Forty

End of the road, so let's go out with a blowout.

First, 1972.  The Paramount Theater (Northwest) in Seattle, Washington.

A couple of years ago, I walked a lot for exercise during July and early August and had quite a few shows from 1972 to keep me company.  This is a very good show...damn, they were still just getting started, you know?

Next, 1974.  The Hollywood Bowl.

An audience recording showcasing the power of the Wall of Sound, and the power of the '74 sound.  Excellent stuff.

Next, 1984.  The Ventura County Fairgrounds.

Very strong show, and an attendee's account claims that the crowd got into the Olympic spirit (the Games of the XXIII Olympiad were in Los Angeles) by holding up cards to "score" tunes as they were played.  I'll bet the boys were amused.

Finally, 1990.  The World Music Theater in Tinley Park, Illinois.

Not my ticket.

A tremendous show.  One of Brent's last.  It's well worth a listen.

My summer session course ended yesterday, so I just want to thank those folks for tagging along, and anyone else out there who may see this and (I hope) dig it.

I have enjoyed sharing some thoughts and impressions and, most importantly, MUSIC.  It's a significant part of my life and continues to speak to me with messages both silly and profound...old and new...sacred and profane...living and dead.

I hope you have enjoyed the summer so far and will take advantage of what is left in whatever ways you see as good and kind and FUN.

Fare you well

Fare you well

I love you more than words can tell

Listen to the river sing sweet songs

To rock my soul

GOOD BYE!

Set lists after the break...

Thirty-Nine

Only one show today.  In fact, there is only one show to choose, as they never played on this date in any other year.

1994, at Deer Creek.  It's a decent show, and apparently some rank it quite highly for the year.  Of course, for some, that's barely saying anything, since by this point things were almost done.

I won't go that far, and I leave it up to you to see if you can dig it.

This is Vince Welnick.  He replaced Brent Mydland in the fall of 1990, after Brent's passing at the end of summer (Bruce Hornsby also sat in from time to time during Vince's early days with the group, but it never became permanent).  He used to be part of The Tubes, responsible for the hit single (and music video) "She's a Beauty."

With the Dead, he had a rough tenure - I've mentioned that Brent had a hard time fitting in, and I have read that the same was true for Vince.  I can't imagine how hard that sort of role would be to fill.  Also, even though I am not a huge fan of the tunes he brought to the group (including "Samba in the Rain," performed in the second set of this show), I have a soft spot for Vince.  I wish he was still with us.

Garcia's passing hit him very hard.  He was not able to escape his demons, and apparently tried to commit suicide in late 1995.  He recovered enough to keep going, still pursued by depression, and in a 2003 interview he was quoted as follows:

In 2006, he killed himself.  Rest in peace, Vince.

Be good to yourself.
Set list after the break...

Thirty-Eight

This is around the time that some summer tours start to wrap up, and I'm certainly winding down as well...

Today we begin with night three at Alpine Valley.

Very tasty stuff once again, and some of it (highlights from the three-night run) made it to an "official" 1997 DVD release called "Downhill from Here."  I always considered that title an accurate, if not amusing, bit of wordplay.

This is, again, a superb show.

Then we return to 1974, and make another stop in Fresno, at Selland Arena.

WALL OF SOUND

This is an outstanding show.  The portion of the second set beginning with "He's Gone" is just spectacular, and well-known in the Dead community as a result.  Enjoy it!

Set lists after the break...

Thirty-Seven

Today we are looking for some continuity...well, sort of, anyway.

First, a show from 1972 again, this time at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City, New Jersey.

This stadium isn't there anymore...it was demolished in 1985.  This is a fine show, a long show...in 1972, they were hitting a stride that stretched clear into 1974, right up to the "retirement." Fabulous stuff.

Next, back to 1989, the second night at Alpine Valley.  A super show, with some very high energy - especially as the second set got rolling.

Finally, back to 1976...the final night at the Orpheum.

No, I don't really know if each of the nights is "worth" posting...but I did it anyway.  I love 'em that much.

I hope you've enjoyed them, too.

Set lists after the break...

Thirty-Six

Today, featuring a few shows again.

First, back to 1976, night five at the Orpheum.

Then we move ahead to 1988 at the Greek Theater, which was a benefit show for the Rex Foundation.  The group had participated in several charitable benefit concerts through the years, but in 1983 they formed the Foundation to (slightly) better organize the process of giving and make sure the money actually went to those who could use it...which, sadly, does not always happen when you give.

It's a great show.  A highlight for many folks is the moving rendition of "Believe It Or Not," an excellent song played only sparingly (like a handful of others), for reasons no one may ever know.

