Thursday, March 13th, 2008
I am slowing down on how much I listen to recently. I think this stems from putting too many shows on at once that I feel overwhelmed. I need to keep it to three or four shows so I can cycle through the podcasts I like to listen to as well.
Coming off are:
Derek Trucks Band
08-02-23: Seafood & Blues Festival, Coachman Park, Clearwater, FL
I love listening to music that is this new. Derek Trucks is a favorite of mine. The energy seemed a little low on this show at the start. One can hear folks talking throughout. Grr . . . Get Out of My Life, Woman was not hot as it should be. Things began heating up with Soul Serenade. How could it not? Gonna Move continued the energy. Stand Back cranked the band into high gear. Awesome!
Grateful Dead
83-09-11: Downs of Santa Fe, Santa Fe, NM
What a nice show. This was Mickey’s 40th birthday. I really like the set list. There is an early West L.A. on this. The second set is really the highlight of this show. It smokes from beginning to end. My only complaint is that Bobby does not sing Wang Dang Doodle well. I love this song, but he pales in comparison to Koko Taylor. The Help > Slip > Frank is awesome as is Let It Grow.
85-10-28: Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA
I love ‘85 shows. The set lists were varied and a lot of blues was played. That was a blessing and a curse on this night. This was the first time Kansas City was played. Blech! A good song that Bobby misses completely. He rebounds later with a nice Smokestack Lightning. I always liked My Brother Esau, although there is nothing stellar about this version. The first set ended nicely, however, with Ramble On Rose, Cassidy, Row Jimmy, Promised Land, all played well.
The second set moves well. While Touch of Grey ended up being overplayed, it was expertly done on this night and almost compensates for the lack of Fire. This was a nice Man Smart, Woman Smarter. The Terrapin Station was nice, although not as powerful as some. I would take the following out of Drums > Space any day: Truckin’> Smokestack> Stella Blue> Around> Good Lovin’. Good stuff all around. It’s nice to even hear Day Job on occasion. 
87-04-03: The Centrum, Worcester, MA
I was to attend this show. I saw the night before. But Worcester police didn’t like me sleeping in my car in a private lot. 
I was rudely awaken about 3:00 a.m. and told to get out of town. Grrr . . .
I used to have this show on tape. This is a hot show! A very hot show! Hell in a Bucket > Sugaree to open is a good way to get me dancing. Big RR Blues brought a smile to my face. Good stuff. Let It Grow > Don’t Ease Me In provides two set closers in one set (’87 was very predictable).
A smoking China > Rider kicks off the second set. Wow! The bridge is stellar. Another Man Smart, Woman Smarter begins a run with Crazy Fingers and Samson and Delilah. Man Smart was very well played. This was prior to Bobby going haywire with this song. Crazy Fingers is one of those songs I love and rarely heard the boys play. I downloaded this show because someone commented how Samson was sequed into and that didn’t happen much. Indeed. Out of Drums > Space we get a powerful Other One into Stella Blue (ah!) into a clear deep Throwing Stones > Not Fade Away. U.S. Blues caps off this hot night.
The Centrum run was a good one. Fire this one up folks.
Ratdog
07-11-16: House of Blues, Orlando, FL
Ratdog has always left me wanting. I am a Jerry fan and Ratdog seemed lacking. I saw them once and have heard a smattering of shows. Eh . . . Looking for something a little different last time out, I decided to load up a couple Ratdog shows from consecutive nights last November. This show definitely impressed me.
So much for the random set lists. There is no way to begin the show with Help > Slip and then a couple hours later end with Franklin’s and not have it staged. Things got moving with Even So. Good stuff there. Bobby plays a lot of Jerry’s songs. I have mixed feelings about that. Good songs are good songs, but what does it say that eight songs this night were Jerry’s? I didn’t think about that too long . . . Easy to Slip came on and I was pleasantly taken back to my college days. I always liked that song. And then the band hit a very groovy patch that basically remained for the balance of the night. I loved the toned down, hip Railroad Blues. The funk that was there was perfect.
The second set began with Been All Around This World. It was fair, then it was back to that funky rhythm. Me & My Uncle was totally re-worked. Awesome! The Weight too was funky with the audience joining in. Then came Althea. I was not particularly looking forward to Bobby handling this song. But my goodness it was good. Then a hot jam ensued. Ratdog was definitely in the groove here. The set ended with Ashes and Glass >
Stuff > Days Between > Two Djinn. This extended jam just continued the good vibes.
The encore reprised Two Djinn and then sequed back into Slip> Frank. I would have liked to have seen this show live. This is by far the best Ratdog show I have heard.
07-11-17: Mizner Amphitheatre, Boca Raton, FL
This was another nice Ratdog show, but not as hot as the night before. Rooster was very nice. The nearly 23 minute Eyes was the highlight of the night. Awesome! There was that funky feeling again in Goin’ Down the Road. The rest of the show was fine. Yes, there was Dark Star and some other stuff. This all leads me to think that Ratdog has matured into a good band. I’ll have to check out more of their recent stuff.
