Leaderboard

Just to get it on the record… Took the flying aluminum tube to Oakland to see my first DSO in California. The weekend was spectacular…great music, people, weather Two quite different shows but equally enjoyable in their own unique way. 7/31 tribute to Bobby with JGB opening (kinda weird since 8/1 is well 8/1 but I am sure scheduling conflicts in play) Melvin was ridiculously good… Many guests some of which I saw 2 weeks ago in Indianapolis seeing Barraco and Skeleton Crewe were a part of DSO sets. I still see in my mind 6 percussionists banging on Rob/Dino drum kits 8/1 Jerry birthday…suffice to say the DarkStar->El Paso->Eyes->Dew->Sugar Mag is why I’ve seen this band for 27 years. DSO still surprises me just how good they are. Of course saw many friends even though my first time dancing to DSO in the golden state. Not sure where next adventure will be but isn’t that the point.

How about DSO history 2001-09-08 Show# 546 Tipitina's Uptown New Orleans, LA Click Here for Setlist GD 01/11/1979 Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY This was my tenth DSO show. By then I had met and hung out with the crew after shows and met nearly all of the band, except Rob Koritz and Lisa. That night I met Rob between sets and we had a chance to actually talk. Then he took me Backstage and introduced me to Lisa. "Mean" Willie Green sat in with the Band that night on Drums and Percussion. I also met him (Didn't know who he was at the time.

maybe about 2006.... "Started out to Richmond for the Cosmic New Year's Run Four nights listening to Dark Star, expect'n plenty of fun Hoping to dance all night with Starhead friends hanging all around. Just bought a brand new Prius, gets mileage you wouldn't believe But ran out of gas in the mountains while traveling I-81 Outside of Possum Hollow but the car won't run on pure ethanol. Another stop at a thrift store Bess and Tim got to have their fun Not much but good old clothes, soft and cuddly warm I found me a big law book and largest French Press in the land. Finally made it to "The National" Talked with Sara at the Tee shirt stand Chuck and Lisa were at the show Connie and Gary from the far northern land. Show got off a bit slow, Musta not had something turned on. Second set was setting fire, Franklin's Tower and Terrapin Loved see'n Dan Healy dancing behind the big mix'n board. Fire alarm went off at 4 am, but hotel wern't burn'n down Took forty minutes to stop the sound Everybody was just standing round. Next night in Norfork found DC Frank by the rail All our friends were bounc'n high When Lisa sang "Hurts Me Too" both Janis and Pig just had to smile. Drove seventeen miles across the sea Chesapeake Bay all around Then up the peninsula, beautiful birds and trees railroad on our side. New Jersey roads ain't no good, Bumps and twists and turns, Can't find my way around I now agree with Herdy, don't want to come here no more. Montclair's Wellmont Theater Another beautiful show Woke up in the morn'n, it was cold and windy too, Big white flakes a fall'n, brightly cover'n the ground This Southern Boy ain't seen snow like this since winter of 99. Hit my head in Baltimore, knocked me out stone cold. Didn't really wake up till second set But then things came around Danced with some blonde haired girl, cutest chick in town. When the show was over, we all headed out of town Kira couldn't find the cab so we walked till break of dawn Stopped in a 7-11, not much else going down. Finally back in the hotel, don't know what room I belong. Called up my wife, Bess, just to catch the number home. Woke her out of sleep so fast, her eye got full of pain. Had to take her to the hospital, the doctors were all amazed. We broke off from the tour... had to get Bess on home. Sorry to miss John's show, but later this year we'll go at it again.

Elective Show China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider, Black-Throated Wind, Box of Rain, Help on the Way > Slipknot! > Franklin's Tower, St. Stephen > Corrina > Morning Dew > Going Down the Road Feeling Bad* *w/Jennifer Hartswick

My Apple Wallet is stuffed with West Coast shows. Praise DSO.

