John A

Melvin's B3 was sounding in fine form over the weekend. Was also fun seeing JK, which I believe was mt first time since Further. Although I'd admittedly prefer Melvin not to stray into the Dead material, New Speedway Boogie was a definite highlight... October 16th 2021 Terrapin Crossroads “Beach” Park Melvin Seals w/JK Set 1: Expressway to your heart Wonderful World Neighbor, Neighbor Get Of if My Life, Woman Senior New Speedway Boogie Percussion Jam -> Instrumental Set 2: Love in the Afternoon Takes A Lot to Laugh, Takes a Train to Cry Positively 4th Street Mystery Train Dear Prudence Help in the Way -> Slipknot! -> Shakedown Street

As GD lore goes, you gotta love it when so little says so much.

Mostly caught reruns of Mickey Mouse Club in the early 70s....loved those Hardy Boys serials!

Just picked up a tix for the Saturday TXR show. My last time at TXR? Looking like that's quite likely.

Just count your lucky stars if the Barney theme song hasn't invaded your lives. Ruled my world with kid #1. Kid #2, mercifully, showed little interest.

This was the tour where Bruce was getting after Jerry for everything being too structured. Rumor has it that between sets Jerry told him to pay close attention coming out of Slipknot

Sweetwater just started having live music again recently. And they revamped their restaurant - it's now a New Orleans theme. Bobby's studio, TRI (Tamalpais Research Institute) has had some webcasts with Wolf Brothers, and I imagine Dead & Co and other outfits still rehearse there.

No idea what the lyrics to that song are but I'll trust you. 😆 How 'bout Black Peter.

copacetic Love that Hunter used that in a tune. Is the word in any song by anybody other than GD?

Cassettes already existed when I came of musical age in the early 80s. My parents had a little player to record speech with in the late 70s, perhaps my first interaction with the format. In the mid/late 80s I had a Nak deck in my car. Definitely my cassette high point. I remember visiting Boston and going to a friend of my girlfriend's apartment. He had a sweet bootleg collection and we were going to be driving somewhere in my car. I asked if we could take the tape we'd been listening to with us and he got all tweaky about bringing it into the car. No big deal - I value my collection too... when we got to the car he saw I had a Nak car deck and decided to run back in the apartment to grab the tape after all. Street cred! 😆

