Grateful Dead

My years were 87-94 so I was and still am a huge Brent fan - thought that his high range vocals with snarl fit perfectly. In terms of his playing, he really worked tremendously well with Jerry and pushed him to new heights during that renaissance period. He knew where his spaces were and how to get in and out of them. Because of the nature of the two instruments, Garcia really needed a keyboard player he could work with and Brent was the guy. My personal opinion, touching also on the Garcia interview, is that he was both devastated and furious at Brent's death. To the point where it wasnt too long after that that he lapsed back into serious drug use and never really recovered. And man, even if you weren't crazy about Brent at the time, how could you not love him once Vince Welnick joined the band? Now that was a pick made with the "we've got 4 weeks until tour and he has a high register voice" decision, because I never felt like his style meshed with what they were doing.

Owl's Head- You churned two memories directly related to the Mighty Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland's music mecca. Saw many great shows, including the Heads in 83 and Hamstrung in 86. I saw the Stop Making Sense show three times within a week (Springfield, Portland, Cape Cod) and while the show had just a little variation with the set list, these are the best concerts I ever saw. Musicianship, energy, choreography (a word not often used in discussions about live Dead). This was the show to end all shows (no wonder they never toured again). The movie and soundtrack are still in heavy rotation. The Hamstrung Blues was part of a strange night at the old barn. The first set was pretty fun. We had seen the shows in Hampton and beside the Box breakout, that run was really weak. Right up front for the first set, the playing was energetic (in relative terms-I was always quite critical about the shows I saw) with Jerry providing good energy. The Hamstrung Blues split the set up with people scratching their heads, trying to figure out if they had heard it before. Second set was very run of the mill... Portland shows were always great with the Old Port rocking and laid back security inside. Would love a 9/17/82 release. I appreciate the Maine loving on 30 trips.

Owlshead, I'm a huge T-heads fan, too. I have a personal connection to them, since my brother is godfather to two of Jerry Harrison's kids. (He was best friends with his wife in high school). When my brother lived in Paris, he hung out for a ton of the recording sessions for Naked, witnessing the demise of the band. They each recorded their parts separately and Steve Lillywhite is really the guy that brought the sessions to life with some excellent musicians from Paris' African music scene. My brother just went to Jerry's for his (I think 30th) wedding anniversary and sent me a photo of Jonathan Richman playing guitar in the living room at the party. On another occasion in Milwaukee, I went out to bars with Jerry's latest protégés, who were in town recording with Jerry. It was the band Live, recording Throwing Copper. Nice, down to earth guys... Sorry, I digress and get way off topic! Stoltzfus, I think you hit on something really key. I Will Take You Home is way too damn PERSONAL. most of the Dead's songs are pretty universal, or at least third person story telling that is distanced enough not to associate the song with the singer. I think it also may have to do with the fact that in the 80s, most fans couldn't relate to the emotions of parenting. Yes, too personal indeed.

This morning Ornette Coleman died in Manhattan. Deadheads may know him as a musician that the members of the Dead, especially Jerry, held in the highest regard, and jammed with, but he was so much more. He was one of a handful of figures who formed the foundation of modern jazz. He pioneered the use of melodic improvisation in jazz while managing (at least in his earlier work) to swing. Like Jerry, he was a humble iconoclast. Like the Dead, his musical contributions were often misunderstood and scorned. Along with Theonius Monk and John Coltrane (among others) he took jazz to a whole new level. Anyone here with any taste for jazz and offbeat improvization who hasn't heard his early works should check out albums like The Shape of Jazz To Come (a landmark of modern music, and his first advanced work), Change of the Century, This is our Music, and Free Jazz. His music may require a few listens before really clicking, and it's not always accessible (I'm a huge fan of his early work but only enjoy a tiny bit of what he recorded after the mid-60s, one exception being Virgin Beauty, some of which Jerry played on- but DON'T start with that album!!). What's so amazing about most of these works is the lyricism, the AWESOME musical relationship between all of the band members, the liveliness and unpredictability, and for that era- over 50 years ago- the excellent quality of the recordings, which hold up very well against current ones. If you like what you hear, you might want to pick up Beauty Is A Rare Thing, a box set of virtually all of his landmark recordings, including some fairly unreleased stuff- it lists for about $30 online (y'know, about $670 less than another box set I recently heard about).