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Saturday, March 8th, 2008
It seems like I have been walking around with the same tunes all week. I finally finished the rotation and am preparing Silver for the weekend. Coming off are the following:
Grateful Dead
72-08-27: Old Renaissance Faire Grounds - Veneta, OR
There are legendary shows in the band’s 30-year history. This is one such show that I have listened to many times over the years, although it has been a while. The sound on this is excellent.
The set list is nice. Sunshine Daydream is interesting in its infancy.
92-03-02: The Omni, Atlanta, GA
Another show I attended. After Brent’s death, the band changed again. There was MIDI and Vince Welnick. I don’t listen much to 1990s Dead and this is why. While this is not as bad as the ‘94 show, in hindsight the band’s sound is not what I usually think of when I think of my favorite band. To be sure, I enjoyed the show. It just doesn’t hold up well with the rest of the catalogue. No standouts, but I enjoyed Hornsby helping out.
94-03-21: Richfield Coliseum - Richfield, OH
This show is highlighted as the show from 1994 to listen to. Somewhere I read that this was the last great Dead show. Hmmm . . .
Obviously, one thing that stands out is the Lovelight –> Stella Blue –> Lovelight. Everyone talks about it. On paper (in binary?) in looks wonderful. Forgetting just what this show was when I listened to it, my thoughts were that Bobby does a poor imitation of a blues singer with Lovelight. The song seemed forced. Stella is one of my favorites. It was good until the end where Jerry moaned offkey. Then to come back to Lovelight was a nice touch, but there was something about Bobby on this night . . . it just didn’t do it for me.
Peggy-O I thought was well-played. Another thing that occurred to me was how songs mature. I really liked West L.A. Fadeawy. When this song first came out, I was not thrilled. It was okay, but nothing I ever said, “Wow, they play West L.A. tonight!” This version smoked and had a nice jam in the middle. The song improved in the eight years since I first heard it. He’s Gone including the jam coming out of it was well done, but I am a huge fan of the song to begin with, so the standard is low. 
Once again, New Speedway was unrecognizable until Jerry began singing. The band’s sound is radically different than the band I grew up with. While there are moments late in the career that are nice, the MIDI sound is just not interesting to my ears. I am not a musician, but it sounds lazy to me.
Jerry Garcia Band
80-02-28: Wilkens Theatre, Kean College - Union, NJ
Robert Hunter guested for a few songs at the end of the second show. Hunter, longtime lyricist for Jerry, adds a different sound altogether.
This show is good. It’s a simple JGB band without Merl or Melvin laying in heavy keys. I like the sound of this band, even if it is not as mature as other incarnations.
83-12-04: Gym SUNY Stony Brook - Stony Brook, NY
I’ve been listening to a lot of ‘83 JGB recently. This is a short show, but my goodness it shines!
Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door is up-tempo with a reggae feel, much like Dylan played it in ‘78. I really liked this version. Really, this whole set soars, particularly from Knockin’ on. A very good Mission in the Rain and Rhapsody in Red then a stellar trio of Don’t Let Go –> Deal –> Tangled Up in Blue. Awesome! It just smokes.
I was just about to type to make certain you download it, but I just found out my favorite site has just received a cease-and-desist order from Rhino Records. The Dead have outsourced their distribution to them. Not much has happened since. :( But to shut down sites sharing free music . . . errr . . . GD Productions is going to loose a lot of customers.
It looks like it will be the Archive only for a while.
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Sunday, March 2nd, 2008
I listen to more music on the weekend than during the week. I guess that is not surprising. Anyhow, as I re-load Silver, here is what is coming off.
Grateful Dead
69-12-26: McFarlin Auditorium, S.M.U. - Dallas, TX
This is an interesting set. Billy apparently showed up late so in the meantime the boys broke out an acoustic set. Good stuff. A couple seldom played numbers in Little Sadie and Long Black Limousine and the only performance of The Master’s Bouquet make for this impromptu set. Then there is the new song . . . something known as Uncle John’s Band. This was only the eighth time this classic was played. It is a very gentle song at this point
The electric set heats up. TC is with the band at this point. The highlight of the set for me is the Otis Redding standard Hard to Handle. Pig nails this! This show also sports the third time New Speedway Boogie was played. Given it is based on Altamont that occurred a mere 20 days earlier, that is quite a feat.
73-07-27: Grand Prix Racecourse
This is the warm up to the legendary Summer Jam at Watkins Glen show with the Allmans and The Band. The day before the bands ran through their soundchecks with those who had already showed up. Instead of a couple numbers, the Dead pulled out a complete set. This was no ordinary set; the Me & My Uncle –> Jam –> Wharf Rat is just as legendary as the show the following day. Awesome stuff!