There's a hot rumor circulating that Jill and Phil will close TXR in San Rafael. What is publicly known is an article came out last week in the Marin Independent Journal about how the lease for the Beach Park (the outdoor venue along the canal adjacent to the back patio), which expires at the end of September, has yet to be renewed. The city owns the park and TXR leases it from them. The annual amount is a paltry $15,000, especially considering outdoor shows are all that's really happening there now. They've never opened the restaurant in any capacity since the initial pandemic shutdown, even when it seemed Covid was on the steep decline in late Spring. So this is all ripe for rumors that closure is imminent. I even heard there's a Jeep dealership interested in the space! I suppose if this is the end of their run it shouldn't be too surprising. Phil is 81, and, especially after a pandemic, one could see that Jill has had enough with running a restaurant. In the spirit of its potential demise, I dug up this review I wrote on what has to go down as one of the handful of most memorable shows there. Hard to believe it was over 9 years ago. While it's hard to touch the magic of what this impromptu evening offered, I did have a few other pretty special times there. Central among them was a mind boggling late second set Help>Slip>Franklin's from a DSO '76 recreation, and a DSO acoustic show featuring a Bird Song that was completely off the hook. Wednesday, May 23rd, 2012 in the TXR Bar 10pm - 11:10pm Terrapin Crossroads, the project that Phil and Jill Lesh had been working on in Fairfax for some time, and that was forestalled by a vocal minority of locals, finally opened this Spring in San Rafael to a chorus of complaints about the hefty price of admission for Phil & Friends shows - $150. But hey, that comes with a poster, plus a grilled cheese sandwich on the way out the door. More recently, Phil and been leading various groups of musicians through a series of “West Coast Rambles”, modeled after the famous Levon Helm “Midnight Rambles” held in his barn studio in Woodstock. For the Rambles shows, the costs are scaled back to $65. Then last week The Crossroads announced a “Telstar” show this coming Sunday, more open ended jam oriented, for the bargain basement price of $30. And finally, this Tuesday and Wednesday, the fee to see Phil at the Crossroads came crashing down to zero. Now, these shows were not held in the “Grate Room”, but rather in the adjoining restaurant. But they were scot-free. The line up was a sub set of this weekend’s Ramblers; Phil on bass, John Kadlecik on lead, and Jon Graboff on pedal steel. Reports on the Tuesday show were quite positive, so after an open house for my 7th grader at Mill Valley Middle School, I was off to San Rafael. I arrived around 8:30 to a casual scene. The cocktail/bar section of the restaurant was full but not bursting. The performance area encompassed the landing at the bottom of a wide, twisting staircase. The back of the “stage” opened onto the main dining area, and the front (slightly more than 180 degrees of the ring) opened to the cocktail space, the hallway from the main entrance, and the wood burning oven. I was able to settle in just behind the people who were against the ropes, in the thin corridor between the pizza bar and the stage. There were somewhere around 150 people already there, swelling to maybe double that as the 9pm show time approached. Then it happened. Complete darkness. At first it seemed like something had blown right there on site, but the jolt of having large amps and speaking several feet away instantly cut out will create such an illusion. And the only good view of the outside world from where I stood was through the back of the restaurant across the canal; all lights on there. So I was surprised when, after about 10 minutes, a security officer announced that the outage was area wide (apparently only on Terrapin’s side of the water) and that no further details were available. Frankly, I was even more surprised that they weren’t moving to have the place evacuated. But no, we were just told to hang tight. In fact I had just been pondering that there likely must be some sort of public mandate about evacuating a crowded establishment where there was no power. Instead, it appeared Terrapin was able to play by its own rules. And indeed, Phil came out minutes later and said there will still be a show, it will be acoustic, and that amazingly there were no acoustic instruments on hand but they were “nearby.” It was another half hour before several guitar cases made their way through the front door and up the staircase. It’s a good bet going forward that Terrapin will be better prepared! By this time staff had swept through with trays of lit candles, doors had been propped open for ventilation, camping style lamps were strategically placed, and a table of brightly burning cylindrical candles of varying heights had been set up in the center of the performance space (to call this a stage is a misnomer). The power wasn’t coming back but music was imminent. When the musicians finally came down the stairs, slightly over an hour after we were plunged into darkness, JK, Jon, and Phil all had acoustic guitars. JK had what could have been a Takamine, looking exactly like something Jerry would have played. Jon’s guitar looked to be a steel strung model with dark grained wood. And Phil had a large bodied instrument similar to what I recall him playing at a benefit show way back in 1994 at the Berkeley Community Theater Berkeley High School benefit. Phil also carried out a MacBook Pro, which I found curious. He consulted it briefly a few times between songs. There were also small battery powered lit-lights on JK and Jon’s music stands. Now it was time to see not only what these performers were made of, so far as their ability to roll with this massive audible, but also to see what the audience was made of. This was the absolute test of an audience’s resolve to pay respectful attention, the likes of which I’ve never experienced. Think about it: 300 plus folks, most of whom had a few drinks in them, in an inherently awkward performance space, with zero amplification. This should prove interesting. And by god it worked. Not perfectly of course. There were bottles to recycle at the bar. And there was the aisle behind us that kept getting clogged, requiring the occasional “please, we have to keep this space clear” from staff members. But the catcalls were almost exclusively between songs, and the few sing-along moments were well placed and mostly fitting. I think ultimately the urgency of keeping silent was so obvious to everybody that 99% of folks didn’t dare even breathe heavily. That made it even more head scratching the few times someone had to be shushed; what could anyone be thinking?? So the show then was a tightrope act; a continuous give and take between the spellbinding understated power of what we were witnessing with the annoyance of the varying distractions. Most importantly though, on balance it worked. Perhaps not consistently throughout, but certainly on the whole. The set list was nuanced, varying from classic acoustic numbers like Dire Wolf, Folsom Prison Blues, Dark Hollow, and Jack-A-Roe, to complete surprises such as Casey Jones, Bertha, and Here Comes Sunshine. Jon Graboff sang the Johnny Cash classic along with Dark Hollow, but I felt his vocals were less than ideal given the scenario. Phil sang only one song, but it was a soft, gorgeous, lilting version of Peggy-O. And wow did the crowd stay quiet for this one, especially when it become apparent how hushed and reticent his voice was. For the high notes you had to crook your neck forward to hear, but I must say I’ve never heard his voice sound so soothing. It felt like you were with him in his living room. With JK, however, it was more like being around a raucous campfire. He projected, intoned, resonated, and more or less just stole the show. I have a completely new respect for the Ryan Adams song Peaceful Valley. Dire Wolf and Bertha were rollicking and bouncy. Here Comes Sunshine was a ray thereof. But the knockout punch was Visions of Johanna. The lyric sheet was clearly placed and the light on JK’s music stand adjusted. Being able to refer sporadically to the lyrics made him that much more confident. And his reading was breathtaking - both forceful and seductive. Unbelievably, the guy behind me and to my right not only knew most all the lyrics but proved it by mouthing them softly. I suffered through a few verses before realizing he wasn’t going to stop, so I told him “Hey man, it’s really impressive that you know all the words to this song, but I can hear you as loud as John.” Thankfully that shut him up, and it might also have shamed him as he left the area when the song was over. Lyrics always have a way of taking on a continued, evolving meaning with the Grateful Dead, whether it be their own songs or those of others. In Visions, several lines had a newfound resonance, such as “Ain't it just like the night to play tricks when you're tryin' to be so quiet”, “Lights flicker from the opposite loft”, and of course “The ghost of electricity”. Unmistakably powerful stuff. After playing for just over an hour, they closed the show with a magnificent I Know You Rider, featuring splendid, potent harmonies. And then, with what was probably a collective breath of “Thank god we made it through that,” the show was over. The crowd whooped, banged, and hollered rambunctiously for several moments after the musicians had retreated up the stairwell, but when the candles were blown out it was clear there would be no encore. It occurred to me that not only were such unforeseen circumstances necessary for this scenario to have gone down, but had the power actually come back on at any point (and it’s amazing that it didn’t) the unique and astonishing vibe would have been derailed. What an improvised, singular experience, the likes of which will almost certainly never be witnessed again. I wouldn’t want to be part of such an experiment with a NYC crowd of socially lubricated Heads, but the West Coast folks were able to make it work. In the Lesh household, I fancy that JK’s stock just skyrocketed. The set list went like this: Casey Jones Dire Wolf Bertha Folsom Prison Blues Here Comes Sunshine Peggy-O Peaceful Valley Dark Hollow Visions Of Johanna Jack-A-Roe Don’t Ease Me In I Know You Rider

