Forum Subject #5: Reviews, Reviews, Reviews
We would like your comments and recollections on live experiences past, and on tapes present for shows which have not yet been covered in DeadBase. We already have extensive coverage for every show from the years 1988-1994; also please check for older conflicts, either via DeadBase IX, or e-mail us. We are most interested in the color that coveys your live Dead experiences to those not so fortunate as to be there then, and in realistic reviews on tapes not yet in global circulation. Selected responses may be published in a future issue of DeadBase. (Posted 6/1/96)
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05/26/95 Memorial Stadium, Seattle - Johnny Hubbard (mystickaya@earthlink.net) - Monday June 25, 19101 @ 10:46:43
Well, for the last two years, the excitement for a Dead show has fizzled for me a bit.. It had all but come almost predictable, the music that is & the set lists were not particularly adventuresome.. I had even told a friend I would only go to JGB Band shows until the Dead took a break & refreshed themselves.... I had been going to shows since the mid- 80's... Well, when the Dead announced the Spring "95 NW tour.....I WAS IN!! Not acually go to a show in my home turf? Yea right.. I won't review the the first two Seattle shows (5/24-25), only to say they had a FEW moments of insiration. It was now Friday, May 26th. It was a Rex Benefit Foundation show. The boys gotta go off for the kids right?...RIGHT?!!
BOOM!!!! I WAS ANSWERED & WAS I IN FOR A VINTAGE DEAD GET DOWN , FREAK-OUT!!!!
Set 1: Help On The Way started up & you could instantly tell by the tone & intensity (band & crowd) this was gonna be "A" show. Help>Slip>Franklin's CRACKLED with creativity. I have no idea how long it was. All I know is when it ended it realized i was deep into it. Kinda like when you space out in a day dream, then snap out & wonder were you are & how long have you been out..
It was the first time since probably the '90 or '91 tour, where I REALLY went INTO the music as it happened. The rest of set 1 was fun.. Same theing, Loose Lucy & Don't Ease Me In, were all FUN, FUN, FUN!!!!
Set 2: Whoa nelly. If this set wasn't the BEST of the year please tell me what was so i can tell you you're WRONG. AB-SO-LUTE-LY phenominal!!!! I'm not even gonna try to explain it by typing it on this silly keyboard. Get a copy of this set if you're a fan... The longest, crispest, freakiest Scarlet>Fire>Playin>Uncle John's I ever got to witness firsthand. Fire was enormous with some INTENSE Jerry vocals near the end. Jerry was really lettin' it all hang out. Everything worked on this day. Even Easy Answers was HUGE.. Stella Blue was lilting & awe insiring. Jerry really let his pain out, giving the song FULL EMOTION. It was tough to segue into Good Lovin' after being near a balling breakdown. But it was nice to bring everyone down & then lift them back up before leaving the stage. Liberty is such a great encore tune.. PERFECT.
Well it's 1995, and I have really seen a MONSTER SHOW. Who would have known......
11-17-78a Rambler Room, Loyola University Chicago - Patrick Cook (pvcnova@aol.com) - Thursday April 26, 19101 @ 00:00:43
I know that DeadBase would prefer to keep essays limited to shows you've attended, but I really feel the need to rave about this show.
From time to time during the course of my pursuit of wonderful bits of the Grateful Dead, I find myself wondering, why do I carry on this seemingly endless quest for the juice of this band? Sometimes I feel as though I've heard it all, or at least like I've heard so much that I can guess at what the shows between probably might sound like. Not that I ever get bored with the music, just that I wonder how much there is left to discover. But doubt goes hand in hand with faith, and right at the exact moment of such contemplation a piece of music comes my way that destroys any inkling of completely familiarity that I might find myself succumbing to. Most recently, such a situation was resolved by this afternoon show.
If you've heard this set before, you'll know what I'm talking about. When I think of 1978, I think of pure rock n' roll presence. They were about thunder and lightning, a great band on the road, living up to the title of rock n' roll heavies. It was the Dead doing what they'd done so well since the Break, meaning rocking the walls off at every place they played. But deep down the Dead were still Mother Mcree's, a folk band turned electric, doing it for the pleasure of giving their friends a good time. So one Friday afternoon they broke out their acoustics to give some friends in Chicago a little bit of acoustic Dead. And it's worth mentioning they did it for charity to boot.
Break out the DeadBase and check the setlist. The set was exactly three months before the Godchauxs departed, and was played in Billy's absence. Even though you might not recognize every song on the list (a few are only-time-played tunes), the show has a completely fresh feel, from the first strum right down to the final drum beat. It sounds like a bunch of guys relaxing and enjoying themselves, breaking out a couple of tunes they heard a while ago or remembered suddenly from back in the day. But it's also got some tunes they would play with regularity later on down the line, either in the near or distant future, either with the Dead or with side projects. Largely, it's a preview of the Warfield and Radio City runs one year later. It's a stripped down and lean Dead -- a softer Dead, if you will. The Billy-less Boys sound relaxed and loose, plugging away like an intense little jug band, talking comically to each other between numbers, and calling out the next tunes gleefully. It's the Dead saying with an impish chuckle, "Hey everybody, look, we know where we came from. Electric jams are great, but so is this..."
This show is a reminder of what the Dead stood for. They were a bunch of good guys who dug the fact that people liked listening to their music. As long as we continue to search out the gems from inside the Vault, we will find new inspiration from within their music, and the cycle of the Dead will continue on. This show reminded me that I hadn't heard it all, that old songs can easily sound new, and that the band I thought I had all figured out could do something completely unexpected just like that.
Believe you me, this one is well worth the search.
05-08-77 Barton Hall, Cornell - Tom Brown (betmebrown@juno.com) - Tuesday February 20, 19101 @ 22:57:00
Guess I'm one of the few thousand people who can actually say "I was there". I was a senior that spring at a state college in Cortland, about 20 miles away and had been to many Barton Hall shows from 1973 - '77, including Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Jefferson Starship, The Band, Santana, and two really killer Folk Festivals. We'd seen the Dead in Syracuse the previous fall (it's Discs 3 & 4 of Dick's #20) and now with just a few weeks to graduation, The Dead were going to be our final college conert. Fortune was smiling. I'm going to keep this short though, just a few impressions. Sunday May 8th was a picture perfect Mother's Day, the weather was gorgeous - until the afternoon, when a storm front moved in with a miserable cold rain. The crowd waiting outside Barton Hall was not too happy about it, but we had fun hooting at the scalpers, because the miserable weather drove away anyone who didn't already have a ticket. As scalper prices dropped as low as $3 (the official student I.D. price was $6.50), we just gave 'em hell. Finally the doors opened and we got in where it was warmmm and dry. Mmmm. First set was great, of course it was great, this was The Dead right ? What else were they gonna be, very good ?? You need to understand we had no idea just how good it was gonna get. Scarlet was terrific, Fire was not only incredible, it was brand new, we'd never heard it. Ditto for Prophet, with Jerry's funky "Frankenstein movie" groove. But then they opened up with St. Stephen and the place went nuts. After Not Fade Away and the Stephen finale, we thought we'd seen it all and would've been happy to have called it a night. But no. We never even had a moment to turn and hug somebody or say "wow", begore Morning Dew started. That Dew just kept climbing and exploding and reaching higher and higher. I can still vividly picture Jerry bent over double, his hair just starting to go "salt & pepper", fanning his guitar like his life depended on it, it's a memory of a lifetime. Every time we thought the song had peaked, it just kept going higher. I t was like a Saturn V rocket, that keeps igniting another stage and another stage, going higher and higher, all the way, until it all just melted and ran together. The raucous Saturday Night that ended the show was actually calming. We had to drive thru a snowstorm to get home that night.
1970 Kleinhan's Music Hall - Don (dlesser@mediaone.net) - Monday February 19, 19101 @ 11:08:59
The Grateful Dead, the Yellow Brick Road, and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
Kleinhan’s Music Hall, Buffalo, NY
circa Winter 1969-1970
We were in school at the State University College at Fredonia (SUC Fredonia) and went up to Buffalo, an hour away, for this concert. Kleinhan’s was a classical music hall in Allentown, the beat section of Buffalo where we were also staying. The premise was the Grateful Dead, a band called the Yellow Brick Road, and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, led by Lukas Foss.
Before the concert, we were walking around inside the hall, my friends Neil, Richy, Marc, and my girlfriend at the time, Terry. One thing led to another and Neil began talking to a young woman with wide liquid eyes who said, in response to his question, “Acid? You want acid? Someone gave these to me and told me to give them out.” She gave Neil one and me one. They were pink tabs, so fresh the dust was flaking off. Neil ate his and I split mine with Terry.
The Yellow Brick Road started and they were terrible. A teenie-bopper band with no soul or interesting music. We waited through their set, things becoming more and more interesting. The acid, which I am convinced was Grateful Dead LSD, was the cleanest and purest I can ever remember. Clarity, liquid pictures, and a sense of understanding.
After a pause, the Philharmonic came on. Silence, then a single gong. Down the aisles came tuxedo’d men, each carrying a small gong, hitting them in unison. Scary and funereal, it seemed to me like the old order which was death. We waited through the piece, trying very much to like it or at least escape from it, but then it was over.
Then the came out. They had to play an abbreviated set and I remember only Not Fade Away, The Other One and Lovelights (and I am only positive about Lovelights). But from the first chord, the room changed completely. Loud, bright electric guitars, two drummers, and soaring, happy music. The new order. Accompanying the show were “Laser Lights” four oscilloscope roses, red, green, blue, and yellow, that swelled and changed with the music. I remember noticing that they were trying to tie the different colors to the different instruments, but that the music kept escaping them.
When the music started, Terry and I leaped to our feet. No one in front of us did and when I looked around, only Neil was dancing. So we sat down again, dancing in our seats. After a couple of songs, we couldn’t stand it and got up. This time we were not alone and soon there was a sea of heads and patrons, the former in liquid glory and the latter in evening dress, all dancing and clapping. Maybe this was Not Fade Away, which always meant more profound love than boyfriend-girlfriend stuff when the Dead did it. It was a night where I felt my consciousness lifted above the audience. The Dead were the conduit, but that they and the audience were being pulled by the music which came from elsewhere. (Port Chester, 1971, was another such evening where we would hear it, they would play it, and we would hear something new which they would then play.) Lovelight ended with a bang and we all looked around, amazed at what had just happened. In those days, there was a sharp line between them and us, but tonight it had been erased. The lights came on for Intermission, and the room had the loud buzz of a good party.
We wandered down front during the break. Bobby, Phil, and Jerry were playing, but more touching strings than playing songs. Like Garcia was playing the pulse of the room. Bobby’s eyes went in different directions and when we invited him back to our friends’ house in Allentown (they wouldn’t mind, right?), he said he had to go back to the hotel. He popped a string, Garcia popped it back and then the three of them fell into the New Speedway Boogie riff. For a long time, I believed they invented it right then, but probably not. As always, the few times we got near to them, awe kept us tongue-tied. We simply stayed in their presence until intermission ended.
In the second half, the orchestra was split in two sections, the Yellow Brick Road was in the front left and the Dead were in the front right. Lukas Foss, the Philharmonic Director, led them on some orchestral space music, pointing to different sections of the musicians to have the music rise and fall. Very experimental and not beatific, but after a while, it was over and the Dead did another set. I remember clearly a Philharmonic drummer sitting in with Billy, while Mickey played various percussion instruments around the stage. A second wave of good feeling that ended when the second Dead set did. They sent word that they were too tired for an encore and everybody got up to go. The Yellow Brick Road offered to play another set, but no one wanted them to and we kept walking.
11-01-90 Wembley Arena, London, UK - Paul Flewers (hatchet.job@virgin.net) - Sunday January 28, 19101 @ 14:07:05
My third Dead gig, the first being the magical third night at Alexandra Palace, London, in September 1974 with the Wall of Sound, the second being a good one at the Rainbow, again London, in late 1981.
Heavy traffic on the North Circular Road, but I still arrive in time. Buy two 'skull and flash' stickers for my motor. Get mistaken several times for a ticket tout because of my rather un-Deadhead like appearance (very short hair and Dr Marten boots).
Inside the Arena, upstairs on the right-hand side, I have to sit at 45 degrees to see the band. First set kicks off with a powerful 'Hell in a Bucket'. The sound quality is awful, very muffled, Wembley Arena is notorious at mangling the best sound systems (it's an old ice-skating rink), it's not the band's fault. A bit of a wait whilst Bruce straps on his accordian for 'Friend of the Devil'. Then 'Walking Blues' and 'Cold Rain and Snow'. Up tempo again with 'Mama Tried' into -- what's this? -- it's 'Maggie's Farm', each singing member takes a verse, big cheers when Phil does his. Then 'Cassidy', as usual cutting off just when it's getting going (why didn't they let this one just go, a born flyer always having its wings clipped). A bit of a wait, then with Jerry's guitar heavily fuzzed, Bruce sang (so I've been told) 'A Night on the Town', a song I'd not heard before and thus didn't recognise. About an hour, the first set.
During the break, Phil's two little sons were scampering around the stage.