1983-09-08 Red Rocks Amphitheatre Morrison, CO Set One: Shakedown Street; Mama Tried-> Big River; Ramble On Rose; Hell In A Bucket; Brown Eyed Women; Looks Like Rain-> Deal Set Two: Scarlet Begonias-> Fire On The Mountain; Estimated Prophet-> Terrapin Station-> Drums-> Space-> Throwing Stones-> Black Peter-> Around And Around-> Good Lovin’ Encore: It's All Over Now, Baby Blue DSO did this at Red Rocks 09/08/2019 w/ White Rabbit Filler.

.......that I'm happy that I've found a place that LOVES DSO as much as I do!!!!! Pleased to meet you! Mark here. First post, yada yada. I'll give y'all the crib notes. I got on the GD bus in 2006 and have never looked back! Have many reasons why it took me so long but that's for another day. In retrospect, quite bummed about that fact but the only thing that matters is that I am NOW ON BOARD!!!! (And have been religiously for the past 20 years) Had an awesome friend who continuously sent me live Dead shows (on my request) over a long period of time. Got about 150 shows, mostly SB or high quality audience. Anywho, I got on the DSO bus LATE as well..... 10-15-2023, The Signal, Chattanooga, and was so blown away that I've seen the boys (and girl) 15 more times over the past 2 1/2 years. 90% of which I had to board a plane to get to them. To me, they are the greatest band on the planet and I've seen shitloads of bands all over the world. Trust me, I KNOW that I am NOWHERE near the league that most of you are in, seeing the Dead and DSO 100's and even 1000's of times, but know this: I LOVE THIS BAND, almost more than anything in this world and I will continue to do everything in my power to see them as many times as I can until the day I die. To me, they are a gift from God. Mark We'll be back in just a little bit.........................

Ron, can’t tell you how grate it is to see you posting here occasionally. Those of us who been around here for a while gotta a lotta love for you brother!! Keep on keepin on!! ❤️

I do many Hyryder shows myself…Bluebird always a good one.

26/06/27 Horizon Stage Bethel Woods Bethel, NY First Set Elective China Cat Sunflower>I Know You Rider, Schoolgirl, Silver Threads and Golden Needles, Hard to Handle, Green Green Grass of Home, Cryptical>Death Don't Have No Mercy>Dancin in the Streets>Cryptical> Viola Lee Blues. Second Set Recreating 69/08/16 Woodstock Set St. Stephen>Mama Tried, Dark Star>High Time> Turn on Your Lovelight. Third Set Elective Alligator>Drums>William Tell Bridge>The Eleven> Morning Dew. E: Woodstock. Quite possibly the most amazing night of music I have experienced. Absolute inspired magic. Will expand after morning coffee. Thanks Band and Crew. Praise DSO.

SO GLAD you beat me to this! Mind you, I have NOT read your post yet but will give my review. After seeing DSO 1000 plus or minus times, I have crossed a few shitholes. This Shithole ranks in the top 10. Where do I start? After walking thru the metal detector before the show, the guy asked me to show the brim of my hat and wanted to inspect my sunglasses that sat on top of my hat. OK, that was over the top, no pun intended. The venue had about 100 too many employees walking around the venue, directing, motioning, checking etc. This included multiple police. I immediately noticed that the entire floor was filled with chairs WITH assigned seating.. WHY? Dance is why the majority of us come to see DSO. Clearly, there was zero interaction between the promoter and the venue as to what kind of music that was planned this evening. I witnessed a guy being arrested for smoking weed. I witnessed another guy getting arrested and his wife being knocked down. It appeared that they were intoxicated but the treatment was out of control. My friend had mentioned that she was really high at set break so, later, I decided to go down to the front row where she was sitting to make sure she was doing ok. I sat next to her. The seat was open. I was courteous, quiet and thoughtful while conversing with her. Bubba, the stage security guard singled me out and asked to see my ticket and proceeded to kick me out. My friend was also astounded by the way I was treated. I have to say that after speaking with several of their employees, they could care less about how I perceived things. I could never go back there. The one positive thing is that many of my mutual friends skipped this one....SMART! If you can afford a $1600 suite upstairs ( which my friend had ), that wasn't bad. Having said that, at one point, a security guard came in the suite with his flashlight on.....that says everything you need to know about the place... NO THANKS! Now, I will read the above original post.

