Garcia said “We were great for seconds on end.” I was lucky to see Jerry play for about 1,000,000 seconds exactly. Thanks for your 1,000,000 views here . Dave Davis wrote this blog for 500 posts and 5 years from 2015 to 2019. Contact me at twitter @gratefulseconds

Friday, March 30, 2018

The First Augusta, Maine Show: September 2, 1979



The Dead Look in August 1979 in Oakland


September was an important month in my early interaction with the Dead.

September 1975 in my Grateful Dead world, I got a ticket for an October my first Jerry show in Boston!
September 1976, I waited for my Dead Relix to tell me what and where the band were even playing.
September 1977 was AAE (All About Englishtown)
September 1978 was Scarlet>Fire at Englishtown
September 1979 was a 30 minute drive from Bowdoin to Augusta to see Terrapin>Let It Grow
[followed by Sept 80 in Lewiston and Sept 81 for my first three at the Greek]

The set was started out typical for Fall 1979 shows, Brent was getting absorbed into the Hive, but after they started Terrapin, the show really got into gear.  I highly recommend set two, there was always magic in Maine.  (Bangor 1971, Lewiston 1980, Augusta 1984, Oxford 1988 and lots of shows in Portland come to mind)This was my 34th show out of 80, and my first on the East Coast, after, my three debut West Coast shows in June and August in Northern California (loved those first Oakland Auditorium shows). Sorry for the lack of my usual media comments and reviews, but Augusta is kind of island away from it all. Someone I went to the show with, left their car in the parking lot, and forgot and got a ride back to school (Mike M?). So later that night Jimmy Roux and I drove him back to Augusta to get his car.  Lucky this show was nearby.

Jack Straw
They Love Each Other
Mama Tried
Mexicali Blues
Stagger Lee
Cassidy
Row Jimmy
New Minglewood Blues
Jack-a-Roe
Music Never Stopped

Samson and Delilah
Ramble on Rose
Terrapin Station
Let it Grow
drums
Stella Blue
Truckin'
Around and Around

U.S. Blues


Elvis Presley played at the Center during his spring 1977 tour on May 24, 1977. He was scheduled to return for two concerts on August 17 and 18. On August 16, Presley was pronounced dead at age 42 at his Graceland home in Memphis, Tennessee due to heart failure after years of prescription drug abuse.[1] The Center sold over 12,000 tickets for the two scheduled shows.
The Grateful Dead performed at the Center on three occasions, including a performance on September 2, 1979 and a celebrated two-night run spanning October 11-12, 1984.

Here's the goodies



Reviewer: dcain - favoritefavoritefavoritefavorite - June 19, 2005 
Subject: 22 Minute Let It Grow and...
Not only a long one, but inspired. A year and a half since last played, Garcia takes to it like a ravenous wolf. At 16:30-ish, he delivers licks so blurry-fast they sound like his synthed-up solo from the Terrapin record. Earlier (8:30?) Brent has a great organ solo. At 18:30 the thing finally slows down. 

The audience, too, seems hungry, and very tuned in (they are clapping right on the beat on the second jam in Jack Straw; at the start of Around and Around; and when they bring it down around 5:30, really stunning). 

The general sound quality here feels like one is sitting in the front row, not as if we are listening from a distance. But the audience sometimes drowns out the music, and Garcia is sometimes somewhat in the background (he is playing some great phrases in Mexicali, but they are a little hard to discern).

Thursday, March 29, 2018

Spirit of '76: My Top 76 Moments about the Grateful Dead in 1976

For song selection, 1976 is King. 1976 is all about taking fewer songs, all grate ones and rearrangement them every night in different and unique ways.














So let's talk Help Slip Franklins, St Stephens, Let It Grow, Cosmic Charlie, Comes A Time, Scarlet, Music Never Stop, Split Sugar and Sunshine, The Wheel, Dancin, Crazy Fingers, the Other One and play them in various ways, often in different sets, and encore slots and jam out them beyond where they will be jammed again in the future. Add High Time, Mission in the Rain and a Dew and yuou have it. Music opens show, Music closed set-one. Music closes set two
HSF opens show, HSF goes into M. Music closed show.  Comes a Time opens set two or played early in set one, play two Garcia slow tunes back to back (see 6-12 and 6-22 for example).  This is why I love 1976

Here's 76 Random Observations Why You Take a Serious Listen to Bicentennial Dead.