88-07-31: Laguna Seca Raceway - Monterey, CA
I had seen a couple of the NE shows a month earlier than this one. I downloaded it to hear Gentlemen Start Your Engines. It had been a while. Lots of folks were not a fan of Brent’s. I loved his gritty vocals. While the song is nothing great, there is a lot of soul that Mydland shares. Terrapin into Take Me Home is an odd way of leading into Drums, methinks.
Jerry Garcia Band
83-12-02: Tower Theatre - Upper Darby, PA
Some of my friends attended this show. The more I listen to ‘83 Jerry, the more I realize I missed a good era. I love these set lists. The recording here is nothing great. Another Masterpiece to like. A fun The Harder They Come. Cats, Run for the Roses, and then Tangled Up in Blue to end the show is a good run. Nice and upbeat.
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Saturday, March 1st, 2008
It’s the weekend so it’s time to re-load the iPod. Coming off are the following:
Grateful Dead
69-06-08: Fillmore West - San Francisco, CA
I downloaded this as it was discussed on a board I am on. I thought someone said Pig was missing from the show. It doesn’t sound like it although he does not sing Lovelight. Elvin Bishop sits in and Wayne Ceballos from Aum takes the vocals on Lovelight.
I’ve never been a fan of the Dead as a back-up band. Even when I saw them support Dylan, it had a rather odd feel to it. So did the few songs in the middle of this set. If one were not listening carefully, he would not even realize it was the boys on stage.
I’ve been listening to some older stuff recently and it is nice to reacquaint with New Potato Caboose.
91-06-17: Giants Stadium - East Rutherford, NJ
I contemplated going to this show. I had already sworn off the stadium gigs, but it had been a little bit since I had seen a show and I was going to run down from Boston for this. I didn’t. I missed a good one.
This set list is to die for. Eyes opened; awesome! And as much as I enjoyed listening to this (it’s been a decade at least), I was immediately reminded of the sound changes the band was going through. There’s lots of MIDI here. Yuck! Some songs are so re-arranged that I didn’t even recognize it until the vocals kicked in. Loose Lucy and Might As Well are two in particular.
After the opener, a very well played Walkin’ Blues and then Brown-Eyed Women followed. Then the Dark Star teases began. Throughout the show the band would drift into this. Wonderful, but they never get to it. Damn!
The show is very good. The band was once again changing and this is a good show to hear that with. The boys were re-energized after the Europe run the year before and were breaking out all sorts of nuggets. Giants Stadium definitely rocked that day.
93-04-04: Nassau Coliseum - Uniondale, NY
I attended this show. I have it somewhere in the basement, but it is easier to download off the ‘Net. No one will ever state this is the best show of a run, tour, year, etc. However, it was a decent show. So Many Roads was well played. It was great hearing Attics even if the harmonies were off. Estimated stood out as did a good version of Liberty as an encore, a song that doesn’t get much notice. I always liked Phil’s Broken Arrow and do not tire of hearing it. Some of the later songs are actually good. Go figure!
Jerry Garcia Band
83-11-26: Early & Late - Forum, Binghamton, NY
This sounds more like two sets than two shows, but there may have been a second admission. Who knows?
I like the set lists Jerry played during this stretch. I had listened to the previous night’s show earlier, and this one was just as good, although the recording wasn’t as crisp. Love in the Afternoon was nice and I always liked Jerry singing Masterpiece. This one wasn’t perfect, but I think his voice is better suited than Bobby’s. I wonder why they made the change for the Dead. This would have been a good time to have caught Jerry.
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Friday, February 29th, 2008
Time to load the iPod. Coming off are the following:
Grateful Dead
73-06-26: Seattle Center Arena - Seattle, WA
I love ‘73. While the setlists are not as dynamic as they could be, the playing is awesome. And where else will you ever get to hear this run: He’s Gone> Truckin> Other One> Bobby McGee> Other One> Sugar Magnolia? Bobby McGee in the middle of The Other One! Holy smokes!! I love hearing Here Comes Sunshine. I still have a hard time with the uptempo TLEO.
80-10-26: Radio City Music Hall - New York, NY
I never understood why the Dead didn’t play more acoustic sets later in their career. With the penchant the boys had to play wooden music, why they didn’t grace the audience with shows like the SF and Radio City runs is a mystery.
Acoustic China Doll is something I will never tire of. And I have always liked Bobby’s singing of On the Road Again. Good stuff. Not to be outdone, the electric sets are very good. One has to like Jack Straw and Sugaree as the two openers. The only “down” part of the show is a very slow Althea, a song I like but seems to never get going at this show.
Jerry Garcia Band
83-11-25: Cleveland Music Hall - Cleveland, OH
An upbeat show and Jerry sounds strong vocally. I love the setlist:
set one: I’ll Take A Melody, Cats Under The Stars, They Love Each Other, Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door, The Way You Do The Things You Do, Run For The Roses
set two: Sugaree, Love In The Afternoon, Rhapsody In Red, Night They Drove Old Dixie Down > Dear Prudence, Tangled Up In Blue
Awesome stuff. The Dixie Down > Dear Prudence is a must listen.
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