Forum MVP jfolks Posted November 28, 2007 Forum MVP Report Share Posted November 28, 2007 so i didnt post for a whole week, and after a week of dso experiences i have to post some kind of "memoir." This is really really long, but I just had to pour my heart out after such an amazing week spent with such amazing people. This was a week beyond description. Here are some observations on the shows and NYC from this "country bumkin." Albany - The Egg I jumped into Jersey Steve's Liberty and we were off. With "Stevil Knievel" at the wheel you are in for one hell of a trip! It was really great to finally get to a show again.. saw plenty of friendly faces. It was great to dance with Ellen, Tiff, Vince, Sue and Torrin for the first time. It was so great to be dancing again... and to dance with all of the forum starheads... this night was truly a miracle.. we survived the ride to the egg, got screwed at will-call, steve bought the last ticket, and cap got miracled. with several kids waving fingers in the air, blythe rushed me away to chuck who was waiting with an extra for me. thank you so much guys, this family is truly a blessing. we all got into the sold out show unscathed. and what a show it was! unfortunately i got a little sick during the show from being awake for 40 something hours and then drinking abunch of caffeine before the show, but it was incredible none the less. love them 80s. a grate way to start my stretch on the tour. let me say that theaters like this are truly the way to go! great venue, chill friendly grandma like staff. i dont think they knew what "the circus is in town" would actually entail... but i think they dug us. jack-a-roe is where it really took off for me. then an amazing birdsong., i think 10 minutes or longer.. then a very unusual but amazing Let it grow. The intro was really uncharacteristically long, or so it seemed. the result was a freaking cool let it grow. it fuckin smoked. eyes in the second set was also weird. At one point, JK was playing these riffs/phrasings-or-somethings that were totally different than garcia's or his style which im used to. I loved it. Maybe i'm just not as deaducated, but i dont think garcia ever played it like that. the eyes was killer. the crazy fingers was also flawless. best one ive may have ever heard. Again, Blythe and ChuckyV, thank you sooo much for looking out for me!! i love you guys! Penns Peak I was able to have this wonderful spiritual experience thanks to several starheads. After a great ride with pres to the venue we hung out in the lot. This was definitely the most impressive lot scene i have ever seen at a dso show. there were so many cars. Lots of food, beer, clothing, etc vendors. it was cool. good time hanging with the donkeys in the lot before the show. Penns Peak as a venue is just okay. The big screens with live video feed were cool. but the acoustics werent that great. It got way too hot in there, and they had no water fountains… that was just wrong. But its a nice venue and the vibe was pretty good. Only a few scuffles that i witnessed. But damn i had a good time that night. It was great dancing with nantucket, nwnjsteve and dancin on a pin for the first time. Also, loved dancing with the chinacats all week. Those three have such great energy. Same with Kris. (hell i could name everyone that posts here actually). Also, it was great to finally meet August West. This show was so much fun because we had like 15 starheads dancing together up front. it was great getting suprised by bix during scarlet. dancing with everyone was such a great way to begin the weeks festivities. now let me say this was the best one drummer show i have ever heard dso do. I typically stray from these shows do to only one drummer and rushed 1st set songs, but this show KILLED. they played as if they had all the time in the world. the music was amazing. my faith in early 70s shows has been restored. and then we got miracled for the filler. thank you john! lots of after show fun too.. chuck you never fail to crack me up. Presscot- Thanks so much bro!! you are the man. just remember to keep one eye on the road one eye on the cell phone to be safe. and thanks alot for the tshirt, love it! Lisa- THANK YOU!! You went so far out of your way to help me, i dont know how to thank you enough. mmm... hummus, gd dvds, and wawa... you are so cool, thank you for the amazing hospitality. BTW, i want to thank you for showing me the light! never again will i see another dso show without feasting afterwards. Alex911- thanks so much for going out of your way to help us man! It was great meeting you and i cant wait till our paths cross next. Herdy- Thanks for the cds man!!! Killer stuff. Side note: no joke, there was animal hair in the paper cd case with the cds… this donkey stuff is getting out of hand. Nokia – Friday “I wanted to tell you before you saw it on the news. The roof exploded off the Nokia. Fire erupted from the venue into the city. The city is on fire and the people are dancing in the streets!” – Jersey Steve This day was truly magical. James, Kdubfan, Jayb, Cap420, jersey steve, and myself spent the day together. We started the day at Katz Deli (minus the veg boys, james and cap went to some veg restaurant across the street). This lunch definitely deserves a mention. Holy shit that place rocks. I didn’t even know what pastrami was (and still don’t, frankly) but my god that is the best meat I have