Grateful Dead

Joan Baez was very maternal with the children of the 80s. I’ve been listening to the complete 1981 NYE New Years run. 12/26/81 is amazing for the drums into the 11 section with exploratory improvisation. 12/27 has an awesome extended Playing in the Band into drums. The final Passenger was performed that night. I listened to 12/28 last night.
That time in my life was exciting as I was in my 20s. I was moving south from seven years in Montana to New Mexico where I still live 39 years later.
That New Years run along with 12/12/81 were my re-entry into live Grateful Dead after a four year hiatus. 12/31/81 was my first official NYE Dead concert. 12/31/75 was a quasi mini NYE dead show by default with Bob Weir and Mickey Hart sitting in at midnight. Close but no cigar (phatty).
1981 was my first time seeing Brent live. Also my first time seeing Jerry play his Doug Irwin Tiger guitar.
Joan Baez was incidental to the three nights I saw her play with the Dead acoustic 12/12,30,31/81. When I listened to 12/12/81 a couple weeks ago I was very impressed with Joan and the Dead playing Warriors of the Sun. What my impressions of these concerts are now 39 years later are most likely vastly different in perspective as to what I was experiencing then.
Overall summary of December 1981 Grateful Dead, they were still a very exciting youthful improvisational band.

This past year I listened to basically the same amount of live GD recordings as I have in the past 20-25 years. That’s because live GD is about the only thing I listen to, ~99% GD, the remainder being Jerry bands, then everyone else.
The difference over all the years being an increase in the sound quality of the unofficial releases (cassettes > CD-R’s > torrents, with Miller upgrades along the way), and an ever growing quantity of official releases. There’s a lot out there to keep us busy. I wouldn’t want to have to endure a pandemic without the Good Ole Grateful Dead.
That 76 Box was really what we needed when the shutdown and quarantine hit.
WMD and AB 50th’s along with stellar sounding Port Chesters.
4 new DaP’s, although some people may still be waiting on delivery of one or more.

Keep the releases coming Dave and Co.

I haven’t been keeping up with the NYE shows, but will try to get a few in this week (I did listen to 12-31-77 and 12-31-90 2-3 weeks ago).
Watching 12-31-78 on NYE is looking more and more likely.
Also have the 12-31-87 video, maybe will give that a spin this week too.

I’ve been watching a lot of roc docs lately on the streaming channel Tubi (I ditched cable, have the TV connected to Ethernet). Anthem to Beauty was made as part of the Classic Albums series, there are a lot of episodes out there of other bands. Those and other roc docs are on Tubi.
Last night watched a doc on The Police, narrated by Andy and including photos he took during the years. After a tour in Asia Andy and Stuart stayed in Asia on vacation. He narrates “while at the resort we met John Belushi”, a couple of photos of John are shown, “then we realized that there was a cafe serving magic mushroom omelets”......
Then it cut to commercial....
Anyway, it was funny because I watched Animal House a couple days ago.

I guess that brings us full circle to 12-31-78 and the Blues Brothers video which I will also watch on NYE.

Aptly titled documentary for the Closing of Winterland.

Even after I've listened to it hundreds of times, 12/31/78 can conjure the magic.
It was fun to go there again.

The Return of Dark Star.
In my early days of collecting GD music, this tape above all others had a real mystique to it.
Let's remember in '87 there was no internet, the first Deadbase had just come out if you knew of such things (I didn't), Unless you were connected Dead tapes were hard to find (we weren't).
And so this Tape with Dark Star from 1978 was crucial.
I had the '84 Dark Star, I'm not sure about the '81 and was unaware of the 2 from '79. And 1989 hadn't happened.
So within that context.
This show was proof, to me anyway, that magic could still happen.
It epitomized the idea that you never knew what you might get at a Dead show.
And it made me wonder, what other tapes like this are out there?!?!

Well Thirty-three years later, there's a lot of tapes out there. But not a lot of other tapes like this out there.
It's a special night for sure.
And that's just one memory. I'm sure there are a million about this show.

Dick Latvala would say it was the greatest night of his life.
The only regret had about the DVD release by Jeffrey Norman & David Lemieux was that Dick wasn't alive to see it and deadicated the release to him.

What an amazing show and time.

Super glad that I watched Set 3. Seeing the band (Jerry in particular) rock like that, smiling and having a good old time.
Priceless.
And the Extras were calling me.
I found my Bill Graham's favorite moments interviews.
Both Parish & Bob tell great stories about the 12/31/72 NYE at Winterland and the guy on the rope / wire.
And then Scoop Nisker interviews Bill Graham and he tells the story too and says it's his favorite memory of the place.
Great Stuff.

Also, I learned something new. I always wondered who those two guys were interviewing Bob, Mickey and then Kesey.
They're just so awkward, I would watch and be like.. who are these guys?!?!
Well now I know, they're KSAN DJs Glenn Lambert (wrote the liner notes for Cow Palace '76 & '78) and Norm Winer.

Alright.. By the next NYE the band has a new sound and a new member and we're heading into a new era.
The Brent era.

And for many of us here it's going to be a good one.

Strider... let's hear a Joan Baez story!
And I second the notion of having listened to more Grateful Dead this year than ever before.
I didn't think it was possible. But it is and I've been doing it.

1981 NYE let's do this.
(And for you warriors, sit through that Joan Baez set ;)

Back to the NYE shows.
NYE shows I went to; 12/31/81, 12/31/84, 12/31/86, 12/31/88,12/31/89, 12/31/90 . Of the six official New Years Eve shows I attended I also went to the complete run each of those December’s. Throw in (almost) NYE Grateful Dead, 12/31/75- Jerry Garcia w/ Nicky Hopkins, 1/2/70, 12/29,30/77.
Most other New Years Eves I’ve experienced seem tame.

such is life..

Still, I got in 69, 72 and some of 76.

....I remember when this came out on cd. Played it for a week straight. Zero complaints.
edit. Today is '78. Whelp. I better get to listening 🎶

12/26/69 was wonderful yesterday. 12/31/69 two days ago was also super magical. I listened to 12/26/70 this morning. Will listen to 12/26/81& 12/27/81 later today.
Have listened to more Grateful Dead in 2020 than in years. Also read more books than in years. Finishing On Highway 61 by Dennis McNally. Fascinating history. Super well researched.
Peace out, no piece out.

I remember when the tickets went on sale they were $30 dollars apiece, we were shocked, we were paying $7 dollars to go to shows at that time. The tickets were given out through a lottery, you sent in a S.A.S.E. with your check and you either got back your check or you received tickets, we got shutout and got back our checks. The day of the show tickets wrent on sale in the box office, my brother bought one, I could have had one, I decided to stay home and watch it on TV, I was with a bunch of friends and we had a blast.
..

Roger that.
And back at you.
Happy Holidays!

check pm and email