did with The Lyceum shows. Although I get the impression it didn't sell particularly well.
I tend to segment them myself, when I listen to them, although I'm glad the cds were released in that mammoth box. I listen to most of them every year - but I couldn't do it consecutively, one show another in one chunk. I take all year about it - then come Spring in the following year...start again.

Stuck in the mud…

Made through 5/4 and sorta first run of 5/7 (on crappy device while working) But got bogged down this week with mucho fuckery and distractions so lost my pace and mojo, hoping I can catch up this WE…
ONWARD!

NO MORE MINI BOXES!
Every piddly little release is one less possible future box! Like most things there’s only so many, nothing lasts as the pranksters say…
We’re running outta time so we need huge boxes with the best remaining 20 shows from each year.
Perhaps more from years they’ve been stingy or ignored.
This ain’t no party, this ain’t no disco, this ain’t no foolin around…
Seriously, sales are flat, saturation for some has set in, old heads don’t want any newer stuff and/or are dying off etc, yeah, this could all go away sooner than later. We need to demand more output for the faithful, and stop worrying about the picky folks who only buy limited things. I totally understand not buying things you won’t use, but if we don’t support these releases, eventually, they’ll just stop!!
They need to quit dicking around, otherwise,…..Smithers, release the hounds, it’s time to quit screwing around and storm the vault! Where the hell is Keithfan anyway? Thought he was getting close? Hear sound of foot tapping…AND,
Hey Mickey, what happened to “everything’s going to get digitized and you’ll be able to order almost any show” (paraphrasing).

Winterland Box(es)

Would you like yours in a mini or mega? 1972, 1977, 1978 still ripe for the picking. Added together that equals mega I'd say. Taken alone some fine mini ones there. I think there's a New Year's 1971 available yet to add...

P.S. Currently spinning the space jam from 10-18-1978

Winterland

Agree..

Can anyone tell me why we did not get a Winterland '74 Box Set? The box design would, of course, been a mini Wall of Sound.

Wars have been fought for less.

Oh, the horror.

Winterland Oct 74 Box, and we need more releases Dave/Rhino

Hopefully it’s moving into production soon so that we get it for the 50th anniversary next year.
With all the video included.

I’ll take mini-Boxes.
3-show mini-Boxes, released once every other month, and not during a month where a DaP is released. Thus, the DaP’s and mini-Boxes would give us a release 10 months out of the year. The other 2 months would be RSD and Black Friday RSD.
Sounds like a grate plan to me.

Winterland 74 box

Yes, next year hopefully - vinyl too. Bit of leisure wear to listen to it in. Nice.

Mini boxes score where you might not want 17 shows or whatever. I wouldn't mind a few shows from Europe 1990, having attended the London ones - but I'm not sure I would want the whole lot !

Y’all are missing the point…

I’m not talking about preferences, if I was, I’d be down with Conekids idea.
I’m talking about the reality of only a somewhat limited number of boxes getting released.
Their not going to do this forever!!!
For example, say they only releases 8 or 10 more years at one box a year.
With 3 show mini boxes that’s only 30 more shows. Plus say 40 more Dave’s. (4x10).
There’s still way more than 70 great shows in that vault…
My plan,
25 for primal 67-70
15 for 71
20 for 72
20 for 73 (at least!
? 74 might just be mostly scraps
20? for 76? Maybe
77 is already over represented so he can spit the last few out on DaP
20 for 78
20 for 79 and 80
20 for 81 & 82
20 for 83 & 84
20 for 85 & 86
20 for 87 & 88
20 for 89 including fall tour (alpine should be a stand alone
90 not sure you’d need to do 20 as it’s already fairly represented?
20 for 91 & 92
20 for 93-95
These plus DaP and special separates and one might say we’ve received most of the best!
Take pre orders plus run an extra 10% so your not stuck with inventory but have a few for Johnny come latelies…
You could still make them “limited”…
Release 2 a year, everybody wins cept maybe the finicky heads who probably won’t buy much more anyway…

Voila, all hardcore heads gets represented,

And remember when Mickey made his bold pronouncement about making all shows available (about the same time he said Phil must have got the liver of a jerk) .
But I’m sure things won’t change, sales eventually will make cost prohibitive and the vault will go to waste, but hey at least we will have most of 77…and four versions of October 74…
Think about the cruel reality of only 3 to 5 shows a year for only 8 more years….the horror!
Tic toc…

