Grateful Dead 2018 Peggy-O Funiculi Funicula Four Tournament

I'm gonna go listen to the 12/28/91 version one more time just because I can. Glad to have been introduced to it.

Rather like proclaiming that water is wet, innit?

But the thing is, it is stunning. Grade A even considering expectations.

 

Peggy-O begins after 8 min something

 

Only a couple of days to go before the 15th, I guess I'll have to make time to finish round 1.

There's still time for anyone who hasn't to weigh in on all the Round 1 matchups.

 

Agreed. Use the weekend wisely y'all! We will close Round 1 Sunday at midnight PST. I should have the results tallied and brackets updated Monday.

 

Game 5 - 5-6-78 vs. 10-18-89

10-18-89 - I'm put off pretty much immediately by the extra measure in this arrangement. It seems like by the end of the solo, they abandoned it, and went back to the usual way where the next line starts immediately after the preceding one. I like the approach to Garcia's solo, and the atmospheric background you get in later periods of the GD, though it kind of sounds like Garcia finished soloing a couple of measures before the last changes were finished.

5-6-78 - I've talked before about the aristotelian form of this song being achieved sometime in Spring of 78, this version certainly helps contribute to that opinion. Garcia's first pass on the solo is a bit fudgy, but the next two really make up for it, and the last go around with the double stop (possibly finger picking) stuff is a big reason why I prefer this era of the song to all others.

I might give a slight edge to 10-18 for vocals, and in a past matchup I ended up preferring the more contemplative and restrained solo to the burning one, but not here.

Final Score: 5-6-78 in a pretty emphatic win.

 

Ok Game 7 and Curtis Hixon got it’s seed on the back of it’s conference’s rep; it didn’t really do much for me. I appreciate Jerry slow rolling it, but maybe that would have sounded better on Alligator and not a young Wolf. The odder tempo seems to flummox a few players and the set plays don’t gel too well. Power forward Phil tries to control the offense to create a spark but in the end this one is a pretty flat performance.

The Knick has some pretty sloppy front court play with a few too many Bobby turnovers, but Jerry dominates the paint and gives and goes nicely with Rosebud. Just enough for this small conference team to get a nice fat upset; although they might want to start booking their return trip.

Final Score 3-27-93 The Knick.

 

Because tempo is critical in a Peggy-O, I am avoiding the 5-6-80 PSU official release for Game 8; and although I am not musically astute enough to probably even notice, it felt right to throw down with this match up audience style. I saw a good few concerts in ol’ Rec Hall with its wooden bleachers and folding chairs, so it’s nice to hear the room again. This one seems to have a too thin Tiger showing up on the night and Jerry just can’t control the boards very well.

The Buff has some lumbering play, but it controls the initial tempo well before warming up some to begin swatting back shots and throwing a few elbows around to establish control of this game pretty easily. This team’s got a few slick picks and slashing moves here and there but isn’t really going to dominate stronger competition.

Final Score 5-9-77 wins but shows some weaknesses needing attention on the practice court this week.

 

10.18.78 This thread fell out of my feed (fix this buggy software!), much more of why I listen to the GD is in this version than the Shrine version from 1976.

 

Game 10. OK, this version from Oakland features the band in a polished state, and obviously PHIL is the big draw in this version. His performances in the 90's largely carried the band, as Jerry's health declined and Bobby's sound effects became more obtuse. I guess Phil was prepping for life after the demise of the GD, and being far and away the best musician on the stage. Always.

Nonetheless I will give my vote to 17 June 1975, just because it's so deeply coiled into my DNA.

 

Thanks for the video. Jerry has some problems at the beginning and end of the solo, but the version as a whole is beautiful. It's kind of crazy seeing how old he looks in that video (I am that age now, and dare I say that I have aged better lol). And also, I have decided I don't like Jerry in sweatpants.

 

Final score game 6: 1977. Keith is annoying but it is a good version anyway. 1974 is too slow

 

Final score game 7: 1993. Good version, strong vocals from Jerry and nice solo. Bobby is annoying. 1973 is to slow

 

You can always tell the song meant a lot to Jerry.

 

"A folk song ... cool one though."

 

Final score game 8: 1977. A close match but 1980 lost.

 

Final Score

Game 6 : 9-18-74
Game 7: 12-18-73
Game 8: 5-6-80
Game 9: 10-18-78
Game 10: 12-28-91

I may update this with some commentary, but I'm not sure I would have gotten the votes in before midnight if I didn't do it this way.

 

Final score game 9: 1976. Another close game

 

Final score game 10: 1975. Slow version, and it's pretty great. 1991 is a new favorite. Glad to have found that version

 

Game 9 Final Score 10-14-76 Shrine wins this one pretty easily for me.

Game 10 what a tight contest, but 12-28-91 as great a wild card and Phil performance as it is, just met too stiff of competition in that pretty close to perfect Final Score 6-17-75 Winterland. Great recording as well Mr, @rbbert

 

Procrastinated long enough. Don't want to miss the buzzer.


Game 7 - Final score: 3/27/1993

Game 8 - Final score: 5/6/1980

Game 9 - Final score: 10/18/1978

Game 10 - Final score: 6/17/1975

 

End of Round 1. We had 26 referee participants this round and 181 contests. I can't fit everyone's results for review in one easy to read format but I have them if anyone sees something is off. No ties, a few blow outs and a few tight ones.

 

Here is our Sweet Sixteen Round. Throw out some comments on the time required for this one, but I am thinking roughly 3-4 weeks as an initial thought.

 

Good work!

2-3 weeks tops. I'm kinda losing interest if it goes on for to long

 

I like the idea of 2-3 weeks too. At the high end that’s still 21 days to listen to 8 matchups.

 

Agreed.