Well, I am probably not the only one that harkens to wings a mile long. And if I step a little outside GD canon there’s the incredibly evocative notion that Big John’s been drinking since the river took Emmy Lou.

2026 Jubilee #2 Elective Morning Dew, Jack Straw, Loose Lucy, Broken Arrow, Black Throated Wind,Here Comes Sunshine, Keep on Growing, Sugar Mags > Scarlet Begonias* > GDTRFB** (Barraco said we’d have fun with this one) > China Cat Funflower 🌻> (Feelin Groovy Jam) > I Know You Ryder** > Easy to Slip > St Stephen** > He’s Gone >Drumz > Space > I Can’t Find My Way Home > Not Fade Away Jam > St Stephen Reprise > She Belongs to Me > Sunshine Sweetleaf E: Why Don’t We Do IT the Road > Love the One yer With *w/Jennifer Hartswick ** Fireworks at the best parts Chefs 💋

Just got a picture of Vince post op.

DSO did that show on 4/13/2002. It was a Rex Foundation Benefit, Introduction by Mountain Girl Garcia and emceed by Wavy Gravy. Special Guest: Bob Wier! DSO Notes A Rex Foundation benefit with Wavy Gravy as emcee *with Bob Weir Bob also sang the second verse of Tennessee Jed **with Rob Eaton and Bob Weir

LA>SLO. Not much travel for five shows. Just saying. Praise DSO.

Thank you BillK! Elective Set Let the Good Thymes Roll > Alabama Getaway> Hell in a Bucket, Big R x R Blues, Little Red Rooster, Visions of Johanna, Broken arrow, Passenger, Sunrise, Let it rock Help On The Way > Slipknot! > Franklins Tower, Lost Sailor > Lay Down Sally > Saint of Circumstance > Drums > Space > Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys > Corinna > Shakedown Street > Morning Dew E: Shape I’m In

93/09/13 The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA Set 1: Hell In A Bucket ; Jack-a-Roe ; The Same Thing ; Stagger Lee ; Black Throated Wind ; Dire Wolf ; Let It Grow Set 2: Scarlet Begonias > Fire On The Mountain > Playing In The Band > Dark Star > Terrapin Station > drums > space > jam > Easy Answers > Days Between > Good Lovin' Encore: I Fought The Law One of the better later shows I attended. Thoughtful first set Jerry selections. Pre drums a Big Man showcase, despite a brief (5:33) Star. Tubular Bells hints during space. Strong Days with superb outro jam. Spent the show third row Jerry side, complete immersion. It was 33 years ago today. Praise DSO.

Yes it was

I wasn’t at the original but was at the DSO show with bells on. Oh what a night!

Thank You to both of you for your support and patience. Happy belated Bday gr8fulpair you have been a gr8 contributor! Thank you Mr. V. the longest registered member of the forums. I Love you All

The Comet Bluegrass Allstars opened with 2 sets, Sitting on Top of the World, Dark Hollow, Pig in a Pen, Summertime, IKYR, Catfish John, The Weight, Orange Blossom Special, Hobo Song, Midnight Moonlight, and other Peter Rowan and Indiana referenced songs. They've been doing free shows every Sunday for the past 30 yrs. Then: Set#1 Chinacat Ryder River 1/2 Step Bertha GSET Althea Lucy After Eleanor Midnight Dancin Set #2 Alligator Take Me to the River> Hell Est Scarlet H2H Eyes Fire Stranger US

I'm not aware of glitches where replies don't show. I hadn't replied to this post, Me Tea and DesertDead did "React" to it. You would have received notifications of that. I did do an Upgrade on Wednesday (8/19), I forgot to take the Forums offline as I usually do. Perhaps the others posted their reply during that time. Sorry for the inconvenience.... I am Old and on Medication. Welcome to the Forums! ☮️