Set two, sound quality still awful. 'Victim or the Crime' clomped along nicely, and the familiar sprightly riff of 'Touch of Grey' wriggled out from an increasingly atonal jam. Jerry's voice isn't too good, and he shakes his head sadly in one verse. 'Playing in the Band' comes next, the jam out of it quietens down, and -- yes, it is! -- Phil starts the 'Dark Star' riff. Great cheers erupt, not least from me. Taken at a perky pace, it takes off into jaunty jam, the drummers are left alone to do their bit, with Micky having a good go on his Beam before the others return. Jerry and Bruce do a lovely duet before the whole band does the back half of 'Dark Star'. Then comes some very unexpected 'Space', really dense, scary sounds from all seven of them. Out of this comes the back end of 'Playing...', run through twice before the vocal reprise. Jerry starts the opening chords of 'Wharf Rat', then 'Standing on the Moon', then back into 'Wharf Rat' again. (That's the only song the band did each time I saw them.) Then a solid duo of 'Throwing Stones' and 'Not Fade Away', which of course did, with the audience chanting the words and stomping the riff. Best part of two hours, I reckon.
'US Blues' for the encore, with Jerry messing up a verse. He waves a little sheepishly as he walks off stage at the end. Even as we cheer and turn to leave, the roadies are taking the equipment down.
I didn't know then that this would be their last gig in Europe. The pictures of Jerry in the British press during this tour show him looking the best for years. Despite the worst efforts of Wembley Arena to muffle the sound, it was a great evening, well worth it.
8/6/74 Roosevelt Stadium - John Potenza (potenza@garden.net) - Wednesday December 13, 19100 @ 14:18:32
I was 13 on 8/6/74 when the bus came by and I got on. This show was to take place on 8/2, but was postponed due to the heavy August rains of the New Jersey swamplands. I was given the ticket by my older sister for my birthday. On the 2nd we got there early and spent the whole day hanging out on the field having a great time. At one point Phil came out, plugged in his bass and played for about ½ hour. Wow, fun. Then the skies began to darken as did the mood. Soon the clouds burst and the field became a mud pit instantly. Eventually Bob Weir came out and said, “the speakers are cardboard and it’ll sound like shit if they are soaked so we’ll try again on Friday (or whatever day). Immediately a riot ensued and we were right in the middle of it. The crew being pelted from the crowd as they covered the speakers. Clearly the drugs and the heat of the day were in full effect by now and it was a strange riot, kind of half hearted and clumsy. At one point I looked down to see a naked bloody person slither over my feet through the mud and broken glass and disappear. We made it out of there just as beer bottles began to fly, fences ripped down, and basically all hell breaking loose. Fast forward to the next weekend…Cruising to the show again in the 68 VW squareback, I’m sitting in the back when all of a sudden pow! I felt something hit the bottom of the car hard. Oh, it’s just a piston rod, darn another blown engine. Quick, abandon the vehicle on I-287, make a few calls, get a ride back home from a friend, pick up another vehicle (65 Rambler) at home and off to Jersey City once again. We walked up to the stadium just as Bertha began and entered the bleachers just before they went into Mexicali Blues. The crowd was nothing like latter day deadheads back then, very little tie-dye, and all of it homemade. Lots of leather, fringe, and halter tops. An older crowd also it seemed, but they were there for the music, in a bigger way than later days. No vending or miracle seekers. The 1st memory of the live GD I have is the wall of sound in the setting sun with a clean shaven Garcia doin the Mexican horn section thing with a grin I could see all the way across the stadium. We settled in for one hell of a show. The first set was long and had many highlights, a Bob and Donna duet of BIODTL, Jack Straw, Don’t Ease Me In. An intense stand alone Eyes of the World in the middle of the first set, after which Bob Weir curses out some guy hanging on the fence in front of the stage. Then Promised Land and Deal, capped off by a 45 minute Playin-scarlet-Playin to end set 1. Then Seastones, personally I love this stuff and it fit perfectly wafting across the hazy swamps of beautiful Jersey City. The 2nd set was amazing, Uncle John’s Band, Loose Lucy, Black Peter, Truckin’->Other One->Spanish Jam…some way out stuff. During Truckin, somebody hit Bob Weirs guitar neck with a glow stick. There was an old, like 80 years old woman in the stands right near us, she had a shopping bag next to her and she just stood there and watched the whole show. The show concluded with massive fireworks set off all around the top of the stadium. Due to the weather, or perhaps it was planned, all the smoke, gunpowder and sulfur from the fireworks descended into the stadium and pretty much gassed everyone as a good night. After the show we headed out, into a huge traffic jam. I purchased a snow cone from a mobile ice cream truck in the traffic jam. After about a ½ hour of unsuccessfully biting it I chucked it out the window, where in the August heat on the pavement, it still refused to melt and only yielded when it was crushed by a passing car. Though I was a dead fan before this from hearing some live tapes and all the albums, this show literally blew my mind open. What a great way to change your life.
10/18/72 Houston, TX - Glenn Crouch (crouch.b@worldnet.att.net) - Tuesday September 12, 19100 @ 00:17:31
I have not seen a deadbase for years, but the last one I saw (about 90) did not list a Playing In The Band for this great show. The Allmans were supposed to play, but due to misfortune, could not be there. Playin' was great, with the long jam and lights going down, that I knew (somewhat) how was going to go down when the lights went down the next week in Dallas.
7-08-90 Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pa. - Dan Kurtz (mckurtz@mediaone.net) - Saturday August 19, 19100 @ 17:05:47
The release of "View from the Vault" has inspired me to write about the
Pittsburgh show. This show is NOT being reviewed because it was a magical
show, but rather because it was an ordinary one. Admittedly, my enjoyment
– or the lack thereof – may have had something to do with my company. I
had to suffer the entire ride, Not only did my friend's car not have a
tape deck, but the mountains of Pennsylvania all but drowned out anything other than
country music or religious broadcasts (yikes!). Making matters worse, was the
fact that during the entire drive, my friend's annoying girlfriend
insisted on sitting in the front, leaving me in a cramped backseat of a
hatchback. That was bad enough, but she kept leaning over and kissing
him the entire ride. I'm not talking about a peck here or a kiss there,
I'm talking about full-blown public display of affection while driving'
70 miles an hour on the interstate.
Finally, the hell drive ended and we got to Pittsburgh. Immediately after
checking into the Hyatt (which has a lovely view of Three Rivers Stadium)
I was kicked out of the hotel room so those two could have sex. Fortunately,
I met some people and we ended up going to a nearby bar. Hours later, I returned
to the room and crashed. I was pretty frazzled and I needed to release
all that tension. This was difficult as some of you older Heads rememeber
that 1990 was the summer of the "Great Famine" if you catch my drift.
Luckily, I ran into someone I knew from college outside our hotel. She and her
friend at least acted as a buffer between my friend and his loser girlffriend.
Eventually, we made our way inside as CSN was playing "Love the
one your with." We reached our seats on the floor and realized that
the sun was at our backs. The rest of the CSN set was pretty good and all
and all, things seemed to be improving. The Dead's opening set didn't spark
me and I was hot, tired, and jonesin'.
The second set started off with a nice Samson and then the "new" combo of
"Eyes>Estimated." This was a novelty that existed only in 1990 (I believe).
"Wang Dang Doodle" out of space was a surprise and "Black Peter" built
up to a crescendo, but the air went out of the proverbial balloon for
the Throwing>Lovelight combo. I personally have never been a fan of
any combo involving Throwing Stones and this was no exception. I started to
walk out for the "Knockin" encore. Fortunately, during the ride home, I got to sit
up front. We arrived in Jersey just as the sun was coming up.
After I watched the video, I was impressed. I started to think that
maybe the show wasn't that bad - it was just the company I kept. Three
Rivers may not have been one of the top ten shows of 1990 but in retrospect
it was allright. It was one of my last shows with Brent, and watching the
video made me realize how much I missed him.
06-26-74 Providence - Scott Probeck (Sprobeck@cats.ucsc.edu) - Monday June 5, 19100 @ 17:16:04
After the Oakland tape, I put on this gem from Providence. The tape starts with a jam, how cool is that? From here the band plays a stellar version of China Cat, and then moves into annother jam called the Mud Love Buddy Jam. Never heard this before, but I dug it a lot. The high point on the album for me was I Know You Rider, with Phil sharing lead vocals. At first, I was like why does this sound so weird, who is that? And then I was like, "It's Phil!" Very cool, I wish he sang lead with the band more. From here, they play the Beer Barrel Polka, annother song I'd never heard before, and then on to Sugar Magnolia--Scarlet Bagonias from Boston (6-28-74). The Scarlet Bagonias was outstanding. When I first heard this song, I thought it was the perfect song. I experienced this feeling again last night. The Truckin which follows is out of this world. It has a lot of energy, and hard core jamming, which characterized the early versions of the song. The remaining songs include a Other One Jam, a Spanish Jam, Wharf Rat, and Sugar Magnolia to close out the show. Unfortunetely the Sugar Magnolia is cut prematurely, but the version from Boston kind of makes up for it. This is the only glitch on the tape however, and that's not bad. Allthough I've never been to a Grateful Dead concert in person, when I listen to these tapes I picture myself there. I see Bobby screeming away, and Phil thumping the bass, Jerry smiling has he delivers some of the most beautiful sounds I've ever heard a person play.
06-05-00 Oakland, 12-26-79 - Scott Probeck (sprobeck@cats.ucsc.edu) - Monday June 5, 19100 @ 17:02:17
This tape really blew me away. It begins with Uncle John's band, conintues into a great version of Estimated Prophet, and then into an expansive jam. The first side ends with He's Gone, and a hint of The Other One, which starts side two. From The Other One, one of my favorites, the bands segues into drums, annother jam, and then Not Fade Away. What really got my attention was Brokedown Palace. All of a sudden, the walls which were generally moving and spinning arround up to this point, began to form distinct visuals. I saw spirals, and waves of color, all thanks to an amazing version of Brokedown Palace. The pure psycedelic, which is what I allways try to find in the Dead's music was more visable than ever. After this, the high was maintained, as the band began to play Around and Around. Everything was moving around and around. I could definetely relate. From here, the Dead move into a roaring version of Jonny Be Good, a song which they had hinted at playing before after A. And A. in other tapes I'd heard, but never fully went into. This time they did, I loved every mintute of it. The Shakedown Street that followed, and brought the tape to a close, took me to annother level. I thought I was tripping hard after Brokedown Palace, but as I was listening to Shakedown Street I went futhther than I thought possible. Right when the starting playing the opening notes, a huge grin crossed my face, and hasn't left since then. Anyone who hasn't heard this tape yet has to get it. Have a good trip.
05-01-77 Palladium, New York City - Jed Gelber (jedgelber@hotmail.com) - Sunday June 4, 19100 @ 21:24:12
The Palladium(f/k/a The Academy of Music)is gone. New York University is building a huge multi-story dormitory on the site. I saw one show at this venue, my first Dead show, on May 1st 1977. I was 17 and a couple of weeks away from graduating from my Upper West Side high school. I had been listening to their records for about a year, and a friend of mine got to see one of the Beacon theater shows in June of 1976. Although I didn't see that show, it was my first exposure to the Grateful Dead scene -I got off the subway and was flabbergasted by all the people hanging out around the theater.
For the Palladium show I bought a scalped ticket for $35 several weeks before the show. That was about four times the face value. I sat in a great orchestra seat that no one ever showed up for. From the very first note of music I instantly understood what all the hoopla was about. The Dead were such a powerful musical force.
Seeing the Dead in a theater was a different experience than seeing them in a big arena. The acoustics were great. The setting was more intimate. The architecture and interior design of a grand old theater lent a more serious tone to the proceedings. I felt there was less of a party atmosphere and more of a "we're here for the music" atmosphere. That suited me fine as I never was into the Dead scene all that much, in the same way that I am a Star Trek fan but have never been to a convention.
10/09/1989 Hampton - Stella Blue (ButterflySky@Altavista.com) - Friday January 14, 19100 @ 08:41:53
All the years combined they melt into a dream,all but that one night which remains clear and pure in my memory. If you were fortunate enough to be there you already know, and if you were not maybe I can't translate in words the depth of the experience. The energy was so strong,you could feel it in the air like an electric current all around you. What stays with me the most was that during space after the Dark Star before Death Don't I felt as though I were in a trance. I walked through the hallway, no one was speaking-words could not transcend what we were experiencing that night. I remember being overwhelmed by Love for everyone there. My brothers and sisters I remember looking out across the sea of beautiful swaying souls and thinking I love you all, every one,and I always will. I think what happened there that night was as close to heaven as we on Earth can get. I beleive it changed me in some way, gave me something untangible yet undeniable. It remains the pinacle of my Grateful Dead experiences and one of the most awe-filled moments of my life. I still do love all of you,every one.And I always will.
