Anyone who has ever seen the Dead can testify that one of its shows will add quite a bit of color to the environment here at Stanford. Anyone who has not seen one of these spectacles should have the opportunity to do so. The Grateful Dead are an important part of the Bay Area's cultural history. Those of us who saw them last week can testify that the Dead are alive and well. The Concert Network would be hard-pressed to find an act which would bring Frost Amphitheatre to life as the Dead would. - The Stanford Daily
As you know by now, we'd certainly have voted aye on this motion, so much so, that we've loaded up DAVE'S PICKS 49 with not one, but two complete Grateful Dead shows from the Frost Amphitheatre, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 4/27/85 and 4/28/85. The first shows from '85 in the series, these back-to-back hometown performances couldn't be more different while delivering the same level of passion and precision, five hours of it, in fact.
In 1985, the band were celebrating "20 Years So Far," a feat that found them on these particular nights confident with invention in terms of both setlists and playing. There are old songs renewed, rare covers revived, undeniably nuanced Jerry moments, and a few surprises from Brent Mydland too. While it's impossible to select highlights, we can say with certainty that the overall clarity of these shows is unparalleled, courtesy of Dan Healy's recordings.
Limited to 25,000 numbered copies, DAVE'S PICKS VOLUME 49: FROST AMPHITHEATRE, STANFORD U, PALO ALTO, CA 4/27/85 & 4/28/85 has been mastered to HDCD specs by Jeffrey Norman at Mockingbird Mastering.
Good day for mail....
....no bills for one. Frost #11840 and Phish's Round Room vinyl #02744.
I'm flipping a coin.
Well. The coin was round. Guess I should've known.
I tend to drive home a little bit faster when I get the package "delivered" notification.
Will be dusting off Predator tonight. For Dillon.
It's not about the money...
Well, it certainly is for some, like the orange bloob. As far as the upcoming D&C Sphere run, everything costs more these days - everything, except a hike outside with ol' Fido - get out there!
D&C is market price. We've all got to make a living - the entire production staff has to be paid, the venue rented, blah blah. I'm sure the shows are already in pre-production and you don't want second tier schlubs and interns running the graphics at these shows now do ya?
I remember the uproar started when the Eagle$ went back out on the road after getting back together. The nerve!
I paid like $420 to see Metallica at SoFi last fall. Was it worth it? How even to answer the question... can the value of the hang with friends, the memory, having been there vs not having done it be quantified?
Planning on rocking Sphere for a friend's actual, on the day birthday for one of these shows. It's money that could definitely be put to better use, but again... life is short.
Past five:
Stanley Turrentine - Don't Mess with Mister T.
Phish - Junta
AC/DC - Powerage
Grateful Dead - Nightfall of Diamonds
Grateful Dead - Postcards of the Hanging
\m/
Ledded....
....that Eagles reunion tour back then was the catalyst for the current concert climate.
The promoter wondered, "Will people pay outrageous amounts for it?"
And. They did.
He was right, to no fault to him.
And so the dung beetle ball started rolling.
The Eagles had at least three "final tours" since then.
KISS has since beat that in spades.
To be fair though, D&C said they would never "tour" again. A residency isn't a tour.
Orange bloob. Pretty much. And that's putting it nicely.
I could go on regarding how the makeup stops at his ears to where it's clownish, but I won't. Even though I think I just did lol.
Make America Grateful Again....
....Taylor Swift's security detail needs to be on point from here on out.
And if you think I'm joking, I'm not.
Pains me to type that. For the record.
Wayne Kramer
I've just found out that Wayne Kramer died yesterday morning. A truly great guitarist-I was lucky enough to see him 4 times over the last 25 years. The last time would have been in 2018 - incredible explosive energy, even at 70. My favourite album of the MC5 has always been "Back in The USA" which I first heard when I was 18. Crow mentioned the Live at Tartars Field live clip from 1970 on here recently - it's on youtube. You can't bottle lightning, but that comes close.
Wayne
Talk of Wayne takes me back to high school late 60s, listening to MC5's album Kick Out the Jams, friend Jim P and I would roll something and spin that one up at volume. Posting minimally because of HeighNow blockage. Just got 49, recording excellent, though post 1980 GD is not as much my thing as the first fifteen, Jerry's voice a bit rough but his guitar, outstanding. Holy Smokes, after two craptcha screens, it worked.
