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    marye
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    Bolo24 says: An Idea, Perhaps? Since we're all going to have a fair amount of spare time on our hands for the foreseeable future, what about starting another thread where we all listen to the same show/release on a given day and then share impressions afterward? Folks can submit suggestions and one person (not me) picks what we'll all listen to - call it Deadnet Picks or something. Anyway, if this idea is deemed to have merit, I'd suggest one of the loyal regular posters take the lead and do the picking - y'all can decide who. Might be fun. If it does go forward, I nominate Dick's Picks 18 for the first listen. Been talked about here lately, and, had it been a single show rather than a compilation, we'd probably be talking about it in the same conversation as Cornell, Veneta, etc. Or perhaps even Gainesville?? Stay safe and healthy, friends - this planet needs as many Deadheads as possible.

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  • bluecrow
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    DeerCreek89

    Sure thing. And BTW, now Dave's reading your mind - final songs of 7/15/89 1st Set are on Tapers Section this week. Funny synchronicity how first Deer Creek show immediately before the last Alpine run. Passing of the beloved midwest summer venue torch.

    JamoftheWeek is Dillon Stadium 7/16/72 starting with Trucking (no more spoilers). Mistakenly listed as Roosevelt Stadium, which is 7/18. Appears to be only one "circulating" copy/upload (sbd/aud composite from the comparative dark ages) of this great, relatively obscure, total big time show. First post E72 show on the East Coast, with members of the Allmans joining them for closing Set II jam (not on JOTW unfortunately.) Don't miss this one!

  • DeadVikes
    Joined:
    Deer Creek 1989

    Good ideas OB, I don't think I have ever listened to this show.

    Rob Eaton, there probably should be more written about him and all the work he has put in preserving hundreds of shows and his big role in helping get the Betty Boards back to the band or Grateful Dead Productions/Rhino. Well done Rob.

  • Oroborous
    Joined:
    Stepping out 👹

    So while you fine boys and girls were (hopefully) getting yer 78 and 72 on, I was cheating on y’all.
    On Friday, I hit 7/14/85, the other fine show from Ventura that year. Needed the Friday energy and had not heard that one though have ment to for a while. Interesting show. Not quite the rocket sled 85 can be. Just a nice solid evening of GOGD! Then I revisited the video from the Giants box on 6/17/91. Forgot how much I like this show! And that audio, oye!

    Today I’m going to pick 7/15/89. The show between. The one show I’ve not heard from this tour, and never heard anyone mention it?

    Yeah, it’s quite the tale about the tapes journey back home where they belong!
    Here’s to Betty!!
    🥂

  • 1stshow70878
    Joined:
    Yes! Thanks Betty!

    The story confused me a bit as I knew only part of the Betty tapes story. So this million dollar guy must have gotten one of the lots from that auction. I can just see Rob and Dick up all night listening to crusty, moldy reel to reels in Petaluma. Rob was genius to DAT them even though the guy forbade it.
    Found my Rockin' The Rhein bonus disc (burner) and It's possible I've only listened to it once. What was I thinkin'?!? Rolling now starting with a Playin', Sunshine Daydream, and is that Caution starting? Cool.
    Thanks again DV and Doc and cheers!

  • DeadVikes
    Joined:
    Firstshow. Betty

    Firstshow, I believe she left the band in the early eighties after a relationship with Brent that went bad. She fell on rough times and had some of her recordings and Rex's recordings in a storage locker. She could no longer afford the rent and the locker was sold off to three different parties. I thought it was actually in 1986 before Jerry's coma. Anyway, she informed the band about her situation and the music in the locker. They did not act. At the time, I don't think they saw the value.

    I believe Dave has written about the returned reels in the Summer 78 Box and a couple of Dave's Picks.
    Also, there are a couple of good articles out there on the Betty Boards and ABCD LLC and their quest to return the reels to the band.
    I believe Dave's #21 was the first release from the returned reels and the 78 Box was the first box set from the returned reels.

    Oh, and wasn't that your first show?

    Edit. The write up from Dave on the reels was included in the GSTL Box, not the July 78 Box.

  • 1stshow70878
    Joined:
    Just read the rob eaton story

    about how these tapes came back. ( Dead Essays 3-26-72 from deadessays dot blogspot) Very interesting and a tidbit of copyright law that allowed him to get them back where they belonged. The guy who had them wanted a million dollars and the office basically told him to eff himself. He owned the physical tapes but not the music on them. So Dick's 30 and Dave's 14 + bonus disc it is. (and bonus disc for Rockin' The Rhein if I have it) Thanks Doc.
    Cheers

    Edit: so now I want to find out how/why the Bettys came to auction in 1986 in various lots. Was she gone by then? Why wouldn't she have gotten these back to the band? And interesting to hear a good portion of this lot was JGB and Saunders and some Jerry and Howard Wales too.

  • Forensicdoceleven
    Joined:
    If you fell down yesterday, stand up today…….

    Mornin’, rockers!!!

    Pick Of The Day: Academy Of Music March 26 1972

    Yes, I know this was briefly discussed recently, but I compose these things well in advance, so here we are……

    Back in the day, in the crazy daze of tape trading, there were no commonly circulating soundboards of this run yet. It was rumored that they weren’t recorded, there was a flood in the vault, perhaps the building had been struck by lightning. Our audience recordings---much like the Port Chester 71 run----varied from borderline listenable to truly wretched. We dreamed of better quality………

    Well, apparently, maybe they had been there after all, well guarded, well protected, top secret material. The official releases started in 2003----can you believe it’s been nearly twenty years already?---and were a revelation. While perhaps not up to the creamy scorching brilliance of the E72 tour, the entire AOM run is excellent in it’s own way, looser perhaps, but all worthy!

    I always wondered what exactly was the AOM run? Open, paid rehearsals? A tune-up for the European tour? A week long musical party to pay for their fun across the pond?

    The March 26 show was released in 2015, and while appearing “standard on paper” does have a good mix of grease, jamming, and rock and roll. What more could one expect of the Dead at that time? Absolutely worthy of a revisit!!