06-?-89 giants - keith eilertsen (keiler7465@aol.com) - Saturday November 6, 1999 @ 18:20:26
Hey its me again!I picked this show because i really dont remember too much about any other shows.To me they were all good,but I was so wasted on one thing or another that i dont remember song lists.How ever giants 89 I will never forget.This was my fist show I went into.You see I used to go just for the drugs and then go home.I was into heavy metal and never realy heard the deads music.Then one day a good friend jim got tickets and said come on your going in!I said what the hell.Oh my friends little did I know what would happen the next 7 years!We arrived early and I got a sheet.I took 3 like a dummy and all day long all I kept saying was "I should not have took the 3rd one.I should not have took the 3rd one.To say I was gone was an understatement.I laughed so hard the stuff from my mouth dropped out and formed a white ring around my mouth.Being the good friends that they were no one told me!So i walked around ALL day like that!When I looked in a mirror i was so embaresed!Well we all went in toghter and that was the night EVERYONE jummped down to the floor.We all did to and then as soon as I landed I could not find anyone I knew.I felt so out of place being all alone and tripping like there was no tomorrow!I got close to the front still looking for my friends but no luck.The boys came out and what do you think they opened with?Feel like a stranger of course!I remember thinking listening to the song no doubt I do feel like a stranger!Then franklins tower,walking blues,jack a roe,master piece.Then it started to pour i mean pour and pour.Giants asked everyone to leave and I got mad and started yelling some bad things at the giants people.I still feel bad about that by the way.Well the boys came out after ten min. and bobby said some choice words that i felt like were for me!They were!I have a real loud voice and others starting saying stuff at giant when i did too.I guess i started some trouble!Nothing new!Well the boys jummped into a ripping tennessee jed and that song followed me to just about every show after that.So many hot girls,wow so many but i was so gone i couldnt talk to any of them.Damn.I remember thinking during jack a roe that hey I am sailor jack!Shes got everyone but me Damn!Well after the show we heading home and jim said lets go to the dc shows jed!I said sure and asked one of my friends to drive home.He wanted another hit,but I said no.Now i didnt know where to hide one humdred hits so i slipped them under the front driver side mat.The whole way home wes kept saying come on keith give me one more,but he was driving so i said no.Little did he know he was sitting right on top of them!He He!Of course we got pulled over that night.The cop asked why wes was driving and i got out and said i was to drunk to drive my car.Now i have family on the force,and allways seem to get out of trouble whatever it is.Speedind running red lights whatever.I dont know i got a kind of face cops like?I dont know,but i started b.s ing with the cop and in about tem min we were laughing like old friends.He let us go and told wes to slow down.All i kept thinking about was the sheet,and all the other stuff everybody had in the car.If he would have looked he could have made his quote for the year!When i got home i took a couple more and put in a tape and started buggin out again.When the sun came up i was looking at the trees and saw jerry and bobby setting up at a show.I saw people getting ready for the show.We went down to dc and got in early.I remember looking around and seeing someone on the stage looking at us and then the eagles song new kid in town started to play.Too weird!!The show rocked and of course back to back nights tennessee jed!!I remember thinking can these guys read my mind?Do then know I am here?Well i think they could because everytime i would say to some one that they will play a song they would!!Right after i said it!!Too werid!!I remember one show jerry was singing standing on the moon.The verse"a lovely view of heaven,but id rather be with you.I started thinking ya this is a great view of heaven,but id rather be with you jerry,so i called out to jerry and said that and everyone started screaming!!Then jerry looked up and gave me a nod!So many shows ive been to stuff like that happens to everyone.I feel bad for anyone who missed the bus.I used to think 50 shows that i saw were nothing,but after reading about alot of people who missed the bus now i feel very lucky.When jerry died i was mad at him for messing up his body on drugs.Well now i miss him and the shows REAL bad!!REAL bad!!I went through alot of crap and now just feel real sad and lonely.I need more shows with jerry!Please keep sending in your stuff about the shows so i can remember how it was.Nobody will ever come close to the dead and jerry!!NO ONE!!!!!Dont you cry anymore,sleep in the stars,dont you cry ,dry your eyes on the wind.Fare you well my honey fare you well my only true one,we love YOU more then words can tell.Yes indeed it is a lovely view of heaven,but i would rather be with YOU!!R.I.P jerry
3-28-93 Knickerbocker Arena, Albany, NY - Peter Lavezzoli (dharmadrum@aol.com) - Saturday September 18, 1999 @ 14:05:47
The 1993 Spring Tour was a time of celebration and renewal, similar to Spring 1987. Jerry was back in better health, and his resurgence inspired the rest of the band to heights not seen since Fall 1991. This Albany show is the most exciting. The night before this show, 3-27, has a more attractive setlist, but the playing is less inspired. 3-28 is Jerry's night, with soulful performances of so many Jerry classics, that it almost has the feel of a JGB show. From the first notes of Half Step it is clear that Jerry is on fire, 100% committed to playing the best show that he can. Everything he touches turns to gold, and this challenges the others to match his enthusiasm. The first set explodes early on with a heart-wrenching So Many Roads that finds Jerry crying out at the top of his range with startling power. Bobby follows with an equally emotional Masterpiece, and the set continues to shine with the definitive 90s version of High Time, where Jerry the crooner is again in full effect, not missing a beat. The set concludes with an exceptional pairing of Eternity>Deal, both songs perfect examples of ensemble improvisation and extroverted vocals. Deal is especially long and hot, again similar to a JGB performance.
Jerry picks it right back up for the next set with Scarlet>Fire, not the longest version of this jam, but certainly one of the tightest and most energetic. The way Jerry effortlessly moves from one tone to the next, scaling dizzying heights with the band during Fire, the listener is too thrilled to notice the time. Samson maintains the high energy level, before Jerry the balladeer gives us a definitive 90s Ship of Fools that is pure heart and soul. Phil is inspired to contribute with the newly improved 1993 arrangement of Wave to the Wind. Here it is an exciting treat, with Phil's vocals clear and assured, and Jerry's instrumental breaks reminiscent of Eyes of the World. This is one of the best versions ever done, and Phil is noticeably excited afterwards, judging from the shattering bass bombs he drops during Truckin. This is yet another definitive version for the 90s, where everyone shines. As Jerry reaches the high peak of the crescendo, Phil comes down with a series of bombs that shakes the building, with more bombs to follow later in the post-Truckin jam as they begin to wind their way into Drums. After a lengthy and melodic Drums and Space, Way to Go Home could have put a damper on the show. But not this night. Vince sings with conviction, Jerry compliments with the perfect lead for each moment, and the harmonies are flawless. Its these impeccable harmonies that set the tone for what may be the greatest version of Attics. This Attics is perfect, with every note in place. The music provides the gentle backdrop for the vocals, which are stunning in their beauty and perfection. Not for a moment does anyone sing off key. This leads into a rousing Lovelight that finds Bobby doing the James Brown, instructing the band to hit it one time, two times, three times, etc. Heaven's Door is the icing on the cake, majestic and sublime, with gorgeous harmonies and shimmering leads from Jerry. This show is a must-have underrated classic.
8-24-68 Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA - Peter Lavezzoli (dharmadrum@aol.com) - Thursday September 16, 1999 @ 03:17:38
This classic show was a perfect choice for Two From the Vault. Not only is the sound quality outstanding, but the show itself is a perfect representation of what the Dead were capable of in late 1968 prior to the arrival of Tom Constanten. This show was performed about a month after Anthem of the Sun was released. Most of the Anthem material was culled from the February tour, and it is stunning to hear how these pieces evolved and matured during the six month interval between those shows and this Shrine concert. While the Spring 68 shows have an unmatched visceral power all their own, the August shows have a much tighter and more polished ensemble sound, with a greater emphasis on nuance and dynamics. There is more subtlety, and more fully developed improvisation. Pigpen opens with a Schoolgirl that immediately sets the tone. We can hear right away how the band is listening and responding as one unit. Pigpen's harp and vocal improvisations blend effortlessly with Garcia and the rhythm section. This is not the sound of a garage band. The real indication is Dark Star. Still barely a five or ten minute piece during the Spring shows, here it begins to develop into the vehicle for extended jamming that it would increasingly become, as the Dead take their time exploring the possibilities of the piece. The sensitivity and depth of this Dark Star is demonstrative of the growth that was taking place at this time. Stephen>Eleven>Death Don't ends the set with power and finesse. At this point the Dead were using different lyrics during the William Tell bridge between Stephen and Eleven. Like Dark Star, this Eleven is an early example of where this piece was headed the following year, with well developed jams and a tight ensemble approach. Death Don't is also a sign of evolution, with Garcia finding new ways to approach the blues.
Set two is sheer perfection. The Cryptical suite is textbook 60s Grateful Dead: psychedelic, dynamic, powerful yet subtle. Phil and the drummers are going places no rhythm section has gone before, while Garcia soars overhead. These days it is easy to forget that at this stage of their career, the Dead were onto something that had never been previously attempted in music. Not even bands like Quicksilver or the Airplane were approaching this level of ensemble improvisation, despite the considerable talents of guitarists like Cipollina and Kaukonen. The Other One perfectly illustrates this unique musical synergy that the Dead were creating. After the Cryptical Reprise has been fully explored, what comes next is the highlight of the show. This must be the definitive New Potato Caboose. Petersen's exquisite lyrics are given their proper treatment with flawless vocal harmonies. The melodic structure of the song is handled with stunning delicacy and feeling. Phil begins the jam with a powerful bass solo that leads into the lively thirteen-beat "rondo" that was part of the standard arrangement at this time. Here it is executed flawlessly. As the rondo is resolved, Garcia begins his segment of the jam, moving through many different levels of intensity before building to the trademark power chords at the end of the piece. Everyone has taken their time, making this not only the longest known New Potato, but also the most polished. Pigpen returns to close the set with Lovelight, which has also noticeably evolved: not only as a powerful showcase for his extroverted raps, but also as an example of how he could control the ebb and flow of the band behind him. After this powerful set closer, the Dead return for an encore of Morning Dew, which almost makes its way through the climactic closing jam, only to be abruptly cut short when the Los Angeles Police Department decide to pull the plug before the song is finished!
10-1-94 Boston Garden, Boston, MA - Peter Lavezzoli (dharmadrum@aol.com) - Tuesday September 14, 1999 @ 21:40:00
Having seen every show in 1995, and most of the Fall 1994 Tour, this show stands out as the undisputed heavyweight champion. If I had to pick one show to represent Jerry in the best light during the final 12 months of his life, 10-1-94 is the clear choice. Not only because of the extraordinary power of his performance, but also because of the songlist. We virtually have the ideal "Farewell" show for Garcia, with Help>Slip>Franklin's, heartwrenching ballads like So Many Roads and Stella Blue, along with classic performances of Scarlet>Fire and Terrapin. Of equal importance is that the entire band is equally as inspired, each player giving their best. Both sets are developed and very well played, almost an impossibility for this final period in their career. The opening Help>Slip>Franklin's immediately finds Jerry in a special place, extroverted and focused. Slipknot goes into some colorful and substantial jams, but things really fly with Franklin's. Garcia conjures up as many vocal and instrumental flourishes as he can muster, and the band has no choice but to follow suit. This sets a powerful trend for the rest of the night. Walkin Blues is prime Bob Weir blues. Althea is another standout, with Jerry having the attitude to really pull this off handsomely with his vocals and leads. Weir harkens back to the old spirit with a robust Uncle>River on his acoustic, with Jerry again in fine form. Phil gets inspired to join the party with a bright and witty Tom Thumb where he says, "My best friend, my drummer, won't even tell me what it is I DROPPED." Jerry goes deep with a version of So Many Roads that reaches some of the highest emotional peaks this song has known in its brief existence. His closing vocal climax will likely bring tears to one's eyes as he reaches for the highest peaks. Simply stunning. What always struck me as interesting was how Garcia could evoke such powerful vocals from such a frail body during this final period. Truly the sound of a fighting spirit. Promised Land closes the set in fine style, with a rocking finale.
This Scarlet>Fire may not be as celebrated as the subsequent MSG version from 10-14, but it is equally as exciting, particularly in context of this whole show. The lengthy transition jam goes far out to explore many different colors and themes before Phil brings in the Fire. The entire band is engaged here, but Jerry is at the forefront. Fire is all Jerry, with some of his most extroverted vocal flourishes during the song's final choruses ever. This man is simply performing at the peak of his ability tonight, there is no sign of anything being held back. Way to Go Home could have been a disaster at this point, but it is quite well played and exciting. Vince's vocals are up front and committed, as is the band behind him with their harmonies. Even Saint of Circumstance works well here, given a powerful treatment during the "Rainfall" jam. Then we get to the next highlight of this show. This is the last truly great version of Terrapin in GD history. Not only does Jerry sing and play this version with absolutely no mistakes, but he gives that extra effort that pushes it way over the top. Every lyric has emotional emphasis, the quiet middle jam is fully explored, and the closing jam builds to dazzling heights before it expands out into a freeform "Jam" that slowly works its way into Drums. The "Jam" segment is very well developed and certainly should be labelled as such in the setlist. Drums and Space are both colorful and exciting in ways that carry over the power of the Terrapin>Jam. The remainder of the show is one grand finale. As seems hauntingly appropriate for what seems to be the last truly great GD performance, The Last Time rocks hard, working its way down into one of the finest versions of Stella Blue ever done! This has to be the most heart-wrenching version from the 90s (although 5-26-95 is another great one). What makes this one unique is that apart from an oustanding vocal performance from Jerry during the main body of the song, at the climax of the closing jam he comes back in shouting "Stella BLUE, BLUE, BLUE!" Again the listener may find themselves on the verge of tears at this extraordinary outburst, truly soul-shaking. Saturday Night closes the set in fine rocking form, with everyone giving their all. Garcia comes back for a Liberty encore that sums up the power of this night: when he misses the lyrics for the final verse, he waits until the next go around and sings the verse again the RIGHT way, with extra emphasis, as if to say: "THAT'S how it's done." Yes, Jerry, that most certainly is how it's done.
