Listened to this again, and just as they leave "Terrapin" and Jerry starts playing a 'noodly' little riff, you can hear Bob play a descending note as if he's starting the "MLB Jam" sequence. So my guess is now that they did work it up at soundcheck, but Jerry was a little tentative about how to make the transition.
Maybe. Of course this is dealing with the post-coma (edit) reality where the band would land in a town for a run of shows, usually 3 nights. In the late 70's and early 80's it was one night in one town, usually 3 shows in a row and then a day off. A very different dynamic. Each show was a unique event.
A sky blue 1972 VW Bus was our family van growing up. We didn’t drive to GD concerts in it, rather we went to like.... church, lol. I remember thinking when I first saw Back to the Future and seeing the Libyans chasing after Marty in the mall parking lot - “hey, it’s our bus!”
I can envision a very young @notesofachord, attired in his Sunday best, stepping out of the van squirming with discomfort, and yearning for a world he had yet to discover.
Great stories! I wish I could add Spring 1990 show stories. Alas, that final “golden” era is one I missed completely. I’d seen boatloads of shows between about 79-87. But in 1988 I joined Peace Corps, so basically my seeing shows wanderlust was on ice between 4/9/88 and 10/27/90. And while I wouldn’t swap it all around, I won’t say I wouldn’t have loved having seen another dozen or two (Or three!) shows in 89 and 90. I can relate. Great second set (even if the tape is a giveaway for why 80s releases play second fiddle to the far better sounding reels from the 70s). I don’t think I’ve listened to this show’s first set in at least 15 years, because I definitely remember thinking it was probably the worst and most sloppy thing they’d ever put out. (Probably, whenever I do queue it up again, a fresh perspective will tell me it’s great in its own way.)
Just listened to 5/5/79 (Civic Center) a little while ago. A terrific show. The main highlights are an epic Sugaree and a great Dancing In The Streets. Clocking in at around 15 min this Sugaree delivers on some really fine jamming. Garcia sounds great on the vocals and his solos are superb. As for Dancing In The Streets Brent excelled at the harmonies and really elevated the song to a new level. Other highlights are a rocking El Paso and an enjoyable It's All Over Now.
The Grateful Dead Movie footage documents the last shows before the hiatus, and Jerry doesn't look heavy to me at that point. The weight gain started sometime in the 80s, it seems.
I was a Steinlager guy. I'd buy cases at the local here in Santa Cruz - Liquor Barn, anyone? - it worked out to about 75 cents a bottle, I think. Anyway I had no problem selling them for $2 each (3 for $5!). Sell 2 cases per show (easy to do, both before and after the show), and my gas and ticket for that night was pretty much covered. I made good money doing that at the 2 Stones shows in Oakland in '89 (about a month after the big earthquake). After '92 or so it wasn't so good anymore. But I had a good run selling beers for a couple of years. Cold beer really hits the spot after a show!
Oh, hell yeah. Also, there was this beer that they had at the Catalyst that my buddies were obsessed with. A brown ale, I think, like a 20-ounce bottle. (Name started with a "B" or a "D", perhaps.) It was OK. Too sweet for me, largely.
Starting in Aug '91 the annual Cal-Expo runs became mid-week affairs. Actually that Aug '91 run was the 2nd time there that year (the May run was Fri-Sun). That definitely made it harder for heads with M-F day jobs (such as myself). It was actually kind of a bummer! I wanted to go to all 3 shows but couldn't afford the time off (Steinlager sales couldn't pay the rent!) so in '92 and '93 I did Thurs only. Back to the point. Yes. The day of the show did seem to have an affect on the overall event. Friday/Saturday shows generally higher energy with rowdier crowds. Sunday shows perhaps more laid back, but might deliver sweeter and/or more emotional performances, due in part to different crowd energy. Mid-week shows? Could go either way.
Added that second set to tonight's play queue I Deaded myself out over the weekend with all those 69/70 shows been on a three day jazz bender so this will be a nice break.
I hate don't like when I delete a post, but someone memorializes it by responding. That was 37 minutes ago, or else I would delete my response.
Not your fault. I just didn't want to run the risk of starting a theoretical sh#tstorm here, due to my lazy thinking and my knee jerk reply.
I have an Oatmeal Stout in my fridge right now just because when I see the label it’s like a pleasant memory trigger that makes me smile.
THIS!! I was talking about this 1-900 setlist service a few pages back, thanks for sharing. I said $2 per minute, $.97! What a deal! When on tour and absolutely have to know if you're due for a Victim... 30 years ago was the best week of my life, I saw 3/18-3/25. Having exhausted the tapes for years and years, here's my top 5 shows of Spring 90 ranked. 3/22 3/29 3/24 3/30 3/19 Edgy?
Got it. The very bottling too, from the time. (I must be really bored, as I didn't even really like the stuff...)
I am going to attempt to listen to The Golden Road box from start to finish over the next few days. I don't think I have listened to any of those albums in a while. I was re-watching the GD Documentary on Amazon again and wanted to hear the Europe 72 Morning Dew. I can't believe this box came out in 2001. Where does the time go.
I kind of think you're being too hard on yourself. It's not like you pulled a Rush Limbaugh and referred to the guitar hero of this thread as, "just another dead doper."