those extra musicians on stage with the TH during stop making sense are mostly ex-members of Parliament (George Clinton's band) - hence the increase in the funk quotient. The key (so to speak) in both of those bands was Bernie Worrell - child prodigy on the keyboards and unbelievably talented. as for the box, differing eras, count me as somebody who wants to hear it all. by way of context, i never saw the GD perform. when i was young, i didn't have the money (or the wherewithal to overcome that), and when i was older, i didn't have the time (or the inclination to make time), and then bam - it was over. I saw JGB in 92 and got deep into the Dead in about 2000, after i got bored with listening to Phish shows (still love the band - just don't think their shows hold a candle to the Dead). So, i have no horse in the race as far as eras go. I acknowledge the shortcomings of each, be it Donna's offkey yelling, or the chintzy sound of some of Brent and Vince's keyboards. I can find redemption in every era. When I listen, I'm either lining up my collection (all official releases) chronologically and making my way through it, or, the years i spot-listen to are 72, or spring 1990. those are the highlights for my ears, and I can't always explain why. really looking forward to this box.

Welcome back cosmicbadger

I've seen that Garcia quote about Brent before: "he could have gotten better, but he just didn't see it. He couldn't see what was good about what he was doing, and he couldn't see himself fitting in. And no amount of effort on our part could make him more comfortable" I've always felt just the opposite. I thought Brent fit in well in the early years, but became overconfident in the later years. His playing in the late 80's seemed symptomatic of an oversized ego. He began to dominate the band's sound, in a bad way IMHO. Also, nearly half the songs on "Built to Last" were Brent's. Of course, Garcia had impeccable taste in music, but I don't really trust his opinions on Dead music. He often said in the early 80's that the Dead were playing their best music ever and they were just "starting to get good". I don't remember him ever complimenting Keith, now widely considered their finest keyboard player. Some of his choices for musicians in the JGB band were questionable, no point naming names. Sorry, don't mean to be negative. All I'm saying is I just really prefer Brent's early playing.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/12/arts/music/ornette-coleman-jazz-saxop… It took me a long time to appreciate Lonely Woman, which leads off Shape of Jazz to Come.. Listeners new to his music may want to start with Change of the Century or This is Our Music, which perhaps begin on more accessible notes.

we are talking about people who are literally dead. Salute, Ornette Coleman. i often hear the riff from Virgin Beauty in my head. 15 days until Santa Clara!! I won't be there in body, but in spirit? You bet! Again: listen to Sleep: Dopesmoker. FUN.

One of the finest musicians to ever play the keys...whether its Piano, Organ, or Synth and doing it very well and often singing perfect harmonies at the same time. He definitely deserves more respect, especially by anyone that calls himself/herself a Deadhead. I'm going to assume that some of you that are making the negative comments aren't musicians. Maybe you don't like his voice or the sound of the keyboards, which is an opinion anyone is entitled to, but he was an incredible musician that played with the band for over a decade and could never be replaced or copied. When old "Clifton Hanger" checked out early, Vince had somewhere around 250 songs to learn in just a few months that the Dead could play at any time. (please correct me if that number is wrong). For those here that aren't musicians, at least try to understand how incredibly difficult that task would be. I don't care how good you are. That is a lot of songs. And obviously he got help from Bruce Hornsby from time to time. I am a Vince fan too but he (and Hornsby together) could never quite fill Brent's shoes, but he still did a pretty damn good job. Brent left a huge hole to fill, as did Jerry & Pigpen. And the other ones too when the next one goes. Don't forget, the blend of extremely unique and talented musicians is what made this band so sweet.