Greed always trumps
So much for the annual pilgrimage to Boulder, Albuquerque, Austin and/or Dallas for Dead and Company. Ticket pricing, Vegas prices, and, well, VEGAS? Sorry. Thus the road ends for me. As John Lennon might say, "Clapping's optional – just rattle your jewelry." Onward.
Hooray! After a round of "Whack-A-Fire-Hydrant" 🤪, I was allowed to post!
#3664 arrived on Tuesday in…
#3664 arrived on Tuesday in the Mohawk Valley. If only all 80's releases sounded this good...
49
The sound is so very good on this release, especially for the era. Hot first show for sure, love this release. I have a regular skip of about 3 seconds every half minute or so in Scarlet Begonias, but that was in the Jeep player. Will have to experiment with home player and then rip and see if it clears up. If not, hope the good doctor can help.
I run a small town local history museum and this weekend is the city ice festival. I sponsor an ice carving and usually have them do something related to the city history. One year I had a Stealie and this year I have a Dancing Bear out front. The carver didn't know what to do with the back hand, so it looks like we have a male anatomically correct Dancing Bear. I keep laughing about it. Saving grace is that it is going to be so warm in the coming week that it won't last.
Weir and Loathing in LV
Heard from my sources that their probably only going to do 3 “shows”, repeated every WE….something about tech reasons and how difficult and complicated it is to sync up the whole show/videos etc
Lots of fun memes out there.
Like the one with Weir above niners logo and te te under a Chefs logo, with both above the super bowl logo. Favorite one is split shot of te te on top with caption: first super bowl, and Bob on bottom with caption: number of bowls undeterminable
49 kicks Ass!
Partners in Procrastination
I’m with you 1STSHOW70878. The same thing has happened to me, one week of Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow. I’ve seen others with shipping woes, but this is a first for me. Must be my turn.
An HF walks into a dispensary....
because it's dumping wet snow outside and I thought a treat to go with DaP 49 made a LOT of sense.
Still recall how excited we were in 8th grade ('70- '71?) when we got MC5's Kick Out the Jams LP, especially because I had the collectible, uncensored version and if there's anything a budding adolescent loves, it's hearing someone scream Motherf*****! on an LP...
Daverock, the Wake outtakes really are good. What I've done for the Working Man's, American Beauty and Wake outtakes is to select the most complete and well done versions of each song and put them in the LP running order to create an alternate version that kinda gets my mind out of the established recorded traditional LP versions of songs and good outtakes definitely give me a feel for how a song evolved prior to dubbing leads, etc. So, for instance, that beautiful piercing Jer guitar line that starts "Eyes" on the album is missing from the outtakes, which pretty much provide the band live in the studio playing the rhythm section. But YMMV.
Thanks to all for your welcome back sentiments.
As for Dead & Co. my only comment is that I dropped out of the GD live scene in '87 after a three nighter at Red Rocks and a two-dayer in Telluride because poor Jer had his '80s struggles and, at the wizened age of 30 I'd spent 15 years (maybe ~75 shows, including key '72 and '73 shows) with the band's live scene and just needed to move on. Went back for a double-header in Albany in '92 cuz I was cultivating nearby in Vermont. Had fun but the band seemed subdued. After that, I really enjoyed the Phil Lesh Quintet and a few Ratdog shows. But at 66, after 53 years in the rock 'n roll trenches, I've become a bit crowd intolerant (talking, phones, jostling, $$) and the slower pace of the songs isn't grabbing me. Though I wholeheartedly support the players and one and all who are still grooving.
After work and a workout, I'll crank up 49 and dig into the goodies. Have fun everyone!
Added...
More dates! My first show was 1/5/79 a reschedule from November 78, my last show was 6/15/95 I never saw the Dead or any of its spin-offs. After the debut of Unbroken Chain that pretty much did it for me I was 29 years old and decided that it was time to get off an ever changing bus and grow up. After the wild scene at Highgate that was it for me. The Dead played woefully bad and the crowd changed from a bunch of laid back Deadheads into a rowdy bunch of kids looking to crash the scene by making themselves the scene. To me the real day the music died is the day Jerry died. Today is it really about the music or the money?
The day the music died
65 years ago today. JP Big Bopper Richardson, Richie Valens, and Buddy Holly, RIP. Not Fade Away. Close shave for Waylon Jennings who lost a coin toss to Valens.