ever tasted. After that we grabbed the veg boys and headed to the schvitz. We went to the Russian Turkish Bathhouse. This was such a rejuvenating experience. It was just what I needed. And it was cool to have a shvitz with Val Kilmer, whose locker was right next to mine (it felt a little weird changing next to him). After this we headed to Don Giovanni’s. What a grand time that was. James did a roll call, and there were 21 forum starheads present. Thanks everyone for coming out and sharing food, laughter and sangria with everyone. Met lots of starheads for the first time, great to put faces with names! We need to do dinners like that more often. After dinner we all walked to the Nokia together. That was a fun walk. After waiting in line in Time Square, we were in the venue. So here are my thoughts on the Nokia. This venue has some serious highs and lows. Highs- it is immaculately clean, interior is nice (very 21st century), security was tolerant, huge bathrooms, and a great sound system. Lows- the crowd, and the drink prices ($8 for a beer, WTF?!!). Everyone kept telling me, “It’s a New York crowd. What can you do?” I disagree with this. I saw 4 shows in New York last week, and the crowd was great in Albany and Poughkeepsie. This was the worst audience I have ever seen at a dso show. The talkers were OUT OF CONTROL. It was like 80% of the audience came to get hammered and yell over the band to one another. The talking was so bad, that there were a lot of times I was having trouble focusing on the music. Also, the venue was over crowded. This created a couple problems: there was no room to dance (or breathe) and everyone was spilling each other’s drinks. You couldn’t scratch your head without knocking a drink out of someone’s hand. Furthermore, the crowd wasn’t very “kind.” Any of you who know me, I dance pretty hard at dso shows. Well, this crowd was pissed that I was dancing. I heard at least 3 different groups call me a hippie in a derogatory sense. It seemed only about 10% of the crowd was “dancing” with less than half of that dancing intensely as it should be done. So there was no room to dance, no one to dance with, and people were pissed if you did. Despite all of these overwhelming lows, this show was INCREDIBLE. It was like a dream set list. 2 second sets. Sugar mag opener… hell ya! Into a smokin loose lucy (a song I LOVE to see). The Cassidy was insane. HC sunshine was one of the best ive seen, but the talkers really sucked during this number. And then came the Unbroken Chain. Thank you dso!!! A truly magical performance. JK’s guitar work was perfect. And they went into this jam that was amazing, and worked perfect within the song. A truly spiritual moment. And a wicked Sunshine daydream closer !!! Lots of great energy coming from the band.. and then came the second set. HOLY SHIT!!! I cant not stress enough how amazing Help>slip>stranger>franklins was. The transition into Stranger was ABSOLUTELY PERFECT. It was such a surprise. It got me jumpin up and down. It was definitely one of my best dso moments ever. I cant stress this moment enough. Listening to the tape sends chills down my spine and serotonin down my brain. If you haven’t done so already download the show at www.shnflac.net. Also, alligator was outstanding. I was blown away by the alligator/other one combo. Then we got a SOTM. Easily the best SOTM ive ever seen. It was beautiful. And then came the lisa-pen lovelight… AMAZING… I finally got my lisa-pen!!! followed by a kick-ass werewolves. This show had everything. God, I love original shows. Words cant do this show justice. DSO, thank you for expanding the grateful dead experience. After party was a good time. Great reminiscing with everyone as the night came to a close. Prescott- thanks for everything bro! the party was a blast, you’re the best! Nokia – Saturday Ate dinner with Jayb, kdub, cap420, looky, jersey steve, row jimmy and rowlisa before the show. Was really great to have a nice relaxing dinner with friends before a night of dancing at the nokia. The photo op at set break was a lot of fun. When are you gonna post that photo, looky? This night we were more prepared for the talkers and non-dancers so we all grouped together and got a decent dance spot in the middle down front (although we were lacking the chinacats… your loving energy was sorely missed!). Alabama was a great way to start the night… love that tune. GSET and jackaroe rocked. CC rider was insane. I wasn’t in the mood for a mellow tune, but damn they set that song on fire! Next up was an althea. This song is kinda rare and they kicked it into 5th gear… amazing version. Now, I knew we were in for a sailor>saint but I wasn’t expecting it in the 1st set. I always love getting those two, and this night brought some intense versions. Great way to peak the energy at the end of the 1st set. Second set brought the goods with a rockin miracle opener. Women Smarter was great… im pretty sure Eaton sang the brent part… scarlet>fire>est>eyes… need I say more? But I will say that originals had me hankering for that unpredictable chaotic bliss, and even during this (one of my fave combos) I was wishing I didn’t know what was next. Spanish jam was awesome. When they were playing it I thought, “is this fucking Spanish jam? I didn’t know dso played that?!” I had to check the setlists to make sure it actually happened. The rest of the songs were amazing as usual, but good