So I kept going with 7/2/95 and was rewarded with this fantastic Victim. I'm sure it was influenced by the happennings of the night and let me tell you if you haven't heard it - IT'S KILLER!!!!
Whereas Bucket itself was tolerable at best. They must have played that at least half the shows I saw. Started to feel like a curse after a while.
I have yet to really listen much to any 90's Dead so I can't weigh in here, but as I mentioned the other day I did just get my first 90s show, one at Nassau with Branford Marsalis in 3/90 (I believe). I've been exploring the last show from the GStL box that I had yet to listen, 5/9/77. Really digging it, the opening Help>Slip>Franklin may be my favorite Help>Slip I've heard yet, the more extended Slipknot was a treat. Oh, and the Cassidy! Still in progress of listening to the rest.
Whenever someone asks this I mention a show that no one else seems to have noticed...3/27/95 Atlanta. It has a long Playin->Uncle John's that is as good an example of 92-95 Dead as you're likely to find. Although, to be honest, even there Jerry's guitar playing sounds like someone spilled beer on his fingers just before he went onstage. I haven't heard enough 1995 to tell you what the worst show was. I know people mention Highgate and Giants Stadium from June.
Thanks for the suggestion. Checkin' out that PITB right now and they definitely give it all they've got. Pretty sweet.
I always liked Bucket. But then I don't have any problem with put down/revenge songs. You analyze me, tend to despise me You laugh when I stumble and fall There may come a day when I'll dance on your grave Unable to dance I'll still crawl across it Unable to dance I'll still crawl Unable to dance I'll still crawl Unable to dance I'll crawl.
There's a review of 1-16-70 in the Taping Compendium that refers to the vocals on Dancing in the Streets as 'shriek-o-rama,' which is hilariously true, but this short version is worth checking out just for the intense little jam. Shorter than the 66 rendition found on Vintage Dead, but I love what Phil is doing here. Then Alligator. I think I mentioned the time I had Anthem of the Sun on in the car, and my daughter was whining 'how much longer is thiiiiis song?' during Alligator, until the ending part with the 'ALLIGATOR' group vocals. I hear her giggling, and she says "are they saying Alligator?' And she made me rewind it a few times.
It is worth hearing the crowd response to the beginning of Stephen on the Steve Hopkins AUD source. This is cut from the vault recording.
I know - I hate that Stephen starts the second disc. In any event the jam in the middle is very strong with a great peak before they return to last verse.
It is a unique jam after "one man gathers." Sounds a bit like they forgot how to get back to the song.
Yes - they faded out to almost complete silence then as a group (not sure who led them), they cranked it back up to a blistering peak and then back into the song. Very exciting. One of those sequences that is indicative of what/why/how the Dead was so great. *Then* they unexpectedly play a long intro to Eyes - not sure if they ever did this before.
90 days as a resident of the South Bay, just gotta poké around Finishing up 9-10-91 MSG from the porch crusher. So nice to have a professionally mastered version of this show.
Giants was the worst one that I saw, the one with the post-Space train wreck involving The Other One and Wharf Rat, if I recall correctly, although not a show I try to think about much. I thought the Scarlet->Fire show in Seattle and the Charlotte show with Hornsby guesting, as well as the Salt Lake City show in the 30 Trips box, were some of the better shows of a dire year. I went to Memphis (could not pass up an opportunity to see the Dead inside a pyramid), which was pretty good, and supposedly the Alabama shows as well, although I've never sought those out.
Listening to 5/23/69, the first of the two shows featured on RT 4.1, the Big Rock Pow-Wow. Classic '69 Dead, including a solid Morning Dew and DS>SS. I split it into the two shows to make it slightly easier to follow; I did the same on Dave's 6.