Wissingoming....
....more dates were added yes.
No one is forcing anyone to go.
I would like to fire up the John Deere/DeLorean to go back to the good ole days, however, that's not happening.
April 28
Good call on releasing this one in its entirety as well. Personal highlights for me include Phil's bass line at the beginning of Minglewood, how the Bird Song gave me a pretty slick flashback and the China Doll. Jerry's first solo sears it with something mournful but Bobby is the one to take the creative lead for the second after the last verse. And Jerry follows in kind. Which is what I'm finding works so well with these two shows. The band is really listening to one another and the ideas keep pouring out aplenty.
1982 Frost.....
was my favorite year at the Frost. I wish that they would have released 1982 & 1985 together as a small box 1982 & 1985 were definitely the two best years at the Frost.
Everybody’s talking about 50…
Everybody’s talking about 50 but 49 is gold. Perfect choice for a GOLDRUSH Show.
~fine -vintage 1980's
Been having trouble with iTunes and uploading the discs but (Cr)apple issues nuthin' new they're! ANYWAYS! What I had heard along the way was fabulous! Now finally I got all the songs into the computer library and mixed and fixed, I realize how awesome their playing is in these shows. Jerry's hurt voice aside, (his scratch reminds me of early `70z Dylan) this is one damn fine mid 80's Dead! Phil's Dylan cover maybe the highlight? tough call so many good jams and song versions. Maybe the best China Doll in my cd and mp3 collection (killer `85 drum jam follows) Thanks again Dave! & Happy 25th Anniversary with the Trip!
1982 in 2025?
You may be on to something, because by my records and accounts 1982 the year has not been represented yet in the Dave's series. That other Frost show may possibly be in the future mix? Anyways my guesses is maybe next year for `82? Also 1976 is due as I figure some calculations.
The Money
I’m not paying these prices. It would be easy to say it’s because there won’t be some dude named Garcia standing up on stage. Dead & Co. really doesn’t do it for me personally. The real reason, however, is that I am no longer that impressionable. Seeing the boys at a much younger age was life altering. I would pay any amount of money for that experience again, but I know it won’t happen. I got far more enjoyment shelling out the dough for my girls to see Talyor Swift last summer. “Something in there changed me, dad” was the feedback from the show. That is what music can do during your formative years and is worth any amount of money to me.
Now I am far more content seeing good bands in small venues. Over the past couple of months I saw Big Head Todd and My Morning Jacket. I sat in the first 10 rows, got to talk with members of the band and saw two fantastic concerts. Each for less than $75. Except for the beers of course. Those prices are still outrageous.
Another shout out to 49. This is an awesome release.
Re: 1976
Since #51 is a really different lineup, apparently, hoping that's TC and Pigpen. So for #52, my hope is indeed a 1976: 8-4-76. I am incessantly banging that drum, but bang it I shall co tinue to do, loudly and proudly. It is one of the finest overall shows I know of, is in pretty near pristine quality already, has a great video up at youtubes, yet still I want it. I'd prefer if they went through the trouble of releasing it on DVD/BluRay and CD, and maybe cut some of the tuning. But as there is no such series currently, give me it as a Dave's, it's certainly worthy.
Re; 8/4~1976
OOOOoooohhhhhHH Yeah! That's the one show for sure, I've got a few other lesser than pinnacle favs from that year as well. A shorter touring season that year like '74 but for different reasons. My bet (& hope) is that 1976 will be upcoming next year some time. I do recall Dave in a Sea or River chat saying this year in 2024 he wanted a wide variety of eras & line ups. My bets this year are maybe a Bear's banana box Pig show of some sort for #51 & I'm going out on a limb with a post Brent era pick, possibly 1991-4 for #52. For 2025 I feel a 1976 & an `82? Funner than Keno!
Kick Out The Jams...Brothers and Sisters?!
HF - I inadvertently came home with the neutered version back in the 70's. I got the proper one on cd later on..only so-so sound though. In 2018, we had the MC50 shows and vinyl repress in glorious red white and blue with the original battle cry intact. The whole album sounds like a rocket taking off.
I would say that's definitely one you needed to hear in your formative years, though. If you haven't heard it yet - I'm sorry, but your probably too late.
re: 1976
I'm guessing a June '76 Vol. 2 box set will happen at some time. First one focused on the first half of June, and there are some great shows in the latter half of the month. And yes, 8/4 is also a classic.