lovin was off the hook. It was one of those times when the whole band is on fire and JK takes it to a higher level than you thought possible. Great way to end the NYC run. Rowjimmy- thank you so much for dinner, dude! You are so cool and I cant wait to share the dance floor with you again! Poughkeepsie Ahh, my last day on tour. Better make it count. And boy did we. We had another fantabulous starhead dinner before the show. Nwnj steve cooked for us. Oh my god he is such a good cook. If you ever get the chance you have to taste this guys gourmet cooking and wonderful hospitality. It was great eating and reminiscing with the steves, kris, mason, and kevin. And I must say the jersey/new york countryside is ridiculously beautiful. The venue – Bardovan Opera house - was exquisite. The staff was all volunteers, half of which were deadheads- they were very friendly. The place was beautiful inside and out. Sound was great. A couple of people complained about the venue, but I had no clue what they were talking about. I loved it! Although they wouldn’t let us storm the front of the stage, they let us dance in the aisles uninhibited. This was great as the people that wanted to dance had plenty of room and the rest could sit or stand at a seat. I kept thinking ‘where the hell is chuck vegas? He would LOVE this place.” It was like a private show. I think less than 500 people showed up, with many being season ticket holders (saw presumed season ticket holders leaving at set break and throughout the show). So the vibe was fantastic. Everyone was there for music. It was great to have room to truly dance freely and to hear the music not talkers… after nokia I really appreciated these things that this venue had to offer. This was my favorite venue of the tour, one of the best indoor American venues ive seen dso play in. But this night was simply stunning. I felt great (it was one of only two shows I saw last week with some almost-proper sleep under my belt) and was ready to get a 76-78 show. I knew it would be one, and sure enough when we walked in the stage set up confirmed my suspicions. It was so much fun: great vibes, my-last-show-better-make-it-count-happiness, dancing with all of the forum starheads, and DSO played incredibly stellar. Got several tunes I had been itching for: minglewood, Sunrise, Passenger, Sittin on top of the world. First set was extremely solid, everything smoking from start to finish, with B.E.W. as a stand out version. Also got a 3rd Let it Grow within 5 shows, each time was so differently unique and incredible, this one rocking extremely hard. Finally got my sunrise! (jeez I got like 10 songs ive always wanted to hear for the first time last week ) sunrise was soooo good. Lisa… wow.. she is just “so god-damn good!” The random ass-kicker of the night was Terrapin. Best Terrapin ever. It was so awesome. Face-melting. So powerful. This is what dso shows are about. It felt like a late 80’s Terrapin… it was hot hot HOT! The second set blew me away, but it was far from over! I’m a huge passenger fan, so the encore made me ecstatic. Great, great version. This was my first time to see one of dso’s infamous “3rd set” fillers. I was so happy to experience that. SOTOTW was the highlight as I love that tune, and have never heard them play it. Silver threads was amazing, ive never heard the dead play it that well. Best catfish john ever, giving each band member a solo.. over 10 minutes long I think… and JK kicked it up a notch in the end speeding up the beat. Also was the best pride I’ve ever seen them do. All in all a perfect way to end my leg of the tour. Nwnjsteve- thank you brother!!! You’re warm personality, hospitality, and cooking skills are unmatched! Thank you for the tie-dye, the dinner, and most of all the good times! “I’ve only known you for a couple days and I already love ya!” Dancing on a pin- Kris, you are such a great person! I’m so glad I was able to hang out with you last week. Thanks so much for having me in your home and being so damn nice. You’re energy on the dance floor is unparalleled.. I love sharing the dance floor with you! I cant wait to do it again!!! Jersey Steve- You are one of the most kind and caring individuals I have ever met. This trip would not be anything, let alone possible, without you. I can never thank you enough for what you did, what you shared with us. You are a living testament to “our love is real and will not fade away.” Your loving attitude, infectious laugh, and New Jersey wisdom is marvelous. Thank you for everything, steve. Have fun this weekend, and take the jersey steve dance meter to 11! DSO- thank you for the music! You never cease to amaze me. I can never get enough! You all are the reason for the tour season. Thanks for being the best band in the land. Just like DSO shows, each DSO trip I go on gets better and better. This week was unfathomably wonderful. Every single one of you that I spent time with is such a great person. This family is the greatest one in the world, and we are truly blessed to all be a part of it. From the music, to the road trips, to the dance floor, I am eternally grateful to be able to share it with you all. Every one of you touched me in such a positive way last week. You all know who you are, this is for you… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP HelpSlip Posted November 28, 2007 Forum MVP Report Share Posted November 28, 2007 Jordan, I am