11-17-72 Century II Convention Hall, Wichita, KS - Peter Lavezzoli (dharmadrum@aol.com) - Tuesday September 14, 1999 @ 20:38:06
It is very surprising that nobody has yet reviewed any of the November 1972 shows for Dead Base, as this was as impressive a period as August or September. Beginning with Kansas City, particularly 11-13, and moving from Oklahoma City into Kansas, culminating with the legendary five show run in Texas, November is one of the peaks of 1972 Dead. Playing in the Band reached a zenith during these shows, as evidenced from three consecutive landmark versions from 11-18, 11-19, and 11-22. Dark Star and Other One also reached new heights of improvisation. Despite the many highlights of the Texas run, the most impressive whole show from this period is 11-17 Wichita, one of those rare cases where every song is played to its full potential. The entire band is energized, but Garcia especially is on fire. Even first set pieces shine: Me & My Uncle, Tennessee Jed, BT Wind, are all played with incredible gusto. Bird Song is another masterpiece, with Garcia's guitar getting just the right sweetness of tone that still manages to cut through. The jams in Bird Song soar with enthusiasm. Jack Straw in Wichita gets a big cheer as one would expect. Then we move through more scorching versions of Don't Ease, BIODTL, pretty much the entire setlist. China Cat>Rider is well developed in the transition jam, as compared with others from late 1972. Around and Around is one of the most energetic versions ever played, very unusual for a first set as opposed to a closer! Casey Jones caps the set in style.
Garcia continues the trend by opening the second set with a fiery Cumberland Blues that gets the band and audience limbered up at the outset. Keith is sizzling on piano, and Kreutzmann and Lesh are running like a well-oiled machine. The vocal harmonies are strong and clear. The special chemistry of the band on this night continues to show. El Paso is given a proper treatment, and then we have one of the finest versions of He's Gone. This version is stand-alone, with Donna Jean joining the band for some extended gospel harmonies at the end before Garcia moves into a robust instrumental jam that only comes to a stop after it has been fully explored. This seems to work well, because rather than segueing into it, the band starts Truckin with a fresh burst of energy. The real prize of this fine show is the jam of Truckin>Other One>Brokedown. Truckin is given the enthusiastic treatment it deserves, before the jam slowly evolves into something much more jazz-flavored and otherworldly. Rather than the trademark bass intro to Other One, the Dead slowly arrive there by weaving their way through many different instrumental vistas that vary in mood and intensity. Really, this can only be labelled as "Jam," because the music becomes so formless that there is no other way to define it. Without the formal introduction, suddenly we find that they have creeped into the Other One without our noticing it. The verse is sung, and then it's back to a more freeform mode of playing, again quite different from standard Other One jamming in a way that can only be identified as "Jam." Keith gets an extended section of jazz-inspired piano improvisation, sounding very much like McCoy Tyner. Garcia creates a brain-fry meltdown sequence that builds for a good while before actually reaching the point of no return. Eventually we find ourselves back in Other One for the second verse, after which the band immediately drops down into a gorgeous Brokedown Palace, a surprising yet outstanding choice that should have been done more often. This Brokedown is played and sung flawlessly. After this, it's nothing but rock and roll, with a blistering Sugar Magnolia that is another highlight of this show. Then we get a stand-alone Uncle John that brings the energy to another peak before the band leaves the stage. As they return and encore with Johnny B. Goode, Garcia and Weir are both going full tilt with many screams and howls during the final choruses. Upon hitting the final chord, Weir lets out a final screech and that's all folks. No pussyfooting here.
6-25-85 Blossom Music Centre, Cuyahoga Falls, OH - Peter Lavezzoli (dharmadrum@aol.com) - Tuesday September 14, 1999 @ 19:05:26
Most Dead Heads have divided opinions about 1985. Some love the extended jams that took place during the year, along with some adventurous setlists and a general good-time atmosphere. But others find Jerry's voice to be unbearably strident during this time, sloppy mistakes are often made, and at times the band sounds as though they're playing on amphetamines. But this show has the best of both worlds, something everyone can enjoy, even those who are normally critical of mid-80s Dead. Not only are the jams very thoroughly explored, but Jerry's vocals are surprisingly on target, as is his playing. There are few if any mistakes made at this show lyrically or musically, the band's energy is enormous, and the jams get way out there. A perfect 1985 show in every way. The first set is as solid and enjoyable as we can expect. One of the few well-played versions of Day Tripper opens this show, and it is bright and confident, setting the tone for the rest of the performance. Jerry sings and plays flawlessly on West LA, hitting every note and lyric that he reaches for. He sounds supremely confident, and his playing proves it. CC Rider continues this positive trend, as does a perfect Dire Wolf. BIODTL sounds as raucous and assured as the version from their debut album. Row Jimmy is one of the sweeter versions, very slow and soulful as Jerry weaves delicate lines in and out of the music, while also doing vocal justice to the lyrics--one of the highlights of this strong show. Uncle>River is completely animated, and Jerry's fast picking doens't miss a beat. Railroad Blues keeps the set rocking hard, with yet another extroverted vocal and lead from Jerry. The closing pair of Jack Straw>Might As Well is a perfectly appropriate end to this well played and entertaining set.
The second set opens with what may be the tightest Gimme Some Lovin I've ever heard. Phil and Brent's vocals are locked on target, with the band hammering the groove down behind them. This is fun music! Jerry immediately begins China Cat, and again his vocals and guitar are brimming with life. Every note sparkles and shines, as the lengthy transition into Rider becomes a showcase for Jerry's furious lead guitar. The music is bright and upbeat, but not rushed--the groove is just right, as it is during this whole show. This is a great tape to bring outdoors, for a hike or a day at the beach. Rider immediately segues into one of the longest and most developed Playin jams from the 80s. This version of Playin stretches for about sixteen minutes before Drums, and Jerry leads the way with broad strokes of effortless improvisation, bright as the summer sky. Drums was often a colorful highlight in 1985, and this is no exception. Billy and Mickey work through a variety of percussion sounds before furiously attacking the Beast, much to the crowd's delight. Space gently explores melodic terrain before moving into The Wheel. Again, this version is unusual for 1985 because of the strong vocals, and the smooth execution. This segues back into Playin, with a nicely developed jam before the Reprise, afte which comes the classic segue into China Doll. Jerry is once again relaxed and assured, as he sings and plays to his best potential. This very nicely moves into a Sugar Mag that suddenly finds the band back in hard rock mode, with Bobby working the crowd with his stage moves and vocal excursions, and Jerry slicing through the closing jam with searing leads. Touch of Grey is the perfect encore for this spirited and triumphant show, easily the best whole show I've heard from 1985.
10-26-89 Arena, Miami, FL - Peter Lavezzoli (dharmadrum@aol.com) - Tuesday September 14, 1999 @ 18:26:37
The last show from the infamous 1989 Fall Tour is a show that helped give this tour such notoriety. Of the three Dark Stars played on this tour, Miami had the longest and most fully developed, as well as the most fearsome. This entire show is an excursion into darkness, and is not for the faint-hearted. The entire first set builds on its power in startling ways. Foolish Heart is deceptively upbeat as an opener, but the plaintive nature of the song belies its tempo. Then comes the downward spiral into the lower recesses of the human psyche. This version of Rooster is the most violent and aggressive ever done, with Brent practically spitting out his vulgar henhouse verse, and Phil responding by dropping powerful bombs. Both drummers are angrily assaulting their kits, and this is no ordinary blues number! Jerry responds with Stagger Lee, and the violence has now worked its way into the lyrics. Group interaction during all of these pieces is razor sharp and intense. Uncle>River is also deceptively upbeat, while perpetuating themes of death and loss. BE Women is another wolf in sheep's clothing, as we begin to feel the pain in Jerry's voice as he tells the tale of addiction. Both band and audience erupt for the line, "Drink down a bottle and you're ready to KILL!" Geez, some party. The theme of addiction and death further intensifies with a first-set Victim that reeks of desperation and despair. Healy creates a swirling mass of quadrophonic white noise that paves the way for the sonic carnage of the Dark Star in the next set. As if nothing was happening, the Dead snap back into jolly mode for Don't Ease, and they're off the stage. Not exactly an easy landing. This was one of the blackest first sets of their career.
Not to give anyone any false hopes, the band comes back from a long break and starts the second set with a brooding Estimated Prophet, the first time this song had opened the set since its earliest performances of May 1977. Needless to say, the choice to open the set with it carried much more weight now than it did in 1977 when it was still in its infant stages. Here it was a conscious decision, and an unsettling one. Bobby evokes Manson with his Messianic rants and raves, and the closing jam slowly descends into darkness. The rhythmic structure eventually dissolves, and we are suspended in a few moments of atonal Space. It's clear that we're not getting Eyes of the World. What we do get is the most furious Blow Away ever done. This version does not extend into the compassionate rap that Brent would sometimes do with this song. Instead, he just curses and howls into the mike with a terrifying venom, as the band hammers behind him. This show has been so confrontational up to this point, one has to wonder what could possibly be on the band's mind tonight, as if they were addressing a specific person. After a spacy tuning introduction that feels like the calm before a storm, Jerry responds with Dark Star. The large banner that had been hanging from the balcony reading, "5603 days since the last Florida Dark Star," gets released and drifts to the floor as the crowd goes into a frenzy at the sound of the opening notes.
Ironically, the last Florida Dark Star was also from the second night of a two-night stand in Miami, back in 1974. That version started cold and then drifted into complete weirdness. This version would follow suit, although in a much more unnerving manner. The Hampton and Brendan Byrne Dark Stars seemed as though the Dead were still getting reacquainted with this song's powerful implications. But those were both before the devastating San Francisco earthquake. This is a different beast altogether. For this third attempt of the tour, the terrifying power of Dark Star returns with a vengeance. This is the longest post-1989 version that was done as a single piece with both verses, not broken up into parts. The group interplay drips with psychedelia, very loose and bottomless. Jerry stays rooted in A Major, while the rest of the band is all over the map with little sense of structure. The rhythm section swells and recedes minute by minute. The interaction is so taut and responsive, you can slice the tension with a knife. Black holes of open space interrupt familiar patterns at an instant. Jerry's voice is frail and tentative for both verses. After the second verse fades, the holocaust begins. Phil snatches the bottom out from under our feet as he spirals down into the lowest reaches of his bass, and the band follows him with notes that smear and ooze downwards, as if the entire universe is sinking. The drums have abandoned rhythm, and begin exploring electronic sound. Brent begins extracting sickly outer space noises from his synthesizer, interspersed with jarring attacks of white noise that Healy swirls throughout the arena in ways that Victim only hinted at earlier. The sonic landscape in this post-verse jam is brutal and black, the sound of spiritual terror, an outer space ghetto filled with evil spirits ready to channel through the music into our open psyches. Jerry and Bobby's MIDI sounds are shrieking in pain as the disorienting swirls of white noise accelerate and intensify. Suddenly we are thrown into an energy vortex that spins out of control, the sound of impermanence. It takes tremendous courage for band and audience to tap into these energies without flinching. Some people begin running out of the building from the sheer force of the sound. Most are unable to move, transfixed. When the band finally relents, we feel as though we've just witnessed genocide. As the swirling hurricane of white noise subsides, a very calm and tribal Drums ensues. Suddenly we feel as though we're slowly paddling down a jungle river, and Drums has an atmosphere similar to the Apocalypse Now Rhythm Devils sessions. Talking drum, timbale, cowbell, all create a primitive yet gentle landscape to contrast with the electronic carnage of before. Mickey never leaves the stage, and remains on Beam throughout Space, providing a gentle low drone in D. This gives Space a melodic foundation, and we continue to feel as though we're canoeing through a peaceful jungle. Combining this tranquil atmosphere with the earlier massacre, we may speculate that the Vietnam War could be the prevailing theme, a speculation enhanced by the similarity of this Drums and Space with the Apocalypse Now soundtrack released ten years ago.
The remainder of the show explores themes of death from a more compassionate standpoint, in contrast to everything leading up to Drums. The Wheel ever so gently materializes out of Space, and finds the band in much brighter spirits. Jerry's leads sound very ethereal. Then comes a very sudden segue into one of the most furious Watchtowers ever done. Jerry has rarely ripped such fast and furious leads on this song as he does here, and Phil's strong bottom end is a solid foundation for Weir's pleas. This version succeeds in capturing the essence of the Hendrix version from the late 60s, but in a style unique to the Dead. Very appropriate for this show! Another brief transition into Stella follows, and Jerry's voice is cracked and fragile, but the emotion of the song comes through very poignantly--particularly in the closing instrumental jam which starts off pensive and then soars heavenwards. NFA comes right on Stella's heels, and this version is very tribal and colorful, with swirling Hammond organ and heavy sustain from Jerry as he uses his pan-flute sound during the jam. The drummers also regain their earlier thunder before the band slowly lets the crowd take over the NFA chant. With the post-Space segment of this show focusing on rebirth and survival, the band comes back ready to finally bid us all Goodnight. Thus ends the legendary 1989 Fall Tour, and the final East Coast show of the 80s, a show that changed many people.