    The past is the beginning of the beginning and all that is and has been is but the twilight of the dawn……

    Rock on!

    Doc
    Nothing leads so straight to futility as literary ambitions without systematic knowledge……

  • bluecrow
    Joined:
    11-20-78

    Thoughts Part I - Not sure if i ever listened to Set I, but Set II caught my attention many years ago. In part because of the obvious set list weirdness (thumbing through Deadbase) and as part of that set list weirdness the first Jack-a-Roe after the initial handful in Spring '77 (previous 6/7/77) (Jack-a-Roe can be my Cumberland) - its the only one in '78, before being brought back in rotation final month and a half of Godchaux era from 1/7 to 2/17/79. So, as Oro mentions, the word from Healy to a head was that Bob was "sick as a dog" (see IA), so not on stage beginning Set II but, trooper that he is, does make it back. Sounds like Jerry was going to open set with Shakedown but given circumstances slowly leans into what could easily be a jam out of Playing. Pretty freaking cool.

    [Edit] - Thoughts Part 2 - What a unique and amazing Set II. Total "Wow". As Inspector Clue notes, despite an eyewitness account, Bobby is back on stage for Jack-a-Roe and rest of set. The intro and outro to World to Give are otherworldly haunting and gorgeous. In that way they remind me of the atmosphere of Days Between. I think Jerry struggles on some high end vocals, maybe that's why the song didn't last. On the outro Bob's not so much playing slide but making whale calls and it sounds fantastic and beautiful. Tough to have the board cut during the Playing reprise because that Reprise is a beauty but being in the audience from there on out its clear that its a big old party and the Around and Around is a full on swinging-from-the chandeliers closer. Maybe, just maybe, the end of Set II was in fact recorded at the board, we can only hope. Would love to have Set II released.

  • daverock
    Joined:
    Gateway drugs

    Many people discovered Chuck Berry through listening to The Dead. The Stones served the same function in England.

  • 1stshow70878
    Joined:
    11-20-78

    Wanted to hear that third IIHTWTG so I went to the Bertrando/Sacks that starts at the post-Supplication Jam which without it's connection was fairly hard to guess but it sounds like Jerry was just noodling and trying to get to Playin' already. Then Drums into more pre-Playin' then shuffles right into a good Jack-a-roe. Playin' starts for real and abruptly shifts to a bouncy and funky Shakedown and has the crowd clapping along in time. Slow shift to the IIHTWTG with an almost silent (confused or maybe just respectful?) crowd. Fairly different from the debut which was as-written-clean (was this ever on a studio album?) including Bob adding some slide that turns into whale song (Jim, the gift that keeps on giving, lol) while Jerry fans the ending. Tough song to sing with lots of chord changes. Maybe that's why it was dropped? Then Playin' reprise with Bob trying to go elsewhere, but settles nicely before the slam into Around & A.
    Glad I got to hear this and thanks to Oro. Will try that 11-21-78 on your recommendation.
    Cheers
    Edit: Duh, of course! IIHTWTG was on the Shakedown album. There's a ut-oob of the Cleveland IIHTWTG with good sound but no video. Lots of interesting comments there. Lots of love for this song. One guy suggests this was a tough one to sing as it stretched Jerry's vocal range a bit. Same guy has a great detailed logical argument for why they dropped Cosmic Charlie, well reasoned. Another poster said this was their wedding song - cool! Another said it was a dedication from her hubby who has passed on. And a strange number of people said they liked/loved Bob's slide on this. No accounting for taste I guess. Oh and one said Bob had issues at start of second set which may explain some of that weirdness with the "Jams". (as Oro has already documented in his review a few posts back)
    Doc, you know what happens when the going gets weird. If not see Hunter Thompson.

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Bolo24 says: An Idea, Perhaps? Since we're all going to have a fair amount of spare time on our hands for the foreseeable future, what about starting another thread where we all listen to the same show/release on a given day and then share impressions afterward? Folks can submit suggestions and one person (not me) picks what we'll all listen to - call it Deadnet Picks or something. Anyway, if this idea is deemed to have merit, I'd suggest one of the loyal regular posters take the lead and do the picking - y'all can decide who. Might be fun. If it does go forward, I nominate Dick's Picks 18 for the first listen. Been talked about here lately, and, had it been a single show rather than a compilation, we'd probably be talking about it in the same conversation as Cornell, Veneta, etc. Or perhaps even Gainesville?? Stay safe and healthy, friends - this planet needs as many Deadheads as possible.
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Richfield Ohio, 9/4/91. Alright I am in on this one. And it is a Pearson Healy.

Thanks for the picks over the weekend. Haven't listened to 68 in a while.

I had tix to 9-4-91 but had to sell them at last minute because the person who was supposed to go with me flaked out. Sold the tix to someone who needed tix just for that night and drove 3 hours the opposite direction from Richfield to pick up my girlfriend at the time. We then drove to Richfield and caught 9-5,6 which were a good time.

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Yes, I had mail order tix for a hat trick and was denied.
Never made plans to go to a show with that person again.

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That is a bummer Conekid. I will have to check out the next night at some point. I was not able to see the band in 91, which was too bad because they had a lot of good shows in 91.
The sound quality on this one is a solid A in my book. Fun show, nice FOTD, the BTW is good. The Scarlet Fire is a little clunky but still good. Bob really liked to yell during these Estimated Prophets.

For today, I was thinking 12/4/1981 from the Dane County Coliseum. I am pretty sure I saw a few other bands at this venue at some point I just can't remember who it was...
Maybe Bluecrow was at this show in 81?

