My reviews are quite rudimentary, but passionate and yes, humble By the way, I loved the version of "Let It Grow" from 6/17/76 with "Drums" in the middle. It bursts with energy.
Maybe I will eventually encounter a show that I won't find to be any good. Though even if that were to happen I'm sure I could find some redeeming qualities at least, but we'll see when that happens
I suppose I actually hope you don't, but it will be so unexpected it will be a kind of cheap thrill if you do...
All I'm going to say about that is I just played the studio version on Youtube and the initial chord is Fm
3:21 of View from the Vault 91 show it looks like he's playing Fm. All the official transcriptions are in Em though. Em is better, it's kind of disappointing. E/A etc. are the good keys. C, F, etc. boo.. And don't get me started on the keys horn players like
I wrote this thing yesterday afternoon, then went out again, and added some stuff at night and then some more stuff today: I finished the 6-8-92 Dark Star, which was a lot like that encore version you mention, in that it doesn't go anywhere really and just sort of rumbles away. Then I listened to the 11-8-70 Dark Star, which is really just a monumental performance. There are few examples of anything like this deep space jam that they do after the verse of Dark Star, especially in this part of their career. In some ways it's more like 72 than 70, and now here's a glockenspiel solo, and someone's alarm clock, and then what's this, the Main Ten? Anyway, I started writing this to talk about how it seems like Garcia realized the importance of those well-trodden grooves around about 89. Sometime in the 80s he said something like "I don't know why they like Dark Star so much, we do that kind of thing in every show,' which is true, but it is and also it isn't. The parts that were in Dark Star but not the song itself still showed up in Grateful Dead performances at varying frequencies in certain eras, but pretty much without complete abatement at any time in their career. And that stuff is a lot of the reason why Dark Star is the best, but I think that Garcia was wrong in that there is something about the song itself, (and not just the lyrics which are kind of so psychedelic as to be almost cliche, but also the melody of the verse and the cadence of the music.) Well worn grooves as you mention, but also harmonic openness that Archtop talks about. And there's evidence they kind of knew this (or at least evidence that lends itself to that interpretation) - the need to re-establish the identity of Dark Star in the jam on 6-23-74, for instance, or the fact that they bothered to do a perfunctory verse of Dark Star at all after the enormous jam on 3-23-74, or Garcia's coy refusal to actually play the damn melody on 6-28-74 even though everyone else in the band is doing the Dark Star theme, etc. It's a bit like going back to Grandma's house, it's not just all the family history that went on there, but also the qualities of the physical space itself that lent itself to the creation of those moments. How can you separate one from the other?
davmar, my memory was 3/4 full, but it could of been 1/2 full. It was early. I'm sure if you were in when I did that you would of remembered. It was a truly awkward moment that fortunately turned out quite well. As far as the quality of the show, it was very different from the Jerry I was accustomed to, obviously, so I really can't speak to a sort of empirical good or bad show; can only say I remember being extremely impressed and blown away by Jerry playing so differently from the dead like that with instrumental jazz selections. I was at a few of those dead shows too a few months later at the Academy. I remember it being a high time but was really spoiled by the Fillmore East experience the prior year; as that was a smaller venue and more intimate. I lived in Boston from Fall 72' until Summer 83' and was at that show. One of the only details about that show I recall was the weather report. I was real close up front and noticed Jerry wearing Fry Boots; no idea why I remember that unless it's because I had a pair too and noticed for that reason. I certainly didn't care about fashion ;-) Anyway, it was the only time I remember Jerry doing this... after the weather report ended, after a long solo by Jerry, he stepped up to the mic and said "Thank you". That was unusual; sort of acknowledging the obvious fan appreciation of his just completed solo work on that tune. Are you from Roslyn NY? With us at so many of the same shows and similar locations at shows, sure would be funny if you are an old friend of mine from High School and I don't know it. lol To conclude my listening yesterday in special celebration of what would of been Jerry's 78th, I fired up the bonus disc from Dave's #26 and it was more tasty than I remembered. The Black Peter, Other One & Warf rat in particular blew me away. Cheers, Zafu
I knew a tourhead for a little while in the mid-80's (lost contact), lots of money and went everywhere. I ran into him June 1986 after coming home from (my 1st time at) the Greek Theater. Conversation went along the lines of............... (Me .......him) "Did you enjoy the Greek shows?" ........."No, they sucked." "Did you like Spring Tour" ........."They were all lousy shows." "Did you do BCT, Cal Expo, and Frost?" ........."Yes, they all sucked." "Are you doing Summer Tour?" ........."I'm, doing the whole tour. Going to Minneapolis tomorrow."
Happy In Between Days to all my fellow heads. Along with the new 50th anniversary release of Working Man's Dead I have been getting into Dicks Pick's 16 which is new to me.
Back to 6/22/73 which I cannot avoid for more than a month He’s Gone>Truckin’>TOO>Wharf Rat only quibble with the whole show is a slight decline in energy during some of the ending portion of the above as the Rat isn’t huge - then again I prefer the 77-78 Rats over any of the earlier versions
This is a great post. Your mention of the Dark Star lyric made me think of the great scene in Long Strange Trip where Hunter recites it. Both wisdom and comedy gold. I’m currently in the middle of the 10/26/89 Dark Star, which I’ve never heard before and which is thus far a monster.
Lol, I followed a link someone posted to page 3000 of this thread, and right below it was a post by you about how 6-22-73 is great. Starting off with 3-26-88 Hampton VA this morning, I've always thought of 88 as fair to middling, since 87 is good but very staid for GD, and most of what I've heard of 89 is the same way, (though October or so they finally start to get weird,) but as usual with the GD, narratives of progression or continuity to not always hold up to scrutiny. Anyway, this started with a very good Bucket>Sugaree, then Stir it Up, which is practically a tuning, then a nice high-energy Minglewood.
The Frost and The Greeks ‘89 action...that’s where I’m hanging out today. Maybe an ‘82 “Catfish John” Show in there too.
That was one of my potential choices yesterday, but since I'm going to do all of 89 after 88 I decided to hold off for now. I have heard that one a few times, I had a tape in the 90s and also burned it from the Archive in 05, but it's been years since I've listened. I may decide to play it randomly though.
It's not much of a contest, but you're right. I'm not sure I've ever heard 12-31-89, though Victim or the Crime>Dark Star is my cup of tea for sure.
I did enjoy seeing Jerry in a different setting. Aside from the new riders this was my first non dead garcia show. Next time I saw him outside of the dead was December of that same year with saunders. I thought they were a better band but they played all the time so that wasn't unexpected. I'm not from roslyn but I spent lots of time at my father's place so I wouldn't be surprised if our paths crossed.