It was really a great show. Are you sure they don't plan the setlist? Some of those transitions are too quick to be improvised. The BTW->Jack Straw reprise could definitely have been spur of the moment. For those who haven't heard it, BTW ended with an up tempo jam that turned into the repeated chord progression of the closing jam from JS and ended with the closing verse Jack Straw from Wichita cut his buddy down... Also, the intro jam to BTW included the main theme from The Wall.
I agree that, from about 1/3 of the way through, this version of Cold Rain is ripping. Was a real shame it was cut from the original release.
Nice setlist from Nashville. I hate feeling cheated after such a great night, but Eyes->The Eleven has serious potential. Then again, I would not have been thrilled with the prospect of a 25 minute Throwing Stones (but I would have been wrong). Disc I 1st Set 01 House Announcement 02 Goin' Down The Road Feelin' Bad Jam > 03 Cassidy > 04 New Speedway Boogie Jam > 05 Cassidy > 06 Here Comes Sunshine > 07 Not Fade Away > 08 Ruben And Cherise > 09 *Doin’ That Rag Disc II 1st Set Con’t 01 Magnificent Sanctuary Band 02 Band Introductions/Outri 2nd Set: 03 Eyes Of The World > 04 The Eleven > Disc III 2nd Set Con’t 01 Feel Like A Stranger > 02 China-Cat Sunflower > 03 I Know You Rider > 04 Jam > 05 The Other One 06 Band Introductions Encore: 07 Shakedown Street
They do write setlists, so they definitely anticipate transitions coming up, and turn on a dime...but the reprises, jams, teases are not planned. Stuff like the Jack Straw reprise in BTW, the Pink Floyd ‘Hey You’ section between Wheel and BTW, the short Scarlet jam in Cats Under the Stars is what I meant by not planned or rehearsed. “We don’t rehearse the songs. We will learn the songs if we’re going to do something new. But once we’ve learned a song, we won’t go back and practice it. We’ll work on vocals and harmonies, but most of the songs that are playable now for us, we don’t need to run. We know the bones of them, and we don’t even want to know them that well because, honestly, there have been mistakes onstage that have led to the coolest sht.”
Colgate ‘77 may be my favourite show from that year. Man oh man. They power through the second set (with one exception) but they do so with great creativity. They are brimming with ideas. Phil keeps going where I don’t expect him to go, even when the song is tightly structured and demanding him to stay in a straight line. The drummers throw in some odd fills and tricks. Bob listens intently. Jerry has Excalibur in his hands for this show. Just love it. Now, one quibble about the show and two about the official release: 1. Iko Iko* - I swear this was for a rest. Totally lifeless compared with the rest of the set. 2. The art department accidentally italicised the tracklist for disc one. 3. Mr Norman didn’t fade the sound in and out between Ramble on Rose and Scarlet and then Fire and Terrapin, even though they happened at different parts of the show so a compilation of all the officially released Seneca stuff without home editing to get rid of abrupt changes in ambience, etc, is impossible. What a grump I am.
A fourth quibble. I think Mr Norman mastered this a little aggressively, compared with most other releases. A bit claustrophobic and loud and I don’t think it’s just the recording. Nevermind.
That's simply how they played Iko Iko at that time of their history, and it was one of the first handful that the band had ever played. Unlike Bobby, Jerry did not overplay new tunes.
It’s just that it was so different from the rest of the set - everything else is intense but the Iko drifts. It’s not unpleasant but it seems like an odd choice. Light and dark and all that, I guess.
26 February 1973- Pershing Municipal Auditorium (remember General George Pershing?), Lincoln, NE. aka. Dick's Picks #28. Dark Star > Eyes of the World > Mississippi Half-Step From a musical perspective, February 1973 is a very interesting tour, a new PA and an evolving sound.
Just finished up 9/26/72 (Dicks 36)! Thanks again for the suggestions. Dark Star > Morning Dew is one for the ages. Think i am gonna head back May 77 and check out 5/25/77 (Dave’s 1)
Somebody received their Vault box set today but I won't say who. Crap, I won't be able to dig in until much later but thanks to everyone who recommended this to me. I can't wait!!!!!
Just finished the Winterland 77 box over the weekend and into today. I gotta say that revisiting the set after a somewhat extended absence 6-8-77 is the one IMO that is the best of the triad. While the 9th gets the hub-bub (rightfully so) the 6-8 show just sparkles with beautiful playing. The Sugaree, Jack A Roe and LL/Sup deserve special note. The post drums cooks and is highlighted by a mellow/moody but shifty Other One. I will say that I still find the last week or so of May to be where it's at, (5-25 and 28 are faves of mine) but I enjoyed my trip through the Winterland 77 residency. Whomever attended was very very lucky!
While I do not have dating disease or any related VD's yet, I must say that the difference in just about everything between those first two albums in the 30 Years box is pretty noticeable (to say it least). The July 3, 1966 one is good-ish, but certainly not great whereas November 10th '67 at the Shrine in LA is a rave from the get-go. If I were that way inclined, like the good reverend Archie, I'd chop that "Viola Lee" into a gazillion tiny bites and randomly repeat them for the rest of my time here on earth. And the rest of the show ain't half-bad either. In fact it is my all-time favorite Dead recording and of those there are quite a few. Listening to these two, I understand that a) I have spent far too little time with the contents of this box and that b) I dread what they are going to put out next.
Anyone else having problems with the Relisten app today? It's crashed every single time I've tried to use it this afternoon. Sometimes as soon as I click on an artist, others I can get as far as picking a show, but as soon as I click on a source it crashes.
Right now i'm listening to a chunk of 3/22/90[Hamilton Ontario]on SiriusXM's Grateful Dead channel via the webstream[it's Today In Grateful Dead History btw]