Box discussion

I'm a dinosaur as Oro describes it and know zero about streaming and how younger folks get their music, movies, and TV but I'm guessing the Dinos are the ones buying hard copy CDs. My question is, if the '80s and '90s scene was populated by more younger concertgoers in huge stadiums in numbers way beyond the earlier shows shouldn't there be a demand for those shows in a format they like? I'd bet lots of folks will buy a show they attended. Mickey's model may fit that some day. That said, I'm ignoring the fact that some earlier shows had attendance in the 100,000+ range (Englishtown?) but there were just a few of those. I know Dave said that the last increase to 25,000 copies per release would be the last increase and maybe that's the limit for profitability for hard copy. I'm guessing the download option would be more profitable regardless of sales numbers (if they could ever get the damn things to work!) as all you need is a bank of servers and a few tech savvy people to run it. Large box offerings could be done as a pick and choose your favorite with quantity discounts for more shows. I know I won't be buying twenty shows from individual years I don't like as much and there is likely some truth in the theory that a good portion of "the good stuff" has already been released. Seems like, as with many things, tech is going to have to save us in this dilemma. Affordability is key either way. I can't afford $500 boxes even if I like the offering. It's as simple as that. So Mickey, let's get digitizing! Us Dinos will just have to figure out how to download and stream.
Cheers
Oh, and the price of the downloads needs to come down. Currently makes no sense if the price is almost the same just without the shipping. No incentive to be green.

Releases

Would love to see more shows released. My preference is still CDs.
It would be interesting to know what the terms of the contract are with Rhino? Are they able to release as much as they want or are there limits?
Do they even have the ability to release more per year then they currently are? Is Jeffrey Norman able to mix and master much more than he is now. He might need help. Maybe you could assist OB?

There are some shows they already mixed and mastered that could be released on CD. For example, the two shows from the first Road Trips that they released as digital downloads, 11/5 and 11/6 1979. Also, the shows from the download series.
Would also be interested in more video. Why not release the shows from the MUATM. They did this with the 91 show in the Giants stadium box, but would love to see the others released at some point. The 91 Chicago show was really good.

Okay, seems others are talking about 1988 for #48. We will see next month.

More shows

That’s all I ment.
Everyone’s made good points, and there’s no easy answer.
I was going for a conversation starter more than just to editorialize.
Like most things, no easy answers.
It’s just now that I’m all addicted to this collecting nonsense, I need as many RJ shows as they’ll give us, and I’m afraid things are going to start slowing down, and eventually it won’t be worth it to them, and so many great shows will never get fixed up and released. And don’t you worry 1stshow ole buddy, there’s still plenty of RJ shows in the vault.
As a rabid nut trying to tag as many of em as I can before I croak, I’m here to tell ya there’s plenty of gold left in them there hills! Yes many are cassette, but the gang has been getting better and better every year at fixing em up!
And, there’s still lots of DATs and still a decent amount of killer multitracks, all just rotting in the vault!

I totally get what yer saying, but think of it this way: suppose the summer 78 box was never released and only a couple others from that year. If they came out and said “this is your one chance to get the 20 best of 78”, including those shows in the July box, would you not find some way to get it? For sure, not everyone is going to want all of em, but I think you’d be able to scrape up at least 10k folks who would want at least one or 2?
Really they should be digitizing them all, or at least the top 20 or 30 from each year that haven’t been released, and have a system where they announce a certain number, or block at a time, and do pre orders, to have inventory control.
Some shows might sell big, some not so much. Perhaps have a rule that shows that don’t meet a certain threshold won’t get released?
I guess the solution would involve somehow having a cost effective way to prep them, but pre order so you don’t always have to have such big sales numbers for every show? Perhaps DL like you say, but that hasn’t worked so well, so far anyway…
Again, no easy answers, and I totally understand other pov. I just would hate to see so much good music not get the treatment it deserves. And yeah, the archive is awesome, but there’s nothing like getting a great show that’s been fully fixed/Normaned!

