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    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.

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  • dissident1980
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    I was skeptical ...

    I was skeptical about a 1985 release to lead off Dave's Picks this year, BUT, these are two very hot and very fun shows! Nice picks Dave :-) [Now, onward to September 1970! ... hee hee hee]

  • hendrixfreak
    Joined:
    I suffer from premature congratulations

    Just finished the first show on #49 and have to add that Bobby finished off the show with Around & Around into One More Sat Nite and man, the band is ferocious! Those songs, except on E72, sometimes leave me cold, on this one my freakin' pants caught fire and... I ain't lyin!

    Props to Billy, Phil and Brent and Mickey is playing with a remark-worthy precision that lays the sneakers-in-the-dryer effect to rest.

    Dave L., you have chosen wisely. Hats off! And flaming pants off too!

  • That Mike
    Joined:
    Angry Jack Kerouac

    A great road story, Jack, well told! They sure were different times.
    “Roads were made for journeys, not destinations”
    Confucius

  • hendrixfreak
    Joined:
    Strangely, I may be on topic here...

    Enjoying the first #49 show. Yes, early first set sounds driven by the pre-show blast of marching powder but they settle down and my comment is:

    Jerry may be in rugged shape, off-stage, but he sure seems to be the one driving the segues from song to song, where segues occur. He leads into GDTRFB, Truckin', Other One into Peter. I find Jer in exemplary form for most of the first show and on all "his" songs, in fact, like days of yore, the band is running after him at full tilt.

    Ya know, I don't mind an "energetic" '85 show with the serendipity of setlist and the robust even raw treatment of the music. This is Rock and Roll, after all. I keep comin' back to Jer and his performance here.

    So, a wide variety of shows sometimes leans on so-so performances, but in this case, the selection provides a reconsideration of long-held biases.

    In other words, this sucker rocks with the fat man in the lead. God bless and RIP Jer.

  • estimated-eyes
    Joined:
    So Far

    Reaffirming here how much I love this release now that I have fully digested it a couple of times. Listening to it on the home stereo over the weekend took me back to my dorm room in 1989 watching the video So Far. I have heard plenty of 1985 shows, but the way this one is mixed and remastered, the sound/feel of the band is exactly like they sounded when they recorded that video. Not surprising as they recorded So Far shortly after, but man... this is a time machine release. Brent's keys during Bird Song took me to that place, in particular. Thank you, Dave!

  • Dennis
    Joined:
    Kingfish - Big Iron

    Nice call, I have a Kingfish show from 76 NYC. Very nice recording.

  • 1stshow70878
    Joined:
    Big Iron

    Said this one before.
    Kingfish did killer versions.
    Can't go wrong with Marty Robbins.
    Cheers

  • Dennis
    Joined:
    off topic, of course

    I’m sure we all have thoughts about songs the Dead could have played. I’m not talking about big hit covers, like knocking out a Stairway to Heaven. No, odd songs you really never saw coming.
    I mentioned several times about how they should have done Ghost Riders in the Sky as a Bob song.
    And Jerry really blew it when he didn’t do On Broadway, while he was on Broadway. Just to hear Jerry belt out –

    But they're dead wrong, I know they are
    'Cause I can play this here guitar
    And I won't quit til I'm a star on Broadway
    The house would have went nuts!

    Well I’m laying in bed last night waiting for edibles to take me to sleep-world and this one crossed my mind. This may actually be an early version of Fire on the Mountain. I always thought Fire on the Mountain was about being in the band. Some of the phases remind me of Hunter.

    The song – Six Man Band by the Association.

    Well, I'm a day at a time
    I'm a day at a time
    Well, I'm a seeker and knower
    In a six man mind
    'Cause I'm a travelin' man
    Yes, I'm a travelin' man
    Well, I'm a comer and a goer
    In a six man band
    Well, I'm a California man, my instrument in hand
    I'm electrified
    On a fast flyin' trip, dirty laundry in my grip
    Mostly drip-dry
    We got the seventeen jewels that dictate the rules
    And the time to fly, as we're passing by
    We just got the time to say hello, and then a fast good-bye
    I'm a travelin' man
    Yes, I'm a travelin' man
    Well, I'm a comer and a goer
    In a six man band

    Use of the word “grip” in the second verse, an old term, reminds me of the 20’s. Would a kid today know what a grip is? Does the youth have a sense of jewels in a watch?
    But then throw in a huge jam after “fast goodbye”, coming out with Jerry growling out “I’m a Travlin’ Man”

    Just a thought, ok maybe drug induced, but….

