Grateful Dead

thnx for the reminder, it did get alot of airtime back in the mid-90's {it hits many of fav tunes + black muddy river}, THNX again, just pulled the DL>CD's out of the treasure chest, and it's gonna be tomorrow's LISTENING Party!
everyone enjoy your WEEKEND!
PEACE ALL!
uncle_tripel

Yes, my first, and the best concert I had seen in my life up to that point. I was sold, where’s the bus, I’m getting on.

And the laid back atmosphere of Ann Arbor. The cops didn’t even come into the parking lot. I was amazed at what I saw going down on Shakedown Street.

So glad I went. My life changed for the better.

Maybe not 74 China Rider good, but the one from 4/8/89 ain’t no slouch 😀

Though I did not relisten to a few shows previously heard, I did rehash several, and some shows multiple times. I started at 2/5 and went in order, finishing with the excellent 5/27 show.

Overall this is a very good, consistent period, though still not as fully gelled as the awesome summer and fall periods. I think this can be attributed to it being yet another transitional period. With the newer songs from the previous year still percolating , as well as several new tunes getting hashed out, (interesting during any era) combined with tech changes and evolving personal roles, it is an interesting period.
One that I hadn’t previously really looked at, and now glad I finally did!

I think generally, the earlier shows of the year are perhaps more consistent than is historically sometimes the case,( but historically similar) in perhaps being a teeny bit subdued, comparatively.
Their all good, enjoyable shows, didn’t hear a dude in the bunch, but hey, they can’t all be top shelf. So I found a nice progression through the spring that really started to gel and peak during the spring tour proper. I hopefully, Iprovide a nice jumping off point for anyone interested in what ever tour I’m stumbling through.

3/28/89: vguy suggested this on POTD awhile back and I liked it as much now as I did then. In fact, it’s in my top picks. A fine show but perhaps just a pace or two off the leaders?
So much of this can be subjective, and though I try to critically listen to all the shows, over time etc, it’s really hard to pick a “best” etc.
So I try to do the leg work for folks who may have a cursory interest about a tour, but not the time or sanity to waste going through the whole thing lol.
So hopefully, I provide a nice jumping off point for anyone interested in what ever tour I’m stumbling through.

I was at the Pittsburgh shows and we felt they continued the promising progression since the big 86 collapse, but though we liked the shows, I recall thinking good but…
years later, with the DL release, I was grateful to get an attended show, but still had some dissonance, perhaps another right city street, but wrong house?
This time around I was really scratching my pointy head at first, but long short, feel the first show kind lacks, except for the fun post drums sequence etc.
The next night however, I felt was a tad above the tour status quo and in the running for a top pick? (But still think perhaps they missed the mark slightly, maybe it was about the tapes? But again, this can all be so subjective).
More importantly, this show or perhaps end of first night can really be seen as point of demarcation from earlier, to the hieght of this period!

4/5&6/89: I think 4/5 is most definitely a tour tops and recommended.
4/6, Conekids first show I believe, is good, but another perhaps just below that top dog line? Another good tour status quo show on the sixth, but not quite the lightning of the fifth?

4/8/89: though we were at this one also, and really enjoyed it, my memory was of a good but ?…And I had a tape of the first and a couple songs from the second, but hadn’t heard the whole show until a few years ago. It perked my interest but I didn’t get back to it until now, and wow, really glad I did! Have a story for this one but I’ll do that later…yeah it’s in my top picks and maybe not THE show but there’s just something about this show, the vibe? The flow, The set list (mostly), and like the whole tour Brent is strong, and because if it’s uniqueness I think this might be my favorite Blow Away of the tour? Vocal harmonies too which were generally really strong over this period!
Well, you can check it out if you please.
I highly recommend a listen and it’s on my top list.

4/9/89: another great show. Fun stuff and more consistent tour status quo, but as throughout the tour you get the occasional vocal flub or miscue, especially with some of the new material. I found this show another, good, but just a step off the pace…

4/11, 12, 13/89: more overall more of the same, in a good way, though the second night seemed a bit of a creeper and the first night (a fine previous DV pick) seemed the strongest of the three, and yet another close but….