Finally, let's move to 1989 for a stop at the Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, Wisconsin.

Although it was relatively close to my hometown, I never attended a show there - which just confirms that I am an idiot.  The Dead (and many other groups) apparently enjoyed it, and the 20 (or so) shows they played there over the years are quite good.

This year, for the first time in 40 years, there are no concerts happening at Alpine Valley for the summer concert season.  Apparently it is having a hard time attracting artists.  Perhaps I've missed my chances to ever get there for any show.  Oh well...

This is a great one.  Enjoy your day.

Set lists after the break...

Thirty-Five

Today, three shows featured...and we'll go backward in time, while also featuring a bit more of the "audience" than previous posts.

We'll start in 1976, with the fourth night (they took the night off on the 15th) at the Orpheum Theater.

Two streams for this one.  The first is the "soundboard" recording, which apparently only exists for the second set of tunes.

Now, here is the complete show, apparently taped by a couple of attendees, from a lovely position: the front of the balcony (as in the photograph above).

Plenty of folks (myself included) aren't too fond of the audience tapes, and rarely listen to them...unless there's no other source, of course.

There are those who listen to nothing but the audience tapes as well, since it gives more of the feeling of actually being there...less detached and sterile, or something like that.  See what you think!

Next, we move to 1972 and Dillon Stadium in Hartford, Connecticut.

This show is a combination of sources, patched together to form the complete show.  1972 was a year of amazing shows...but again, not to everyone's liking.  For many, compared to what the scene had been in the mid 1960s, this was a completely different band - and not one they found as likable.  Of course, with all the shit that had gone down in the seven years they'd been together, things were bound to be different.  Some band members were even reaching (gasp) 30 years of age...crazy how that alters things.  If you're not there yet, believe me...it's waiting.

Finally, back to 1966 at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco.

Maybe it's two shows, maybe it's out of order...I have no idea.  It's just a lot of fun to hear how things were in those early days.  Plenty of people, plenty of acid, plenty of volume.  Community...

Enjoy your Sunday.

Set lists after the break...

Thirty-Four

Today, back to 1989 at the Deer Creek Music Center in Noblesville, Indiana.

This is a nice show.  The two songs played to open the second set are "Foolish Heart" and "Victim or the Crime," which were fairly new at the time...they made an odd pairing.  I like them both, although I am more fond of "Foolish Heart."

"Victim" was not at all popular, from many accounts I have read.  Not hard to hear why.  It's a difficult song, with lyrics that challenge.  A story (disputed through the years) goes that the lyricist (Gerrit Graham) was asked to change the word "junkie" since it touched a little too close to home for some in the family...interesting stuff.

I also think of that song in reference to perhaps the main reason Deer Creek became infamous, the "riot" of 2 July 1995.  Folks stormed the fences and broke into the show, injuring many and drawing the attention of the band.  They canceled the next night's show, and at the next tour stop (St. Louis) a letter was distributed containing the following text:

This Darkness Got To Give

Dear Dead Heads:

This is the way it looks to us from the stage:

Your justly-renowned tolerance and compassion have set you up to be used. At Deer Creek, we watched many of you cheer on and help a thousand fools kick down the fence and break into the show. We can't play music and watch plywood flying around endangering people. The security and police whom those people endangered represent us, work for us -- think of them as us. You can't expect mellow security if you're throwing things at them. The saboteurs who did this can only do it if all Dead Heads allow them to. Your reputation is at stake.

Don't you get it?

Over the past thirty years we've come up with the fewest possible rules to make the difficult act of bringing tons of people together work well -- and a few thousand so-called Dead Heads ignore those simple rules and screw it up for you, us and everybody. We've never before had to cancel a show because of you. Think about it.

If you don't have a ticket, don't come. This is real. This is first a music concert, not a free-for-all party. Secondly, don't vend. Vending attracts people without tickets. Many of the people without tickets have no responsibility or obligation to our scene. They don't give a shit. They act like idiots. They think it's just a party to get as trashed as possible at. We're all supposed to be about higher consciousness, not drunken stupidity.

It's up to you as Dead Heads to educate these people, and to pressure them into acting like Dead Heads instead of maniacs. They can only get away with this crap if you let them. The old slogan is true: If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem.

Want to end the touring life of the Grateful Dead? Allow bottle-throwing gate crashers to keep on thinking they're cool anarchists instead of the creeps they are.

Want to continue it? Listen to the rules, and pressure others to do so. A few more scenes like Sunday night, and we'll quite simply be unable to play. The spirit of the Grateful Dead is at stake, and we'll do what we have to do to protect it. And when you hear somebody say "Fuck you, we'll do what we want," remember something.