1.  Playing in the Band>Supplication>Playing in the Band to close the first set of September 24, 1976 at the College of William and Mary

2. June 3, 1976 Portland
On opening night of 1976, the Dead debut five songs matching the five at the Cap on 2-18-71 and just two behind the seven at Stanford  on 2-9-73

3. Donna's Rapunzel-likeHair in June

4. Music at the Orpheum 5 out of 6
The new journeyman The Music Never Stopped does six different things over six nights
a Monday  opens the show and the run
b Tuesday  opens set two
c Wednesday closed set two   Let It Grow>Eyes>Space Jam>Wharf Rat>The Other One>Music
d  Friday closes set one into Music>Scarlet Begonias
e  Saturday  takes a well deserved break
f   Sunday  closes set one

5. Those Split Sugar Mags
Sugar Magnolia>US Blues>Sunshine Daydream on 6-12-1976 in Boston

6. The four songs that opened the 6-22-76 at the Tower
US Blues, The Music Never Stopped, Crazy Fingers>Comes A Time,  whaaaaaaaaaaaaattttt

7. The Seven minute instrumental Jam between St Stephen and Eyes of the World before they start singing Eyes at 6-9-76

8. Second set on New Year's Eve (technically on January 1, 1976)
Sugar Magnolia > Eyes Of The World > Wharf Rat [12:30] > Good Lovin' > Samson And Delilah> Scarlet Begonias >Around And Around >Help On The Way > Slipknot! > Drums > Not Fade Away [ > Morning Dew    Sunshine Daydream and Franklin's Tower never appeared

9. Those fine first set standalone Playing in the Bands


10. Those Radio broadcasts I was able to get on tape as early as 1976!


11.  The nice video of 8-4-1976


12.  The nice trader, who I can;t recall who sent me a pristine soundboard of 8-4-76 in trade for some bad audience I expect i sent him.

13.  Happiness is Drumming in Chicago and its short tease a few nights earlier in Philly
14. Mission in the Rain

15.  That early first set sequence of Scarlet Begonias, The Music Never Stopped, Crazy Fingers


16.  The Split Dancin's Crazy


17.  That First Set Wharf Rat that "appeared " according to Bobby in the middle of Dancin at Oakland in October


18.  The nice selection of official releases, 6-9, 6-12, 6-18, 7-16, 7-17, 9-24, 10-3, 10-9, 10-10, 12-31

Deaddisc.com

19 Six Nights in the City




19. Colt Park and 14 Song First Set and 28 Minutes of Playing in the Band sandwiching some meaty stuff at my 3rd show (longest combined Playin of the Year)



20. Only Might As Well four minute jam into Samson at Colt Park too


21.  Help on the Ways, served every way


22. Only Franklin's Tower encore ever at my very first show


23.  The entire fall tour


24. When Bobby grew a Beard and i saw it in Dead Relix a few months later


25. The fact that Dead Relix was still the source of so much Dead information


26. Getting to go to shows with my late pal Jimmy Roux (RIP 9-11 never forget)

27. Having exactly zero girlfriends the entire year because I was obsessed so much with the Dead

28. That jam>Comes A Time>Jam>The Other one that night in SF when Donna took the night off

29 The 4-20 Rehearsal at Mickey's Born where they teased Born Cross-Eyed

30 The 5-17 Rehearsal where they played Attics of My Life

31 The Monday night return to Manhattan (last there 3-28-72) where they closed set-one with a 19 minute Playing in the Band and returned to open set two with The Wheel like they did the show two nights before in Boston.  The New York Times even reviewed this show like they did back in 1972.

32 6-23 in Philly (Upper Darby, I know) where Bobby told the Yellow Dog story prior to opening with The Music Never Stopped

33. night two in Portland 6-4. After closing set one with Help>Slipknot>Frankins, the band opens set two with a rare second set standalone Playing in the Band. They end the show with a unique medley of Cosmic Charlie>Let It Grow> Stella Blue>Dancin in the Streets>US Blues

34.  On Friday night 7-16 in SF at the Orpheum, the Dead flip the usual and end set one with The Music Never Stopped>Scarlet Begonias.

35. The band had started the year with early set Scarlet and Music, 3rd and 4th songs on 6-9 for example, but for most of the year they were more usually in the penultimate and final first-set song positions.

36. On Saturday, the first of the two Who/Grateful Dead day on the greens,


the Dead play a monster linked set-two of St Stephen>NFA>St Stephen>Help>Slipknot> Drums>Samson> Slipknot>Franklins>OMSN spliting both St Stephen and Help Slip Franklins.

see http://gratefulseconds.blogspot.com/2015/10/complete-help-on-way-history.html for more on split Help on the Ways

37. Mail Order Tickets to True Fans!

38. Tiny venues to see the band


39. You have to listnen to know but my very first second set on 6-9-76 began St Stephen>Eyes of the World>Let It Grow.  I came back 79 more times but never got that again!


40. Indianapolis on October 1 gave us one of the rare Dancin splits.   Dancin>The Wheel>Ship of Fools>Dancin>GDTRFB>OMSN.   Ship of Fools always sounded better in an unusual spot like this.  The world gave us a great FLAC of this a few years back.


41.  The world has yet to give us a SBD of this on 10-15 at the Shrine (another tiny venue) but we did get a remarkable Eyes of the World>The Music Never Stopped

42.  The banter on the FM tapes where you can hear Mickey telling Bobby not to play Let It Grow for the 10th straight night.  You can also heard the band discussing the next 3 or 4 songs in the set.