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I listened to all of 8/23/71 last night. Today I listened to 8/24/71 or what I could locate of it from Dicks Picks 35.
I realize I’m a dropout from Pick of the Day much of the time. It’s good to see it still rolling.
August 26, 1971 is a significant date in Grateful Dead history in that it was the last time the original five members played as a quintet.(pre Keith) I was visiting Oregon for my first time so I missed Gaelic Park but quite a few of my friends were in attendance.
On another note, Charlie Watts passing is major. I was lucky to see The Rolling Stones my only times live, two nights in Mexico City January 1995 , a month before my final Grateful Dead concerts that I made it up to in Salt Lake City , birthplace of Neal Cassady.
Love So Real / Not Fade Away

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DV - that looks like fun and will check it out. did not attend, was at the Rosemont on 12/6. Feb. 78 was only Dane Co show for me. Sure wish I caught more in Madtown because they sure seemed to bring it every time.

Last few days the Dead I've been spinning has been Dave's 17 Selland and Dave's 32 Spectrum. Into the He's Gone vibe and all the other places that come with it.

Take care everyone. Onward.

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The Rosemont in IL. Would be interested to hear more about that show Bluecrow. Kind of an interesting tour in late 81 and I think well played. Need to as always explore more of it.
Dane County in 78, wow! That must have been a great a great show to be at.

Love those Dave's Picks Bluecrow. Makes me want to check out Dave's Picks #34.

Stay well out there.

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Pole guy

For those inclined to celebrate the anniversary.

The 50th anniversary next year falls on a One More Saturday Night. Maybe they’ll hold a MUATM.

Wow. It's been so long, I had to go back 9 pages just to see what I'd been rambling about last time.

I see the thread has covered a LOT of ground since then. It's all stuff I'm pretty sure I would not be able to comment on immediately.

> icecrmcnkd

The Vanetta video is just astounding. I haven't watched it in, probably, a few years, but my memory is of nothing but good. Sublime performance under extreme circumstances. Really, THIS is the Dead's Woodstock. They are not a festival band. They ARE a festival. The film crew, though, they are heroes. As soon as it starts getting dark this evening. That will be going on the home projector screen. I've been seeing posts about it on various social media for the past couple days, it seems, so I'm primed.

>

In general I like those really laid back, and as many have commented, somewhat tentative '76 shows. I've had the 6/19 Passaic FM tape in my ipod most of the month, but have not listened to it all the way through. Vocals really, really dominate the mix early on, but then I catch a song from later in the show and it sounds a little better balanced. I think this show has a Sampson and Delilah with an unusually jammy ending.

The other stuff in the ipod lately is Live Dead, American Beauty, Skull and Roses, Paris '72, 7/26/72 Portland, Eaton Cornell SBD, Willie Nelson's July 4th pic-nic 7/1/78, Shakedown Street, and the Autumn Records Warlocks demo. Man, I don't know what it is about that Autumn Records demo, but I cannot get enough of it. I love that thing. I can listen to it all day long.

I've spent a lot of time in my day with a few February~April '71 shows and they are a LOT of fun. I'm not sure I've heard any of that August run. Definitely making a mental note. Computing situation is a bit sketchy atm. Been listening to nothing but bird song (no caps) all day.

> 1stshow70878

Thank you for the vinyl advice. I have not used a magnifying glass, but the naked eye does not reveal any scratches at all. I have had success going slo-mo on other records and finding a piece of white crud lodged, as you say. A gentle prod with a finger nail usually releases it. In this case the object may not be white. Thank you.

One thing I noticed about the JICO generic replacement stylus was that it seemed to pick up a lot of "dust". Perhaps that was actually just PVC being scraped off the surface.... IDK. I may have damaged the stylus trying to remove the debris with the stylus brush. I may have damaged the record in handling. It's impossible to place the blame definitively.

I use an Audio Technica brush, and usually use the solution, but occasionally do a dry dust. I also have a Swing No. 25 Dusper that I use to lightly dry off the surface if I get too much solution.

>

So much for that OG green label Europe '72 I ordred. The Discogs seller just took my hundred dollar bill and vanished in the air. That's the second time in a year I've been ripped off buying Dead merch online. I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised. There were definitely lots of shady vendors in the lot in the later years. For the record, PayPal's claim system is pretty much a joke, in case anyone was wondering.

> Strider 808808

Yeah, an excerpt of Brown's The Sacred Pipe just happened to be in a book on Native American religion and philosophy edited by Dennis and Barbara Tedlock that I picked up when I was, I dunno, 18 or 19, I guess. Brown's piece about Black Elk's vision quest really struck a chord with me. I think it was something about the pacing to the four corners, always returning to the center. Black Elk looks for messages from various auspicious birds that appear, and just as it seems there is nothing to be found, he is spoken to. I didn't actually get 'round to following up on it until fairly recently. My interests moved more toward east Asian philosophy, and western esoteric tradition, but that vision quest account by J.E. Brown has always stuck with me. I think I can relate the experience of receiving epiphanies just at the point of touching bottom. There must be something of those Campbellian universal truths in it.

> JimInMD

Hey, man. Not everyone has free time to write little mini-essays on discussion boards. :) I was mainly trying to justify why I always take up a whole page with my own discussion.... but also kind of trying to say, that , hey, it's ok to be a little critical where criticism is due. It is subjective opinion, though, and I'm not out to hurt anyone's feelings by slamming someone's favorite show.

>

I see people making some Kermit comments RE an '85 pick. There are some nights in this period where Jer has more voice than others, but I agree, he does seem to be trying to pick up the slack with his guitar playing, and often the rest of the band is on a charge, so these were probably super fun shows to attend. A bit before my time, unfortunately. Jerry would sing in a gravelly voice through the end of his career, but there is sometimes a different quality to his vocals from this period that seem more croak than gravel. That said, without opening my music library, I'm pretty sure I have not heard 4-7-85. A week and change later he sounds pretty good. I really enjoy the 4/16 and 4/20 shows that I got turned onto here.

As others have been saying, though, one of the wonderful things about this thread is that it leads me to shows I might not have normally gone to, and some really hot shows from '85 that came up in the POTD really changed my mind, so I definitely want to thank all of you for that. Just in the last year I also discovered some real gems from '81, '82 that are super duper mellow, unlike the high energy of '85, but have also inspired me to happily fill in some gaps in my listening.