Hey DV, where ya been hiding? Good to see ya, and sorry, I won’t mention you know who. It has got to be really tough being a fan. It’d be one thing if they just stunk, but they have potential, if only they could stop beating themselves.
A well, it’s early still…

Ok, back to Europe

Hit 5/7, 5/10, and 5/11 this WE. Of course I’ve forgotten the finer points and things I wanted to say, but I’ve not wanted to be overly analytical, or get distracted with notes, and instead, just get right, relax, and try to enjoy them. (Which has not been hard ; )
5/7 is just too much! It’s not always the most precise or perfect of the tour, but that’s because it’s a freight train on steroids!
I’ve always preferred full steam ahead Dead even when that leads to more worts, not that this one has many, perhaps just a few more noticeable than some of the more reserved, precise (hey, they were trying to make an album) shows.
Actually, I think the album factor is one reason this tour is so good. They’re in a place where they’re ontop of their game and can let it rip, but keeping it just enough under raps to keep the consistency high for recording purposes.
Win win, but 5/7 seems more about the live gig, the large miserable crowd that seems to really appreciate the effort etc, more than playing it straight for the tape machine?
Choo Choo, all aboard! what a beast! Garcia starts out in 5th gear and doesn’t let up for almost 4 hours!
Dark Star AND an Other One! Full on grease fest with six beauties, including a nice LL that fits the format better than going on too long, and a nice unusual Segway into GDTRFB. Clearly they were enjoying themselves in spite of the conditions? They joke about blowing the big ones, but not this time bubba!
I’ve had this one so have heard it several times, but it was a real treat to sit outside in a warm but not super hot day and just groove on this one!
Yesterday I hit 5/10 for the first time and unfortunately didn’t get quite the best listen, at least to the later parts.
But I did enjoy it, even if it was perhaps a little more laid back than 5/7 etc. Hey they all can’t be rocket ships lol.
The word that kept coming to me was Smooth…this show seemed smooth. They’re gelling as a unit so well by now, and the consistency is so good. Sure there’s a miscue or clam every once in awhile, (I dare you to find a show that there isn’t ; ) but the overall tightness, energy, musicianship is truly better or on par with any tour they ever did!
Of course there’s the sweet He’s Gone they finally got right, and why it’s the one! Another Sing me as they’ve worked that one in the repertoire nicely. And if I remember correctly, this had another of those unusual Other Ones, kinda jazzy perhaps and similar to 4/16? Unfortunately this one’s a blur for various reasons including hitting 5/11 afterwards. I’ll definitely want to rehit this, 5/3, and the Wembleys after the tour…but for now I want to go in order…
Ok, 5/11, this one for whatever reason has always been perhaps my favorite?
Not saying it’s the best show of the tour, just for whatever reasons perhaps my favorite?
Certainly the set list is part of it: Nice Playing if not huge opener, plenty o grease, including a cool and final Caution, with final WHO Do You Love tease, Nice Truckin ender to mix it up, and a very cool, perhaps unusual Dark Star!
Maybe it’s just because I think this might have been the first ala cart show I bought when I hand to the head realized what I was missing not having these Dark Stars? (Now realizing same about the cool spacey TOO’s)
Other One can get real repetitive but these ones are often very diverse and different! The weirder the better I say!
Whatever the reasons, this show, even after taking the tour plunge, still resonates very strong for me? Hey, I even think the cover art might be my fav? Ok, maybe I’ll hit it again streaming while working, before moving onto 5/13 and 5/16, both I’ve never heard yet, so hoping I’ll get to spend some extra time with em during the week…
ONWARD! Ok, who stole my Heineken Dark?

Ha

I was talking about a mini box of Feb '74 before they released 2/24 (and now 2/23), but I like the way you think.

I always assumed, probably incorrectly, that there were problems with the recordings of much of the October 74 run. I know Owsley was very vocal that they had excessive bleeding from mic to mic, etc.

As for something to listen to today.. not that I am strictly a Today in GD History person but 9/18/70, 9/18/74 and 9/18/87 were all excellent shows. 9/16/87 was surprisingly good for the period also.

That's all I have for now.

5-3-72 Paris

Huge and another damn near perfect show with 3 Other Ones! The crowd seems more engaged and yelling a bit more than some of the more polite audiences. And interestingly they didn't understand that the show wasn't over at set break. Read attendee Bob Welle's review in DeadbaseX and his cool viewpoint of having been cruising around EU and just luckily caught this one, wondering who are these new people on stage.
After all these good ones in a row it's hard to see the almost Barton Hall fervor over this one though. I'm having a tough time doing a top 5 of the first 11 shows they are all so good but this one is certainly in there. Onward indeedy! Didn't expect anyone to join in my insanity to do them all so good on ya' Oro. Had to do it once in a lifetime, lol.
Cheers

Shows/Relix

Hey OB, not off to a good start here in MN, but actually not that surprised. Go Bills!