Thank you, Chuck and Tea! (I guess Tea is the head honcho here? - I'm honored. 😊 ) An Obsession to say the least, Chuck!!!! I just found a double-bill that I can do before Jamaica! Hampton Beach for 2 shows! So psyched!!!!! When I see 2 shows listed ON A WEEKEND, within 2,000 miles, I'm ON IT!!!! 😃😃 Once I pull the trigger on the flight and hotel (or AirBnB), just the entire month, or whatever it is, becomes an anticipation bliss factory!!!! So, it's not just the shows, it's the whole lead-up to those shows! I'm paying for and enjoying months of happiness before it even happens!! LOVE IT!!!! And, this is a slight bummer with the site. I again got notifications that DesertDead, Taper Ron, and Dead duck responded to this post, but those posts are not shown.....????? What's up with that? I would like to thank them or respond, or whatever, for their posts. Can that issue be remedied? If not, THANK YOU, you three invisible posters! 😉 Listening to one of my faves right now - 11-14-87 , Long Beach. Fricking SOLID!!!!!! Let's fricking ROCK in Hampton Beach!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DSO RULES! Mark

I said goodbye to someone this week who meant a whole lot to me. He was a father, husband, uncle, grandfather, an animal lover and to me he was a mentor, a father figure, a brother, a deadhead that went back to the 70’s but mostly Frank was my close friend. I met Frank in 2007 as I entered the fire department and he was my original Captain of the house. On our lockers we all have stickers and stupid stuff but on the front of his locker was a JGB sticker. I said wow my captain is a deadhead with such delight. In 2010 I organized a bunch of us including Captain Frank to go see DSO. He already seen them and so had I. Some of the guys not into the dead the least bit, some knew a few songs but me Frank and 2 other guys were there for the music. Everyone had a blast. Some of you out there know me and have met Frank a few times. We went to many many DsO shows throughout the years together. He alway wanted to make JITS but never found the way to get there after retiring at 65 and having health issues, but he still made DSO shows in NJ and NY as best he could. He was a true warrior. he played the saxophone in a local band called American beauty , I used to go to the jam sessions and sit in the tiny room and listen to them rock out for the 3 hours they had the space rented. He played in the Capitol Theatre in the 70s with one of his bands and was so proud of that. He used to say to me some nights, listen man some people complain about the dead being dead after Jerry. When I close my eyes I listen to DSO it’s there and it’s as close as anyone will ever get man. This band is the real deal. I loved hearing him reminisce about his old days. He was a treasure and special. One night we went to DSO with friends of his. They drove. One woman got sick and had to leave. Her husband wanted to drive the woman home at set break. So I said Frank im gonna stay I’ll get home you can get a ride with them. He said no way brother im staying with you. This is a 74 year old man, 35 year FDNY veteran, hobbled and recovering from multiple illness…..stood right by with me. Love you bro Captain Frank was a sweet loving gentlemen from an era of love. He showed it at work to all of us everyday at the firehouse. He showed it at shows when he spoke to people and he showed it when he played his beloved sax. Frank passed away on Jerry birthday. I think that’s fitting. I listen to Sirius XM channel 23 pretty much everyday I’m in the car. The days between show had started that morning and we usually talk. weirdly i hadn’t heard from him I said let me call him and see how he’s doing (he had multiple health things going on). An hour later I got the news. The next week I found some solace in mostly JGB band on channel 23 in the car. Im gonna miss him more than words can tell. He did give me a huge amount to live off of. At the firehouse, at shows, and just being a good human being. i Love you brother, im gonna miss you tremendously. Your hugs, smile, telling me you loved DSO after the show. I hope you’re playing the sax up there talking to Jerry looking down on all of us. Thanks to anyone who took the time to read this , Frank was one of us.