9-11-82 Auditorium, West Palm Beach, FL - Peter Lavezzoli (dharmadrum@aol.com) - Tuesday September 14, 1999 @ 16:25:35
This obscure show is my favorite from 1982, and deserves wider circulation and praise. It is one of those rare cases where the energy starts very high in the beginning, and does not let up until the end. The entire band is fired up on Mickey's birthday in Palm Beach. The Mingelwood opener catches fire from the first note, with Phil dropping bombs out of the gate. The drummers punctuate in an unusually colorful way that is reminiscent of the 9-2-80 opener. Jerry is hitting peaks from the first note, Brent is throwing himself into the Hammond, and Bobby's vocals fill the room with power and assurance. Few show openers have been this raucous! Jerry tightens the focus with TLEO, and the interaction between bandmembers is razor sharp. Phil's bass was very loud throughout this entire show, shaking the auditorium. Jerry's vocals and leads on TLEO give a strong indication as to how supremely confident yet relaxed he is on this night. These first two songs establish both the raw power and sensitivity that would carry through the entire show. The remainder of the first set is letter-perfect. Uncle>River is fast and furious, with assured vocals from Bobby and lightning fast leads from both Jerry and Brent. Dupree's, having just been resurrected weeks before, again finds Jerry in peak form, with the wit and narrative of the lyrics coming through. One finds it hard to believe that Dupree's had been out of rotation for so long, with the strength of this version. CC Rider is another showcase for Bobby's energy, but again the entire band shines. The final four songs of the set blaze with energy and excitement. Loser is one of the heaviest versions I've heard, rivaling 3-24-90. LL Rain is uptempo yet heartfelt, with Jerry's leads note-perfect and Bobby's pleas cutting through. Tennessee Jed is as robust and exciting as we can expect. Jerry seems focused on themes of love and money throughout this first set, as evidenced by TLEO, Dupree's, Loser, and Jed. After all, WEST Palm Beach is an impoverished ghetto compared to the shamefully affluent PALM Beach, and this dichotomy is not lost on the Dead. "Rich man step on my poor head," rings especially true for the locals. Jerry's closing solo reaches a peak of high notes that has rarely been heard in this song. This immortal first set closes with a version of Let it Grow that must be one of the finest stand-alone versions. Truly conveying the Spanish flavor of this melody, one must hear the sheer perfection and fury of Jerry's guitar work as he effortlessly leads the band through the changes. Not a note out of place.
One can imagine that a first set this powerful would have everyone very much looking forward to the second set. This is the only show that has a pre-Drums lineup of Scarlet>Fire>Sailor>Saint>Terrapin, and every part of this segment transcends all expectations. Scarlet is raucous and bouncy from the start, and Jerry is intent on making this one of the definitive versions. His leads during Scarlet, and especially in the trasition into Fire, are bursting with melodic invention and subtlety. The transition jam carries us off to a tropical rainforest. Birthday boy Mickey Hart blends with Jerry to create a vibrant and colorful tapestry of sound as the band slowly inches their way towards Fire. Brent's tasteful Hammond organ is another key element here. All possibilties have been throroughly explored before proceeding to Fire. Jerry again leads the way with incredibly assured vocals and leads. Phil drops more bombs at the right energy peaks, and Mickey is in full effect. At just over thirty minutes, this is one of the definitve versions of Scarlet>Fire. Bobby comes right in with Lost Sailor, and immediately the band goes deeper into the essence of the music. Jerry's backing is incredibly sympathetic as Bobby brings the lyrical imagery to life. You can hear a pin drop during the quiet parts of Sailor, before the band thunders its way into an explosive and muscular Saint. Jerry does not lose one note, and Bobby rouses the band and audience for the singalong climax. This is intelligent yet physical music. Immediately on the heels of Saint comes Terrapin. Brent's piano is a key factor here, along with Jerry's vocal subtlety. This Terrapin is all about the storytelling, and Jerry's plaintive leads never obstruct the lyrics. As Terrapin gains power for the final jam, Brent and the drummers are the driving force.
Mickey is the obvious focus of this Drums, but ironically he concentrates on the drumkit, with Billy working on the Beast. There is also an unusual amount of cymbal work highlighted in this Drums, as well as tambourine and gong, a very nice change of pace overall. Space is brief but very interesting because it involves the crowd. The band begins to interact with loud whistling from the audience by making whistling sounds on the instruments, yet still leaving space for the crowd whistles to remain audible--almost like a John Cage piece. As the drummers return, the entrance into Truckin almost sounds like Other One. The band hits the opening notes in unison, and off they go. The remainder of this show is one long finale. Bobby changes his Sweet Jane lyric from "cocaine" to "ever since she went and got her sex change..." The final crescendo is perfect. There is a brief transition into a sugary sweet Stella Blue. Jerry's vocals still have that sweetness that would be gone within a matter of months, and this is one of the stronger 80s versions. Bobby closes this set with the rocking two-fer of Around into an explosive Saturday Night. By the time the band leaves the stage, everyone has danced themselves into a frenzy. The Baby Blue encore harkens back to an earlier time. Jerry takes a dfferent vocal approach here, angry at points, mournful at others. This is a very dynamic and emotional version, one of the best I've heard in terms of Jerry's vocal and guitar. Overall, we have here one of the most consistently exciting whole shows of the Dead's career, certainly for the 80s, and it is worth tracking down a copy under any circumstances.
12-3-92 McNichols Coliseum, Denver, CO - Eric S. Crane (ChpscashdN@aol.com) - Thursday September 9, 1999 @ 02:20:58
We drove from Atlanta to catch this round of come-back shows. The first night was off, Arizona was great, but his night was magic. Set one had the greatest version of "Rooster" ever. I am not a fan of this song, but he jam was sweet. "Queen Jane" is another song that had some new life in it as well, and was actually pretty good, again a song I am not so fond of.
The second set is a complete keeper. For a 92 show, the "Corrinna>Terrapin>Playin Jam" is pure hedonism. This is a heavy jam. "Drumz" was cast in four colors that night: royal blue, cape red, insignia yellow, and kryptonite green. A dirge like quality came out of the speakers, as if they were playing a "Superman's Dead" theme during "drums and space!"
"Other One" out of space was very skinny, without Phil's intro, yet still blew us out of our seats, very concise, driven and scary jams. "Dew" was the real thing. Find a copy of this, listen to it a couple of times to really get the full idea as to how big this thing was, they just kept going and going, higher and higher. Not bad, boys.
"Gloria" sent us outside to the falling snow in a cold sweat...
08-04-74 Civic Convention Center Philadelphia, PA (Sun) - John Chojnowski (boxofrain@erols) - Wednesday September 8, 1999 @ 19:31:06
This time I bought tickets and got there early with a friend.
The stage was so that I could lean my elbows and get comfortable. We were set up stage left. Oh oh, Jerry was set up stage right. We had to scramble through the crowd and got set up perfectly. There's nothing quite like scurring through a crowd with Bertha serenading from this incredible wall of speakers sitting behind the boys and girl.
I got my first taste of true Deadheadnism when I had no clue what song they were playing; Space, when someone told me they never left Playin.
I could not get into Phil & Ned, remember this was only my second show.
A young lady disrobed about three feet away and attempted to get on stage to Jerry. She was persuaded to do otherwise.
Now my dilemna, it was truely great that Bobby played that One Step Back Game because my kidneys were about to expode having been jammed up against the stage. This is my only dis satifaction over the years of seeing the boys. You can count on having your personal space invaded. Sometimes, youi just need your space. That ain't going to happen at a show.
I could no longer hold out and preceded to make my a way to the rest room. I did not make it and passed out. Some kind folk carried me to a hallway and provided me with cool water.
Once I rejuvenated I could not push my way back to the stage through these nice, kind, folk. I did the best I could and elevated myself on top of some kind of furniture and listened to the boys and girl belt out Casey Jones. That song should have opened the show because Jerry was screaming and had the entire gathering stationed at that next level.
06-09-73 Robert F. Kennedy Stadium Washington D.C. (Sat.) - John Chojnowski (boxofrain@erols) - Wednesday September 8, 1999 @ 19:02:01
My friends Bear, Dennis and I were in town scouting beaver and had no idea what was going on in RFK.
My buddies were drinking heavily on the hills over looking the Potomoc while I found some interesting folk there covering the shows for the Philly Daily News. We shared some wine and other things as we bunked in for the night.
The first of three astonishing experiences took place Saturday morning. My new friends told me to "listen" to D.C. waking up. From the hills at RFK the many noises began softly and escalated to a loud roar. Truely incredible!
My comparades and I eventually got up and figured we would go inside to see why so many had gathered. We did not have tickets but found very little resistence in getting in, there were unattended gate openings.
We assembled high in the mezzanine and hung out. Doug Sahm opened but his music was like listening to Sleepy Hollow, a WXPN show.
My traveling companions were so laid back but I became anxious. My memory that day opens a Johari Window that I shall never forget.
I shall still bet anything the Dead played Wake Up Little Suzie but I can not find any such written notation.
Then the second of my astonishing experiences happened: I was walking about the Stadium when I noticed the entire crowd in physical rhythm to Tennessee Jed. Truely amazing!
My third indoctrination was that it was incredibly hot and humid that day and there were signs posted all over not to swim in the polluted Potomoc but there were individuals on the field (I had wandered up to the stage) that were wiping down the sweaty bodies with sponges of cool water. That really blew my mind.
Other memories include a young lady handing a bunch of roses to Jerry who was in pigtails. The music did me in and I have been hooked ever since.
4-22-69 The Ark, Boston MA - Peter Lavezzoli (dharmadrum@aol.com)
The three shows at the Ark in Boston are widely regarded as among the finest from 1969. While all three have worthwhile moments, it is the middle night (4-22) which stands out as the strongest and most consistently exciting of the run. Many of the shorter songs in the first set are played as well as one would expect from this era. Top of the World could often be sloppy, but here it opens the show with precision and energy. This is followed by a very exciting and emotional Morning Dew, played at a brisker tempo than what would become customary in later years. Jerry's vocals and guitar are very expressive. BIODTL and Schoolgirl continue to raise the energy level, Pigpen particularly sounding inspired on the latter. Doin That Rag is another song, like Top of the World, that could often sound sloppy and unrehearsed in concert. But once again, this show is an exception, and Rag is about as tight and emotional as I've heard it. Having cleared that hurdle, it was now time to jam. Cryptical>Other One (which sufferes from a brutal cut in the master tape)>Cryptical>Death Don't is a crowning achievement. The Cryptical suite is bursting with visceral psychedelic power. Death Don't is especially frightening in its intensity, Garcia singing with a desperation that I've heard in few other versions. And this only the end of set one.
Set two is seamless and flawless in every way. Dupree's is perfectly segued into Mountains of the Moon, which is one of the most gorgeous live versions of this song. Mountains, rather than coming to a stop, beautifully moves into Dark Star with the same kind of delicate transition that is heard on the first faded-in moments of Live Dead from 2-27-69. 4-22-69's Dark Star is the longest documented version from 1969, almost clocking in at thirty minutes, even with yet another cut in the master tape before the second verse. Without the cut, who knows how long it actually ran? But length is not the only thing that makes this Star special, it is a very well developed version with lots of emphasis on group improvisation. The spaces stay thematically rooted in Dark Star rather than wandering off into a different type of "jam." 4-22 also has one of the finest complete medleys of Star>Stephen>Eleven>Lovelite, where all four pieces are well developed and the transitions between songs are well negotiated. Stephen and Eleven both soar heavenwards, and the transition into Lovelight is perfect. Lovelight itself also has that extra something, with a full-fledged Caution jam sandwiched in between, and lots of extra rapping from Pig. After this, it's no surprise that the Dead chose not to do an encore.
4-27-69 Labor Temple, Minneapolis MN - Peter Lavezzoli (dharmadrum@aol.com)
This relatively short show is one of the all-time greatest, a worthy follow-up to 4-22-69. This was the first show with an opening and closing Lovelight sandwich, and it is executed perfectly. Pigpen immediately takes control, and the opening Lovelight is one of the finest for extended rapping and jamming, very tight and energetic. The band is playing extremely well as one unit, very unlike the comparatively sloppy performance from the night before (4-26 Chicago). After a full treatment, the opening Lovelight makes a perfectly smooth transition into the first-ever cowboy medley! Me & My Uncle reappears here after being absent from the Dead's songlist since early 1967, and it segues beautifully into Top of the World, which is as tight as the 4-22 version.
The Star>Stephen>Eleven>Lovelight medley ranks with 4-22 as the finest, with all four songs well developed with lots of jamming, and more importantly, the transitions between the pieces are very smooth and enjoyable. Dark Star goes into some spaces here that are similar to the 2-27 Live Dead version. After a full treatment, it winds down delicately to the second verse, which then perfectly moves into Stephen. Stephen>Eleven are both very well played, and the Eleven is especially jammed out and energetic before effortlessly moving into the Lovelight reprise. Pigpen immediately jumps back into the game as if he had never left, and the closing Lovelight is just as developed and exciting as the opening half, with Pig and the band riding the finish to an explosive finale. This is much tighter and better played than the 6-14 Monterey Lovelight sandwich. That show has another fine Eleven, but the rest of it does not measure up to the brilliance of 4-27.
09/19/70 Fillmore East - Jim Hecht (hecht@dirac2.span.nasa.gov)
Recollections of 9/19/70 in Particular and 1970 in General
I attended about 50 shows; the first was 1/2/70 (one of the 3 greatest I ever saw) and the last was in 1981. About 20 of those shows were in 1970. I personally feel, for a number of reasons, that 1970 may have been the peak year of the Dead experience.At least on the east coast, they finally became a stand alone act and from May onwards it was just the Dead (and friends). Even though they lost TC (he left at the end of January, 1970) they still had Mickey and most importantly had a healthy and vibrant Pigpen. As long as they had Pig they had someone who the rest of the band could jam behind without having to sing, and as a bonus, they could properly perform the most joyful song in the Dead experience, Lovelight.
