Greg from Chestertown

Loose Lucy!

3/31/87, Jack Straw/ Franklin’s.

Gimme three steps.

How did they play the Steely Dan tunes? Representative of the Dan or the Dead? Or C, none of the above?

Feeling’ groovy jam is the best!

Aaahh, Spring tour !!! There’s a band down on the highway, they’re high stepping’ into town… ….. let there be songs, to fill the air…

Outside of the standard fare, GD album releases, there was a record shop in Claymont, De., Jeremiah’s, that would have Grateful Dead bootleg albums which were recordings of shows on albums. I remember one called Hot as Hell which was also sometimes called imaginary ballroom 1975 Great American music hall, San Fran. Another one was simply called Santa Monica 1982. The wheel and dark Star, I think. One was Moe’s place that I bought because the set list had I Need a Miracle and I had just caught a show with a hot Miracle. One was called Rampen’s Revenge which had a St. Steven from ‘78, I believe. Another was a triple album called For Dead Heads only. Early 70’s stuff. I traded all those albums to Bill Wright, the DJ on WRNR in Annapolis for putting them on CD for me. You got me inspired to dig them up and go through them. Reckoning needs mentioning as my second show was one of the Radio City acoustic shows. We went knowing that they were recording for an album. 9 of the 16 songs on that album were on the set list from the night I was there. That makes it seem like a tape of a show I was at. Monkey and the engineer is from the nite I was there. BTW, I have yet to listen to Live/Dead. I’m saving that for later. It’s what’s keeping me alive. I can’t go yet, there’s still more Grateful Dead music I have to check out! That’s all, thanks for letting me share.

…never in my mind to cause so much pain…

I’ll stop by and get you on the way!

Shakedown, and as a follow up question, What’s the penalty for a second ping?

I love them both equally but am going with ye olde scarlet/ fire only because of what it would lead into. I’m thinking estimated/ eyes and god only where that would lead, probably me with my mouth hanging open, eyes popping out of my head that I am slowly shaking back and forth while letting out a sound that could be interpreted as, WOW !!!

Black muddy River and push/shove got debuted during the New Years run that year. I’m guessing they were still finding a home for it which turned out to be the encore slot. Yea, that Spectrum show gave me little red rooster and the wheel firsts for me. Bobby broke a string and left the stage for the beginning of the wheel so Jerry did some extended noodling, worth a listen!

FWIW, Headyversion has Terrapin 2/26/77 listed as the top voted performance and Minglewood on that same night as third best voted performance. Most of the best performances listed for both songs were ‘77, with a light sprinkling of ‘78 and a pinch of Brent era versions. There, I did my homework. Can I go outside and play?

Interesting, I googled lion’s den to understand the symbolism. ‘To place oneself in a difficult situation on purpose.’ The terrapin mystery deepens! Hunter was as unique as Jerry.

Supposedly the Jack Straw/Franklin’s opener that night was for Pierre, requested. I think. One of my favorite shows. Bobby flat out nailed Desolation Row that night. He was as good as he ever was with that song that night, I think.

Second set opener is a good spot for Scarlet/Fire. I recall reading that the opening tune or two is about dialing in the sound. You can’t get it right until the room is full of bodies. Just saying. Maybe different on the second night at the same venue.

3/23/86, Spectrum (surprised?) stage is dark, Band is in place, stage lights come on, everyone slams their instruments, Phil’s sings ‘so glad you made it!’ To start Gimme some lovin’. My first time seeing Phil sing. That was pretty cool. Also enjoyed Jerry Band opening the same way with Jerry singing ‘How sweeet it is to be loved by you’

Jack Straw come on, baby, let the good times roll !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I caught something like the fifth show they ever played. There was a lot of excitement and hope on the air. Of course, this was soon after the fare the well shows and ‘we’re never playing again, anymore, ever’. I caught them the next year in Fucking Camden. I was blown away that the band started playing while a huge line of people were still being searched on their way through the door. I didn’t think that was Grateful Dead form. I don’t think Bobby can sing anymore. He certainly can’t sing Jerry tunes ‘right’. I think it makes them the Grateful Dead cover band. My cousin hung out with Bobby after a Ratdog show at the bottle and cork. He asked Bobby if he thought he would ever stop touring. Bobby said that’s all I know. That’s all I’ve ever done since I was fifteen. I would take that as a No. on the other hand, Dark Star Orchestra is to be respected for what they do. They have taken the original torch and are carrying it forward in a first class way. They’re even handling the bump in the road we call COVID with the best possible moves. They’ve survived through deaths and departures. They have captured that intangible factor. They have the vibe. They have us. …Lately, it occurs to me…., What a long, strange trip it’s been.

I thought Bill put it in perspective when he said you keep going to shows to catch a evening like this one.

I remember in high school, (graduated ‘79) one of my teachers would just tell stories, barely taught. He told us of being in Alabama, the football fans would have a box of Tide laundry detergent in the back window of their car with a roll of toilet paper on either side of the box of Tide. Roll, Tide, Roll.

Alice’s Restaurant

Yea, my Dead friend and I were going to catch Better Off Dead at the 8x10 In Baltimore on Saturday night but bagged it simply because of the mask requirement. I miss the good old days. Hope they come back.

I caught splintered sunlight once. 1987, Stone Ballon, Newark, De. I really have no recollection of how they played, etc. they play the Ardmore music hall a lot. Gotta catch a show.

We can’t disregard the teases in the opening noodling that goes on when the band first hits the stage. I like it when you hear a couple of notes and the song appears later in the show. Also, the tunes you think you hear that never show up. I sometimes wonder if they tease just about all the tunes they’re going to play. Could it be that they tease the whole set list?