Hyryder! I moved to Bloomington and catch as many Hyryder shows as possible. iykyk

Original Setlist China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider, Beat It on Down the Line, Friend of the Devil, Easy Wind, Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues, St. Stephen > Scarlet Begonias > Fire on the Mountain, Man Smart, Woman Smarter, China Doll > Good Lovin' E: Woodstock

3/29/91 Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY Feel Like A Stranger, Sugaree, Walkin' Blues, Dire Wolf, Me & My Uncle-> Mexicali Blues, Althea, When I Paint My Masterpiece Iko Iko, Saint Of Circumstance, New Speedway Boogie-> Truckin'-> Drums-> Jam-> The Other One-> Wharf Rat-> Throwing Stones-> Touch Of Gray E: Brokedown Palace Filler: Box of Rain (with Lisa) 6:40 start with 10:30 curfew. Spot-on re-creation of this early Vince-only show I attended in Spring ‘91. I don’t think Jerry and Vince jammed on Within You Without You during space at the original show, but Jeff and Barraco did. I won’t be at the Greek this year so hopefully some other West Coaster will ring in.

Elective Setlist Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodleloo, Hell In A Bucket, Peggy-O , CC Rider*, Easy Wind*, When I Paint My Masterpiece, Broken Arrow, Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again, Lonesome & a Long Way From Home Shakedown Street, Baby Whatcha Want Me To Do* > Man Smart, Woman Smarter, Crazy Fingers > Drums > Imagine Space > Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys > I Need A Miracle > So Many Roads > Johnny B. Goode E: Don’t Do It *Lisa on Harmonica

Elective Quinn The Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn), Cassidy, Althea, Passenger, Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues, Lazy Lightnin’> Supplication, Run For The Roses, Walkin’ Blues, We Can Run > Johnny B. Goode Feel Like A Stranger, New Speedway Boogie Playin’ In The Band > He’s Gone > Jam > Drums > Space > The Wheel > All Along The Watchtower > Comes A Time > Sugar Magnolia E: Take A Letter, Maria Notes: Lisa is back!

First Jubilee that I remember selling out GA tickets prior to festival. update: more tickets added, no longer sold out! see you soon

This is the first summer since 1964 with no original members of the Grateful Dead on tour.

Maybe the craziest thing abut DSO's late 60s recreations is the original sets were sufficiently compact such that the filler can be worth the price of admission. 😁

I found out today that Bryan Adcock aka Blinky aka Blink Dawg and THE man on lights from '99 through sometime around '16(?) passed away this past weekend. You can find the obit here. I met the man in '99 at my third show at Grasshopper in Erie, PA where he basically hunted me down, asking if I was the guy who video taped the previous show at Penn State's Crowbar. I most certainly was; you can see clips of both shows, among many others, here. Bryan was awesome to hang with before and after shows, and I was happy to give him copies of the vids in those early days as he was honing his craft. I loved when he flooded the stage with color. Bryan had such infectious enthusiasm! He will be missed.

Elective set. Rob Eaton out sick. Jeff on Travis Bean, Skip on Fender Jazz Bass, Barraco mostly Piano with Organ on a few. Lisa on Harmonica here and there. AMAZING SHOW. Jeff was on fire and really animated. Let it Rock TLEO Strange Man Easy Wind Mission in the Rain Cassidy Stir it up Lonesome and a long way from home Tore Up Sugaree I’ll be with Thee Hard to Handle Don’t let go > Drumz After Midnight From the Heart of Me That’s what love will make you do Tangled up in Blue sisters and brothers just fantastic. what a treat. Praise DSO!!!

This should be a fun one…and bringing my daughter stella blue to her first jubilee.

Go west young man! Dig the triple double header…now we’re talkin! Solid looking tour 🤠

6/29/76 Auditorium Theatre Chicago, IL Tennessee Jed, Cassidy, Peggy-O, Mama Tried, Mission In The Rain, Looks Like Rain, Brown Eyed Women, Lazy Lightning-> Supplication, Row Jimmy, The Music Never Stopped, Might As Well Samson & Delilah, Candyman, Playin' In The Band-> Drums-> The Wheel-> Playin' In The Band-> Saint Stephen-> Not Fade Away-> Saint Stephen-> One More Saturday Night E: U.S. Blues F: Take a Letter, Maria

