Greatest Story Ever Told
Dire Wolf
C.C. Rider
Loser
Cassidy
Dupree's Diamond Blues
Hell in a Bucket
Might As Well
Scarlet Begonias
Touch of Grey
Fire on the Mountain
Man Smart/Woman Smarter
drums
The Wheel
I Need a Miracle
Stella Blue
Sugar Magnolia
Dark Star
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Now these shows were FUN
I loved this show.
Dark Star Forever
My 1st time in
Wow check out the screens
Flickster Wow, I got goose
No place I'd rather be!!!
This show was my highest.
Me and my friends passed a
Given Ticket by Calico
John
Question?
not my photos
Scarlet Begonias (Jam)
While 1984 isn’t usually what comes to mind when thinking of incredible tours, this is a fine example of Jerry and the band at their absolute peak in terms of listening to each other and creating a vivid space from which to improvise. Jerry’s health was in huge decline during this period, his vocals often being strained to the point of scorched during most of 1983-1985. It wasn’t until after the coma and return to the road in 1987 that he could croon on a regular basis. However, there were often many great nights of guitar playing pre coma. At this point, he was still performing magically on most nights. The Greek Theatre was always a special place for the band and this run was no exception. This night was the first of a three night run and the first back in their hometown winding down from the long summer tour that started out West, moved to the East and then Midwest. This night among other things was known for the breakout of Dark Star for the first time since New Years 81 and more interestingly played as an encore, While that was satisfying in its own right, I believe the Scarlet Begonias —> Touch of Grey —> Fire on the Mountain was the barn burner of the show. This jam in Scarlet, prior to the move to Touch of Grey, which hadn’t ever happened before this night as far as I know, was intense, full of energy and great band syncopation. Paul and I are constantly looking for that magic in the music and this was no exception. The interplay between Jerry’s leads, Bob and Phil’s rhythmic foundation, the drummers cool fresh sounds and Brent who had come into his own (almost 5 years at this point) was highlighted by this mesmerizing jam. I find this full of energy and fresh ideas that I have drawn from in countless jams. The pace starts out nice and even and then builds dynamically throughout to an interesting crescendo. What always keeps me coming back to this jam is the upbeat nature of it. Scarlet jams could be sometimes short, spacey or even somewhat measured. There might be better ones, but this is pretty cool. I especially like the tease at the end into Fire on the Mountain, which Jerry actually abandons in favor of Touch of Grey
DSO Playing 7/13/84 at the Greek
...and 40 years onward!
July 13, 1984 I was lucky to be there with my friends. I do remember Phil coming out on stage at the end saying they had something special. They had two screens that they started showing picutures of the universe on :-). That was the first time I had ever heard Dark Star, the fellow heads around were erupting.
I do recall immersing myself in the song :-)
Cool stuff, on July 13, 2024 I was offered two tickets from a friend to go to the Dark Star Orchestra at the Berkeley Greek Theater, a 40 year Anniversary of the 1984 show and the Rex Foundation. I only found out when I was there that they were repeating the 1984 show. My son and I went with my friend, and had a wonderful time. A great performance by DSO, who added an extra encore that included Ripple at the end, of course with the crowd singing along. My son remarked that we were nearly the same age 40 years apart seeing the same show. me 21 in 1984 and him 20 in 2024. Wonderful.
What A Long Strange Trip...
I was at the infamous 7/13/84 Greek show when the shooting start arced across the night sky as the band rolled into Dark Star. At 21, it was of my most memorable shows. Did I ever think that 40 years later I would return to the Greek with my 2 kids in tow, ages 20 and 26 to relive that incredible evening? Heck no. But, that is what happened, and it was a great time. I attended 14 shows at the Greek but that one was always a stand out. Time to dial up the way back machine and go listen to the GOGD from that wonderful night!