And, in reply to this quote, "Did you ever just know you're not going to remember the chords?", absolutely. lol ^^;

> DeadVikes, icecrmcnkd

Living on the other side of the world, I'm always in favor of download options. As much as a vinyl junkie as I am, if it's a choice of a CD or a download, I can often get two download albums for the price of buying a CD and paying international shipping. Iirc the Dave's Picks are only on CD. I love the archive, and I love AUD tapes, but even /my/ bootleg ears have their limits sometimes.

Lovin' the Althea recommendations. One of my favorite tunes. I'll be looking for that Go to Nassau show, now.

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Anyone have a pick for today?

I am thinking about some post 78 Egypt shows.

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DV - highly highly recommend 11/18/78 - night 3 at the Uptown in Chicago. The mythic Rambler Room show took place during this run. full boards don't circulate for the first 2 nights. Hopin they're ABCDs.

That Dane Co. 12/3/1981 is a killer show. Thanks for that!!

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Sounds like a plan Bluecrow. I will check it out. Love this time period.

Glad you liked Dane County Coliseum.

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Satisfying from what I've heard. Enjoy folks. Play dead! :-)

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> JimInMD No, no, no. Absolutely not, dude. That "Hey man" shoulda been accompanied by " :) ". "Hey man" is pretty ambiguous when left only in text. I was reacting to a comment you made about how maybe you should be more descriptive... that comment was like weeks ago, though. I was tryin' to let ya off the hook, so to speak. :)

I'm gonna hafta catch up on these recent picks. Goin' out the door for a little overnight at the beach and there's no time to DL and update the ipod. My smartphone has no service, so streaming on the beach is out of the question. My only life line is a flip phone. lol. Definitely gonna be jammin' some Shakedown Street while tossin' a Grateful Mahalo frisbee in the sun, though. The pod is also loaded with Bob Marley, Alpha Blondy, Burning Spear, and Lee Perry. Lost another legend yesterday. Was fortunate enough to see Scratch on a tour with Adrian Sherwood. A bit too electronic for me, but still, it was Lee Perry right in front of me telling me to "put your gadget away" because I was holding my little digital camera on my shoulder tryin' to shoot some fragmented video. The camera was crap, though, so the few seconds I got just sound like noise. Anyhoo... no offense taken. No offense meant.

I first listened to this about time PITD was on the 11/24 video. Well played show, really nice sounding board even though its a couple generations down. There are a couple of poorly timed gaps (Fire, Olin Arageed come to mind.) What really perked my ears and brain up was the second set. Tasty Scarlet > Fire, and then that strange set placement of an early Miracle following that and wow Miracle has a blazing extended outro jam (where was that most of the time?) into a sweet He's Gone, followed by a pre-drumz Other One that has some crazy good space as it leads into drums. I really dig this show, this era, and it doesn't hurt that this was in the Uptown Theatre (hometown, though I was elsewhere at the time). Really hope the other two nights surface in similar sound quality and that the masters of this show don't have those gaps. Gotta run. Take care everyone.

Good to hear. I've been a bit busy lately and I thought I might have been careless with something I wrote.. so all is good with the universe.. a great way to start the week.

Missed the 78 yesterday, by late this afternoon I should be on track and have some free time. Not complaining though, I needed the and today will mark the 8th day in a row I've had river time. My listening has been heavily tilted to what was already loaded on my waterproof devices with a sprinkle of what they are pumping in the SiriusXM Grateful Dead channel. 1970 (Harpur and FE), 1972 - 1974, 84 and 85. Listened to a bit of 5/10/91 today in the truck.. I think we hit that one a year or so here. Definitely releasable, good quality audio and a good show. Perhaps we could hit another show from that run which includes Hornsby. The previous run, Cal Expo, was good also but alas.. it was sans Brucey.

In any case.. keep on keeping on the good vibes and good picks. Looks like we are off to a great start to the new week.

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Nice call on this show Bluecrow. Really good sound quality and great show. Late 78 is so different than the rest of the year. Love these early Stagger Lees and I Need a Miracle. Nice Scarlet Fire. Great second set .Probably will be a while before we get any late 78 shows released, but I am ready.

Jim, yes, let's hit up some 91. Send us a pick.

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Had a chance to stream the Miller sbd last night when I got home, but exhaustion prevented me from hearing it to the end. Early on the recording is so vocal heavy that I can barely make out what the band is doing without riding the volume control.

Me and My Uncle is in full disco mode. When was it that Bobby introduced it as a Polka? Was that before or after this? I'm confused. At any rate, it sure ain't a Polka here. I like these Rhinestone Cowboy versions, perhaps knowing that they aren't forever.

There were several comments about song placement, and that El Passo following Sugaree, and there having already been an Uncle > River seems a bit odd, but they had not yet settled into the one cowboy couplet per set routine yet, had they?

It's All Over Now in the first set, though. That feels odd.

From the Heart of Me is so beautifully done. I recall Jerry doing lots of really fast runs between vocal lines, but was not taking notes. This is a real gem.

By the time Music Never Stopped rolled around, I realized that the mix seemed to have been brought to balance between the vocals and other instruments. From the Heart of Me had also benefited from an improvement in this area. Music Never Stopped, though. Wow. This is where the show really gets started. I think someone else already mentioned that. The whole first set is superbly played, but as became the norm the first set closer serves as a precursor to the second set with some nice group improv. Definitely wanna go back to check this out again.

The Scarlet/Fire second set opener picks up right where TMNS left off. This is another track I want to return to. There seemed to be a somewhat different quality to this one, but at the moment I can't put my finger on it. Another highlight, but it's rare that this pairing is not a highlight.

The early second set Miracle is definitely another interesting set choice, as pretty much everyone already said. I kept an ear out for the ending jam that was mentioned, and yes, why was there never more of that? I suppose once it settled into its post-space rave-up role, there wasn't much left on the table to fool around with.