That applies to us, too.

Phil, Jerry, Bobby, Mickey, Billy and Vince

As I mentioned in a previous post, within a week the final concert had been played, and just over a month later Jerry was gone.  It was a surreal way for it all to come crashing down, and "Victim," for me at least, still conjures quite a bit of that.

Anyway.  Take a listen.  Have a good day.

Set list after the break...

Thirty-Three

Three shows today, can't help it...

First, night three at the Orpheum in 1976.

Then, night two at the Greek in 1984.

For the last, we jump to 1990 and return to newly-renamed Foxboro Stadium (formerly Schaefer Stadium, then Sullivan Stadium), home of the New England Patriots.

SHORTS!

They sure have been a great team for a while now.  I was born and raised a Packer fan, so...yeah. Fuck 'em.

Yet this is a great show, and it's always worthwhile to think about the label of "patriot."  What does it mean to you?  Again, the whole "freedom" thing, you know?

Also, I read a comment from a 1990 show the other day in which the author claimed the Dead were subtly trying to shake some of the expanded scene which had landed on shows on the late eighties by making a summer tour full of "one-offs" - not staying anywhere long enough to attract the huge crowd of hangers-on, the fringe that in some people's view sank the ship.  Interesting.

Anyway. Enjoy the show.

Set lists after the break...

Thirty-Two

Today, three shows, all from the Best Damn State in the Union, good ol' California.

First, still in 1976, the second night at the Orpheum.  So good.

Then we advance to 1984, at the Greek Theater in Berkeley.

It's a well-known and popular venue.  I am not a huge fan, but who cares?  This is an excellent show.

Next, to the Ventura County Fairgrounds in 1985.

The stage, as I recall, sat in the middle of the track that is used for races, that sort of thing.  Big dusty space.  Maybe that wasn't always the case?  Anyway, the one time I saw a show there, it was a lot of fun, but it was kinda dirty too.

This is a great show, I think. 1985 was a pretty special year.

Set lists after the break...

Thirty-One

Back to 1976 today, the beginning of a six-night run at the Orpheum Theater in San Francisco.

It had been a little over a month since the Dead had resumed touring, and they were making stops in smaller theaters and playing with a far different (and smaller!) amplification system. This meant the dynamics of the shows had changed considerably since 1974's "Wall of Sound" stadium events, and I am sure that some folks were unhappy about getting "squeezed out" of the experience.

The music, though...wow.  I just love it.  I don't care how slow people think it is.  The new songs (from 1975's Blues for Allah) are superb, the jamming is often intense (if perhaps less frequently venturing into "spacy" territory) and the whole thing is just so...mellow.

It's often the most calming thing I can find.  Cue it up, spark it up, and drift away...
Set list after the break...

Thirty

Back to 1969 today, a concert at Flushing Meadows (in Queens) in New York.

A very intriguing show.  Some new tunes starting to show up in the sets, and a clear turn toward including a different sort of sound than solely "acid rock" or whatever you wish to call it. 

The following year would see the release of Workingman's Dead and American Beauty, the best of the Dead's studio efforts (don't even bother debating it), showcasing the band's new direction.

If you have never listened to either, well...jeez. Ya should!

Take care.

Set list after the break...

Twenty-Nine

Today we are in 1990, at Carter-Finley Stadium on the campus of North Carolina State University in Raleigh.

Thunderstorms (with timely and untimely lightning), too many people, too many police (both apparent and undercover)...yeah, from what I understand the scene was getting weird.

Maybe that's the wrong way to put it: things might not have been weird enough!

The popularity of the band had reached new levels by this point.  For many longtime fans, the changes in the scene (and, arguably, the music itself) proved just too much - they stopped going.  But plenty of others were there to take their places, for better or for worse.

Change is tough.  But it's always with us.  How do we deal with it?  Do we roll with the changes, or get left behind?

Good luck in your journey.

Set list after the break...

Twenty-Eight

1995, Chicago...

One month after this concert, Jerry Garcia died.

It's nice that these shows (yesterday and today) are so nicely presented...seems like they have very good levels and whatnot.

I can't listen to them.

It's just too hard, for all sorts of reasons. I tried to think of a way to explain some of it in a relatively coherent and brief fashion...

...I failed.

I miss you, big man.

Set list after the break...

Twenty-Seven

First, we note that in 1995 the Dead arrived at their final destination: Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois.