I think Brent's backup singing and his keyboard playing fit the band well - 1980-1983 represent some truly great shows and at times it's not heard to believe Jerry when he said they were just getting good. But man, his solo songs were not appealing at all. Just not my thing. Not sure why they let him or vince ever do anything other than play their instruments...

is that it's Barlow's lyric. In some interview somewhere he talks about how he and Brent, who were pretty good friends, both had daughters around the same age, and it kind of grew out of that experience. I had a number of conversations with him around that time; it was a heartfelt thing about a fairly universal and still always personal experience. Still, as with all Dead songs back in the day, some of us really loved it and some seized the moment for bathroom breaks.

Pigpen..charismatic frontman-bluesmanKeith..talented jazzmeister Brent..soulful vocalist and player Vince...Wore on occasion cool shirts and ahhh...Hmm

That is by far my favorite Brent tune and really the only one I even like but I love it. I have a 9 year old daughter and I tear up EVERY time I hear it. every time. It is so sweet and poignant. My daughter knows when that song comes on that I am going to cry and she laughs about it. My wife also loves the song and she is NOT a deadhead although she has probably listened to more of their music over the years because of me than a lot of people ever will. Bottom line for me, I love the 68 to 78 period, that is my favorite by far but sometimes I like a hot 80's show and Brent does a fantastic job in my opinion. I don't like his voice, sounds like Michael McDonald to me and doesn't really fit with the rest of the band. He could be quite good on backing vocals at times though and I really think he was a great musician in his own right.

I think this is a fabulous project and, at least right now, don't plan to spend the money on it. The price is VERY fair and not at all a cash grab; Dave was quoted recently that they were just about breaking even on this. Even though it is a great value, it is still a lot of money to justify even if you could afford it. My limited disappointment comes from knowing that we won't see another box this year, or at least until late in the year (after this sells out). TPTB won't want to compete with themselves, and until this is sold out in physical form, any new release (except DaPs) will be on hold. I was hoping for May '77 TOO or some others (complete Winterland Oct '74, Feb '71, Fillmore April '71, Alaska '80, June 9/10 '73, MSG March '81 - a good pair of shows). Alas we will wait as there is other good stuff out there. I did try to find a decent copy of each show online and it can be done, although several shows are only partials or contain several tape flips and cuts. I hope the final product is more complete and that they would have found another show from that year if they didn't have a complete copy. Using the past as a look into the future, I would hope to see individual shows released as downloads. They clearly stated that these shows would never be available on CD again. That leaves them the opportunity to release downloads. I hope that they will make these available as individual shows (like DP or E '72) and not like the Road Trips which are only available as the full series. For the meantime, I am going through my collection and listening to a show from each year, either as a release by the band, or from a download site. It is interesting to hear the progression across the years ... 30 trips indeed ... Thanks Dave and all others involved in this fitting tribute.

We are now 10 days out from the announcement of the 30 Trips box. After the first day's craziness, things have certainly slowed down here. Comments are now only trickling in. Perhaps it is because now we have to sit and wait for 3+ months? Lots of folks complained that this thing was limited to 6,500 but it appears that number was on target. So those of you who criticized Rhino should now fess up and give them some credit for getting it right. Apparently they do know a little bit more about the business of selling music then you thought they did! Lol. I do think this box will sell out. It may take another month or two but they will be all sold before they start to ship on 9/18. I do not think there will be any other box sales until these are gone. Just my opinion. Rhino wants no physical inventory, so if you are not going to shell out the coins for this one, you will have to be patient until the Autumn at least. I myself cannot wait to get my hands on this puppy. It is expensive, but fairly priced and worth every penny. While I would have loved to get to Chicago or Santa Clara, I will be more then happy to spend my money here. I will have this music for many, many years. (Hopefully!) Rock on