proud to say that I have just read this entire memoirs! What an awesome account of your trip!! So great meeting you and spending Albany, Penns Peak, and both Nokia shows with you! What program do you use to download the torrents from shnflac.net?? i got the nokia from there too but its not downloading in BitTorrent... Cant wait for the Ledges brother!!! Hope to see you before that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP jfolks Posted November 28, 2007 Author Forum MVP Report Share Posted November 28, 2007 thanks for the kind words, brother! i hope to see you before nlqp, too!! use utorrent for all youur torrent needs. its wicked-good. www.utorrent.com i really enjoyed you and your family, see you all soon! i uploaded pics in the gallery... also, i got some video (with the directional assistance from nwnjsteve's friend kevin) of the Bardovan show... here's the link to my new youtube profile. you can access all of the videos there. As of right now there are only a few songs... uploading as i type this... the audio aint the best, but please let me know what you think. i got most of the first set. http://youtube.com/profile?user=jfolks6595 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Posted November 28, 2007 Report Share Posted November 28, 2007 Hey dude grate read. Also nice call on that Dew on saturday night. Look forward to the next time bud Anth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP kdubfan Posted November 28, 2007 Forum MVP Report Share Posted November 28, 2007 Good stuff ... all around killer time !!!! Funny you added this as I was getting my review together ... you rock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blindman Posted November 28, 2007 Report Share Posted November 28, 2007 Thanks for the tales jfolks. really makes some of us west coasters want to rally east to meet all of you in person. sounds like the tour went off huge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP chuckvegas Posted November 28, 2007 Forum MVP Report Share Posted November 28, 2007 Beautifully well said, Jordan...let the words be yours! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest captain420 Posted November 28, 2007 Report Share Posted November 28, 2007 Nice job Jordan... What a great time we had spending time with you guys! Meeting up with old friends and having the joy of meeting new ones and getting closer to the ones you love. It was a Thanksgiving that had Love and Thankfulness written all over it. Everyone was in high spirits that was overwhelmingly contagious! It made me realize how FUCKING lucky we are to have a band that can bring such beautiful people together and to celebrate the joys of life with. We are truly blessed to have a community this tight and caring, where else can you find this? I want to thank each and every person I made contact with this past week for showing an overflowing energy of love! Till we meet again, keep the lovelight on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince and Sue Posted November 28, 2007 Report Share Posted November 28, 2007 Jordan...Great job! Excellent time throughout the 8 show run we were a part of. This time around really reminded me of the "good ol days". Touring, hotels, road food, party, The Music, The People, the Family! It's so good to know that there are young people groovin to this music. Also, young people who "Get It". Keep the Faith!! See you down the road. Peace, Brother. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP arm Posted November 28, 2007 Forum MVP Report Share Posted November 28, 2007 jfolks: Nice post. The next best thing to being there.... Btw, when people refer to a "New York" crowd, they mean the city and probably just Manhattan, not upstate. After spending 7 glorious years in school upstate and marrying an upstate girl, I can assure you that NYC is a world unto itself. And I agree with you about the noxious NYC crowds. They are and there's nothing we can do about it! Sounds like an awesome trip. Wish I had been there. arm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP jfolks Posted November 28, 2007 Author Forum MVP Report Share Posted November 28, 2007 And I agree with you about the noxious NYC crowds. that makes me remember something i forgot.... there were these scuzzy new yorkers selling nitrous RIGHT outside the venue... they had a propane tank filled with nitrous and were selling it just off time square... imagine a thick nyc accent and a cigarette-induced scratchy throat, "Whip-its, get your whip-its"... the nitrous mafia is everywhere! only in new york.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest captain420 Posted November 28, 2007 Report Share Posted November 28, 2007 that makes me remember something i forgot.... there were these scuzzy new yorkers selling nitrous RIGHT outside the venue... they had a propane tank filled with nitrous and were selling it just off time square... imagine a thick nyc accent and a cigarette-induced scratchy throat, "Whip-its, get your whip-its"... the nitrous mafia is everywhere! only in new york.. Yo Yo, get your whippits! Yo Yo! You know those guys were there for the music.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex911sc Posted November 28, 2007 Report Share Posted November 28, 2007 Jordan, awesome read!! Remember, its all about Starheads helping Starheads my brother! Any time you make it to the North East, you are welcome to look me up, I am sure we will meet again! Too bad you can't make it to the NYE show... I am crawling out of my skin with anticipation!!! Peace man! Alex911sc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancinfool Posted November 28, 2007 Report Share Posted November 28, 2007 Great run review! I so enjoyed meeting you and dancing with you. Until we meet again. - Ellen (Santa Cruz) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