I'll have more to say about that weekend tomorrow. I need some time to choose the words more carefully. But this isn't a terrible show, as it turns out. Some very nice moments.
Yet the show of the day has to be 1978, without question.

Red Rocks is a powerful place, I don't think there's any other way to put it.

Plenty of folks have theories on why certain places just...feel...different. I don't know much about the why, but I am definitely not arguing with the what. I've been places that feel powerful, and other places that feel empty. There are times it seems to correlate to feelings I have inside, and there are other times it does not. It just...is.

This show resonates with me every time, yet often in different ways I have not felt before. A cool note here, a drum fill there, Jerry "shooshing" the crowd during "Wharf Rat"...it's one of the best. Might be my strongest recommendation of the summer.

There are plenty of things in this world (and beyond) that we haven't found any way to explain yet. Some things, I hope, will remain a mystery.

Sometimes it's enough to enjoy, to appreciate, to live...

...no need to know why...

Set lists after the break...

Twenty-Six

R E D    R O C K S . . .

A "natural" amphitheatre near Denver, this venue was apparently used as early as 1906 for performances (and one would guess it had been used before by others, before the "modern" era), but the CCC and WPA helped to get the current setting done by 1941.

I've not been to it, and I need to rectify that. I have heard plenty of stories from folks who have, and I have been jealous...especially in light of shows like the two I feature from 1978, starting today.

They are justifiably famous recordings (tomorrow is a good bit more well-known than today, but I love 'em both) and I hope you will enjoy them. I always do...

Set list after the break...

Twenty-Five

Today, we are in 1990, visiting Cardinal Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky.

It's a great show.

This is Brent Mydland. He was a hell of a musician, and he was a great singer and decent songwriter as well.  He died of an overdose on 26 July, only twenty days after this show.

I remember it, and in the years since I've read various accounts of his life, his struggles to "fit in" with the already-established band and the scene, and his ultimate failure to escape the trap of self-medication and escapism.

I get it.

Makes me very sad when anyone loses that battle, and I still grieve for many we've lost that way through the years...

...I'm going to stop here. Kinda heavy stuff, and I am not in a good space to say more!

Take care.
Set list after the break...

Twenty-Four

Today just one stop: 1981, at the Zoo.

The Zoo Amphitheater, Oklahoma City, that is. It is next to the City Zoo, of course.

Don't know if I have ever heard how the animals feel about that...
Set list after the break...

Twenty-Three

It's Independence Day!  

What does freedom mean to you? What can't you do? How would you defend what you can?

Many things to ponder, but also a day for celebration. My advice is to try to keep it "safe and sane," especially if you're blowing shit up. If your city does it, go see the pros.

ANYWAY...

...highlighting a few things on the Dead front today.

First, checking back in with 1969, at the Electric Theater in Chicago.

I wish the sound kept its levels throughout, because there are some interesting early songs here...ah well. The sequence that ends with "Casey Jones" is definitely worth hearing.

Next, 1981 at Manor Downs.

One of the many venues they used to play that have closed, this one was the site of some really good music...and this show completely lives up to that standard!

How about 1984, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa?

You might say that some of what was happening in 1984 "ripened" in 1985...nah, nobody would say that. Anyway, great show.

1987? Foxborough? (Foxboro?!? ) Massachusetts? How appropriate to play in a place so close to the cradle of what we call liberty today.

It's not a bad show, either...and it features the Dead as a backing band for recent Nobel Laureate Bob Dylan.

The entire second set is Bob, and if you don't like Bob...well, skip that, then. But this was an historic collaboration and I think it holds up okay. In the Dark was released on 6 July and it's nice to see the group holding the form of those efforts in concert, whether lead or backup.

Set lists after the break...

Twenty-Two

We pay a visit to 1978 today, when the Dead played the St. Paul Civic Center.

This is, at times, a very good audience recording. Some really ripping jams, too. 😮

I remember once referring to 1978 as a ripening of 1977, and being told to "stop smokeing drugs."

One of the rare (relatively speaking) performances of the Warren Zevon hit "Werewolves of London" here, and it's worth noting how rare it was for the group to cover a contemporary...and what a tune to choose!

Have a good one.

Set list after the break...

Twenty-One

Today, we first want to return to 1985 for a night at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena.

A couple of things about this.

• Sometimes a good run of shows isn't all in one venue, of course, and this is a good example of that. The good energy of the previous nights at MPP came along, although one might say it lasted the whole summer...did I mention that this was the "unofficial/official" 20-year celebration tour? 😉   Anyway, it's really a nice show.