Come on dead.net get some pictures out of what this thing looks like who knows might even get more sells

All I can find is a draft production run: http://www.mulliganshollow.com/2015/03/dive-in-saturday-321-2015-featur… "The Mother of All Boxes" I think it still needs some work. (alright, I'm totally kidding.. but BoxZilla is kinda catchy)

I get what both parties are saying when it comes to Brent. When it comes to my own opinions, I find it best to think of Brent's contributions across several areas; singing, keys, songwriting, and overall health of the band. Regarding his singing, I agree with the majority. His early backing vocals sound a bit too much like a Doobie Brothers imitation, and it was detrimental to the band's sound. However, let's not forget that Jerry's voice went south early in Brent's tenure, by '83 or so, so we can't be too harsh in that regard. Furthermore, his voice grew with his confidence, and by the post-coma era, he was singing with authority. By '88 his backing vocals were as strong as anyone's. It's a similar story with his keys. The "plinky-plinky" carnival sounds that plagued his early years with the band were replaced by the glorious Hammond B3 post-coma. While he could be a bit forceful and overpower what Jerry and the rest of the boys were doing, it's an overall improvement. I feel that Keith's piano suited the Dead's sound better than anything used by the other keyboardists, but I doubt it would have been effective in the Stadium Era. His songwriting, in my opinion, is atrocious. Far From Me, Easy To Love You, Maybe You Know, Don't Need Love, Never Trust a Woman, Gentlemen Start Your Engines, and I Will Take You Home are god-awful, but nothing comes close to the trainwreck that is We Can Run. Some of this is on Barlow, as the cheesy and trite lyrics are so bad in the latter two songs that I can barely even hear anything else. Just a Little Light and Tons of Steel are better, and not automatic skips for me, but they are nothing special. Blow Away is his best work, far and away, but it is almost in spite of Mydland/Barlow. Jerry often rips on this song, which is why I like it, and it takes the focus off of the histrionics and poor lyrics. "You think your ribcage is a jail cell" has to be one of the most cringe-inducing raps in history. As Billy wrote in his recent book, Mydland songs, even Blow Away, were never really Grateful Dead songs. However, the most important factor that is sometimes overlooked is the health of the band, and Jerry in particular. As mentioned, Jerry started to sound like Kermit the Frog in 1983, and he never learned to use his more weathered voice until after the coma. His playing likewise took a hit, and while there was a renaissance or two, it was basically a downward trend from 1980. Phil has stated that he was a drunken mess from the very late 70s to early 80s and that it impacted his bass. In my opinion, these contribute far more to my less-than-stellar-opinion of the early-mid 80s than Brent Mydland. After all, the Dead could have gotten away with no keyboardist; they were never central to their sound. Had Jerry never picked up heroin and took better care of himself, I doubt anyone would be complaining about Brent (or Vince, for that matter).

I thought "Way to Go Home" was a very good song and a much better fit lyrically, musically and thematically with the Grateful Dead than most Brent songs which were virtually all "relationship" songs. (I love Blow Away but it has more to do with the Garcia parts live than the lyrics). The problem with WTGH was the abject overkill due to being forced into sets nearly every other or every third show for 3 years. Also placement. It killed pre-drum momentum almost every time it was played. I think it worked much better as a creep out of space (I think there may have been a few of these but not enough) before a "Wheel" or "Watchtower" or "Last Time" or even toward the end of the first set (though not a closer). Having said all of that, Jerry had a nice compact solo in the song that he hit fairly consistently even when things went to shit late in the game as a result of his health, his equipment and his desire to turn himself down in the mix. As for "Samba," it is a truly putrid song that was too complicated and loose for where Jerry was at the time and it had almost no identifiable upside to it. But if we are being honest here, the worst part of that song was the lyrics which were Velveeta beyond anything this side of the Midnites' "(I Want To) Live in America." Let's just say that wasn't Robert Hunter's finest hour.

