I like Sunrise, I don't even know what to call it. Cheesy 70s soft rock? But its so overwrought. It's an awe-inspiring example of whatever it's supposed to be. I'm sure I can think of a couple tunes I'm less interested in hearing.
NP: 3/30/87, Philly Spectrum This was a show I attended. Right around this time I was getting the idea to tape shows, but I didn't have decent quality gear yet, and no taper tickets either. I smuggled in the gear I had, and discreetly taped outside the taper section. The tape didn't come out all that well, but I used to play it anyway - I wasn't part of the trading community so access to good tapes was limited for me. Nice to revisit this in better quality on archive. The show holds up pretty well for me musically. As for being at the actual show, there was bit of trouble... let's just say, I was having a rather rough time heading into set 2. Not in the best state of mind, let's say. The bluesy minor-key coda of He's Gone that gradually trailed off into Drums seemed to have an almost malevolent vibe to it, which definitely wasn't helping matters. I stuck it out, and came out alright on the other side, but it's not a show I'd want to relive.
Yeah, that was OK. Not all Phil songs were bad, apart from Phil...and he actually sang really well at times the first go round, in the 60s and early 70s...and believe it or not he sings better now. I don't know what happened in the 80s and 90s, but he just really seemed to forget how to convincingly form human speech sounds...he did just about get away with Broken Arrow a few times.
when i told friends back then that DS was my favorite segment of the show most thought i had delved to deeply into the medicine jar. that segment was for me what kept the band relevant and at the same time connected to its past as an experiment in sound architecture.
"Sunrise" made it to me Oddfellow's Dead 1965-72 90 track cdr mix for the car. Culled from the 30T 1972 show.
Derp. Hey! You got my "Tomorrow is Forever" in my "Sunrise"! Oh, Yeah? Well, you got your "Sunrise" in my "Tomorrow is Forever" !! 3 fingers of OBAN x2 into Friday night. Sorry, good people. I'm sorted.
One night, during a 90s Drums and Space, my main tour buddy turned to me in a state of "bliss" and said, "Dude, I love this song--and they play it every night!" I can't help but think of that moment at some point whenever I hear D>S. Most nights I agreed.
2 Dec 1992- McNichols's Arena, Denver. My friends and I were sitting to the side of the stage, in-line with the mic stands, on Vinnie's side of the stage. During D/S I had closed my eyes for a few moments to feel the sounds. When I opened them again I noticed the stage had been replaced by a slowly-rotating 30 foot tall Emerald that was emanating beams of green light from it's many jeweled surfaces. Make of this what you will.
As Dennis McNally wrote* regarding "Day Job," it was morning in America! And the Dead resolved that all the heads should participate in the soon to be go-go-go economy and wear Sonny Crockett suits, drive Lamborghinis, and chase the coke dealers out of town. ("You belong to the city/You belong to the night/Living in a river of darkness, beneath the neon light....") Happily, this resolution was promptly abandoned and the heads remained themselves. (*He wrote nothing of the sort.) Finishing DiP 18 at some point this weekend.
I came across this article, a good read on Dylan and the Dead, both the album of that name and the connections between those two entities. DYLAN & THE DEAD
"I remember the sinking feeling I experienced when I first heard that Dylan & The Dead was being released. I was not a fan of the Grateful Dead..." That's where I stopped reading. And I'm pretending I didn't see the part where he calls the '87 shows with Dylan "terrible." I think the writer is terrible. (No offense to you intended.) OH, but then he goes on to like it. (I had to read on...) Nevermind. I really like the "Joey" on that.
In the middle of HCS>Jam>Bobby McGee>WRS Prelude>Eyes from 4/2/73 care of Dave's 21. Wondering what music of any sort might be more inspired than this. I've heard some but not so much. Keith is brilliant. No extra notes. Sublime. Tomorrow I might spin disc 3 from 3/28/73 (Dave's 16) for a similar experience.
I had almost the same reaction, but he'd written an article on Dylan and Rap that went on and on and ended up being really thorough, so I assumed he'd at least have something to say and stuck with it. Most interesting to me in that article was it draws attention to the angle that Dylan's mid-80s renaissance and late career proliferation is part of the musical legacy of Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead. Dylan himself is explicit to that point, and whatever you think of the album Dylan and the Dead (which while not the best work of either entity, has an undeserved bad reputation,) the collaboration continues to bear its fruit almost 30 years after the fact.
I listened to the 93 show from 30TATS on Friday because of the 93 talk on here. Just doesn't do it for me. Broken Arrow was bad, Weir's tone is atrocious, and I actually dislike Phil's super clean bass sound, just "meh" all around. But that's just MY opinion.
Listening to the Dead from any era is never a bad decision. Just some eras are better than others. I myself shy away from anything post '85. But that's just MY opinion too. Lols.
They sold a shirt a lot like this at PeachFest in 2015--I wanted to buy it but I have so many concert Ts as it is.