franknkeene Posted November 28, 2007 Report Share Posted November 28, 2007 Great review Jordon with embedded pictures too. I drooled while vicariously living through you. What also amazed me and made me drool was the marquee with Chick Corea and Los Lobos shows on their way. Those are shows I didn't realize were happening much (especially Chick out on the road). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chinacats111 Posted November 28, 2007 Report Share Posted November 28, 2007 Jordan, What a nice review and thank you for the kind words! It has been one hell of a run!!! It was so nice to hang with you guys. Come back soon! Lisa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP nwnj steve Posted November 28, 2007 Forum MVP Report Share Posted November 28, 2007 Yes Jorden also thank you ,its people Like u & Mason & everyone else that makes this so special ,meeting new friends & hooking up with the old ones that make it as great as it is & you people always have a place to stay. As long as theres people willing to buy that s*#it theres going to be assh*%#les selling it .I was walking out of the nokia with row jim & row Lisa and we seen needles on the floor up at the top of the stairs going outside.I just hope it doesn't get out of hand like it did years ago. Peace-steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP FunkyBass13 Posted November 29, 2007 Forum MVP Report Share Posted November 29, 2007 What also amazed me and made me drool was the marquee with Chick Corea and Los Lobos shows on their way. Those are shows I didn't realize were happening much (especially Chick out on the road). I was thinking th same thing. That's more great music at one venue than Seattle has had all year long!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest crazy digits Posted November 29, 2007 Report Share Posted November 29, 2007 Jordan, you are good people buddy...likewise, when I approached the front at PP during Loser, I was sooo amped I thought I was going to explode..the combo of the music, my dear friends and the boys from OK...Keep coming back...its fun. Peace...BTW, the show at PP was mind blowing..do I love this band!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP anddave Posted November 29, 2007 Forum MVP Report Share Posted November 29, 2007 niiiiiiiice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP New York Steve Posted November 29, 2007 Forum MVP Report Share Posted November 29, 2007 Hey Jordan, Great review and it was awesome to meet you. The community is what makes this thing So special this time around. I remember looking over at you at Bavardon, making eye contact and realizing that this is when I am most happy and free, not a care in the world... See you soon... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP bs69 Posted November 29, 2007 Forum MVP Report Share Posted November 29, 2007 Sounds like a great time, I am sooooo jealous! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP jfolks Posted November 30, 2007 Author Forum MVP Report Share Posted November 30, 2007 thanks so much for the nice responses everyone!! i miss being on tour!!! i left something out of that review that i wanted to add in: During the original show at the nokia i kept on getting favorite dead song after favorite dead song. It was as if they were playing just for me. I had this feeling that everything i ever wanted was going to come true. So after the INSANE transition into Stranger everything was just so perfect i was sure I was finally gonna get my Stranger>Shakedown. And at the stranger>franklins segue dino and koritz hit the skins like the opening BOOM of shakedown... i thought it was gonna happen, but alas.. note: last year i posted about Stranger>Shakedown. If you missed it, i think it would be the ultimate combo. the last moments of stranger (ya know- the whole band in perfect unison, the organ growling, and Kevin dropping the BOMBS- "BUM BUM BUUUM!!!) played seamlessly straight into Shakedown. so if your still with me, thats "[stranger] BUM BUM BUUM! > BOOOOOM![shakedown]" so DSO, just remember this tasty little combo the next time your playing an elective show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest captain420 Posted November 30, 2007 Report Share Posted November 30, 2007 During the original show at the nokia i kept on getting favorite dead song after favorite dead song. It was as if they were playing just for me. I had this feeling that everything i ever wanted was going to come true. I think more than just you thought this too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum MVP kdubfan Posted November 30, 2007 Forum MVP Report Share Posted November 30, 2007 I was compiling my review at the same time you were writing this one ... good minds think and act alike !!!! check it out please http://www.dsoforums.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=5054 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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