I had what I'd go as far as to call a profound experience Friday night, on account of music / location / psychedelic enhancement. (I guess that trifecta reads like, well, duh!.") I'm going to write it up while still fresh, and to help some life to this place I'll definitely post it. 😬 😜 Teaser alert: I saw Easy Wind, for my show at Belly Up in Solana Beach. (Which is pathetic; I've lived here in North County SD for over 6 months and Solana Beach is one town down.) I was totally solo, Ubering in case I wanted to imbibe with impunity. I didn't spend a cent in the venue, because the wildcard was the shrooms. I've partaken a fair amount over the past few decades various psilocybin forms, including the premium harvested stuff. I've also done small to medium LSD doses a couple times since the 90s. So how could carefully portioning off a third of the 4g laboratory mushrooms my wife bought home from a source in NYC go wrong? I'm eating about 1 1/3 grams. By showtime and hour later I was (a) dumfounded at the potency of these things, (b) wondering and/or fearing how much higher I was going to get, and (c) realizing that if when the music started this band wasn't bringing it I for me I might be in trouble! It's about 8 miles home if I walked on, or closely when not possible, the coast line. What a great way to experience this unexpectedly insane high if necessary! This is the kinda shit now hitting me. Looking at my phone to text my wife about these Frankenshrooms was a chore as it swirled and pulsated. While I'm a lightweight in these circles, I know what a full scale phchedelic high is, this stuff was turbo charged. I don't think I've been this high since the late 80s. So all that said, maybe folks can chime in with Easy Wind experiences. My story soon...

Very special show dedicated to Dave who would have loved this! Very strong, first set and the second set was great. Excellent High time. loved the cryptical -death don't have no mercy in set 1. and the third set just blew me away.. for someone that is a fan of early dead this was not a show to be missed. It looked like jeff was in his glory on that third set, and the steven will tell eleven alligator! Jeff looked like he was channeling the spirit of what the grateful dead were all about in the third set. Of course, Barracco vocals on pig pen tunes and keys was awesome. Drums amazing and eaten look like he was having a blast all night long. Encore: Woodstock!! Almost forgot, dancing in the streets and love light were spectacular. Any verbal or written description of last night pales in comparison to the experience of what was happening.

The forum was unusable to me for a long time. I couldn’t post or even navigate to the most recent comments. It was messed up for so long that I gave up and deleted my shortcut. I popped back in to check recently right before jubilee and saw my issues had resolved. Lol. DSO night 2 was by a mile the set of the weekend for me followed by little feat. Cant wait til next year and hoping for a few fall or late summer Midwest dates. The Deercreek recreation last year at the park in fishers was real nice. I’d love to go back there.

During Good Lovin

We are getting the goods this weekend. Ton of folks this year. Awesome vibes.

I think the rains gonna make it very intimate

11/1/1969 Family Dog at the Great Highway San Francisco, CA Morning Dew, Cold Rain and Snow, Hard to Handle, Mama Tried, High Time > Good Lovin > Drums > Good Lovin > Easy Wind He Was a Friend of Mine > China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider, Casey Jones, Alligator > Drums > Mountain Jam > Uncle John’s Band Jam > Turn on Your Lovelight Filler St Stephen > William Tell Bridge > The Eleven > Death Don’t Have No Mercy > Viola Lee Blues > Feedback notes: Sold Out! Oh buddy. That show was relentless! Jaw dropper❤️ Thank you DSO and crew for making that magic happen!

5pm start to this show was brutal after a 3.5hr drive from Charlotte, but the reward far outweighed the sacrifice. There were predictions of a “family friendly” late 80s show in a park late afternoon in Wilmington, etc. haha. That show was def not family friendly. It was raw, viscous, intense, bubbly, inspirational, motivational, hammer down goods. Thank you band and crew for delivering on one of the best live music experiences I’ve had in a long time, and especially for closing it with Viola Lee! Essentially three sets of bliss!