Everything seemed to come together in the September 1970 four day run at the Fillmore East. I had seen them twice while travelling in the summer. Once in Winnipeg, Canada as part of the Trans-Canada Festival. A second time was at the Euphoria Ballroom in San Rafael, CA where Janis Joplin had joined Pigpen onstage during Lovelight. When I returned from summer vacation I found that my fraternity brothers at Columbia had obtained tickets to all 4 shows at the Fillmore East and I would get to go to 3 of them. The first was Thursday, 9/17/90.The other day I listened to the audience cassette tape we made. The band talks like they were returning home (what a shambles this place has become over the summer) they spend many minutes adjusting the monitors and launch into a brand new tune, an acoustic version of Trucking. The song was so new that it received little attraction, although the next night, Friday, the audience is rhythmatically applauding as if part of the crowd had already learned the song. The acoustic sets on all four nights were American Beauty inspired gems with Thursday and Sat ending with End of the Road/Swing Low Sweet Chariot. The songs were new and beautiful, the playing was inspired, and the acoustic sets set the stage each night for the rest of the gig. I don't have a tape of the electric set on Thursday but I do remember thinking that it was really good and I couldnt wait for Saturday. Everyone had a feeling that either Friday (9/18) or Sat (9/19) would be THE night. I was secretly hoping that the Friday show which I wouldn't get to see was their off night. Talking to my friends on Saturday it was apparent that while it was really good it was not the ultimate peak. After the acoustic set on Sat, which I only have a few songs from on tape, the New Riders came on and were perfect. I do have a tape of most of their set and they simply took the audience to the next level from which the Dead were due to depart from. What is noticeable is that Garcia on pedal steel couldn't be held back, a foreshadowing of what was to come. The electric set that night was the best one I was ever at and fortunately my friend was able to record most of the NRPS and the electric set it in its entirety (minus a side change during Lovelight and a few missing bars in Sugar Magnolia and in a drums portion). Some people do not like audience tapes because they are muddy, distant etc. The recording equipment was primative but we were college students after all and certainly couldnt afford small high quality decks. It had to be small and conceilable otherwise Bill Graham's guards would confiscate the tape and sometimes the equipment! The tape was made from about row 15 on the right side of the orchestra and for me it has the audience ambience that soundboards always lack. Furthermore, the audience was fairly well behaved and knew when to stomp and when to be quiet. Back to the concert though. The set started off with Morning Dew which just kept building. The Morning Dew just reminded me of the swirling never resting sea. Garcia was unrestrained and it was clear at this point that the band was "on". Dew ended and I was actually a little disappointed. Not in the playing or how I felt but in the recollection that the best Dead shows were the ones where they didn't stop but just went from one song into another.If they didnt segue, then often after a few filler songs you were back to normal. But this show was different. This was the only time I can think of that each song moved you to a higher level, or at least kept you at the same level, as the previous song. Me and My Uncle kept you up there. Good Morning Little Schoolgirl brought Pigpen out and clearly it was a great night for him. The level notched up. Cold Rain and Snow kept up the momentum. At this point the whole audience was energized. Next came Easy Wind and I doubt they would ever play or had played that song with such an energy level. Sugar Magnolia was probably the perfect choice at that point.It tapped the audiences desire for a rollicking song so that it could sit (or stand at some point) through what was to come next. The Dead played Dark Star-St.Stephin-NFA-Lovelight only a few times on the East Coast; all in the May to Nov period. They only played this sequence a few times at other locations. Prior to 1970 the Eleven was played while at the end of, and after, 1970 NFA often had GTTRFB added which produced a different effect. Suffice it to say that, for me, they never were better (maybe equal in a few cases) on any of those individual songs than they were here. Jamie Johansen has reviewed the SBD of this sequence for Deadbase Forum and I heartily agree. After the concert my friends and I were drained. We agreed that this was THE concert and just hoped that the tape came out. We wandered around the streets of NYC finding ourselves in front of the Deads hotel. We waited around a little and finally took the train back to Columbia. To point out the quality of the weekend I also attended the next night Sunday 9/20. It was definitely not up to the standards of the night before. Yet the Deadbase reviewer seems quite impressed by the available soundboard tape. I would say that 9/19 along with the Boston University Concert on 11/21/70 were the only two where the last line of Samuel Becketts novel Watt is applicable."No symbols where none intended."
9-19-70 Fillmore East - jamie johansen (joha0023@gold.tc.umn.edu)
I've always been a huge fan of music from 1970 and when I got this technically flawless tape I was blown away that this show was not held in such high regard as others form this formidable year. While the set list may not directly catch your eye, I guarentee that the playing will blow your mind away!! My tape begins with the Dark Star I believe is the best ever played (yeah yeah 2-13 and 8-27-72 are excellent). As was common place for this year, the band introduces the theme, and melts into psychedelic bliss. From here, they fall in and out of consiousness with the music almost coming to a stop in several places. Out of these ashes rise a jam that is part Feelin Groovy jam, part heaven. Garcia is merely acting as an instrument by which the music can pour out. Jerry is at his lyrical best, with jams that just put a smile on your face. This Dark Star melts into a rowdy St Stephen that simply puts most other versions to shame. After this comes what I believe is the finest Not Fade Away of all time. As Stephen tapers into oblivion, the drummers begin thier tribal beat. As the band crashes into the song, Phil produces some sound effects with his bass that lets you know that the band means business. You have to listen to the tape to believe the jams that occur within this one song, including a full fledged China Cat jam that is just the pinnacle of this great show. This exhausting version is then followed up by an equally compelling Lovelight with full Pigpen rap. As the band comes to a crashing halt, Jerry yells FUCK!! into the mics, proclaiming he has given his all. What folows is something I have never heard on any other tape. The PA music begins, with the tape still rolling, while the demanding New York crowd clamors for more. Suddenly the crowd erupts as it is apparent that somenone has come back on stage. Unfortunateky for the crowd, it is only Phil and Pig out to tell them that Jerry has seroius cramps and that Bobby has trashed his voice. After the crowd vocalizes their displeasure, a well lubricated Pigpen adds his two cents worth by telling everyone to go home and get some pussy! A truly classic show that needs a full soundboard to accompany what's already out there.
01-01-73 keystone korners in Berkeley - Kaniksu (kaniksu@horizon.net.hit)
I received a tapeof "; merely ol' jer playin with friends at a place called keystone korners in Berkeley, circa 1973. nice stuff, and a much different sound from most of his music". Do you have any information about this jam?
02-21,22-73 Assembly Hall - Univ. of Illinois - Alan Beckman (atb1@primary.net)
This was the first of two shows at U of I Assembly Hall. I was a sophomore at the time, my friends and I had somehow gotten advance notice of the shows, and we decided that we would be first in line for tickets. At that time, U of I had two lines for events at the assembly hall: one for small-quantity ticket purchases and the other for block purchases of larger quantities (usually for frats/sororities that wanted to get 50 seats together, for example). We were lucky enough to get the first spot in BOTH lines. They way it worked, the first person or group had to have someone there at all times to keep their place in line and to keep a list of everyone else that was in line. So my friends and I all got our turns to pull night-duty at the Assembly Hall in January, 1973. Those nights were a truly exceptional memory for me - as the word spread about the shows and folks came by to see if a line was started, we got to meet virtually every Deadhead in town and the surrounding area. We'd be out there in the freezing cold (it can get very cold in the winter in Cham-Bana) and people would bring by hot chocolate, tea, blankets and sleeping bags, etc (LOTS and LOTS of etc, as I recall). We'd party all night with whoever came by, and we'd hold a roll call every day at 6:00 PM. "Be there, or your name's off the list", that's how it worked. This went on every day for about a month until the day came for tickets to go on sale. I don't recall how big the venue was for the shows - the Dead insisted that they close off about 2/3 of the Assembly Hall so only the area in front of the stage was open for seating - but our immediate group occupied the first 10 rows or so both nights, and friends of friends had much of the rest of the floor. We decided that the first night would have to be a special event, and what could be more fitting for a special event than top hats and tails for everyone? We went to the local Stallone's Formal Wear on Green Street and told the guy that we wanted to rent something on the order of 20 outfits - the whole nine yards: top hat, tails, spats, canes, capes with red silk lining, etc. They had to search every Stallones in northern Illinois, but they eventually came up with them. I don't know if we turned a few heads as we all came in at once the first night, but I know for a fact that WE had a blast. At one point, my friend Chuck threw his hat up on stage for Jerry, who was right in front of us (stage right), but he wouldn't put it on. Bobby and Phil came over to look at it lying there on the stage, and they stood around it laughing a little, Bobby said something funny and pushed it back over to Chuck with his foot. Later that night, after the show was over and we were among the last to leave the auditorium, a janitor came over and said "I just wanted to let you know you boys looked really SHARP tonight!" We were pumped, that feeling you get after a Dead show and you've been on your feet all night, you're hoarse from screaming your head off all night, the music's still ringing in your ears, and you just want that feeling to go on forever. The second night, I had front row center (right on the aisle) and we still had the first 10 rows or so filled. I heard tapes of that show and I swear I can hear us yelling out between songs. I've only been to about a dozen Dead shows, but these particular shows were among the best times I had at one. I think I may have preferred seeing them at the Fox Theater in St. Louis when Jerry played pedal steel for the New Riders, because of the exquisite venue and Pigpen was still with them, but nothing will replace those memories of seeing them in Champaign!
10/19/73 Oklahoma City Fairgrounds Arena, Oklahoma City, Ok. - Joe T. Fountain (gorjoe@wenet.net)
All I have of this show is what David Gans played on the Grateful Dead Hour back in June 1993 (Show #245). He played Dark Star>Morning Dew, and then, after a commercial, Sugar Magnolia. It is my favorite tape now and makes me wonder about the whole show. Listening to the Dark Star, it's amazing in its "improvised structure." Now I know that sounds like a oxymoron, but that is what comes to mind for me. This Dark Star of course is improvised, but seems almost to have a structured form, resembling a jazz symphony. At some points during the performance, Billy sounds like he is leading the band. A drummer, if he wants to, can really screw up a band by changing the tempo either in a subtle or radical way. For a keen example of that, check out Pete Best's drumming on the June 6th, 1962 version of Love Me Do, contained on the Beatles' Anthology 1. No wonder George Martin insisted that someone else sit in on drums after that, eventually prompting Best's dismissal and Ringo becoming the luckiest man in show business.
But in Billy's case, his superb work on Dark Star is breathtaking. He was In The Zone. Jerry and Phil also shine as well. The band is extremely tight as they glide into one of the best Morning Dews ever. The emotion in Jerry's playing and singing is evident throughout as the song builds to a close. Not one note is wasted.
The Sugar Magnolia that followed saw Bob clearly energized by what came before. It's one of the best versions ever. A great end to one of the best GD Hours. Time to enshrine this show on a Dick's Picks!!
6/26/74 Providence,Rhode Island - Martin Donohoe (Mdonohoe@harris.com)
The second set of this show stands out in my head as one truly blistering set. The band breaks ou with one energetic US Blues followed by Me and My uncle but the true highlight is the China Cat> I know You Rider. Jerry noodles along for several minutes as the rest of the bands contributes lightly to this floating jam before the song even develops. They then break into the China Cat theme and continue to explore it for a while before lyrics are even considered. The transition into I know You Rider is one of the best in My opinion. They jam with an energy that is unparalled. There is a little theme they hit upon that they really only did in '73 and '74 that you can tell Jerry is getting off on. This tape is a Must Have! I have yet to find a decent soundboard copy in circulation. My copy is an audience recording and more than conveys the audiences enthusiasm with this jam. Any decent soundboards please contact me.
Summer 1976 Meadowlands Sports Areana: Willie Nelson,New Riders of the Purple Sage, and The Grateful Dead! - Rick Werner (tribe1@rockonline.com)
20 years ago this summer, the Grateful Dead played the Meadowlands Arena, my first Dead experience !! Wasted was the word..The party in the parking lot was awesome: wine pot food, a true festival. And all at the age of 13..I was truly blessed with older brothers. Robert was indeed a true deadhead,my oldest brother and probably partying right now with Jerry.. Setlistt included, Eyyes of the World, Darkstar, Sugar Magnolias, US Blues, Franklins Tower, Going down the Road Feeling Bad,Johnny B. Good, Playing In the Band, plus 6 hours later of the best show on earth......God this summer is dragging without the Dead!! So Let their be songs to fill the air! Their is a road, no simple highway !! Ripple In Still Water!!!
5-22-77 Sportatorium, Pembroke Pines FL - Peter Lavezzoli (dharmadrum@aol.com)
This show was released as Dick's Picks Volume 3 just months after Garcia's death in 1995. Jerry could not have asked for a finer memorial. This classic May 1977 performance shows Jerry in the best possible light, musically and especially vocally. His voice has never sounded sweeter, and his song selection is all that one could hope for. This is the only Dead show (once the material became divided equally between Jerry and Bobby) where Garcia performs FOUR songs in a row. And what songs they are: Eyes>Wharf Rat>Terrapin>Morning Dew! This is one of Garcia's defining moments, resulting in one of the finest post-retirement GD shows.