• Sometimes the taping process is...mysterious. There are people who taped the shows, and then there are recordings that got patched into the mixing board - the "soundboard" copies - and nowadays there are even folks who spend their time mixing the two, to give a "matrix" experience of the concert.

I'm going to offer the soundboard copy first...

Then the matrix here...

The soundboard copy is tracked incorrectly, as the encores are in the middle of the sets. Whatever. Enjoy it.

Then we settle even further back in time...1971, at the Fillmore West in San Francisco.

This year we celebrate 50 years since the "Summer of Love." By 1971, events had seemingly soured the scene in the city, and many artists moved to the surrounding communities for a breath of fresh air and less stress. This may have played in part in why some of the arenas which had hosted the music of the later 60's began to close, most notably the Fillmore East (in New York City) at the end of April and this venue, on this night!

It's a great show. Yes, they are not exactly in tune for much of the night. Yes, the performances are a little more than ragged. It was a big acid blow-out, and it sounds like it. But it's great. I remember staying up to record it on the radio when I was in college, and as it crackled through my system I shared some of the trip...hope you will as well.

Set lists after the break...

Twenty

First we rejoin 1980's advance, and today found the group at the San Diego Sports Arena.

It's such a great, mellow-sounding show...fifteen years had taken a toll, to be sure, but they were definitely celebrating, and rightly so!

Then we return to 1985 for night two at MPP.

I had set two first and grew to love it quickly...was thrilled to get a copy of set one eventually, not a very good one admittedly, but solid.

I love this show.

I hope you are having a great weekend so far.

It's my brother-in-law's birthday...happy birthday, Jerry!

Set lists after the break...

Nineteen

Through all the broken dreams
And vanished years

It's hard to choose a single show on certain days, as I have said on at least one occasion, I think. Today I have three for you...continuing certain patterns, and an outlier.

In 1974, the group made it to Springfield, MA and played at the Civic Center.

Did I mention "Seastones" yet? Well, that was the name for the mini-set of...ummm...noises...during the break between the Dead's sets. Phil Lesh and Ned Lagin would take a few minutes to go off on what I guess you could call a precursor to today's electronic musics. Wild, and on occasion somewhat jarring. Great show, though.

In 1985, the band had landed in Columbia, MD at the Merriweather Post Pavilion for a two-night run which would stand up as a true summer highlight. This, the first night, is just sublime.

(but wait until tomorrow...)

The last one for today comes just two years later, at Kingswood Music Theatre in Maple, Ontario, Canada.

By summer 1987, the Dead were riding a wave of popularity due to the success of "Touch of Grey" on MTV. It ended up changing a lot of the dynamics of the group, and certainly played a role in how the final years of the band would go down before Garcia's death.

This is a real solid show, though, and could be worth a listen.

Set lists after the break...

Eighteen

It's not been uncommon through the years for a Dead show to be broadcast on local radio. It still happens, in fact...the latest incarnation, Dead & Company (featuring John Mayer), has webcast a couple of shows for free this summer. They will wrap up their month of touring this weekend in Chicago, at Wrigley Field. Should be a beauty! 😵

Speaking of Chicago...

When I was growing up, Chicago was the largest city in close proximity...and that meant about 3 hours on the road, counting traffic, to make it to the Windy City. I didn't make it all that often, but I remember the trips very fondly...and I have known many nice folks from Illinois, despite the midwestern rivalry. 😉

The lovely venue above (the Auditorium Theater) hosted the Dead on this date in 1976, and a local radio broadcast captured the jams...and boy, there were some jams...

...mellow ones, though. The tempos are still a subject of debate to this day! 

(that's true of the new group, too...old dudes play slow, can you blame 'em?)

Set list after the break...

Seventeen

Back to 1985 today, at Hershey Park Stadium in (wouldn't you know?) Hershey, Pennsylvania.

It rained during this show, I have read, so the big man had to wear a coat.
(Garcia was famous for his plain dark tee shirt look, so a blazer was a big deal! 😄)

It's a cool show. Some unexpected choices among the tunes, and some odd placements, if you look at trends and that sort of thing.

Vintage 1985, in summary. Blaze it!

Set list after the break...

Sixteen

27 June 1985 saw the summer tour land at SPAC - the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.

For me, this was a tape which contained almost all of the first set and the beginning of the second...and although the quality isn't superb, it eventually became a favorite.

I really like the 1985 sound. It does seem to be a little stretched at times, sort of straining...and Garcia's health was becoming worse, so maybe it's all hindsight. Who knows. Loved that guy, though.

Love's a funny thing, you know? Keep enough for yourself, but don't forget to spread it around. Many people never get it from anyone else.

Set list after the break...