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  • Daz
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    Just for today...

    Cow Palace New Years Eve 1976. Simply because I just listened to it! No doubt, tomorrow will bring a new favourite 😎

  • willieaames
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    In the end - Linkin Park

    In the end - Linkin Park

  • SorenJespersen87
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    Black Peter, Illinois

    My personal favorite is the peformance of "Black Peter", Northern Illinois University, 1977.
    I am from europe, and was studying at the university from 1976-1979. I didnt know the dead before that show, but i have loved them ever since. Love from Denmark.

    Best regards
    Søren Jespersen
    Writer at https://bedste-blackfriday-tilbud.dk/

  • mkav
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    Mr Charlie
    Hollywood Bowl? 1971. pure funk. I barely even recognized it the first time I heard it. I really like "traditional" Mr C...but this one is tops...IMO, of course. Your mileage may vary
  • Mind Bender
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    China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider 06/22/74
    First night of two at the Jai-Alai Fronton in Miami. This is without a doubt my favorite China/Rider of all. The jam out of China Cat is second to none in my opinion. It is a complete work of art filled with masterful playing by all, with with one peak after another, a continuously building crescendo that literally explodes into Rider. The first time I heard it, it nearly blew my mind and still has an incredible effect on me to this day.
  • Joe Cavanaugh
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    Morning Dew 12 30 1987
    This one will give you goose bumps.
  • Dov
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    Best versions
    best is subjective, but these versions are my favorites and they are all from 2/18/1971, last show with Mickey for several years ... *Bertha *Loser Hard to Handle *Wharf Rat (with Beautiful Jam!) Me and My Uncle Me and Bobby McGee Big Boss Man Candyman Uncle John's Band * - first time ever played Bertha is very cool because it has this little coda at the end of the song, and this version is the only time it was ever played. My 3rd show, and the first time I was ever psychedelic at a show. New Riders opened the show with a great set. One of the best nights Jerry ever had, imho. You can't go wrong with this show.
  • mona
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    Playin to UJB
    6/19/94
  • larkin851
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    China Cat > Rider: Carrier Dome 10/22/83 2nd set
    This is just an incredible jam. I'm a jazz guitar player and compose classical music, and I'd like to think I appreciate compositional structure and improvisation, and the solo Jerry rips is just stunning. Phrasing is confident, well articulated, magical. I first heard that solo when I was 15, it plays in my head note for note when I think of it because its that coherent and memorable. And the energy of the set...wow. When I first heard that, it was clear to me that Jerry and Bach were on the same level to me.
  • wichitatiger
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    Jerry's 1981Tone
    Looking into 1981 shows, since I like the way Jerry's tone cuts through, especially for the fast tempo barnburner/bluegrass stomps.So far, he kills 3X in May '81 alone with Big River, some great promised lands, a nice cumberland, and china riders. Check it out. So good I had to write them down to come back to: Big River 5-1,5-12,5-16,8-28 Promised Land 5-1,7-5,12-5 Cumberland blues 12-5 China/Rider 3-9,5-12,8-28
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So, what are your all-time greats?
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Iko Iko - 2-27-90
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live dead stephen ddhnm 2 from vault crazy fingers 1 from vault ds 2 14 70 black peter bear choice around and around 12 31 76 morning dew 5 2 70 truckin 4 26 72 looks like rain 3 25 72 cassidy reckoning music nev stopped 5 22 77 alabama go to nassau lovelight dp 16 ujb 12 31 76 gset stanley 72 friend of devil dead set bertha skullfuckc
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There's been many great versions of Terrapin, but I like the one from the 09/13/81 show at the Greek Theater in Berkeley the best. It's the only version I've heard where the band goes through the middle instrumental part, not once (as always), or twice (which is rare), but three times they take you for a ride with the melody, giving Brent the lead for the start of the last go around.
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Best show ever.................Dillon Stadium Hartford, Conn. 7/31/74
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Man, it's hard to say what song/show was the best. But I'm quite sure that I like the version of Scarlet > Mountain from Hamilton 3-22-1990 as presented on the So Many Road Box Set very much.