Nice point on Blow Away! :)

The level of hatred, negativity and self-entitlement displayed in the posts over the last day or so by a small faction here does not diminish the awesomeness of this box. I applaud Dave and company for 30 Trips!

Fairly well documented that was a function of Garcia and Weir (lesser degree Lesh since he was a sporadic songwriter) not having songs ready for recording when faced with an impending contractual obligation to get a studio album out. It is not about Brent's overconfidence.

I've got my order for 30 trips locked in. Looking forward to Dave's 15 in a few months, the Chicago run coming up, and then the big box blasting off in September. Its truly a great time to be fan. What other band that hasn't played a show in 20 years can generate the excitement, demand and good feelings surrounding their live catalog? Anybody have any stories from attending any of the shows that are going to be in the 30 trips box? I'd love to hear them.

Taken into context the 80's was an awful era for keyboards. Near every keys player sounded artificial. For some reason it was accepted until the 90's when people went back to more natural sounding tones. That's why when I grew up in the 80's I listened mostly to 60's & 70's rock music. But I loved the Dead at that time cause it was still way better than Starship & a host of other 60's related bands trying to update their sound. Even most metal bands had a cheesy keyboardist. Hearing Van Halen come out with Jump was even shocking. Jerry & Bobby moved away from natural sounding tube amps & at times went for processed sounds . Micky dabbled with playing electronic drums. As for Brent what used to bother me at that time was more of him having what sounded to me like an old man singing voice & Tons of Steel was an example. But really placing all this hate on Brent for basically being a keyboardist in the 80's is not fair. Those sounds were a sign of the time.

I had just finished listening to 3 14 90 when I started reading all these posts, got to say Jerry did not sound tired in spring 90 haha. As for keys, my favorite has always been Tom Constanten. I don't really have anything negative to say about Brent or Keith either haha. Still haven't heard enough post Brent to have a solid opinion or grip on that era's sound,

It is too early to say if they got the amount of boxes to build just right. I think a six month window of opportunity rather like the May 77 box is just about right. I was one who questioned the 6500 figure, respectfully, but allowed that they might be getting it right despite the E72 issues. Having said that, the box itself is fantastic, and, I will probably buy one, the cost, however, despite being a lot of cash to spend at one time is indeed good value per disc. I do not get the least bit angry with some of the contrary opinions here and neither should anyone else. The GD community should be a big tent with differing opinions. I remember when Dead fans were seriously regarded as 'other.' That was true even with other long-haired rock fans! Heck Jerry and Bob have expressed opinions which were 'negative.' Did you ever read what Jerry had to say about The Doors? Does that make Jerry a - whatever? No. Of course not. I seriously doubt Dave L is crying on his pillow over dissenting opinions here. My comments are constructive. Uh, I hope, anyway.

Does anyone else think that all 30 shows should be shows that took place in America, considering the Grateful Dead were the greatest American band? Not to mention the tradition of the band touring the country year after year. I think that would have been a cool celebration of the 50th anniversary of the band that embodied American ideals like freedom and adventure better than any other band.

"He (Keith) was one of the best, if not the best, keyboardist that I've had the honor of playing with. The Grateful Dead have played with some really good ones over the years, like Bruce Hornsby and Brent Mydland, but this guy was just outrageous." Shifting gears.... What shows from from this tremendous box are people most excited for? For me, it's got to be 11/10/67 for a glimpse at the ferocious beast in it's infancy and 9/18/74 for that second set medley. I'm also interested in hearing the cleaned up 9/24/72, which never grabbed me before, Lindley Meadows because....its Lindley Meadows, and the outstanding Dark Star on 2/22/69. Super psyched for 7/31/82 (as it is my favorite '82 show) and 9/18/87 as well, for the Epic Dew and the La Bamba goofiness.

