Yes, that's exactly consonant with what I meant, I didn't mean to be overly cynical about it. If I had the money and had to spend a thousand to be there I might have conceivably gotten swept up in the spirit of the thing. But I don't feel the need to hear it, really. I did listen to bits on youtube and got a sense of the emotional charge of the whole thing and it may have been truly great, in that respect. ...but it doesn't have fat Jerry on it!
If so, bad thinking. You have to commit yourself to the musical moment and forget about that stuff, you are a band on a stage not a civil war reënactment.
I think it was a combination. I don't blame Trey for being hesitant, it's really not his band to lead. It also seemed like Bob kept him on a short leash and ixnayed when Trey seemed to be trying to pull it somewhere different.
I want to thank US Blues for reminding me of 12/06/1973, I had for some reason forgotten about that Dark Star and it is indeed in my top 5. Today I can reaffirm that, I listened to the stuff from the RT bonus disc and now I need to dig out my old hard drive and find the rest of the show. It is a titanic Dark Star, and comes a mere four days after the band played the most intensely crazy jam they ever had, or ever would, play, the momentous PiTB jam on 12/2 in Boston where they pulverized all bourgeois musical notions like "tonality," and all that square stuff, and let it all hang out. How would they render Dark Star in this charged atmosphere, when everyone present doubtless sensed that the band had recently crossed a musical Rubicon and was beginning to blaze new trails into the wilderness of unfettered creativity? It's a weird one for sure, but not quite as weird as all that nonsense I just typed might lead one to suspect. Phil seems eager to get crazy, and the pre-verse jamming exhibits a marked tension between spaciness and order, as Phil envelops Jerry and Keith's light, jazzy jamming in a blanket of feedback, which makes for one of the more unique segments of a Dark Star. After the verse, which they take their time getting to (about 25 minutes), the band heads for space in earnest and the result is enthralling, before they rein it back in for a more mundane jam before going into a modest 14-minute Eyes. I should mention that China>Rider has a unique kind of foursquare-yet-swinging feel, aided by the relative prominence of Keith in the mix. The power of this C>R sequence is perhaps a tiny bit lessened by the fact that Garcia is just a tad lower in the mix than one would hope for. Still, it's a noteworthy version. After this I really wanted to hear some latter-era stuff, which I've been laying off to such an extent that it sounded quite novel to me; I think I was able to get a handle on it in a new way due to this novelty. I put on Without a Net for the remainder of my drive. China>Rider sounds fantastic in this incarnation, and I have to say that the power of moments like "I wish I was a headlight..." is greater in the latter era with Jerry's older voice...also something about his status at this point as the corpulent, white-haired elder statesman of psychedelia adds a bit of poignancy and gravitas to such moments. Likewise, his guitar playing is magisterial, he has settled into his role as a dedicated stylist by now, and almost quotes himself at times. All that aside, it's a rather short and un-momentous version, it's kind of like a generic late-80s/early 90s China>Rider, very solid and grooving but not liable to be marked with DIck Latvala-type asterisks or anything. If it makes any sense to say this, I was excited about it, but it made me more excited about China>Rider from this era than this version in particular, oddly. Help>Slip>Franklin from the same album is a really outstanding version as a whole, I found, although when they reach Franklin's Tower I again get the sense that it's more of a solid and confident reading than something that jumps out as a mind-bender. And I would say the same of Althea--it's a really, really good one but the final solo doesn't reach the heights of some of the all-timers.
I agree with the consensus on the Fare Thee Well shows. Very fun to be there (1st and 3rd night in Chicago). I've listened to tapes, and while there are many good moments, the shows don't hold up well to repeat listening. Trey was definitely a little tentative. I wouldn't spend the cash on this box now (but if I hadn't dropped serious bucks on tickets, I probably would have bought it already!)
Circles around the Sun was the music played during the intermissions at FTW. Basically jams featuring Neal Casal (of Chris Robinson Brotherhood) and an impromptu band.
It was hyped quite prominently on dead.net for a while there as well. Vinyl release of the material, etc.
I agree Trey was too tentative at Fare Thee Well. It also seemed like an issue of being caught between Bobby and Phil. They both thought they were leading the band and seemed to want different things. Jerry is a hard shoe to fill. Mayer has the ego to lead, but he doesn't have deep improv group mind thing together in a way that Trey can potentially channel. Okay. I'll keep the conversation on the GoGD now.
Speaking of Circles Around the Sun, it appears that more material is coming from them in the new year. I'll be excited to hear what they can offer outside of that specific context.