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China/ Rider 7/17/89 Alpine Valley (I am sure some of the early 70's versions might be better , but so far I have yet to find oneScarlet/Fire 11/8/77 Barton Hall, Cornell Univ. (amazing) Dancin' 2/26/77 Swing Auditorium ( Just Cooks) Shakedown Street 12/5/81 Indianapolis ( Jerry's Lead work just sounds like he is trying to just 'pop' the notes out, scaling fast, circling ) Lost Sailor/ Saint 12/5/81 Indianpolis ( the build-up and release between Sailor and Saint is orgasmic) Morning Dew 10/12/84 Augusta, Maine( Just Smoking) Sugaree 10/17/83 Lake Placid ( I loved alot of the late 70's ones, but this is just wicked) I could go on and on, alot of fun thinking of these, but it is all subjective, ain't it. I love this thread, makes me want to go out and listen to these picks. God Bless this Band, and all of us.
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Trader X This is THE BEST version of this jam.....great tribute to the closing of SanFrancisco's finest dancehall.
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RODGER ALLINSON The Help Slip Fire from 9-20-91 is truely remarkable granted its the only time they did it but the short second of dead silence after slipnot and the thunderous reaction into fire is truely amazing thank god for masters.
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lets see... Ive got too many damn tapes and I havnt listen to many in a long time but also shows Ive been too etc.... mind left body jam from Reno 74 the Spanish jam from the show I saw in Chicago 92 Black Muddy River from Shoreline in 89 That would be something from LA 93 My 1st show...9/5/82 Shakedown>Playin Long may you run with Neil of course 11/3/91 Theres many more but Ill let you put those in...Eric
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In the car today listening to 5/23/72 (Dark Star>Morning Dew) and Jerry juxtaposed verses but what the heck, it was all from the gut. Since all was spontaneous, during the "Thought I heard a young man", verse, he does a call-response with himself that is so nakedly emotional it can only really be rivaled by the version from 5/26/72. (One day we'll hear it at its appropriate pitch!) Escuchalo! "From day to day, just lettin' it ride, You get so far away from how it feels inside, You can't let go, 'cause you're afraid to fall, But the day may come when you can't feel at all."
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I think it was Feb.'94....but Jerry teased Cosmic Charlie just before a great Wharf Rat....Maybe it's cuz of the cosmic chuck tease and everyone literally on the edge of thier seats...but it will be a rendition that "will live in infamy" in my memory. "Half of my life... I spent doing time for some other fucker's crime"
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I reluctantly admit I got into the band much too late in life...a couple of years after Jerry left us. I picked up a copy of Without A Net at a friend's urging, and the first song that nailed me to the wall was the rendition of Looks Like Rain. Beautifully orchestrated and accompanied, I simply fell in love with it. Sadly, the closest I ever came to seeing the boys live was an Other Ones show in 2000. It was a good show, but if I could travel back in time, I would love to see the band perfom in the early to mid 70's, my personal favorite era of the band. Mike
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Islandmyk, that's my favorite time, too. Looks Like Rain is one of those tunes - the only way I expect to have heard it at it's best is from the tapes - and there are some great performances - check the Europe Tour bonus version - many agree it's one of the best! Bienvenidos! "From day to day, just lettin' it ride, You get so far away from how it feels inside, You can't let go, 'cause you're afraid to fall, But the day may come when you can't feel at all."
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Grateful DeadFillmore East New York, NY 9-19-70 d3t01 - Dark Star -> d3t02 - St. Stephen -> d3t03 - Not Fade Away -> d3t04 - Darkness Jam -> d3t05 - China Cat Jam -> d3t06 - Not Fade Away -> d3t07 - Turn On Your Lovelight d3t08 - Crowd noise > Youngbloods: Get Together... -> d3t09 - Phil and Pigpen speak -> d3t10 - Youngbloods: Get Together -> Crowd noise
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OK, I am listening to GDRadio, real good mix, take a listen if you have not already They just played Winterland 10-18-78, and the Truckin' to close the show is freaking great, and the Miracle encore is just real sweet.
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Viola: 5/2/70 (of course)Here Comes Sunshine: DP1 (I still play this song for my Dead-ignorant friends to convert them) Dancin' In the Streets: 5/19/77 (Notice how often 77 is mentioned). I am a huge Eyes of the World fan. Can anybody out there point me to some of their favorite versions?+
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2/15/73 - Comes so startlingly sweetly out of Dark Star - Unforgettable! Stream it. 10/74 Winterland (box set) 9/03/77 Estimated>Eyes - The quintessential eyes (it's a Dick's Picks) Tres versiones nuevas para ti - vas a gozar! "From day to day, just lettin' it ride, You get so far away from how it feels inside, You can't let go, 'cause you're afraid to fall, But the day may come when you can't feel at all."