Primal Dead 1967! I will enjoy it all and god bless Brent! He is credited with re-energizing them prior to Go to Nassau which a great release.

For Anything you put on a stage. 30% will love it 30% will hate it 30% will not care 10% will be in the bathroom.

You are so right, however everyone knows 14% of all statistics are made up on the spot.

Dead.net can you please make those shows link to their respective set lists? It is a much better selling point if you can just click on the show and see the songs with their running times, etc.

> Does anyone else think that all 30 shows should be shows that > took place in America, Because 27 isn't enough? I like those Paris '90 shows. I would have been happy with either of them. Just be glad they didn't pick the Jamaica show ...

Hey Mon, Be careful about mockin' the Jamaican show lol. Been to over 150 shows and I have more stories about T'anksgiving in JA then almost any other outing, from the pilot's constant threat to turn the plane around due to heavy herb smoking, to the dumbfounded look on Rastas faces we met in caves as they sampled our supremely superior Cali Sense (this was 1982). Your take is true, the GD performance was uninspired but those times were amazing, the Clash dissing hippies/the Dead from the stage, but when Drums started ALL RASTAS JUMPED UP AND SHOWED MAJOR RESPECT, I was dancing with an 80+ year old dread grandmother, who was clicking two pepsi bottles in perfect rhythym, surreal...

Amen!

> Be careful about mockin' the Jamaican show lol. Oh man, I've read stories about the show, and I bet the experience of that trip was nothing short of amazing. I was merely addressing the quality of the show. It's easy for me to remove the venue/location from tapes, and just listen to the music, but I know that the music only tells part of the story, so it's not necessarily a fair way to judge shows. But wow - that plane ride down must have been something! But it's still not a choice I'd make for a 1982 release ... (nevermind that I'd still buy it). If GDM wanted to punish me, they'd release the Jamaica show on RSD and not only would I buy it, I'd pay way more than reason would dictate.

Well done.

Thanks, Agree with your take. I've never heard a tape of the show, but the from the audience the band seemed off in JA, a la other "festival shows". For one thing, all prior bands fed off the Jamaican "toasting" intro, a bouncy verbal intro into the music. When the GD slot opened, JG tuned into Sugaree forever and the Dreads around me were truly puzzled. Plus, like I said the Clash (who were respected by the locals), dissed both deadheads and the band relentlessly. I remember Joe Strummer specifically saying "it sure is nice playing for all you sunburnt hippies out here" and "you don't want us to leave the stage and bring the Grateful Dead out here do you?" But again, once the Dead went into Drums-Fire, the whole place including Rastas became electric, which was so validating as a vibe response to the Clash's uninformed rhetoric. Plus there were many more adventures that week! I know you weren't judging the experience, thanks for giving me the opportunity to share my experience, and again I agree most of the music was puzzling at best.

Thanks, Agree with your take. I've never heard a tape of the show, but the from the audience the band seemed off in JA, a la other "festival shows". For one thing, all prior bands fed off the Jamaican "toasting" intro, a bouncy verbal intro into the music. When the GD slot opened, JG tuned into Sugaree forever and the Dreads around me were truly puzzled. Plus, like I said the Clash (who were respected by the locals), dissed both deadheads and the band relentlessly. I remember Joe Strummer specifically saying "it sure is nice playing for all you sunburnt hippies out here" and "you don't want us to leave the stage and bring the Grateful Dead out here do you?" But again, once the Dead went into Drums-Fire, the whole place including Rastas became electric, which was so validating as a vibe response to the Clash's uninformed rhetoric. Plus there were many more adventures that week! I know you weren't judging the experience, thanks for giving me the opportunity to share my experience, and again I agree most of the music was puzzling at best.