From this point on, I was drawn into the darkness of sleep. I think I'll restart this at It's All Over Now tomorrow and listen to the end again. The recording balance seemed to have improved by the end of the first set, and I missed the whole finale.

Thanks for another interesting recommendation!

> JimInMD

"5/12/91 for Tomorrow?" Sounds good.

Just a few last impressions from 11/18/78

The instrument/voice balance is definitely much better by It's All Over Now.

I think the thing that seems unusual about the Scarlet/Fire, other than the clean cut which may be a result of the Archive's streaming system. There's always a short loading gap between songs.

I was thinking that the jam at the end of Scarlet Begonias seems especially sparse, and then I started wondering where Phil was? There isn't a whole lot of deep bass in this recording, so that may be it. Not sure. I like Donna's off mic reaction to some strange noise that Bobby (presumably) made by accident. ...Ah, I got to the Fire patch. That's the cut that was mentioned. It sometimes feels a touch lackadaisical, but that sort of thing suits the transition into Fire.

Miracle is ON, right out of the gate. No teething problems with this one. Just struck me that it sounds like Jerry's already using some kind of distortion/fuzz effect on his guitar here. I'm a bit of a gear nut. I'm gonna hafta look into that.

Dayum. This Other One is waaay out there. Love it! The drummers totally running with it, complimenting the gooey, stretched out psychedelicized sense of time created by the guitarists with a frenzied lysergic background buzz. Still pre-Beast if I recall correctly, but plenty to keep the Rhythm Devils busy... and busy they are. Did someone say, "Go man."? "I knew you were about to come on."? This really is the beauty of the board tapes. Occasionally you get a glimpse into the verbal communication that goes on between band members. They're always talking to one another a lot more than I used to imagine. It wasn't till I started watching how much conducting Phil used to do that this aspect of their playing became evident. Things changed a lot when Phil started taking a less active role in the spontaneous orchestration during shows, I suppose.

Ollin Arageed, what a nice treat. A little hold over from the Egyptian Vacation. 12/19 is the only post Egypt '78 show I've got in my library, and sadly I couldn't tell you anything about it right now. From there it's to the Godchaux's farewell show, and then Brent's debut or somewhere thereabouts. Again, thank you for filling in this rather sparse zone in my listening experience.

The word I keep coming back to while listening to this show is "beautiful". I was about to use it again to describe the Wharf Rat. Keith is doing some really nice fill-in stuff between the vocals here. Certainly a sight better than his contribution at Giza (yikes!). .... oops... everybody completely missed Billy's cue to start the ending there. LOL. Oh, well. Carry on lads. :P

Love how the transition to Sugar Mag thoroughly cross fades. That's brilliant how they kept a bit of Wharf Rat alive while slowly letting Sugar Magnolia develop. A lot of times Jer'll drop the intro of the next song and the others just stop what they're doing immediately for a couple bars instead of letting the songs blend. Sometimes it feels forced when Jerry does it that way, but this one is just about perfect, for my ears.

One More Saturday Night was one of the more predictable Dead tunes, and I reckon if you were on tour it probably got kind of repetitive, but from a song-writing point of view, IMO this is one of Bob's best songs. It's the kind of built-to-be-a-show-stopper that I wish I could write someday.

Ok, fast-forward a decade or so to 1991!

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Ah, Shoreline. This sits right at the end of a big gap for me between September of ’90 and June of ’91. Another round of “Thank You”s.

Nice variety of sources to keep me busy for a bit. Quick peek at the set list, and Black Throated Wind! Lookin’ forward to that! Post Space seems pretty routine, but who knows?

To start off, I’m A/B/C/Ding the four audience sources on the Archive using Deal as the bar. They never waste any time digging into this number so it makes a good tune to evaluate the sound.

The Gesine Lohr Audio Technica 815A source reminds me of the old tapes. A lot of mid-range frequencies. Phil is there, but you don’t really feel the bottom end. The sound is kind of nostalgic, though. Everything is perfectly clear, just not quite hi-fi. Coming back to this, I kind of appreciate the more well-defined bass guitar work with this tape. More of the various drums come through clearly as well. With more mid-range comes more piano, so Jerry’s guitar solo is somewhat falling into a wall of sound with Bobby and the keys (not Bobby Keys, though).

The Schoeps MK4 source sacrifices a bit of sparkle from Jerry’s voice to emphasize the low end of Phil’s bass, which is something that I kind of expected from an MK4 recording. The guitar solo pops up above the band nicely, though, and on a second pass, the bass is less over-powering, and more well-defined than the other MK4 source. The position is listed as section 102. Having never been to Shoreline, well, that doesn’t help me much, but I’m guessing that is not the Official Taper’s Section, nor is it in Front of the sound Board, but maybe someone can help me out on that. I’m starting to take a liking to this source, even though I had initially switched away from it more quickly than any of the others.

The Daweez Neumann KMF4 pull may be a little brighter than the Schoeps tape, but still has that Phil bass that you feel as much as you hear. On second (actually third or fourth) listening, The Neumann source sounds like it has the mid range frequencies scooped out. There are lots of bright highs, and Phil booms in here and there, but the drums and keys are kind of lost… which, may suit some, but there is a kind of metallic quality to the highs that feels somewhat aggressive to this ear.

The Front of Board Schoeps MK4 take, though, I think this has the best frequency balance of the AUDs. Goes to show, you don’t ever know. Must be something about the seats, or perhaps the signal chain. The first MK4 source might have used heavier wind screens. Hard to say. Same mics, completely different sound. lol. Whoa, Phil is shaken’ the room. Deep bass in this one, but Jer’s guitar is shining, and Bobby is right there in the mix. If anything, the drums may be getting a little lost. The keys are coming in and out of the mix, as usual, really. This has both Bruce and Vince, right? The last three recordings have a lot more bass than the first, but it is much less well defined. It kind of booms. Even though the bass is kind of a puddy of low-end, it somehow does not interfere with the other instruments.