4/15/89: same here as several. Good but…not…quite…? I really liked this show and it’s on my second string list.

4/16&17/89 were good, but perhaps on the tour downside or just past the peak section of this period? Very subtle and the kind of thing I think you can only really get if you do whole tours.

IRVINE: more of the same but perhaps a bit looser and thus a bit less tight?
Again, subtle feels and paying attention to misses etc. Perhaps just a touch of California laid back no worries sun fun, as they do sound like their having fun, actually that’s a prevalent vibe through: they were having fun again, getting new momentum etc.
Perhaps a lab opportunity too as they continue to prominently roll out the new stuff for good or sometimes for ill, and definitely here for the Cali crowd.

FROST: boy Frost shows sure seem to both inspire but with some of that laissez-faire Cali home vibe. And these are no different. They open with a good Jack and proceed with a fun set list, though Just a Little Light is still a work in progress. Solid second set which I had a tape of, with cool PITB and yet another cool drums into space, that was stepped up all tour and with the midi addition has become more “other” less trad drums, which I’ve always really dug!
But finally hearing 5/7 I’d have to say I liked that one more, though there were some obvious whoopsies lol. Bird Song was sweet and has been throughout the tour.
One of the spring highlights for me, but I’m sure not others lol is the midi space fest as they really go to town having a ball with the new toys! Really, the whole sequence from He’s Gone through Black Pete is some of the best stuff I heard so far this year!
Another good show, on my second string list just because of the slop factor, comparatively speaking…

Which brings us to show completely off my radar 5/27/89
This was perhaps the biggest surprise of this trip.
And unlike many of these larger multi group bene shows that sometimes get played safe etc, this one has great energy and illustrates how things have progressed nicely over the course of the year during this interesting transitional period, just before and leading up to what I and some consider one of the best stretches in their thirty year history: summer 89 through summer 90!

So, top picks in no real order (whichever I listened to last was best ala Jim ; )
4/8, 4/5, 4/3, 3/28 and 5/27, with second string 4/9, 4/11, 4/15 and 5/7…
That may be a lot, but that’s because if how overall comparative this stretch is, thus not only one or two that really jump out.
I think if you have any infinity for this era you’ll at least enjoy any of these picks, find them a good jumping off point, and hey, sometimes you might even get shown the light ; )

Well, it was fun, but glad it’s over as to really dig in you have to keep at it and by the end I was doing like a weeks of two a days, and 3 DHBs at the end. Actually, more DHBs as I’m rehashing some of my top picks in playoff round lol. Hey, sorry, getting hockey fever lol.
ONWARD!

Prolly cleanse this WE with more 74, then perhaps a week of 69, maybe a bunch of April 69, then a little more May 79 and/or pickup 84 again…

If I was to give someone a very brief indication of why I liked The Dead, to someone who had never heard them, I would chose a version of China-Rider. For me, one from between 1972-1974. As the first one I heard was on the old "Europe 72" album, that would be a likely contender.

Like that exact moment they drifted from China Cat into I Know You Rider

Regardless of the year, words cannot describe.

(did the really make it through HeyNow?)

Been marching through spring 89 (everything I’ve not heard up to 5/27/89)
Just a few shows left then I’ll report back…

For those who torrent, summer 89 and fall 89 are at etree as single torrents.
Summer 91 was there too.
Was there last weekend and grabbed them in case they are upgraded from what I already have.

Encore got tucked after Set 1 to save space if you were burning to disc, like you would sometimes see in the cassette days. That can fool ya. DaP 49 did it for the 2nd Frost show. The most recent Miller transfer of the Healy/Pierson Ultramatrix has it in correct order. Haven't quite got there yet. Just hit drums and need to break for another task.

Says thanks for the well wishes.
She’s fine, perhaps hurt her pride most, just a little sore is all.
Think Jim got beat up worse by the Hey Know Police! ; )
Sounds like the bastards turned it up to 11.

Box O Rain was the encore fyi…

I’ll try more later, when I’m done shoveling for the fourth time in 3 days…