There is an interesting article in Relix with Dave L. that was posted last week I believe. Check it out.
Dave claims there is no list and they don't generally release shows or box sets based on anniversaries. This year's box was just a coincidence. So, what does that mean for 2024? Not sure. Would love to see that October 74 Winterland box released. Who wouldn't?
I thought the 74 Winterland shows were recorded by Bill Wolf as part of the Movie production agreement with United Artists. I believe everything is there and based on the material from the 2005 soundtrack, and bonus material, it is fantastic.

Madison Square Garden 87. Those are some good shows Jim. Might have to join you on 9/18 as I have that 30 Trips show handy.

Misery loves company, JK

Yeah 1stshow I hadn’t planned to do it.I mean I’ve been meaning to, but, like many things nowadays, always low on roundtoits ; ). Reminds me of this guy we picked up on Ziggy Marley tour doing merch back in 96 I believe.
Flew into DC, met PK from Jersey, counted stuff in at the 9:30 club, then just tried to keep up with ole PK. Out on town all night, then immediately had to drive to next show etc…
Dude knows everyone everywhere and can get you ANYTHING you need in almost any city!
Damn Rastas were asking him to get them weed everywhere as he had better connections lol
Been a road dog forever! Anywho, somewhere in the mayhem we ran into a buddy of his from Virginia who decided one show wasn’t enough fun. He only ment to go to the next one, and every night kept saying “ok, this is the last one, then I have to get back”…we’ll this went on for over a week until finally, after Panama beach show we literally had to make him get on a bus and go home lol. Guy was helpful and we all had big fun, but the poor bastard was wearing the same clothes etc and didn’t have anything with him, totally spontaneous trip. Think after a couple daze we bought him some fresh underwear and gave him a couple tour shirts to change into lol.
So that’s kinda how I started E72 this time, ok, I’ll do one more. Finally, though this isn’t a good time, time wise etc, figured, fug it, buy the ticket, take the ride! So, always more fun with a tour buddy!

Yeah, I’m with you on 5/3. It is a damn good show, but I didn’t get as blown away as some…
But I’ll need to reacquaint with it…top five, good luck. I can’t do it. Their all so good, sure I like some perhaps more, but their just different enough I can’t pick a top dog…
Yeah, what a surprise, the French were the most vocal lol

Yeah DV, im worried about the VIKS, Bills too, though they seemed like their old selves again this week. But like the Viks, ya never know what’s next lol. Rootin for underdog Lions, and Falcons, though I really like this kid Field with Da Bears…
I’ll have to try and find that Dave article. He always says that and he doesn’t do it all the time, and they have mostly stayed clear of anniversaries, but he has been dipping liberally from that early possibilities list he mentioned back at the start of DaP.

Those all sound familiar Jim, but I’m on a job site so can’t look up in my Db.
Tempting all, but I’m on tour in Europe with ole 1stshow and don’t like to listen to other Dead until the trip is over…
1970 is perhaps last frontier I haven’t really got the toe wet yet. Need another roundtoit!

“Hey Rocky, watch me levitate Garcia”

Per your suggestions, doing the 9-18-87 anniversary.

I suspect that everything in the Vault that sounds good will get digitized, and a lot has probably been done already since the tapes are degrading and the job needs to get completed. Also, storing digital copies at various geographic locations can be an insurance policy against things like the Universal Music warehouse fire, California Earthquake(s), etc. Futhurmore, I assume that when Dave is perusing potential releases he listens to a digital copy, not a cassette copy, then he picks a few shows to discuss at the next business meeting.

Some will get the Full Norman.
Some will even get Plangentized.
Everything that gets digitized will be available for download and/or streaming in the future, we may just not be alive to spend the money on such.
The Vault will become the Catalog.
We are financing the digitization of the Vault by buying the new releases.
So bust out Dennis’ wife’s credit card and keep buying.
(Well, at least Dennis can bust out the credit card)

Dennis' Wife's Credit Card

Hilarious.

Let's just hope she doesn't read this stuff.

Edit: I seem to have misplaced her PIN. Can someone PM me? I need the new Stax/Volt box set.