    Anyone else have a song the Dead should have done?

  • dmcvt
    Joined:
    Angry Jack Straw in Vermont?

    Your story, great stuff. Minor point, even adjusting for 1985, everyone outside of Burlington being farmers?? Hmmm... guess you did not get around outside Burl much. If you had said mid 60s, maybe, that's about when the back to the land movement, hippies, communes etc started the meaningful shift that turned Vermont from republican farmers to crafty democrats. The interstate highway system that made this happen began construction the early 60s. I get it about the difficulty is driving east west, drove out to Watkins Glen in 1973 from Maine. When I moved here in 1980 after visiting friends for years, lived on a farm in the mountains near Killington, old timers told stories about rural electrification still, which came in after WWII. Just sayin.... (and wowee zowee, first post in more than a month with no hay now or crapcha)

  • 1stshow70878
    Joined:
    C'mon Louis!

    Ten days of it will be here today. You're killing me Smalls!
    Nothing innovative about lousy service Mr. Dejoy.
    Cheers
    Must be something with W. Colorado as my buddy in Crested Butte doesn't have his yet either.

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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.

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Dave rock its been released on the Beyond Description box set as bonus material,that it s what my reliable sources tell me.

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I see that came out from Rhino in between Dick's 32 &33 and more interestingly was also put out as individual albums including the bonus cuts in 2006. I wonder how hard those are to find?
Cheers

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In reply to by 1stshow70878

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I was figuring they’d go with 3/23/75 as Blues bonus also, but probably not if it’s already released? But who knows? Perhaps gives hope for 6/17/75!
They gave us two disc bonuses before : )
It would make a lot of folks happy, perhaps non more than ole BTK!

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In reply to by Oroborous

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about Mars bonus?
Hope it’s not just cut up tidbits…
Hopefully there’s a killer 74 show with incomplete reals but a discs worth of solid second set sequence of ooey gooey goodness as the Doc would say!

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I was trying to send a PM and kept getting "Hey Now!" I was calling the Grateful Dead just the "Dead" so I took away the word DEAD replaced it with Grateful Dead and it went through ????????

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DMCVT Check your PM I finally got both to go through

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In reply to by Chuck

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if the PTB cared a rat's whisker and got rid of that Hey Now tripe

Poor business model

Really poor

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In reply to by proudfoot

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I would be glad to have the rest of the DaP 34 Bonus Disc show as the bonus for Mars 50.
Peace

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In reply to by TN John

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The name of Stanley Jordan's new ensemble.
Billed as performing "cosmic variations" in a jazz format on the Grateful Dead library.
Not sure how deep the dive is, but...
...color me intrigued.
Peace

Something of a hidden treasure on "Beyond Description", then. I can't see it advertised as a stand alone release anywhere. In fact, it doesn't seem to be listed in any of the available copies of the afore mentioned box either. Strange how such an important and unusual show should be hidden away like this.

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Blues For Allah from 3-23-75 is included in the bonus disc of the Beyond Description box. Likely never released as a separate.
Cheers
Edit: Thirty two minutes of Blues For Allah and an encore was all they did at that benefit according to Deadbase X.

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While the reissues of the albums on "Beyond description" had extra tracks added, as 1stshow said, there was a separate bonus disc that came with pre-ordered copies of the box. Tracks on it are:
Weather Report Suite (live 10/17/74)
Blues For Allah > Stronger Than Dirt Or Milkin' The Turkey > Drums > Stronger Than Dirt Or Milkin' The Turkey > Blues For Allah (live 3/23/75)
Showboat (8/12/75 rehearsal)
Shakedown Street (live 8/13/79)
Far From Me (live 8/31/80)
Estimated Prophet (live 10/10/80)

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In reply to by simonrob

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I got Beyond Description years after release, so didn’t get the bonus disc.
The extra tracks on the studio albums from Golden Road and Beyond Description contain quite a few songs that later were released when the whole, or partial, show came out.
So, Dave, clean up 3-23-75 to today’s audio standards and release it in 2025.