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Is this not like trying to pick favourite child? For Heaven sake it can't really be done!!!It's interesting too see replies and check out the shows... So many roads to trip down and explore Different versions at different points in life It will probably keep changing in life's evoloution
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BIODTL 04-26-71 Duane Allman and Jerry head-to-head Bertha DP18
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Relatively impossible but some favorites: 10/16/89 - Attics of My Life at Brendan Byrne (actually that whole second set) 3/24/86 - Box of Rain and Morning Dew at The Spectrum & 3/29/90 - Birdsong, Eyes and Dark Star at the Nassau Coliseum w Branford Totally different answers tomorrow.......
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Thanks deadicated. I will check them out.
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This was the second set opener . . .I had some friends who got there real early and had seats in the bleachers on the left side of the floor . . .I have never seen Oakland, save and except for the craziness of a parade or the like, so ON FIRE - the staff at the coliseum could not keep the dancing people out of the aisles . . .i don't know the exact stats as to how long it had been since the boys had busted out a help/slip/franklin's but i think it had been quite a while . . . and a very notable crazy fingers - jerry's solo is the sweetest thing these ears have ever heard - GOOSE BUMPS WIDE REMEMBERING THIS GEM . . .anyone else remember it like this??????~KRISSY~
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The Scarlet Fire from the Cornell 77 Show. Not only because I was there....The fire Starts off nice but by the end it is just massive. Like the old days at winterland, the sound seems to be coming from all directions. Very Impressive Paul
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Oh by the way, The dancin' that closed the fist set at cornell 77 is also amazingJerry gets into the nitrous jam.. I'm sure there are many more... But you know this is a hard question Definetly food for thought Paul
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The "Saturday Nights" in the Fall of '71 are pretty much as good as they got. One where Bobby seemed to be feelin' it just a little extra was in St. Louis at the Fox Theatre, 12/10/71. It was the encore that followed a brief pause after already having toasted his vocal chords wailin' with Pig on NFA. Goodnight folks. "From day to day, just lettin' it ride, You get so far away from how it feels inside, You can't let go, 'cause you're afraid to fall, But the day may come when you can't feel at all."
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question.......I am so fickle that they change so often. I have best versions in different Dead vintages, etc...and they ALL change. A couple from the top: Stella Blue - 8.1.94 UJB - for the modern era - so many but 3.26.88 continues to dominate Eyes - modern day tie - 6.17.91 and 3.31.91; and so many 74 versions Terrapin - 2.26.77; 3.27.87 Shakedown - 6.30.85; 3.30.87 Scarlet - LMAO - almost impossible to nail one down but 3.27.88 is right up there; there are so many from 1974 and then there is Cornell and about 15 other 77/78 shows where this song steals the Thunder. Dark Star - many and often, 10.9.89 “The Omnipotent Grateful Dead!”
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Such a tough question. But one that stands out for me was Rochester 9/2/80. Came out of drumz with an amazing IKO IKO into Morning Dew.
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10-21-1983.....A perfect Wharf Rat...August West....stumblin around drunk on Burgandy Wine. This night every note they played was on...Its Brents B-day..@ the Centrum...Like fine wine this is a vintage worth a taste..Maybe they will make a DP? We need 83...
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I've had a great time reading people's favorite versions and scouring through my Dead collection or the Achieve to hear what you all have been raving about. Sometimes I'll hear a version I know I've heard before, but I think I'm hearing it with fresh ears. You all have excellent taste! Anyway, I was recently reading an old piece of early rock journalism written shortly after the Monterrey Pop Festival in 1967. The writer (I can't remember his name) was ecstatic about the Dead's performance. It got me thinking: I have very few recordings from '67, and my knowledge of the music is scant. Can anyone point me toward a particularly excellent show or shows from '67? Many thanks! Oh, a few more of my personal favs: He was a Friend of Mine from the Fillmore West Bonus Disc Scarlet>Touch>Fire (Exact date unknown-my tape merely says The Greek 7/84 Yo Soy Boricua!
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Absolutely wonderful "vocal jam" at the end. Jerry "This is but a dream we dreamed one afternoon long ago." Box of Rain Lyrics by Robert Hunter Music by Phil Lesh