Sticking with the anniversary theme

9-19-72%

DaP 46 filler

AKA, HF’s first show

Re: HF

HedrixFreak, HF, wherefore art thou?

Hope he's alright.. we seem to occasionally lose people who (voluntarily) offer their services digging a tunnel under the vault to help free the reels. A hazardous occupation.

Speaking of…

…I heard a rumor that that psycho loser Bobert kept saying “Hendrixfreak, Hendrixfreak, Hendrixfreak” at that Beatlejuice performance, and it was the final straw that got her booted!

And I think maybe we lost Keithfan under there somewhere? Haven’t heard from him in fo ever…

Right..

Just as we are about to poke through the concrete of the basement 6 floors under the vault.. they find us. Coincidence? Certainly not!

Help, We're Being Repressed!

Motherjumpers!

#Freethereels!

MIA HF

I suspect that he is in the outback freeing his mind and prepping for the Fall equinox.

Or maybe he went to Burning Man and is still stuck in the mud.

Where’s Waldo

Errrrrr I mean Hendrixfreak?
That’s just it, he was out and about in Montana and was supposed to be back end of August…
Hopefully he’s just busy, wherever, and there’s no fuckery about?

Bickershaw 5-7-72

Just started Bickershaw and it occurred to me that 12 shows into the tour there weren't all that many songs in the setlists from either Workingman's or American Beauty. A quick look to verify only found Sugar Mag and Truckin' from Beauty (whoops found a Brokedown too) and five out the eight from Workingman's with two of those played maybe once or twice in the tour. I knew going in to the full EU72 tour I was in for a lot of repetition in the setlists and having glanced at them beforehand saw the order of songs or placements were also similar, i.e. Casey Jones to end many a first set. So maybe knowing they were doing the album they did so many of the same ones to get a better shot at getting one that would be just exactly perfect for the album, more to choose from. Seems a bit opposite to their usual format of no format or you get what feels right that night. These shows are certainly not carbon copies by any means and I'm not complaining at all but just wanted to explore why they all sound a bit the same. Clearly some doing them all in a row impressions happening but not burnout at all. They are all just too good!
Cheers

5/13/72

The make up show.
Yeah 1stshow, there is definitely a looooot of repetition! Lol
But yeah, all good, perhaps getting a little burnout, though I haven’t had a lot of good, sit down sessions.
By necessity, some I’ve been just streaming on crappy work device, (or I’d be still doing this months from now and I’m getting itchy for some other Dead ) I’ve tried to hit those shows multiple times.
5/13 was one, and another first time show.
I thought it was a mostly well played show, especially considering it was another cold outdoor show.
Loved JG joking about a movie and playing drive ins lol
The PITB seemed a little different, and awesome! Oh, loved Pig making Europe sounding police sirens on the organ during the first spacey part of TOO, another beauty. Nice how their starting to work He’s Gone into the flow of the set.
Don’t have my info here, but believe this might be the first show without a Good Lovin, which no offense, but I am getting burnt on. Have really been enjoying the other stuff, especially Hurts Me Too and Mr Charlie! And I need to learn the rest of the words to ChinaTown Shuffle as I can’t get the chorus outta my head lol.
In fact slightly light on the grease, perhaps the chilly cold and being on the road, or maybe time limits? This show was a little shorter by E72 standards, more like a “normal” Dead show.
Wonder if that was due to having to get back on the road, the cold, or…?
Overall another great show, though if hard pressed I don’t think I’d include in top five or whatnot…
Kudos to them though in spite of being less than ideal circumstances and this far into the tour etc

Oh, I think the repetitiveness and lack of certain songs was totally by design.
Always good to have as many good versions of songs to attempt to choose from. Nothing worse than wanting a certain song badly but only having a so so version…
They had all those new songs they wanted to get out, or try to, so I can fully understand not doing too many other recently released songs.
Making the album was a big part of the tour and after hating their studio stuff versus the great live albums, they were trying to make an album, but live in front of grooving people. Same sorta MO they did with In The Dark. Kinda surprises me they didn’t use this approach more often since it obviously worked so well for them.
And perhaps unknown to some, but even though they played all tracks live, they did go back and clean up and/or sweeten some things in the studio afterwards, so really a sorta highbred album. Same with Skullfuck.
Ok, on to 5/16/72 and a world radio broadcast!
Onward!