Hey guys, I was locked out of this for so long that I finally just assumed it went away and I stopped checking. Something reminded me of this place the other day and so I checked and saw its back. Missed you guys lol

I wrote another deep dive Garcia essay. Hopefully interesting at least to some... Garcia’s I Shall Be Released - With A 3rd Verse Intrigue When Jerry Garcia returned to the stage in October 1986 with the JGB after his diabetic coma, he’d worked up two new Bob Dylan ballads in fitting manner. Both songs quickly joined the echelon of Jerry’s great Dylan renditions. On his 1st night back he debuted Forever Young. The next night he unveiled I Shall Be Released. Forever Young was an undeniable choice. Although Jerry wasn’t freshly out of jail, I Shall Be Released provided a litany of appropriate metaphors; and indeed, the song invites endless interpretations. Despite the easy inference of a prison lament, there’s no overt mention of a man being incarcerated. It suggests religious undertones, making it apropos on that level, as that’s a direction the JGB veered in their later period. One can also conjure an allegory of a man’s soul being released from their physical being, also spot on for Garcia, who was known to consider his body an unfortunate obstacle, a burden even, to his artistic inspiration. He sure was prone to treat it that way. Both these Dylan songs would see numerous heartfelt readings in the coming years, remaining tied to the rotation for the rest of Jerry’s life. Both were played in the same show 10 times, but never in the same set. I Shall Be Released seemingly engaged Jerry’s musical muse over his careful lyrical attention. Vocals could be uneven, but the spiritual poignancy of the composition oozed from his guitar. There were deep, piercing, and heartfelt jams between each verse, with Melvin Seals’ organ lending an exquisite dimension. I swore culminating the second jam at The Warfield 8-8-90 Garcia experienced a musical orgasm in a rapturous flurry of notes. Or maybe I just experienced one? Listen to the Neumann “drink rail” tape I made with my late friend Rob Darroch and be the judge. Each verse of I Shall Be Released is compact and powerful, consummate of Dylan’s range spanning long stanzas with challenging phrasing to the enigmatic energy taut writing can provide. The first two verses contain a non-sequitur between lines 1/2 and lines 3/4, yet that’s pressing to notice. Given the sublime illusions Dylan provides, the imagery weaves exquisitely; the artful wonders of a brilliant lyricist. Before delving into specifics, it’s fair to say Jerry took some time getting under the lyrical hood, occasionally reversing verses 2 and 3 in the early versions, and often coming out of a jam staggering through the intro to the next verse. Or worse. Suffice it to say there’s no shortage of mumbling. I’m drawn to certain vocal subtleties, and verse 3 provide them in spades, remaining intensely compelling no matter the particulars. (As an aside, I’ve always considered the chorus gaining more urgency delivered “any day now, any way now”, but who am I to instruct Dylan?) The published recordings of I Shall Be Released provide a fascinating historical tract. Dylan wrote it in 1967, but he didn’t unveil it eponymously until Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits Vol 2 in late 1971 when he recorded it with his own vocals. Its original release was on the Band’s 1968 LP Music From The Big Pink. Richard Manuel sings a great lead vocal, with Rick Danko and Levon Helm harmonizing the chorus. Other productions came much later, both in the Bootleg Series and The Basement Tapes. Meanwhile, as Dylan is known to operate, the lyrics shifted slightly, particularly with the 3rd verse. Here are verses 1 and 2 from Dylan’s lyric site, followed by three distinct versions of verse 3… They say everything can be replaced Yet every distance is not near (although it’s “they say every …” with both The Band and Garcia) So I remember every face Of every man who put me here They say every man needs protection They say every man must fall Yet I swear I see my reflection Some place so high above this wall Verse 3 from The Band’s initial recording: Now yonder stands a man in this lonely crowd A man who swears he's not to blame All day long I hear him shouting so loud Just crying out that he was framed Verse 3 from Dylan’s 1971 recording: Down here next to me in this lonely crowd There’s a man who swears he’s not to blame All day long I hear him cry so loud Calling out that he’d been framed Verse 3 from the official Bob Dylan lyric site: Standing next to me in this lonely crowd Is a man who swears he’s not to blame All day long I hear him shout so loud