To that point, 11-30-80 Fox Theatre would be a fine choice.

Wow that's a great and provocative question. I started to think about it and my head exploded. 🤣 I'm going to somewhat dodge the question and say coming out of space with the Playin' Reprise -> Bertha 11-2-84 BCT.

Where do you get those auto death numbers? About 100 people die per day in the US in auto accidents.

With the caveat that I even surprised myself a bit that I just researched this... 🧐 All Over Now never preceded Loose Lucy, but it followed it twice in 1990. Black Throated Wind did indeed follow Loose Lucy twice in 1974 (and preceded it a couple times in the 90s). In addition, Johnny B Goode followed Stella once in 1973 and again in 1974. And Black Muddy River encored at 2 shows in 1989 where Johnny B Good closed the set. Finally, Greatest Story followed Gimme Some Lovin' twice in 1985... That one is pretty surprising, but Gimme opened several shows in its early days in '85/'86. But certainly Dino knew all that.

Good rant, Rude! Now cue the anti-vax "freedom" riders.... didn't someone on this board actually evoke Bill Gates' name when discussing vaccines?

I remember being bemused by how wild that 2nd set was when I first heard the tape in the mid 80s. An eternal question when reviewing such a performance is what gives? What motivated that set to transpire? Beyond the odd structure, the only '78 Jack-A-Roe, and the final of just 3 World To Gives.

Nice to hear Phil & Friends bringing a high quality performance. I thought he was done with the road as of several years ago. What's he doing in Nashville? New found energy having kicked back throughout the pandemic?

This one looks like a winner! https://store.dead.net/special-edition-shops/st-louis-collection/listen-to-the-river-st-louis-71-72-73-20-cd-1.html

What did they play?

Tuned in for all of set 2 on my big audio system and 65" TV. Needed a bigger TV. 😀 The sound was better than respectable, and the video quality was stellar. But moreover, the video production was sensational. Whoever directed that video feed was nailing it! Expense was not spared... That set list wasn't created casually. DSO clearly understood they were (a) at freaking Red Rocks, and (b) putting serious resources into a free stream. The list reads like a GD tour de force, and the performance was definitely up to snuff. I love how they slowed things way down and got nice and quiet for some of those second set transitions. Also of note - the show seemed to be gradually going backwards in time. Started with a decided '73 flair, moved into the early 70s at the start of set 2, then dipped deeper and deeper into the 60s as set 2 unfolded. Great stuff! The only thing missing was a Bid You Goodnight after Viola Lee, which I bet would have happened had they not run out of time.

Strangely I don;t recall the heat being oppressive at that '88 Buckeye show. I do recall the venue being really weird. The ground had a subtle slope causing one side of the stage to be higher up from the crowd than the other. And on one side there were fences that separated people's back yards. Someone was having a cookout. Talk about a free show in your back yard. Only show I saw there. I thought the Cassidy -> Deal set 1 closer was the highlight. Not sure I've listened to the show since.

It's a fair point. Note that "Annabelle Garcia" is listed as a $2,000 donor. Hmmm... Also note that while Betty gets more publicity for the kind 70s recordings, Kidd was at the helm of the 2-track reel to reel for some of the greatest shit ever put to tape.

I recall that 5-2-09 "The Dead" performance because I'd heard that Bobby sang the Dew. And indeed he did. This is before we'd gotten used to (as far as one can get used to) the likes of Weir and Lesh singing Garcia material. Curious, I sourced a tape of it and found Bobby's vocal rendering of the song truly horrific. Then later in the tour I saw the show at Shoreline and they went into the 2nd Dew on the tour. It was a surreal moment when Dew drops and I found myself bracing for abuse. Then, wonderfully, Warren stepped to the mic rather than Weir....dodged a bullet! I guess it only took one pass for Bobby to realize it was way out of his wheelhouse. To my knowledge that night at the Spectrum remains the one and only time Weir has led Morning Dew.

Is it possible that 9-27 / 9-28-76 Rochester/Syracuse is the best consecutive 2-pack in different cities in Grateful Dead history? I mean, obviously there's stiff competition, and Barton Hall/Buffalo '77 immediately comes to mind, but still. Upstate NY was treated quite well at the end of September in '76! I'd be shocked if DSO didn't turbo charge the shit out of that Franklin's...