The more I A/B the two Schoeps sources, the less I can tell them apart. lol (T_T) The second source has less info and a CDR generation in the lineage, but somehow feels more… I don’t know, “alive,” as if I can get a better audio picture of the space. I hear more of the venue, but in a good way. It feels more like I’m there, rather than listening to a recording. The similarities in these recordings are many, but the differences are almost hallucinatorily fleeting. I’m going with ID 9402 Schoeps source attributed to O’Connor. I must say, this Deal has kept me entertained throughout this comparison process. Eleven minutes of smoking’ Deal? Don’t mind if I do!

The only disadvantage of picking up the older submission is that it isn’t Y2K-proofed, and also comes ask SHN, rather than FLAC. No audio quality difference, just a little more trouble to convert for me, and that’s all on me.

I’ve not yet listened to the latest and greatest Miller SBD transfer.

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In reply to by rockthing

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You should check out the latest Miller Rockthing. This is a Healy Pearson and it is spectacular. A+++ for sound quality. Just half through the first set. So good.

Check it out people.

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In reply to by DeadVikes

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> DeadVikes

Will do. Part of the fun for me is analyzing the various audience sources. I'm old fashioned. I still wanna download one for the home collection's virtual tape wall. ;-)

The show is hot, hot, hot. I wrote a bunch a stuff last night, but I'm holding off to let someone else get a word in edgewise.

I'd forgotten how much I liked this period. It's a real shame Hornsby couldn't have stuck around. He and Vince made a good team, but Bruce left a deep impression to climb out from. The "solo career" story line feels kinda odd when he could have contributed some great material to The Dead, and an even larger audience. They never did any of his tunes, did they? Can you imagine the jam they could have gotten into on Mandolin Wind?

This show is as good as the previous two nights at Shoreline. Man, to live in CA back than.
Althea, CC Rider into It takes a lot to Laugh, fun great music. Black throated wind.... Nice HelpSlip Franklins. Terrapin!

I always thought the band reached another gear in 91! Songs were definitely shorter but the music was good and they sounded great. I really didn't feel that way in fall 1990. These shows to my ears do not match what they did in 1991. I think they had to feel their way back after Brent died and had been with the band for 11 years.

Looking at a 77 pick for tomorrow.
I don't think we have ever hit up 4/23/77, Springfield. Let's do it.

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In reply to by DeadVikes

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Sounds good.. Enjoyed this one also. The Jam out of Terrapin was a treat. Jerry played his heart out in Deal too. The Althea and GDTRFB had their moments. The transition into Slipknot! was unique.. I think of the three the levels were highest in this one, perhaps a bit saturated especially for the Picasso Moon. Bob was real high in the mix too, so we got to hear his angular take on rhythm. Bruce really filled in the empty spaces nicely.. thinking a few parts in Franklins and throughout.. Looking forward to Rockthings more detailed listen, I was out and about but did fit in the whole show. Only half way through yesterdays.....

Onward to '77 (or do we mean backwards?).

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Really enjoyed this pick! Some flubs from Jerry lyrically in Terrapin, but more than makes up for it with the jam that follows. Overall good second set (GDTRFB), but I really enjoyed the first set. I love CC Rider>Train to Cry, and the Deal was HOT STUFF! Nice stuff!

I am hoping to have a chance to listen to 4/23/77, but it is not looking likely today :( Perhaps tomorrow.

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In reply to by Thats_Otis

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Picasso Moon seemed to sort of disappear from the repertoire. It would have sounded great to hear an evolution of this tune with Brent laying into the B3 instead of the synth sound similar to the studio version. CC Rider is never one of my favorite tunes, but that transition from CC Rider to It Takes a Train to Cry is sublime perfection. Totally did not see that coming. Top marks to both songs for that.

High Time and Black Throated Wind back to back? What was going on here? This is like a dream come true.

Again, Deal. What can I say. This tune is money. Somebody point me to one that /isn’t/ good. This one held my attention yet again.

Help/Slip/Franklins: Help is very cool. The Slipknot! goes into some unusual, very un-Slipknot-like territory during the jam. If I were to pick up midway through I don’t think I’d guess I was listening to Slipknot!. I’m always one for a big jam, but this is one time that Franklins Tower sort of overstays its welcome. I was actually glad to hear Looks Like Rain for once. Those glissando licks that Jerry’s playing are brilliant. I guess they’re the water falling from the sky. I think I like this song better around 90, 91. The Without A Net version that I haven’t heard in ages comes to mind, but this one is a real standout. The ending builds up nicely without becoming melodramatic.

Bobby’s doin’ all his little whammy bar harmonics tricks during Terrapin, and all through the show. These little accents are right on. It’s a great use of texture and controlled overdrive. He’s weaving in all sorts of little licks and fills, almost more of a Stones approach without actually playing things they would play. What’s with that little electronic hand clap around 12 min?! lol. That must’ve been Mickey. Here comes the MIDI… and more “hand claps” as this one totally spaces out before Drums. Definitely like that. Jury’s out on the hand claps, but I think Jerry must have been giving Micky a sly look over his glasses, and Mickey was probably grinnin’ like the Cheshire cat that ate the canary. Then there’s a little samba groove that pops up out of nowhere. So adventurous, and playful. Despite Brent being gone less than a year, Bruce Hornsby brought in such a positive vibe… and also refuses to let that samba idea go away even as the drummers switch to hand percussion… or perhaps because of it. It sounds like Jerry may have left, or started to leave the stage, but then came back. I think that melody is a quotation from an actual composition, but the title isn’t coming to me. So much things to say. So much things to say right now.

I was lying down sort of half dozing off by the time I got to Space last night, but I was impressed by how involved everyone was in it. It wasn’t just a couple minutes of aimless noodling before the climactic rave ups. They were really working out the improv and investing some ear time to this Space. I wish I’d been as invested in taking notes about it. Some more eloquent thoughts wafted through my inner monolog that have been lost this morning as I relisten to the Healy SBD.