The first set opens with triumphant versions of Music Never Stopped and Sugaree, both songs stretched beyond their normal boundaries for the time, and played with an unusual amount of inspiration and precision. Sugaree gives an early indication of where Garcia is headed this night, as he elevates this rendition to dizzying peaks that surpass even the previous version from 5-19. His voice is soulful and expressive, his playing covers the full dynamic range from delicate to explosive. The remainder of the first set benefits from this strong beginning. Every song is played and sung with clarity and energy. Peggy-O is another mid-set highlight, Garcia's solo being especially poignant. El Paso, Minglewood, and FOTD are all graceful and tight. Lazy Lightning>Supplication is another highlight where the band gets to stretch out into some jazz-flavored jamming similar to Playing in the Band. The complex rhythms of the song are negotiated with perfection. Ramble On Rose is another showcase for Garcia's wit and soulfulness. The set ends with one of the definitive "disco" versions of Dancin. Even the dissonant chord changes at the end of the jam are executed effortlessly.
Set two opens with what may be the greatest Help>Slip>Franklin's. In a word, it is perfect. Help on the Way is flawless voocally and instrumentally, and the Slipknot jam hangs together so well, it sounds as if it was composed on paper. Every note from the different players blends together so well, truly a case of musical telepathy. Skeptics need only compare the flow of this version with others from the time, like 5-9-77. This is clearly superior. Franklin's is as joyful here as the Slipknot was dark and brooding. The contrast is brought out very nicely. If you listen carefully towards the end, you will hear Keith playing the piano riff that would be heard years later on Foolish Heart! This H>S>F has stayed with me over the years more than any other version. The set continues with flawless renditions of Samson, BE Women, Good Lovin, and what may be the definitive Sunrise. I've never heard Donna or the band perform this piece better. Then comes the jam that seals this show's unique fate forever. Estimated>Eyes is everything we look for in this pairing: well developed jams from Estimated, with a smooth and barely noticeable transition into an equally well-developed Eyes. Garcia brings the jam out of Eyes down to almost nothing, and the band drops out and leaves him playing alone. For a couple of minutes, we are treated to a lone Garcia ruminating through some achingly beautiful space themes that almost sound like Dark Star at points. Eventually when he has arrived at the appropriate threshold, he brings in Wharf Rat with the band coming in right behind him. Jerry invests himself fully in this Wharf Rat, and the listener gets the feeling that a story is being told. As Wharf Rat drifts outward, we can hear Garcia softly bringing in the riff that comes midway through Terrapin. Within seconds the band picks up on the riff, and what we are given is the one and only performance of Terrapin without Lady With a Fan, coming in with "Inspiration" instead! This brief cameo of Terrapin builds to an explosive peak before a perfect segue into Morning Dew that must be heard to be believed. Phil and Jerry hit the transition together at exactly the right moment. This Morning Dew, fueled by the power and uniqueness of what came before it, is the finest Dew of all time. Once again, one need only compare this version back to back with the revered Cornell version, and one will realize what a shrewd choice Dick Latvala made when this show was picked for release. This Dew reaches down to those fragile silences, and builds to those shattering explosions, like no other version. One indication of this is the intense "fanning" Garcia often does at the end of this song. Here he goes through FOUR full rounds of "fanning" before he is ready to finish. The listener is stunned at this point. We have just heard the best of Jerry Garcia. Sugar Magnolia is the wonderful icing on the cake for an encore. This show is certainly among the top five of all time.
05-09-79 Binghamton - MAS (marc_a_schuman@smb.com)
I thought it would be a good idea to add a couple of tidbits to the excellent review that appears in Deadbase. I attended many concerts, from 76 on, but this wins out for sheer intensity. The energy level that was built during the Truckin jam was probably the most intense I'd ever seen. The new addition of Brent in the band had the boys very pumped. Its already covered in the previous review how hot it was -- people were passing out and being carried over the barricade at the front of the stage. A couple of other things to add: its now hard to conceive of how incredible it was to hear China-Rider open the 2nd set, after it had been left out of the repetoire in the late 70s and people never thought they'd hear it again. This was a BIG moment. Also, I don't know if it was captured on tape, but at one point Phil came to the mic and, referring to the flannel shirt he was wearing, said "this is a Pigpen Shirt!" Also, I thought it was cool to see Jerry with his hair tied in pigtails like in photos from 73! Alot of these things made it seem like they were now more like they were in the "old" days!
11-30-80 Fox Theater, Atlanta, GA - Doug Foust (dfhotmale@hotmail.com)
I was furtunate, in my lifetime, to have had the good fortune of reaching 344 "GD" shows (351 if you include "JGB" shows) and survived to tell my story. I would say that many of these shows (at least 30-40) qualify for top ten status. The 84' Greek Dark Star and the 83' Compton Terrace Help on the way are up there, but by far my favorite show has to easily be the Fox Theater show in November 80'. I have always been amazed that this show has never been written up as one of the greats that I have seen before. I suppose that I only have myself to blame for that! This show was my 4th and my 1st as a freshman in college. This venue holds 3500-4500 people. A wonderfully small place which probably explains the fact that it has somehow been missed by many who want to know about the best of the best. I was in school in Wilmington,NC at the time but I was home in Charlotte,NC for the Thanksgiving hollidays so we drove the 3 1/5 Hrs and got to Atlanta with plenty of time to spare. This was quite an event because you would have thought it was Holloween the way everyone was extra dressed in exotic clothing. The hotel accross the street was the place to be before the show. The Fox is a very ornate venue with a foyer of Egyptian and Middle Eastern Decor. Every song was exactly the one I wanted to here at the time. The sound is the best of any other venue, though the Greeks are a close second. Bottom line, the best Scarlet Begonias that I've ever personally seen. The very long spacey Playin', the drums and space - space that was so delicate and sweat into the beautiful "Wheel" and slowest most gentle China doll. The entire second set was out of this world. The encore was the 15-20 min. Uncle John's Band with jerry just sooo blistering I'm still recovering from the experience. I would only say that I have attempted to impart to you the fact that every aspect of this show was amazing. I suggest that you get out a dead base and look at the set list and know that every song on that list was played as good as you will ever see it. The only other comment I will make is that paper at this show was the absolute best and everyone in the place accept a few unfortunate souls were brought to that special place most folks never get to, some lucky few experiece once in a lifetime, but that deadheads through the power of Jerry and the boys were whisked off to many times.
3-9-81 Madison Square Garden, New York City - Peter Lavezzoli (dharmadrum@aol.com)
This show is one of the strongest from the 80s, and my favorite from the benchmark year of 1981. 3-9-81 has an edge and intensity that is worlds away from the relatively lackluster acoustic/electric shows from Radio City just five months earlier. The band opens with a burning Stranger, with Garcia's guitar so loud and angry in the mix that the listener will be stopped in their tracks by the sheer force of it. Jerry continues to be dominant and powerful with Althea>CC Rider. Bobby's vocals on the latter simply growl with emotion. Ramble On is another searing performance from Jerry. His solo here is so biting and prominent, loud and forceful, that one begins to wonder what is on his mind this evening! His vocals are equally powerful, and this is one of the greatest versions of Ramble On. El Paso, Deep Elem, and BIODTL all continue this trend: the band on fire, Garcia leading the way with an angry and powerful edge. His intensity cools down for Bird Song, but only somewhat: this is one of the heavier versions, with lots of impressive jamming and explosive peaks. The set closing Minglewood features Brent sing a pitch-bend on his synthesizer to sound like Eddie Van Halen on lead! Strange...
There is no denying the power of this China>Rider. The jam between songs is stetched out to epic proportions before Jerry is ready to relent, and Rider itself continues to reach explosive peaks. Samson comes right on Rider's heels, and this is another scorcher. This band is completely on fire, nothing about this show is run-of-the-mill. Even Ship of Fools is given a poignant and powerful treatment by Jerry. Estimated is sinister and brooding, well developed in the jam as it reluctantly surrendurs to Uncle John's Band, which is a beautiful contrast of emotion. UJB takes its time winding its way into Drums, but not before we hear a brief China Doll tease. After an exciting Drums and Space, we get one of the most powerful post-retirement versions of Other One. This is one of the high points of the show. Phil drops four rolling bombs during the course of the song, and Jerry's leads are simply burning with psychedelic fury. This is raw power. Another perfect contrast of feeling, Other One winds down perfectly into one of the most heart-wrenching versions of Stella Blue ever. This is pure Jerry at his soulful best. As the closing jam builds to a peak, there is a brief tease of the Wheel before Bobby launches the band into Good Lovin, which tears the roof off Madison Square Garden. Even US Blues is unusually powerful. This show deserves much wider circulation and praise. After the low energy ups and downs of the Radio City run, this is more like it. One of the best whole shows of the 80s.
1981 The Alladin Theater, Las Vegas, NV - Valerie Stevenson (walstib@pacbell.net)
Hitchhiked from smelLA, took hours just to get outside of LA, then got a ride from a trucker all the way. Arrived at the Aladdin Hotel & Theater the day before the show with $2 in my pocket, sat down at Table No. 23 and wagered my $2 on a hand of black jack. Didn't leave the table for 36 hours, they had to pry me away to go into the show (a mere 50' from the table, if that). Had pockets full of chips, I realized while I was in the show. The theater was gorgeous and sound equally wonderful. When the show ended they funneled the crowd into the casino as they do for all shows in Vegas....for some reason.......BOOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!!!!.......you had a casino filled with hundreds of TR*PP*NG (buy a vowel) Dead Heads who starting playing whatever. No one seemed to care about winning or losing, everyone was having fun. The bit bosses had a very hard time handling this. I returned to Table No. 23 with a group of my compadres and wound up spending four wonderful days in Vegas. I hitchhiked back to LA with just a few dollars in my pocket and many incredible memories forever etched in my brain, as though it were just yesterday. A wedding, the wallpaper, my first tank at a show and the wallpaper, another world.......And so it goes.......
The following and final year at the Aladdin they funneled the crowd onto the street.
08-21-81 Jerry Garcia Band, Fairfax, VA - Springblown (sprngblown@aol.com)
All I can say about this excellent sounding low-gen audience tape is 'get it.' Not only is the clarity fine -- the audience never gets in the way of the music, yet adds to the enthusiasm level -- but the performance is first rate. Personally, I've always thought the '81/'82 incarnation of the JGB was the best ever: Garcia of course, plus Melvin Seals on organ, Jimmy Warren on electric piano/clavinet, Daoud Shaw (former Van Morrison musician) on drums, his then wife, former Mother of Invention, Essra Mohawk on backing vocals (in my opinion, the best vocalist Jerry ever employed... and an amazing singer/songwriter in her own right, and Liz Stires, also on backing vocals. Now, how about this for you? The one and only Phil Lesh sat in for John Kahn on bass this evening! I don't have the tape right here in front of me, so I won't mention the song list -- I forget it actually! -- but let me just say that every song has that something extra that makes for an amazing performance. Perhaps it was Phil pushing Jerry a little furthur. Perhaps it was the combo of Seals and Warren on organ and electric piano that provided some extra oomph. Or, perhaps it was just the product of extremely tight ensemble playing with *GREAT* vocals; accented by some superb harmonizing by Liz and Essra (especially Essra). Perfect example: Essra's scatting improvisations during the guitar solos within "I'll take a Melody." Fantastic!!!
10-31-83 marin auditorium - tim provost (provost@e-z.net)
If any deadheads out there were blessed enough to see the Dead in their own backyard you'll agree that it was a cool thing. I remember seeing Kruetzmann drive into the parking lot as if this show was a stopover on the way home. Due to a connection of my older brother's, we had seats in the seventh row center. Of course, being that it was Halloween just added to the excitement. Two songs I'll never forget. My first and only St. Stephen and Revolution in the 146 Dead shows that I was fortunate enough to attend. I miss the Dead but the music never stops in my head.