And a short tour https://www.jambase.com/article/circles-around-sun-record-album-play-january-2018-dates
Yes, I'm listening to a song from the first video at that link ("Gilbert's Groove") and to my surprise, it sounds fantastic so far. For some reason I have a tendency to sometimes distrust the taste of things/musicians associated with the Dead; I know that's weird, as I am a Deadhead. It's starting to go a little more in the direction of the half-baked funk I initially feared as I type this, but it still sounds very good on balance.
4/5/91 - Atlanta, GA The hottest, most energetic, most ass-wigglingly-scorching and otherworldly Shakedown Street ever played. It's impossible to play it and not be jumping up and down in place. 4/3/91 - Atlanta, GA The Foolish Heart equivalent of the above Shakedown. This one is magical. So much energy and enthusiasm. It gets higher and higher and higher. You keep waiting for that "HALT" part at the end of the jam but it never comes! It keeps teasing you! This FH flies higher than any Bird Song. Immense. It's the musical equivalent of beautiful smile. You guys know I love 1991 but I just had to remind all of you about these two choice cuts^^^
Not weird. The 'jam' scene is not very original IMO. The GD blazed all those trails previously. Just my feelings not meant as a knock.
Fare Thee Well: I streamed the audio live for all of those shows and generally quite enjoyed them. I can't remember which ones, but I did see some live video streams as well. I enjoyed the Santa Clara shows better than the Chicago ones. Would I buy the audio/video to watch now? No.
I'm playing 5/17/77 for the first time today. I just finished the first set which was quite fun. The set-ending Scarlet>Fire had some really good playing, but wasn't as transcendent and magical as it can be at times. On to set two!
I have a couple of AUD's from shows they played a couple of years ago. Really good live improvs, very chill. Looking forward to new material from these guys.
After Gasoline Alley finishes up gonna check out the 'Foolish Heart' @warewolf95 recommended (sucker for a good Foolish Heart) then pop in 2-27-69. Got a pal stopping by who digs the Primal, so take a few hours off and 'go there'. You all know about 2-27, words cannot express the madness and magic. Happy Friday.
Updating my Deadpod (ipod) for our new trucking adventure got me thinking about the Dead and my listening and all that. So, I'm gonna make a risky statement in saying that 1989-1991 is probably my overall favorite Dead period, with 1976-78 coming close in 2nd and 1972-74 coming up the rear. Although I listen to so much music and do enjoy analizing it and this and that, at the end of the day I guess you could call me a superficial listener. I like energy, I like setlist diversity, I like what I'm listening to to put me in a great mood, ya know? Hard to explain what I mean. What I dig about the later years is the focus more on songs with jamming thrown in. I love a good extended Dark Star, but that's more like a special once-in-a-while treat rather than something I want to hear all the time. Cassidy, Foolish Heart, Jack Straw, Touch Of Grey, Hell In a Bucket, Eyes Of the World, Scarlet Begonias.... I love High Time and Stella Blue and Lost Sailor as well, but for instant listening I want to have fun. That's the stuff I go for. A big thing that turns me off from the early 70's is setlist repetition. If 1974 wasn't such an outstanding year, I would've bailed marathoning it after 5 shows, ya dig? That's a lot of the reason I find it so easy to jump into later shows like nothing. I love the early 70's as much as anyone, but that stuff DEMANDS your attention and a lot of times I just don't have it to give. The later-era shows have such a diverse repertoire that it makes it WAY easier, from my perspective, to listen to a lot of different shows without getting tired. I really like the routine, dare I say, of the: 1st Set 2nd Set Pre Drums Drums/Space 2nd Set Post Drums Encore I'm just rambling right now. There's no thought process going on. Just vomiting random thoughts as they pop into my noggin.
It's just a case of everyone has their preferences. I'm an equal opportunity listener. Think of me like Dick Latvala. A great show is a great show. I love every year pretty much for different reasons, but in the last few years I've realized the years/eras I stated are the ones I've found myself reach for more than anything else.
My only issue with post 70’s Dead is the way the 2nd set is divided by the Drumz segment. I will say rhat I love a good Wheel or TOO out of space and occasionally Truckin’ flows real nice out of it but its a non starter because I like those songs anyway.
I totally agree on that, but it's a non-issued for me because I always skip Drums and Space anyways (unless something special, ala Earthquake happens). Part of the fun/surprise for me is seeing how they are going to shake up the setlist for the night and then seeing how it pans out. The transitions, how it flows, all that stuff. I have kinda a less-is-more view to it all. It's al a big picture to me (each show) and the sets are part of that picture or something. It's how each show manages to stay together/fall apart that is another intriguing thing to me.