Not much to say about the rest of the second set. Solid, I suppose is the best way to describe it. The crowd seemed relieved to hear the GDTRFB riff emerge from a pretty long space, which I personally had thoroughly enjoyed. We’re definitely in Beam solo territory here with Drums, though, so Space probably felt more like 20 minutes than 10, which might seem like an eternity when you’re standing on the floor rather than sitting in a comfy chair at home. Nice organ solo from Vince followed by a piano solo from Bruce, then Jer, I mean, everybody’s getting’ some. It’s great. Throwing Stones was obviously very dear to the band as a well-written manifesto of, at the very least, John Barlow and Bob Weir. It really is a great song, and a very groovy jam develops around Jerry’s guitar solo here, but not being confined to one day a week it suffers somewhat from over saturation. Personally I’ve always liked the vocal effects Dan Healy added to Bob’s vocals, but I guess Bobby wasn’t too fond of it. I liked that you could hear the murmuring of the crowd in the MK4.DAT.CDR AUD as The Weight was beginning, either recognizing it, or wondering what it was gonna be.

Bruce Hornsby must have seen or sensed the disfunction in the organization even in ’91 or so, or maybe just really felt the need to be THE leader of his musical direction, rather than an ensemble player. He fits in so seamlessly, yet brings so much to the table not only in terms of musicianship, but just adding a little light to the atmosphere. This really was a golden renaissance for the band. I love the sparseness and swing of the ’71 bar band period, but the grand expansiveness of this seven piece instrumentalist line up must be the pinnacle of the band’s evolution.

4/23/77? I'm not familiar with that one either. I see 4/22 at The Spectrum in the library, so my interest is piqued. Got some stuff to do the next couple days, though. Might add a few late comments if I get enough done.

:) :) :)

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I know I saw one. 12-9-90 they closed the first set with Valley Road. Excellent and at the time exciting to hear something new. Agree with Rockthing that Mandolin Wind would have fit nicely in the era.
Cheers all!
Oh, and wasn't Jerry on some of Bruce's albums? Can't think of the name of it but on the Muzac at work I would hear one of Bruce's that starts something like "35(?) weeks ago today" and I would just stop under a speaker to hear the guitar solo that, if it wasn't Jerry, it sounded just like him raining triplets.
Edit: Looked it up, it's called Across The River. Watching the video I didn't see Jerry but that sound! Yep the credits say Jerry! Bruce said it was probably only the second time Jerry hit the top 10 charts, Touch of Grey being the other. What about Truckin' Bruce?

Unbelievable.. not trying to embed anything, these guys just suck. I had a two page writeup of 4 25 77 Springfield that will never see the light of day.

Getting horizontal now, great show.

This forum really sucks ass now that we cannot post without getting denied. Over and out.

My first listen of this show and I think it is a solid show. Sound quality is good, not mind blowing, but good. A couple of patches but nothing substantial. You can definitely tell they are not in May form yet, but getting closer. Not sure this show will ever be released.

What are we looking at next?

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In reply to by DeadVikes

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I have recovered from losing my Springfield post. Good show, it had a dreamy, mellowness to it.. less cocaine more opium influenced in my humble opinion. Love 1977 Sugarees.. How Come You Lay Awake ALL night long.. but you can see why it landed in the second spot and not a show opener. They need to warm up a little first before you can settle into those nuances...

Well.. better quit now or the post nazis will deny me.

What next?? Not sure. Want to jump around some more or settle into 76 through 78 vibe?

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In reply to by DeadVikes

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Unfortunately haven’t been able to play with you nice boys and girls!
Been lurking and have enjoyed commentary etc, but work situations have not been conducive to E-lectric hippie shake. So I REALLY need some GOGD! and Mrs OB as at work...so,
Going to hit that 91 first and hopefully the 78 or as much as I can, since y’all showed em such love.
Then I’m going to do the 91 Richfield shows over the weekend to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the humping with whales shows. Might try to hit that RT 2.2 some more too as I’ve just recently purchased it and had only a initial introduction. Time for a second date!
Still want to hit that 66 stuff too.
So I’ll prolly be elsewhere listening, but I’ll be checking in to see where all y’all are adventuring to?

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In reply to by Oroborous

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I have my eye on relistens to the following two shows:

10/27/73- State Fair Coliseum - Indianapolis, IN
This one's a bit weird and flies under the radar. The soundboard seems to end towards the end of Wharf Rat. There's a new Charlie Miller that has an upgrade of the better part of the second set and what exists of the first set is decent with some flaws. I am going to splice together the best show I can and give it a try.

Then.. to reward the patience of cobbling together a decent show from two remasters.. I plan on hitting the night before which is a true classic.

10/25/73- Dane County Coliseum - Madison, WI

So more a less a weekend of '73.

So pick or choose what we like between what is listed above? I am sort of psyched for a unique PITB sandwich. Looks out there.

You evil temptress!
Like I don’t have enough on my plate, lol.
Definitely going to HAVE to slip those in too!
Have not heard either of those, which surprises me about Dane? And Indy if nothing else, which I doubt will be the case, will be another notch in the overall, and especially the ole fall 73, preverbal bedpost! One of those tours that MUST be completed!
Actually, not sure I’ve heard either Dane...prolly thought they would have been released by now and like the teenage girl I am, but without the purity ring, wanted to save myself.
GREAT DANE: Still say that would make a GREAT box: 2/15/73, 10/25/73, 2/4/79, 12/3/81, and 6/24/83.
Not sure I’ve heard the 79 or 83, but think I heard 83s decent. Good enough for filler considering the magnitude of the 73s, and as we heard here on POTDWD, 81s a real burner!

So I guess I’m binging out this we lol. Hup, hup, nothing too it, but to do it!
Digging this 91 so far. Currently descending into H-S-F...

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In reply to by Oroborous

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If the four winds blow we could have potential for the increasingly rare DHB Hat Trick folks!

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In reply to by Oroborous

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I like it.

