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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