1973-08-11 The Record Plant Sausalito,California UNBROKEN CHAIN! studio acoustic Phil only(?) Phil the conductor. :)

Hey everybody! I'm hopping on the old soapbox. Got some listening homework for you all. I might have ranted about this performance before, but I am listening to it as I type. I urge everyone to check out the 3/30/95 show from Atlanta, GA. It has been one of my all time favorites since I first heard it back in May 1995. The main reason is the 17 minute China Cat>Rider to kick off the the second set. It is a driving, blistering version that is driven by Billy and Mickey. It is probably the most unique one from the post Keith and Donna era (in my opinion). The transition jam is totally unique and has a bit of a bluegrass twist to it and builds several great peaks. The Rider is totally swinging and so fast that it kind of falls apart at the very end, but it is so powerful. This is probably my most listened to piece of music from The Grateful Dead. The whole show is totally smokin'. One caveat: Jerry kind of blows the first verse to China Cat, but it doesn't matter. Other highlights include a great and long Alabama Getaway, a wonderful FOTD, my all time favorite LL Rain, a beautiful Visions of Johanna and a Lovelight with a meltdown ending. Hopping off the soapbox now...

"Anybody have any stories from attending any of the shows that are going to be in the 30 trips box? I'd love to hear them." Yup, went to the Zenith show in Paris. It was the first time I'd seen the band since the Rainbow shows in London 9 years earlier and I went on to return to the UK and see the final 3 shows of the Europe tour. I went 'on the bus' with a group of UK heads who were also readers of the UK magazine Spiral Light. Firstly, I love Paris - even being born and raised in London my favourite city on the globe is Paris - so I already knew I was going to have a good time. It was a little wet though, but I didn't mind that. Zenith was on the outskirts of the city and not really representative of the kind of place tourists expect of Paris, but what the heck! It was actually a really good place to see the band. Great sight-lines from wherever you were and good acoustics. It wasn't full but there was plenty of atmosphere from the crowd. The Hell in a Bucket opener was absolutely electric - I remember hearing the first notes as the lights burst into life and thinking it was going to be a great show and it was. The energy levels were high for the whole show and most everyone went out feeling that they'd witnessed a tremendous show. I certainly preferred these shows to the ones I saw at the Rainbow, but obviously there was a tinge of sadness hovering over the proceedings with the death of Brent still very fresh in everyone's mind. The second night was good, too, but not as bright as the first. It wasn't long before the tapes started circulating and I remember setting out to listen to them to see if they were as good in retrospect as when I experienced the shows live. They were. I still hope that Dave releases the Berlin show from that tour - the Shakedown Street played in honour of the recent fall of the Berlin wall was simply stunning!

During Drums: 20% will love it 20% will hate it 20% will not care 40% will be in the bathroom.

During Space: 15% will love it 15% will hate it 10% will be hanging on for dear life 10% will be melting down 10% will not care 20% will be in the bathroom 20% will be getting munchies

Did anyone else notice that Neptune's the only Planet not represented on the cover (except of coarse for our dearly decommissioned Pluto)

Compelling case kev jones makes for a 95 show. I'm going to have to check it out. Speaking of Omni shows, I listened to 4/1/90 last night for the first time. Wow I didn't expect it to be that good. It doesn't get as much attention as other shows from that tour. But the first show in Atlanta smokes from beginning to end. The Candyman, Althea, To Lay Me Down > The Music Never Stopped, China Cat > Sunflower > Ship Of Fools > Woman Smarter, Stella Blue are all outstanding killer versions. Can't wait to listen again.