Pulling through a 21 inch snow storm yesterday, central Vermont into Maine was the bullseye, Boston just got rain. Before that, unusually the ground was clear and thawed, ice was out on the pond, crocus in bloom, daffodils budding, very odd for mid March. Several editions of the SNACK concert can be found on the archive including a Charlie, it can be downloaded via ATTICS, a great candidate for a future release. Landmark show during the hiatus. HEY NOW got to go.

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Sunny and completely cloudless here today, so why not a playing of Dave’s 32 from the Spectrum in Philly 3-24-73, with a decent Box of Rain.
While on Philly and the Spectrum, this official Phish release “Spectrum ‘97”, is hands down the best live recording I’ve heard in a while. Kudos to my Phishing Guide VGuy, who got me onto these guys in the first place. Void filled.
I, too, obtained Beyond Description after it was officially released, so no bonus disc for me. I remember at the time reading a lot of press about the (at the time) rare appearance of the Dead on the stage, who had Ned Lagin on keys with them, if memory serves. A show to have seen.

Shakedown? Hey Hendrixfreak, isn’t that “your” Shakedown?

DMCVT: cheese and rice dude, at this time of year, that’s some serious cement!
Careful Bra, that sheet will kill ya! Hopefully you can just let it melt and not have to shovel ; )

Yeah, what Conekid said!

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And that Shakedown is just the beginning. The 2nd set was definitely the highlight with a killer Truckin' > Nobody's Fault Jam > Truckin' that really sealed the deal. As good as it was I think 8-12-79 was better (of course, it was at Red Rocks).
Cheers
Edit: BTW Miller's SB sounds way better than my nosebleed seats sound was.

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In reply to by Oroborous

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Hey Oro, its not quite the Rockies but these old green mountains do have a way of collecting real weather. Shovels and a little ryobi snowbroom that works like a charm though multiple passes required when deep. This was pretty light, whats dangerous is being under the metal roof edge when the load on top lets go. And yes, the compacted result is cement. Take the weatherproof blue tooth speaker out there and rock on.

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In reply to by simonrob

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..with "Beyond Description" looks a bit of a botch up. While it would be nice to have the "Blues For Allah Suite" the other tracks look like a random selection without any connection at all. Apart for the 1975 rehearsal, I suppose

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DR, I tried to post that sentiment as well earlier but got HN'd. Wouldn't let me post the contents of the disc either, but Simon got it to take. The whole release is full of loose threads almost like the other early stuff like So Many Roads. No real continuity but at least you get some hot songs. Doubt if it's in my shopping cart but used it is around $200 for 12 discs + bonus.
Cheers

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In reply to by daverock

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I know snow, but though I’ve seen some dumplings of several feet at a time here, it’s usually so light and fluffy compared to the lake affect snow belt cement I used to shovel and plow back in WNY for half the neighborhood as a yoot. Which is what I feared you received, glads it’s not ; )

1stshow: I pave heard that show and checked out the Shakedown several times when HF and myself were playing verbal ping pong, and it is mos def good sheet!…but I still like 6/30/85 better ; ) lol

BONE US: yeah, I’m afraid that’s the similar approach we’ll get for Mars, though TNJohn might be on to something. Like something Dave would do…

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Yes, 8-13-79 is "my" Shakedown. A little background...

8-12-79 at the Rocks was a really good show. We got pretty lysergic'd that night. The next night at McNichols my girlfriend and I took a whopping dose and they opened with a thunderous Shakedown and proceeded to destroy the joint. I did get tapes and confirmed that the night -- a great show -- wasn't "all in my mind."

But ... I cannot discount the personal bias that comes with that experience and really have no need to put my experience or tapes in competition with other experiences and versions. I will say that I'd love that three-night run to come out, properly restored. We all have those short (or long) lists of desired releases. As we should. I have had all or part of ten shows I attended come out officially, which has that pleasing I-was-there vibe, no doubt.

Greetings to Oro, 1stshow, dcmvt, nappy, dennis, vguy, JimInMD and all. Yeah, we had the concrete snow last week, now it's violent sleet, hail and big rain, and little snow here on the Front Range flats. In a month I'll be paddling down the Colorado River and that means goin' down the road feelin' good...

