That was a fun show, one of the better ones that I saw that tour. Probably the best version of Hey Pocky that I can recall - there's a reason it was picked for the So Many Roads box. I caught the Atlanta, Greensboro, Pittsburgh and Milwaukee shows that tour. 4/2/89 Pittsburgh and 4/15/89 Milwaukee are my two other favorites from that run. I have never heard it since, but I remember that Jerry was really into the Fire in Atlanta, he was shouting at the end in a way that reminded me a bit at the time of the Normal '78 version. The band was definitely on the upswing, although the '89 Summer and Fall shows were even more consistently strong. (Although MIDI was much more in the picture by Fall, for better or worse. I don't think the actual MIDI sounds have held up well over time, for the most time, but at the same time having new toys gave the band a lot of inspiration).
As mentioned the '69 Fillmore West Box or the more available 3 CD sampler from the box are great sounding multitrack recordings and more of what you like. Or don't pass the reason it was recorded Live/Dead a must for everyone at some point. I would also try Dick's Picks 4 February 13–14, 1970 Fillmore East. Pretty seminal shows and a slight tweak from the '69 rawness.
The comments on the Archive say this is one of those shows down South where the fans were afraid of the cops. Is that your experience? I am almost through set 1 (on "Loser" right now), and it sounds great. Jerry's solos cook, Bobby's vocals are particularly nice, the Miller SBD is crystal clear.
I am quite the noob as well, and one of the ways I like to explore is through the "This Day on History" link on the Dead's Archive page. I'll look at the list of shows and pick an era I might want to look into. (I am kind of on an 89-90 kick right now, but tomorrow I am as likely to go back to 77 or 73 or 68.) After decades of "trying" off and on, I got into the band almost by accident through the psych guitar jamming on the original S/T album and then Live/Dead. So I know where you're coming from on that front. And yes, One From The Vault is awesome awesome awesome. I might have to pull some of that one up on Spotify later tonight.
I vaguely recall a heavy cop presence at those shows, but I did not spend too much time hanging out in the lot there. Not nearly as welcoming as, say, Hampton, though. Inside the venue was fine, from what I remember. The worst venue that I can recall as far as a large amount of aggressive police activity was the two-show run at the Freedom Hall in Louisville '93. (I remember being really excited in the lead-up to those shows since the 6/18/74 show that was later released as part of the Road Trips Wall of Sound release was a favorite tape of mine). Landover always had pretty hostile cops on horseback, and was not a very pleasant venue for that reason. Nassau had a bad rep for cops and Brendan Byrne for the security goons (and rightly so - a 19-year old deadhead named Adam Katz was likely killed by them in '89), although I didn't have any bad encounters myself at either venue. LA cops at the LA Sports Arena were pretty nasty, too.
Enjoyed 4/29/1971 (recommended above) on the drive home from Kitty Hawk, NC yesterday. Quite the muscular show.
Fascinating. So it doesn't sound like it was just focused in the Deep South. Maybe that's just the mythology that has developed.
The Meadowlands security guards didn't behave any differently for dead shows than for anything else, in my experience. I've been there at least 100 times for various concerts/games. They were some of the worst people I've ever encountered. Angry and hostile from the get go. I'm surprised they haven't killed more over the years. I'm a pretty low-key guy and has never had a problem with security anywhere, but I certainly wouldn't mess with Meadowlands security. Those yellow jackets were to be avoided at all costs.
Atlanta and Hampton were always pretty mellow, and Chapel Hill in '93 was also a good experience. I don't recall any particular hassles at Charlotte. The northeast varied from harsh (Nassau, Byrne, Landover, Hartford even got the nickname "Harshford") to very welcoming (e.g., Albany, MSG. Oxford ME was perhaps the most welcoming location I ever encountered). Philadelphia Spectrum and Boston Garden were probably in the middle of that, err, spectrum. Most midwest venues were relatively hassle-free. Among other places, I generally had very good experiences at Buckeye Lake, St. Louis, Chicago, Sandstone in Kansas, and Deer Creek (other than the gate-crashing in '95, but that was the fault of the idiotic ticketless hordes and not the local authorities). As you might imagine, west coast shows typically were very chill (other than LA Sports Arena). I did not see a lot of southern California shows - never made it to Irvine or Ventura, for instance. I can't speak to the pre-87 era, though, and others mileage may have varied.