I had the great fortune to attend three of the shows in Boxzilla: 83, 84 and of course Oxford 88. The Oxford shows hold weight on many levels: the setting and scene were unique and never recreated, these were backyard shows and I knew that this was the end of my road as the adult facets of life were kicking in. The owner of the speedway was approached by a regional promoter to host two music weekends: the Monsters of Rock with Van Halen and a week later, Dead/Feat. Sure... we will just cut down a hundred acres of trees to create a "campground" and we should be good to go. With very little infrastructure or notification to the locals, the Monster fans rolled in. They were rowdy, brawling and left a stream of garbage and bad vibes for 30 miles back to the Maine Turnpike. As the Heads rolled in on July 1, the locals were better prepared: some selling ice and beer, others setting up camping spots, more than a few sitting in their yard with shotguns in their laps (true story). Most of the Heads were coming from Saratoga. By the time the rolling circus had reached the Maine border, 95 was a parking lot. The party crept for 3 hours to the exit to Oxford. We got into the camping area, set up and kicked back. One of the unique features the bulldozers left was a set of dirt piles, 15 feet high spread all over the grounds. These served a great purpose as people scrambled to figure out where they were. Flags and other markers were planted in the mounds as neighborhoods and thoroughfares were established. By July 2nd the scene was set. It was rumored that 80,000 tickets had been sold but more than 100,000 people were on the grounds. Not Watkins Glen or Woodstock, but still pretty amazing. My wife and I walked over to the shower area to find a crew of carpenters scrambling to build a 2X4 and tarp group shower arrangement. The plumbing was in place and the water truck turned on so we jumped in with maybe 20 other people. It slowed the carpenters down a bit as a parade of young women disrobed without hesitation. Everyone was respectful and hammers were passed over the tarps to bend down errant nails. People took it upon themselves to monitor the trash, cans and bottles (redeemables were big business). By noon, the pop-up city was established and rolling along peacefully, with live music everywhere, vendors selling their wares. Rather than a central Shakedown Street, there were neighborhoods with people asking where to find the shirts with the lobster Steal your Face, etc. The only real bummer was the huge amount of nitrous, which generated a ton of noise around the clock. Having watched a guy hauled off dead at Chief Hosa campground in 87, I was not a huge fan of the nitrous scene. Getting in and out of the shows was beyond an adventure. Originally, coolers were allowed, but the Monsters blew that one, so we abandoned our cooler about 50 yards from the gate, gave away our beer and water and got into what became known as the birth canal. The entrances were 5 feet wide with iron pipes on either side. When my wife and I were about 40 feet from the gate, the crush (or contraction in her words) hit and we were lifted off the ground. We could only hold hands for so long as we got horribly smashed in different directions. I literally burst through the gate, landing about 10 feet from the fence, my ticket intact. Security made the right call to just get us in. I am pretty sure they saved lives with this simple decision. My wife made it through about 10 minutes later. The first show was magical, with incredible weather and skies, the famous ultralight during Birdsong and an epic (not a word I use lightly) second set. I hope 7/2 didn't make this box due to future release plans. 7/3 was really a different show-not as cohesive as the first night with a set list that was not my favorite. From my enhanced mindset, it was a really good show. Jerry was in good form with two first set monsters (Sugaree and Birdsong). The second set was loose but really fun. As had started to occur more often, there were fewer Jerry tunes in the second set of back to back shows, but that was okay as he played hard and was in great spirits throughout. Now came the tough part. My boss allowed me the week off to catch four shows, but I had to be back at work at 8:00 am on the 4th... I was the only one in our rig tripping, so I was not allowed to drive. My wife took the first 3 hour shift, which got us to the highway only 30 miles away. Crispy took the next shift to a rest area around Portland. By this time, my wife was asleep and Crispy was done. Relying on that last bit of wire but thinking and seeing clearly I took over. With "I Will Take You Home" and "Going Down the Road Feeling Bad" ringing in my ears, I got us to Massachusetts by 7:30 am. I hopped in the shower, went to work, prepped and was grilling burgers and dogs poolside by 10:30. One of the kids I served that day was my son's 8th grade teacher this year (and a big Head).

Excellent write up. My memory is a bit hazy, but I do remember very fondly what a great scene it was. Good vibes were all around. For me, GDTRFB always evokes memories of late night driving on the turnpikes, heading home after a show.

Forgot to mention that I love the slight variation of stealie for this boxzilla set and hope we see some other cool artwork.