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Not just my favorite version of this song, it's one of my favorite Dead performances period. Jerry's beautiful long lead reminds me of his "Like a Road" solo on Live at Keystone album; both show off his ability to imagine dozens of stunning variations of a song's single melody. And the rest of the boys build a perfect sky for his flights.
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My two all-time favorite Grateful Dead performances. Comes A Time from 8-19-80, Uptown Theatre, Chicago. Incredibly beautiful. Loser from Englishtown, NJ 1977 (DP15) Wow. Thanks for asking!
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I really like "Lazy River Road" from 3-14-93 at Richfield Colliseum in Richfield, OH
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My personal favorite Dark Star is September 21, 1972. Lasts roughly 37 minutes. It's delicious, if music can be summarized in such a way. It has three distinctly different parts, each with its own climax and beat.
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I just love this song - the studio version with pedal steel, the Reckoning version (that's the one in my ipod). This week, I listened to versions from 1/10/70, 5/26/72 and 10/11/77 in the car. The 70 and 72 versions were just OK. 77 was better - sort of loped along. They played it after a long Dancin so maybe they needed a breather. 4/10/78 is a good version (whole show is good, matter of fact). 4/4/85 rocks - Garcia's really into the vocal. 9/20/93, immediately following Race Is On, is full of energy (I have it on an aud tape and the crowd loves it). GrayFolded - 3/18/77 is a great all-around show, don't you think? I prefer the early 77 shows (from Feb through May) to the fall shows. One of my favorite Terrapins is one Phil and Friends did with members of String Cheese Incident at Red Rocks in 99. "Folk rock for groovin families!" myspace.com/chipwithrow chipwithrow.com
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Dancin from 5.22.77; - DP 3; Garcia is off the charts outragously good here; although the Dancin from Cornell is no slouch Peggy-O - 5.5.77; jerry just so smooth vocally and muscially; the notes slink and slide and become one; of course that could describe 1977 in its entirety more later “The Omnipotent Grateful Dead!”
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QUOTE FROM SW FL CHIP -"GrayFolded - 3/18/77 is a great all-around show, don't you think?" Indeed my friend...A great show indeed...Scarlet>Fire to end a hell of a first set...And the 2nd set combo of Terrapin>Drumz>NFA>Stephen>Around is big time and I love UJB for the encore....I agree Chip,early 77 is in a league of it's own.......And by the way, I love Dire Wolf..Never found a live version that really moved me the way the album version did.... Dead to the Core www.myspace.com/bongwizard
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3/18/77 - a unique show - I've had a single cassette of it and always look forward to listening to it. I dig all the songs on Workingman's, but I think the three that are absolute diamonds are UJB, High Time and Dire Wolf. Each of the others has availed itself to opening either in a vocally nuanced or an extended jamming context when played live. I realize UJB has the D minor vamp that can go a lot of places live, but the vocals on the studio version are absolutely beautiful! Oigame! "From day to day, just lettin' it ride, You get so far away from how it feels inside, You can't let go, 'cause you're afraid to fall, But the day may come when you can't feel at all."
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Good Lovin'...Madison Square Garden (9/21/82). Turn On Your Lovelight...Nassau Coliseum (3/29/90). Thank you Branford Marsalis. Franklin's Tower...Hampton (4/9/83). Brent got quite funky with the opening. Midnight Hour...Oakland Coliseum (12/31/85) "So everyone here...is wishing you all out there...a very Happy New Year......From us to Youuuuuu." I Need A Miracle > Bertha...Madison Square Garden (10/11/83). "One of Jerry's speakers just barked its little heart out." Just my choices...for what THAT is worth...lol.
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Jack Straw 8-27-83 Seattle - Phil drops some serious bombs, would like to hear a SDBWharf Rat 4-12-78 Durham NC - absolutely amazing Morning Dew 6-14-85 Greek - Probably not the best, but was on my first bootleg and love it. Dear Mr. Fantasy 4-14-85 Irvine CA - Comes out of space and a great version Music Never Stopped 6-28-85 Hershey PA - Opens set 2 with a great jam.
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it would have to be "scarlet begonias" from the orpheum theatre in SF 7/18/76 ... i taped that show off the KSAN FM b'cast and listened to the cassettes incessantly for many many years ... in fact one summers night in '78 or was it '77, in the front yard on 47th & judah, in SF, i shared this tape with our new neighbors (just moved to SF from LA) who had never heard the dead ... they were instantly converted ... i still think it's the best version ever ...
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The version of China Cat/I Know You Rider from Without a Net. Ive heard other really good versions but none with near as much energy "You know the one thing we need is a left handed monkey wrench....."