The scene was getting a little extra zoo-y around then with more people going without tickets. They played Hampton as the Warlocks that fall '89 because I think they were banned from there after a long streak ending spring '88 (fun shows although no great sounding tapes unfortunately). I loved Hampton. Anyway the point is the china cat was out of the bag, the rep was getting edgy, it looks like they had not played Greensboro in six years; I would not be surprised if things were a bit jumpy.
I wasn't around in the pre-Touch era, but from all accounts the newfound fame in '87 put the scene much more on the radar of the authorities, both local and federal, and it was still the Nancy Reagan "just say no" era, so you can imagine how at least some localities reacted. And like bmoregnr said, the newfound fame also led to massive crowds, many ticketless and wanting to camp at the venues (and not always being the most respectful in terms of trash, human waste, noise, etc). So, some of the problems were inflicted on the scene, and some created by the scene itself. But as long as the music was good, it was worth dealing with all of that. By '94/'95, not so much. Summer tour '95 was pretty much one bad scene after another, soundtracked by a band that was a shell of its former self.
Just say no no doubt. I would also mark '88 as the start of the wholesale N2O trade. Things got extra stupid.
Is there a good recording of Jerry playing guitar with the Airplane? I know about the jams with Casady and others but I'm looking for a proper Airplane show
Oh yeah, this one is right up my alley. I love the jazzy quality they had going on during this phase.
I agree with the Dick's Picks 12 recommendation, and some other releases that probably would be right up your alley, Tristero, are Dick's Picks 14 from Boston '73, Dick's Picks 19 from Oklahoma '73, and Road Trips Vol. 2, No. 3 "Wall of Sound" from Des Moines and Louisville '74. All of those have some long, excellent jam sequences.
I saw 2 of the LA Forum shows in Dec '89, allegedly someone was snuffed by the cops in the lot after the show. The influx of nitrous in the late 80's from the Phish scene did not help. OTOH- in Lake Placid in 1983 the ushers were shining their flashlights on the stairs so people running down in the dark to get to the floor would not fall and hurt themselves. "In another time's forgotten Space..."
I don't think we can blame the late '80s Phish scene, there was barely a scene until '92 or so. Perhaps the Max Creek scene, their weekly shows in Providence in the late '80s always had nitrous tanks in the lot, and of course the same vendors must have hit the GD lots. I am glad to hear the venue made sure that no one got injured before or during the Lake Placid Sugaree.
To my ears, Dick's Picks 28 (2 shows from 1973) is as good as any of the best in that series - really outstanding stuff.
Phil Lesh and Friends, Highlights Volume One with Jorma and Kimock. Pretty good, I haven't listened to this in years. Hard to believe it was released 16 years ago!
I think it had a more devastating effect on his voice. I don't like the hoarseness that crept in after around '82. I always assumed that was the cause. On another note (hehe) I put out the really early live stuff from Birth of the Dead, for anyone who hasn't heard it. I've been listening to them at their beginnings, since it's the 50th anniversary. Always amusing to hear them sounding like one of the groups off the Nuggets or Pebbles sets. Love that rinky-dink organ.
Forgot about this one because I haven't listened to it as much as the others I mentioned, but I SHOULD be listening to it more. The Lincoln show from '73 would certainly fit the bill for jazzy improv, just recently listened to it for the first time in a while after Archtop mentioned the "ping pong" jam in Dark Star and it is top shelf stuff. Winterland '73 is also recommended, Tristero, if you are up for taking a bigger plunge on a 9-CD set.