7/6/84 Alpine Valley in East Troy Wisconsin - Ronnie Rosenberg (Ronnie@virtual.com)
Dear fellow Dead-Heads,
On July 6th, 1984 I saw "one" of the most memorable shows ever! The first set went as follows: Aiko-Aiko,Jack Straw, Big Railroad Blues,Red Rooster,Candyman, Me & My Uncle, Mexicalli Blues,Bird Song, Let it Grow! The second set went as follows: China-Cat,I Know You Rider, Ship of Fools, Women are Smarter, Drums,Space,Dear Mr. Fantasy,Other One,Black Peter,Do It In The Road, (Around & Around Tease/Mistake) Sugar Magnolia///Encore:Touch of Grey Let me tell evryone how well played this show was.1984 was a time when camping was not only allowed but encouraged. Alpine was the perfect place to camp. It was like DEAD-SUMMER-CAMP! Alpine was the closest I've ever come to experiencing woodstock first hand. Wide spread open fields surrounded by corn and forests was the setting. The weather was beautifull and we were juiced ready to go.If you don't have this tape you must get it. One of the best Aiko's opened the show; if you listen to the tape you'll here Brent, Bobby, and Jerry screamimg at the top of their lungs "HEY-NOW"---"HEY-NOW" at the end of the song. The rest of the set flowed beautifully. To close the 1st set with Bird Song followed by Let It Grow was amazing. Seriously these two songs take up at least half the tape on the second side. The second set was just as amazing! A killer China-Rider to open with Jerry belting the headlight verse. Ship of fools was pretty and women are smarter was fun, but the best part of the set came after space. Out of space they flowed into a raging Dear Mr. Fantasy sung by Jerry and Brent. This transitioned into the Other One which was all over the map with Phil busting bombs that made the head spin. A terrific and inspired black peter wound down the other one. After Peter came a big surprise. Phil steps up to the mike and belts out"Why Don't we do it in the Road" WOW! The band is really having fun with this one; "no-one will be watching us..." As they milk every drop out of the beatles cover Jerry does the intro for Around & Around, but then stops and walks off stage for a sec, comes back and they proceed to do one of those very enthusiastic and energetic Sugar Mags with an explosive ending. Touch was the encore which at that time was relatively new. What a show! Everyone must also know that the next night(7-7-84) was equally spectacular. The highlight was the entire second set------Samson & Delilah,Cold Rain & Snow, a wicked Playin(listen to Phil on this one), China-Doll, Drums, Space, Terrapin, Throwing Stones,Not Fade Away, Lovelight(this was the lovelight comback since Europe 81' I believe),
6/15/85 Greek Theater in Berkely Cal. - Ronnie Rosenberg (ronnie@virtual.com)
Dear fellow DeadHeads,
On June 14-16th the grateful dead were celebrating their 30th anniversary, and since I hadn't seen a California show I decided to celebrate with the dead at the Greek Theater in Berkely California. What a venue the Greek Theater was. It was small, intimate, and offered total general admission seating. We ended up sitting about 8th row for the show on the 15th and the 16th. After opening the 2nd set the night before with Morning Dew, busting out 1st set irregulars like dancing in the streets and Keep on Growing, and bringing back Stagger Lee I knew the show for the 15th would be spectacular. The 2nd set for the 15th was simply awesome----one the best played sets I've seen. It was one of the shows where it wasn't how the set list looked, but how it was played that mattered. The 2nd set for 6/15/99 went as follows: China Cat, I know you Rider, Lost Sailor, Saint of Circumstance, Terrapin Station,Jam, Drums,Space,Wheel,Gimme some Lovin,Throwing Stones,Not Fade Away Double Encore---------->She's An Artist,---------->U.S. Blues If you don't have this 2nd set it's a must due to the energy of this show. All songs are well played crackling with energy!The China-Rider moves beautifully with a nice extended jam in the middle that builds to a climax. Then they played a flawless and inspiring Lost Sailor/ Saint of Circumstance that had all the markings of perfection. After Saint, Jerry started Terrapin which nicely capped off the beginning of the 2nd set. At the end of Terrapin the band continued with an eerie and flowing jam untill Drums took over. Listen to the end of space where Jerry plays as sweet as can be moving towards the Wheel followed by Phil and Brent rocking the house with Gimme Some Lovin,and then--->Throwing Stones,and Not Fade Away. After that set the band came out and followed with U.S. Blues and left the stage. I remember the audience giving the band the band huge ovations for"more,more..." I also remeber thinking"could they do a second encore?" and sure enough a few minutes later they came out and did 'She's An Artist' for the second encore. What A show! However don't forget to get a copy of the following night's second set. 6/16/85, the second set is truely amazing-----(The first set is great too) Set 2 went as follows--->Scarlet,Fire,Samson and Delilah,the full Other One with Cryptical,Drums,Space,Goin down the road,Miracle,Wharf Rat,Lovelight Encore-------->Brokedown Palace
11-1-85 Coliseum: Richmond, VA - Patrick Tiedemann (jpatrick@silcom.com)
The headlines in the local papers the morning after this two night stand made it clear that the city of Richmond had not been so up in arms over an invasion since Lee retreated and Grant marched in the Yankee army. But there was a reason the city had exploded over the past two nights. The Dead played a pair of smokers that caused a jubilant elation among those in attendence that spilled over into the streets and hotels. The wildest, funnest hotel scenes I ever saw in all my years on the road occured on these nights in Richmond, and the shows were the cause. 11-1-85 was the crown jewel in a milestone year for the band. After a LONG tune-up Bob, Brent and the Jer Man rocked out a DANCIN' that set the trend for the rest of the weekend, with Jerry doing alot of the fast licks that you often had to wait till the second set for. The COLD RAIN to follow was just the right groove to keep up the dancing. The rest of the first set had a decidedly southern/down home theme with ROOSTER (Bob on slide guitar), STAGGER LEE, ME & MY UNCLE>BIG RIVER, BROWN EYED, JACK STRAW, and a be-boppin' DON'T EASE to end a high quality first set. The second set made this Friday one of the great nights in the history of the Dead. You may not think so from looking at the list, but listen to a good tape, or talk to someone who was there, and this was up there at the top. One major highlight was the UNIQUENESS of the set list up until that point, the number of new songs or oldies that were making a return that corresponded in this one show. Also the QUALITY of the music was superb- crisp guitar and keyboards, booming base, a strong backbeat fro Bill and Micky- making the combo of sweet, flawless Jerry balads, (completed by his ability to still hold the high sung notes in '85) and rockin' rollin' party jams classic versions of each and every number. The appearence of HIGH TIME, COMES A TIME (back in the lists after 5 years), and SHE BELONGS to ME (making a comeback that year after 1500 shows) in one set was an unheard of treat. Jerry was just in that rare mood to pull out all the treats in his bag, and he delivers them with genuine feeling. He was an artist with a gift to give that night. Bob broke up a haunting LOST SAILOR/SAINT for the first time around the DR/SP. Another double whammi occurred with Phil belting out GIMME SOME LOVIN' (only a year old) and the show-stoppin', crowd-(and Bobby)-screamin' GLORIA encore, (only the 4th time it was played, and the last for quite some time). DAY JOB ended a two song encore and a two hour second set. The faces of the crowd as the Coliseum cleared were similar to the faces of the crowd on 10-9-89, flushed, excited, and satisfied. No matter how far we had come and what we had expected, that crowd was convinced they had received a gift and been a part of a rare event: the DEAD on a peak night!
07-10-87 JFK Stadium, Phila., PA - Brandon Lagana (shandon@juno.com)
This show was truly one that kept me guessing. It was part of the Dead & Dylan summer tour-- most shows inlcuded 2 Dead sets and one with Dylan. This day/night in Philly had a very strange, but beautiful combination of first and second sets. From the Aiko opener to LLRain (during which I found myself under the make shift wooden sprinkler system in the Phil Zone), things seemed pretty normal. Then came Terrapin> Drumz>.... Without a break and like a taper mixing up the sets on a tape the Dead managed to combine a first and second set into only one set!
The last half of the Dead's set was amazing live! It included Black Peter and Around 'n' Round. It was great seeing Dylan, especially with the Dead and seeing Jerry on Steel Peddal guitar was a treat. It was difficult for Dylan to break the sound barrier above the Dead, but they truly rocked with a delicasy and mutual respect that made for a warm evening of smiles!
03-26-88 Coliseum, Hampton VA - andrew (andyhof@msn.com)
"...the East Coast in March. What will the weather be like?" Well, I drove from NYC to Hampton, VA in a Toyota, accross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, through driving rain. It turns out that the $9 toll was worth the trip. On saturday morning, the sky held on to the clouds. It seemed as if it would be a wet one. Much to our surprise, the sun poked through the grey blanket above and the parking lot became alive. We started to enter the coliseum @ 6:30pm within a herd of fellow heads. The herd grew restless. Pushing and shoving, Virginia, mounted police, yocals, XXX, and the fear of "the search." Hampton's floor has no seats. The second level has seats (but no assignments.) "Got to get in to get my space." That was: UP FRONT, AS CLOSE TO THE MOUTH AS POSSIBLE! For others: a seat 45degrees off stage. You see, a seat had high value come intermission. I could've cared less about intermission. We started about 15feet back, right on Jerry.
Typical Bucket>Sugaree theme, but solid. The Ultrasound was powerful close-up. 18"s off to our right make all the difference. At this point we noticed we were hearing Mickey's ride in person, rather than through the system. It's a wonder if Jerry died deaf. Never heard him through the system. You could say he was a bit loud on stage. Bobby starts with this Stir it Up thing. Things seemed to get weird as I looked back at all of the dancing. "What kind of show is this going to become?" Minglewood. Then Fennario. Always a pleaser. Good Mexicali>Big River. Row Jimmy was another winner. This was slowly becoming Jerry's night. Then bobby slammed in with his new Dylan: Memphis BLues. Might As Well firmly concluded the first set. Very satisfying. We stood through the intermission. Dozens in front of us left for seats or eats. We moved up 10 feet or so. By the start of Chinacat, I was leaning on the black wall in front of the stage, a Jerry look-a--like to my right. China cat>Rider was powerful, emotional. Everything seemed perfect. What next? Playin>Uncle John's with stupendous harmonies. drums space: Freakyness. Brent and PHil pound out a Gimme Some Lovin'. Here is Jerry Times now. Wheel, Watchtower into "the" most heart felt Black Peter. Sweat dripping off his head. He was indeed rockin'. (Got a great view of his shoes!) An appropriate Sat. NIght to end the show. Heaven's Door always leaves me with a feeling that I want more. So I returned SUN for another front row session of super-classic grateful dead.
7/14/90 Foxboro Stadium,Foxboro,MA - Roger (WALSRE87@BUFFALOSTATE.EDU)
Question,what do you do when you have been on tour for a week and you go home because the boys are coming to town in 72 hours? Thats easy, you drive 500 miles east to see them in Foxboro. We arrived at 5:30am and the lot did not open until 8. It was a hot sunny day with no clouds or humidity. Drinking at 9am might seem a little much but sometimes the situation calls for drastic measures. Time took on new meaning. From "It's only 12?" to "It's already 4?".The first set was solid but unspectacular. The second set was why I went to shows.After a amazing and quite danceable Take a step, they played the most summertime sounding Eyes I ever heard. Each segment of it had a laid back feel of a 75 degree day. Estimated had a similar feel as Bobby exhibited a firey restraint.The post-space I will take you home> Miracle>GDTRFB>Throwing stones>Lovelight is a testament as to how good Jerry and Brent worked together as players. The double encore of Last time>Bid you goodnight says it all.Although I have seen better overall shows I feel that the summer of 1990 was the last sustained creative peak of the band.Brent was sorely underrated and Jerry sounds very unobstucted.The next show in Buffalo was better overall,but Foxboro setII stands as a monster. Those who were in attendence I'm sure will agree.
7/16/90 Rich Stadium Orchard Park,N.Y. - Roger (walsre87@buffalostate.edu)
To start,it is only appropriate to mention the ride home from the previous show in Foxboro.The ride home consisted of running out of gas,being enveloped in a fog storm with little to no visibility and helpful Deadheads who got us gas.Of course, all this was told to me by my friends because I fell asleep pulling out of the lot in Mass. and got up in Batavia,N.Y. 30 miles East of Buffalo.The hometown show is always special and this was no exception.The weather continued to be outstanding and I was thrilled to see no overreaction by the county cops on patrol. After agreeing to go in for CSN with my then girlfriend whose decision to get smashed made her all the more a pain in the ass, we found some good seats across from the stage and I got happy with my new found friends seated around us.A very good first set with a wild Let IT Grow. 10 song set as opposed to the 6 song first set in Mass. For the second straight show the second set tore the place up. Starting with a together Sugar Mag that melted perfectly into Scarlet. At one point, the band was actually playing both songs at once!Wow, now that's the way to start a set. Women are Smarter came next with a heavy island feel to it and it gave way to a very soulfully sung Ship of Fools.After a second of silence to band launched into Truckin much to the delight of all the hometown heads.The jam after was a jaw dropper, spiriling Jerry licks and earthy Phil bass lines. Laughing Drums came next and unfortunately I missed it because my then girlfriend wolk up and wanted to go back to the car. I walked her back to the lot, locked her in the car, and grabbed a few beers and headed back in since the gates were open.Space slowed into a Brent ladend Wheel. Wheel fell inoto a rowdy Gimmie Some Lovin with everyone ripping. Wharf Rat started as it's slow self but Jerry lit a fire underneath it and they rolled into a rockin Around and Around.Again, the level of playing was so crisp and clear that it sounded like a orchastra in the form of a garage band. Brokedown was the fitting encore as much post-show fun awaited.Aaah, the Summer of 1990 will always be such a classic tour with great playing and lots of fun times. I really miss them.
7/18/90 Deer Creek, Noblesville, IN. - Patrick Russell (Rumi68@aol.com)
Now that all is said and done, I can honestly tag this first night at Deer Creek in 1990 as my favorite overall live Dead experience. I had seen my first show on the previous New Years run, as well as catching several Spring Tour shows, so the whole thing was still fresh and magical for me. This particular show took place right before my senior year at Butler University in Indianapolis, so it had the added charm of being just up the road a piece from my house. My roommates were into the Dead as well, so between us we had at least a dozen or two people crashing on the floor. Well, anyhow, we caravanned out to Deer Creek and hit the lot. I was taking a young lady who meant the world to me to her first show and had a good feeling about what we might see. The whole bunch of us had been talking about hearing a Help>Slip>Franklin's and I was personally expecting a China>Rider due to the fact that my car had been stuck behind a rather slow-moving Ryder van on the way to the venue. (That was one of my favorite things about going to shows... learning to riff off of all the goofy omens & portents that tended to pop up!) So anyway, once inside my lady friend and I set up our blanket and I just sat there watching her dig the whole thing. The lads came out just as the sun was starting to dip low over the stage. And sure enough, they exploded into a big ol' green, pink and blue Help>Slip! They cruised through Slipknot flawlessly, then took a big breath and bounced on into Franklin's Tower. Lea Ann was really having a blast... totally glowing. A snakey Minglewood followed, after which Lea Ann told me, "That was TOTALLY different from the one you put on my