Finished 10/27/73. Nice little underrated show. Highlights include great China>Rider, the Playing sequence is unique and the Truckin' Nobody's Fault is typical, meaning typically good for the era. Boy, if I could go back in time.

Not sure if I am getting to Madison tonight or not.. we will see.

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In reply to by Oroborous

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Sounds like a good plan Jim. They are on tap for this weekend.

Enjoy the weekend. Can't believe we are at labor day weekend already.

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In reply to by DeadVikes

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...I love fall 73!, but all these shows were good!
5/12/91✔️
11/18/78✔️
10/27/73✔️
9/4/91✔️
Sometimes the 91s sound a little? fuzzy, the vocals, or the miked sources, the direct fed instruments always sounded good. Not bad, just sometimes...anywho. Good shows, especially enjoyed the first set list from 5/12. In fact, I think that’s a highlight of 91, first sets are usually solid and not just the warm up set...
The 78 was pretty typical, and that’s in a good way, really dug the whole jam/drumzzz segment, and yasss that was a smoking TMNS!
10/27/73: damn what a nice surprise...THIS, is why I love this place: finding chestnuts that might not of been fond, soon, or otherwise! Unfortunately the sound wasn’t the best, but listenable. The mix actually is really good, and I think maybe at some point there was (is?) a good sounding master? My guess is combination of years, gens, and perhaps not unlike some cheap street blow, a tad too much electronically stomped on?
But that gives hope that maybe there’s a good master still?
Uncle Jimmy summed this one up good, and in fact I’ve really enjoyed everyone’s discussions!

Oh, lol, did not officially complete the DHBHat Trick as I was dozing off during the first set of 10/27 and wanted to actually hear the second set so had to finish this morning. The ring was in the grasp, but I just let it slip away...
Two tactical errors: had to redo much of the second set of 11/18 due to distraction and felt it would be a violation of the DHB code to thus count it, so used time I could of started on 10/27, thereby facilitating the completion of said show. Also, I missed my 5 o’clock caffeine dose, and I’ve learned doing it later is like pissing in the wind: it dosent kick in in time, and then, after you go to bed, you bolt awake and crackle all night! No bueno!
Hey, this DHB stuff is serious business, and after almost no dead all week, had some catching up to do, like Pintos date in Animal House...
Ok, what’s next? Maybe later I’ll hit Dane, but I’m tempted to honor my purity ring on this one?
Mañana I’ll hit 9/5/91, but not sure what other directions I’ll roam...free range Dead!

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In reply to by Oroborous

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I think the 91 was hot, mildly oversaturated.. especially the Picasso Moon. It rounded out ok by the end but still seemed a bit hot. Still, the instruments were all well represented, there was great clarity and separation and no audience mic, which to me is a breath of fresh air. I like the Pearson/Healy's. My system does not display levels so I am going by feel, but methinks the levels were high. I have to wonder if this occurred during the initial transfer from the DATs? You are correct about the first 73 show too.. I knew that going in but took the plunge nonetheless. I also bet a better recording exists out there, but this is what we have for now. If memory serves, Madison sounds better which is why I saved it for later. Unfortunately I will not get to this until tomorrow.

Still, like OroB I enjoy the road less travelled.. Both Madison's in 73 are worth the trip. Some enjoyable shows that do not get the love they deserve.

Hope you all are enjoying your Labor Day weekend.. big flood waters here, which are just now beginning to dissipate. Good fun, but a bit dangerous perhaps...

Enjoy the last true summer weekend all.. play dead, loud and proud.

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In reply to by JimInMD

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Cause this boy gotta DHB Hat Trick yesterday! Woo-who! Of course Mrs OB wasn’t quite as enthused lol.

10/27/73 second set ✔️ (mentioned below)
9/4/91 ✔️ (mentioned below)
7/3/66 ✔️ Forgot what a fun show this is. It’s interesting how “formed’ they are already. The dead, but not quite the dead. So many different songs too, good palate cleanser.
9/5/91 ✔️ Stayed up and watched this one on YouTube.
Another decent show, Halfstep, nice China-Rider, Trucking-Smokestack, BP etc.
nothing mind blowing just another solid outing. From what I remember I believe tomorrow, the 6th is the best, or perhaps on paper?
Might read and decompress today, hit 9/6/91 on YT tonight, and mañana...?
Still on the fence about my Dane (s) virginal status...I guess we’ll see what tomorrow brings?

Nice hockey organ reference.

Still haven't gotten to Madison, perhaps tomorrow.. After that, I will reside myself to the passengers seat for a while and enjoy the arrangements from another's muse. That 66 looks bomb.. perhaps that next?

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In reply to by JimInMD

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✔️
Watched this one on YT. Looked good on paper and thought my recollection was that this was the standout?
Upon further review: Perhaps a few highlights but overall not as consistent as the previous two?

Jerry has a look on his face early on and though he plays fine, he doesn’t seem to smile or really lean into it until terrapin etc, but he definitely does then! Perhaps my favorite second set of the run? Always was fun to see/hear a live Dark Star, or in this case sort of...Victims a bit ragged, but I generally like Victim.
It was a year after we saw the first shows there with Vincent, and though it wasn’t going to be the same again, it was going to be alright! You could see the progression continuing from the year before. The band was back on track and there was a collective feeling that things were going to be ok.
Saw six shows that year and not a clunker in the bunch! Next year things started to feel different?
Glad I finally got to these shows as I was not familiar.
Now back to the road less traveled!

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In reply to by JimInMD

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Went through the two October 73 shows Jim. Thanks for the picks. Good shows, as noted some of the recordings need work.

Made me want to listen to Dave's #38, from 9/8/73. Need to give this one another go.

We are under 30 days until that next box hopefully arrives.

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In reply to by DeadVikes

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And what a box it should be.

I'm running behind on one of my own picks.. but I will have at least 7 hours in the car today to play catch up. Heading to Blossom and back. Hoping for good luck.

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In reply to by JimInMD

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Man, we need some excitement here. How about 4/7/87 at the Meadowlands?