Private messages still don't work for me, if I type more than 2 lines.
76 Box TOO in 2026
Yes, the second half of June 76 needs to be Plangentized and Normanized, especially 6-29.
The Candyman and Playing>Wheel>Playing are epic to my brain.
DaP 51 should be 10-31-91 and 52 should be some Grease.
Last 8 LP’s
Spun 6-10-73 vinyl in its entirety last night.
Took 5 hours but was worth it.
Overall a good pressing and sounded grate. Phil comes through especially nice on vinyl.
Back from the Twilight Zone
After taking a five day siesta in Rossford, OH, 49 should be here tomorrow.
Nineteen seventy Sixtus
Don’t forget July there fellas…
I say make it a big summer 76 affair!
“ I can’t even listen”
“His voice is shot”
Really?
Sure there are a couple songs, mostly on the 28th that he doesn’t sound his best, but I fuggin double dog dare ya to listen to Black Peter, Wharf Rat, She Belongs, just to name a few, and say that again!
And so what, the energy and playing are off the charts.
All things considered it sounds pretty damn amazing too!
GO DAVE! 85 baby
Where to begin the begeen?
First it's Vguy announcing that his Wayback Machine is out of order... What??!! Next thing you know, HF is going to say "he doesn't remember the hitch-hike back from Watkins Glen"... (True dat!) Reminds of a friend who 20 years after our run of GD shows said he was bummed because he had never had a flashback. He felt ripped off! Personally, I'm kinda glad, as I clearly recall being lysergic and having a wee bit of a challenge negotiating whatever needed negotiating at the time.
Alvarhanso, I just read it but can't remember what you're banging the drum for, but i encourage you to keep banging... (oh, wait...)
Oro my man! Good to see you're still full of piss and vinegar! I'll be running over to Grand Junction sometime in the next month and will get in touch. Maybe we can meet up again, at that nonexistent McDonalds you swore was really there.......... hope you're well bro.
To whomever mentioned it (Angry Jack Straw?), indeed the Grateful Dead altered my life in a big way, age 15 onward. The lysergic played a significant role. By 30 I started spending a lot of time (and brain cells) in the backcountry of NW Colorado, pursuing wildness, a love that continues at 66. One dim memory: during my GD heyday, the band was playing either The Other One or Dark Star when they abruptly and perfectly smoothly segued into Me and My Uncle and the closing chord of that song simply plunged back into the maelstrom of jamming as it had been four minutes earlier. My buddy and I looked at each other, probably said nothing, but we both were thinking, "What the hell just happened?" That little trick, which I've seen on setlists (but rarely) really demonstrated that the band kept the Prankster mentality alive. And so perfectly executed that it was essentially sleight of hand.
Tell you what -- you get back on this forum and, man, I'm cranking out some pretty disjointed commentary on nothing in particular. Perfect!
Maybe tonight is # 49. I've got the produce in the house..............
Alvarhanso, check your PMs
Swear it has nothing to do with the ABB...
Got curious, checked setlists...
I see that on 8-1-73 (may I bang the drum for 7-31-73 and 8-1-73?) the band played Dark Star into El Paso into Eyes of the World. Maybe that was my WTF? moment...
Or was 1972 to 1992 my WTF? moment?
I think my Wayback Machine is burning oil, dang it. Over and out, boys and girls.
900,000 Tons Of Steel....
....whoosh!!
Now THERE is a song I haven't heard in a while. Brent & Phil awesomeness 👌.
Edit.
She Belongs To Me.
Jerry just being awesome. The fat man rocks. Remember that one? Remember the Garcia/Michael Jordan tees?
I do.
HendrixFreak is a solid bro. Love ya.
Solid release Mr. Lemieux. Mr. Latvala
would approve. Love ya as well you ADHD Canadian freak.
I'm still just enjoying the ride.
Bucket into Crazy Fingers. Very nice.
#49
Really been enjoying this pick. As a "like it all" type, I hope the variety continues!
Although I mostly listen to, 71-78, I'm abig fan of 79-95. Some of my favorite sets/moments are from 90-95! Yes, the Vince Welnick years!! Plenty of gold to be mined there!
Spring 1993 is the last great Grateful Dead Tour, IMHO, of course!!
Rock on, gang!