Repetition

Is that true, though, that there was more repetition of songs during the E72 tour than others in the late 60's and 70's?
I haven't checked it out, but listening to shows, I always get a sense that they had a core group of songs that they leaned on during specific tours. It was the same listening to the 1973 box that has just come out. There weren't any shows that were wildly different from any other - possibly 6/10/73. That has a different feel than the earlier ones.

That's not a criticism - the more they played specific songs - especially the ones incorporating jams, the better they got to know them and the more they were able to re-interpret them. Part of the ongoing mystery - especially from late 1971-1974. Maybe.

Bickershaw again

Finishing up as I write.
Highlights: Dark Star, The Other One, Lovelight (Jerry!).
The line-up for this festival is astounding. Woodstock level of mud too.
DR, guessing you've heard Hawkwind's performance. Good?
Cheers

RE: repetition

Yeah they always went heavy on what was new. Guessing partly for their own sanity/interest, and partly for the crowds.
Not unlike Taylor Swift etc: make an album, go on the road to support it, rinse and repeat…of course like most things, they weren’t that formulaic, thank goodness lol. Plus, they were smart enough to figure out that it’s better to work stuff out on the road BEFORE you go into the studio to record it, especially when you do constantly tweak and re-invent them. So this tour was perhaps a bit of both lol.
Also, (think we’ve discussed before?) folks didn’t tour so much back then, probably not at all in 1972 Europe?
So they didn’t have to worry about that like they did later on.
Sometimes I think they, or someone, just really enjoyed certain songs, so played en more.
I’d say they played less repetitive in some ways as the years passed and they had more and more songs to choose from.
Ok, maybe not Bob, he seemed to need to play everything to death lol. Speaking of, why Me&My Uncle every night! I mean they just put it out on the last live album only a year before! With so much new stuff as the Dead, and from WM and AB, AND both Bob and Jers recent solo albums, why Bob, why LOL ; ) Perhaps trying to bring more American “culture”?
As far as reinterpreting songs, I think they always did that, though some more than others and with various results.
I guess that’s yet another thing dependent on the listeners taste and chever way yer pleasure tends…
But I’d bet the biggest factor on this tour was trying to get at least one good useable version of all the new material since they purposely chose this methodology to get the new songs out on a new album. That and mix in some familiar stuff as you never want to do all unknown songs. I could tell ya a story about doing that lol

Repetitive, Sort of..

With the exception of Copenhagen and London, they hit these cities just once and my guess is most locals had not had any real exposure to the touring Grateful Dead. Copenhagen is the real outlier, two hits at the same venue and similar second set setlists.

I always assumed they wanted to make a presence in Europe and knowing people were not as exposed in the US, wanted to paint a strong picture for each city.

So 51 years later listening to the whole tour, there is lots of repetition. But if you were there then, it was all brand new. That's how I digested it. They wanted to hit Europe with a cohesive picture of what they were doing then not knowing when or if they would return.

Bickershaw and repetition

1stshow -no, I have never heard Hawkwind's set at Bickershaw. Curiously, I have never read anything about it either, not from the band or from people who were there. Simonrob was there - maybe he knows something.
1972 was the year it all came together for Hawkwind, culminating in the Space Ritual tour in December. In fact - a timely thought - the 11 cd special deluxe edition of Space Ritual is out next Friday. Probably not good value for money unless you are really into it - they basically played the same set on that tour wherever they played - this new set features three of them. I'll be getting it - but the original album may be better value overall.

Going back to The Dead's repetitive - or otherwise - song lists - they would have played to a different audience every night, for the most part, during E72, so maybe it mattered less than later on if they played the same songs a lot. Maybe that was the case for American gigs at first, too. It wasn't common practice in England in the 1970's to see the same band twice on the run, so I wouldn't think it was in America at first. As teenager, apart from anything else, I wouldn't have been able to afford it.

GD Bulletin

Daverock gets the call out.

Icecrmcnkd

Sorry - I'm not sure what that means!

Daverock

The September GD Bulletin came out yesterday in an email.
At the end there is a section Community Bits that briefly summarizes what it being discussed on these boards.

It says:

In the Pick of the Day, With Discussion thread, Daverock raises the interesting point that for Europe ’72, there weren’t so many Dead Heads in the audience — and that affected the band’s playing. Maybe for the better? What do you think?