Crying out that he’d been framed So what does Garcia do with these minute but notable variations as he emerges from the typically scintillating final jam? It’s safe to assume his first exposure to the song was from The Band’s 1968 release, although surely he heard other renditions over the years prior to tackling it. I listened to an admittedly limited yet representative sampling of the 59 JGB versions from 1986 through 1995. When he isn’t mumbling there are some early takes with “standing here in this lonely crowd”, but he ultimately favors “yonder stands a man in this lonely crowd”, and this is when his vocals become most ardent. I think it’s the more poetic phrase and also better suited to Garcia’s folksy persona. Line 2 is consistently “a man who swears he’s not to blame”, while lines 3 and 4 saw some months of evolution before an eventual signature reading. Early versions weave from “…shout so loud”, “…shouting out so loud”, and also “calling out that he’s been framed”. There’s a bit of everything. But soon Jerry resolved his unique interpretation. He reversed shouting and crying in the final couplet, settling into “all day long I hear him crying out so loud / shouting out that he was framed.” Personally I like the cadence and phrasing of the take he landed on. Garcia’s own plaintive crying as he bemoaned the poor man’s plight, whatever plight that might be, worked impeccably, molding the concluding verse as his own and embedding himself into the narrator. Jerry Garcia’s 3rd verse: Yonder stands a man in this lonely crowd A man who swears he’s not to blame All day long I hear him crying out so loud Shouting out that he’s been framed A master cassette soundboard circulates from 3-5-88 at The Warfield, and Jerry’s vocals are remarkably present. He does a perfect delivery of all three verses, right down to his signature third verse. But verses 2 and 3 are reversed. I love when despite losing track he recovers without missing a beat. Notable examples of this are The Night They Drove Old Dixie down from The Warfield 8-9-90 (this made it to an official release), and the epic Morning Dew from Madison Square Garden 9-18-87, in which, due to its culmination just before the first jam, the line “there’s no need for you to be worrying about all those people” exhibits more emotive gusto than perhaps ever. The Electric On The Eel release from 6-10-89 contains a particularly interesting version. There’s more John Kahn lead bass than I otherwise heard, along with more up front Melvin organ riffs. As a remastered board it also has forward vocals, and while Jerry nails the final two verses, and the 3rd with some extra intensity, verse 1 is sung with an almost comic jumbling. Jerry transposes each line from verse 1 and verse 2, and if you didn’t know better you wouldn’t guess it. Easy to imagine Dylan wrote it that way. To wit: “They say every man needs protection / they say every distance is not near / yet I swear I see the reflection / of every man who put me here.” You can’t make that up! The most widely heard Garcia rendition of I Shall Be Released is likely from the 1991 2-CD set simply titled “Jerry Garcia Band”, culled from 24-track recordings during two 1990 Warfield runs, April 13-15 and August 7-9. I remember walking the street behind the theatre past the mobile recording truck parked by the back entrance, with cabling snakes going across the sidewalk and into the back door. Although the release didn’t notate the dates of the individual tracks, I Shall Be Released is clearly culled from the 8-8 show; the same version that blew me away live. Most listeners will prefer this over my audience recording, and Jerry’s vocals are undoubtedly more present, but I have a sweet spot for our recording; that’s how we heard it as it happened. At loud volumes on systems that can extract the Warfield’s natural ambience, I’d argue the Neumann tape more than holds its own. Plus there’s a palpable rush from the crowd after the titanic conclusion to the final jam - as well there should have been. And fittingly for this essay, Jerry sings “crying” in each of the final lines, concluding with “just crying out that he was framed”. A cherry atop my pedantic exploration. My dive proved sufficiently deep to garner some unfolding patterns, hear some great jams, and bump into some intriguingly unique versions. It’s fair to note if I could magically run all this by Jerry he’d be bemused at best, while perhaps responding along the lines of, “What’s your trip, man? Never thought about any of it.” But maybe he’d get a kick from the notion he had a musical orgasm playing I Shall Be Released on August 8th, 1990.

1973-09-17 - Onondaga County War Memorial, Syracuse minus the horns. great show!