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In reply to by proudfoot

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....hey now pocky way.
Breaking down the hey nows back to formula.
I busted out the So Many Roads box in since forever it seems.
The Monterey '88 PITB has big balls.
Studio versions of Gentlemen Start Your Engines and Believe It Or Not pumping the adrenaline.
I caught both of those live.
It's all about timing I guess.

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In reply to by hendrixfreak

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I wouldn't have thought this at one time, but it does seem to me now that any music-or activity for that matter - that we enjoy, after having taken a psychedelic, is largely due to the drug we have taken, not the music or activity we have engaged in.
A lot of music only seems to work if we take the drug that inspired it. although I don't really think The Dead are like that - despite all the reports on here. I don't know if I would rate a lot of the music from the 70's that I still like so much if I hadn't turned on at the time of first being exposed to it.
An example of music I have never liked that is drug based is rave music - and I have always thought that this was because I never took ecstasy or went to a rave.

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Music is used for everything from celebration to bereavement and grief, and everywhere in between!

Also, this hey now stuff. It finnally happened to me and it's annoying as hell! Didn't we have some odd things popping up here, awhile back?? Maybe that's why

Rock on, gang!

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In reply to by jonathan918@GD

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Hmm, had some comments but got hey now'd. Will see if I can paste... nope apparently not. Comments on ancient music and altered states, how long have we been drumming, after sucking out the marrow, people were making bone flutes forty thousand years ago, bows known to have been used ten thousand plus years ago, that's a string bass. Psychogenic plants and fermentation, also eight to ten thousand years known at least. That the problem with prehistory, not much for documentation, petroglyphs, incised clay, cave paintings. But hey, after the hunt, why not settle back in front of the fire with music and enhancements.

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I’ve just seen a terrific animated video on X with the date 3/27/24 for Mars Hotel. No other info either on dead.net or elsewhere, but no doubt it’ll appear soon.

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I seen that too!!

Super excited!!

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In reply to by jonathan918@GD

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I just saw the Mars cartoon on Instagram. Same thing - no narrative, just the date of 3-27-24

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In reply to by daverock

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Weird telepathic coincidence?

Was talking the other day and I remembered a quote from bear "if you dont like today's music drop some acid and then give a chance." Paraphrase. Odd to have it come up again.

Can I post?

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I was brushing my teeth with a large jug of bottled water in an albany strip mall parking lot when a cop car drove up and asked my friend and I if we enjoyed the show last night. It was a moment.

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That's a classic concert story that needs more details, lol. Dozin' at the Knick seems appropriate now. Thx JJC.
Cheers

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In reply to by Gary Farseer

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Reminds me of the Spacemen 3 title ‘Taking drugs to make music to take drugs to’

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1974
"The Dead begin recording Mars Hotel"* ironically it was a Monday-another quirk in the land of DEAD!!

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In reply to by wissinomingdeadhead

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Boycott the MH release.

Yeah right you might say

But I recommend boycotting

Show the PTB that angering your customers is not good business

I like the spirit, but it might be more pertinent for people to stop subscribing to Dave's Picks and all that clap trap. Besides, I have always rather liked Mars Hotel.

Oddly, I was able to edit and post comment from yesterday that was hey now'd several times... its back about ten or so. Relating to the ancient connection between music and altered states. Capchacha made me go through two screens, the second was for bridges, eerie after todays disaster. As far as this years big box, sure hope Rhino heard all those comments about the issues with the HCS package.

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Rhino will certainly have heard all those comments about the issues with the HCS package. The big question is whether they will do anything to ensure it doesn't happen again.

Of course they are also aware of the "hey now" problem but haven't done anything to fix that.

As long as they keep selling stuff, why would they care?

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In reply to by simonrob

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Because they love us.
And as Arthur Brown once sang " Love is a spirit that will never die."

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In reply to by Colin Gould

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Thanks for the Spaceman comment. A band I had never heard of before. Gave me a nice little rabbit hole this morning with my coffee.

Thanks!

G

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Beyond Description is an excellent bonus, the series with the best bonus discs was Road Trips. There is a TON of prime release material that got caught up in those releases. RT 4.3 had 12.673 as the bonus material including a 57 minutes Dark Star > Eyes, whoa baby that's good

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In reply to by Gary Farseer

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Just wanted to wish Dickey Betts and Jaimoe a Happy 55th Anniversary of the founding of the Allman Brothers Band. Always love listening to you guys. Had a great time at all the shows I saw.

G

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