43.  One of my favorite and early tapes 6-19 from Passiac with the classic Great American Music Hall opening of Help On the Way>Slipknot>Franklin's>Music to open the show

44. The Who and Dead combined set in October at Oakland (I wish).





45. The fireworks at the guys up in the towers at Roosevelt in 1976.

46. The fact the Dead were even at Roosevelt in 1976.

47. That 20 minute Crazy Fingers>El Paso during the first set at Duke on 9-23.

48.  That 6-show box set of SF July 1976 that David will put out someday.

49.  The 36 minute first-set ending on Tuesday July 13 of Crazy Fingers>Let It Grow>Might As Well

50.  Later on July 13 that tricky set two combo of St Stephen>NFA>St Stephen>Sugar Mag>Stella Blue>Sunshine Daydream

51. Not satisfied with Tuesday's first set, the Dead top it with 37 minutes on Wednesday July 14 of Playin in the Band>Drums>The Wheel>a 14 minute Space Jam>Playin. Why was I still living on the East Coast? Was I stupid?

52. Wednesday July 14 set two highlight was Let It grow>Eyes>Wharf Rat>The Other One>Music
I recall listening to this show for the first time without knowing the songs and this one was hot.

53. Friday July 16 has another nearly  seamless set two of Playin>12 minutes of Stronger then Dirt>Cosmic Charlie>Samson>Spanish Jam>Playin>Around.  Not enough they then play High Time and Sugar Magnolia

54.  The next night on Saturday July 17, Donna is not around for set two so the boys start with Samson, take a breathe, and place Comes A Time>6 minute jam>tease the other one>drums>The Other One>10 minutes of space>Eyes>7 minute jam>The Other One>GDTRFB>OMSN.
Crazy night with early Comes, loys of space and jams surrounding The Other One with Eyes and Goin Down the Road mixed in.  Glad you put this one out Dave (and alot of the prior night).

55. Sunday July 18 was on the radio and thus got my earlier attention than some of the other shows, but the band did not let up on its 6th and final night with  Lazy Lightning>Supplication>Let It Grow>6 minute jam>Wharf Rat>4 minute jam>The Other One>St Stephen>NFA>St Stephen>The Wheel>The Other One>Stella Blue>Sugar Magnolia

56. While the Orpheum shows have a bit of repetition, who cares when they are splitting The Other One and opening with Comes A Time, and playing St Stephen every two or three shows.

57. June 11 in Boston lets St Stephen>Dancin>The Music Open Set Two.  Later in the set the guys play Sugar Magnolia>Eyes of the World>Sunshine Daydream to close the show

58. At my second show on June 12, the Dead play the only Mission in Rain (of 6) I saw, it was beautiful. Later Let It Grow> Wharf Rat>Comes A Time.  That was also beautiful. Saw 78 more shows after that.

59. Rochester, a big Dead town (see almost any year), gets the first real split HSF with Help>Slipknot>Drums>The Other One>Wharf Rat>Slipknot>Franklin.s Tower on Sept 27

60. Syracuse the next night on a Tuesday sees the first set close with Let It Grow>Goin Down the Road followed by a seemless Playin sandwich in set two that includes The Wheel, Comes A Time, Eyes and Dancin among others.  This whole Fall tour was off the charts

61. Thursday Sept 30 in Columbus, Ohio State students get a 20 minute Crazy Fingers>It's All Over Now followed by a ten minute Scarlet to end set one.

62. NYC at the Beacon on June 15 sees St Sytephen>NFA>Stella Blue to open set 2 and Dancin>The wheel>Sugar Mag>Scarlet>Sunshine Daydream to close set two

63. Opening for four nights in a row in Chicago, on Saturday June 26, the second set is great with Playin>St Stephen>The Wheel>Playin and a Crazy Fingers>Stella Blue>Around>OMSN.

64.  On Monday 6-28, Eyes>Happiness is Druming (Fire)>Wharf Rat>Dancin>The Wheel>Around

65. On the last night in Chicago, Playin surrounds The Wheel, before St Stephen>NFA>St Stephen.

66. 30 Trips gave us Detroit from October 3 with a very funky Playin>The Wheel>5 minute jam>Good Lovin>4 minute jam>Comes A Time>Dancin>14 minute NFA>Dancin>Around. Never stop.

67. I'm an old man now so I may have put the same moment twice. if so let me. I just have so many fond memories of my first year of going to Grateful Dead shows. And so much I missed.

68. Near the end of the year, the Dead that cool late set two Franklin's like that did at the Shrine on October 15.  This became a common LA trend, like fashion ever as they did this a few times more and rarely anywhere else.   He's Gone>Drums>The Other One>Comes A Time>Franklins>Sugar.
This show needs an upgrade because along with the Eyes>Music this was one of the best shows of the year.

69.  It's really hard to pick favorite shows of the year, I love my first 6-9-76, but 8-4-76 is also very strong as is virtually ever show after Roosevelt. 9-24-76 William & Mary and New Years maybe.

70. Looks Like Rain and Donna's blended voice on tunes like Mission in The Rain were exception

71. I only knew Dead shows with Mickey, I was glad he was there

72. Donna. 1976 was my favorite year for here

73. Bobby was so young and had so much energy

74. I couldn't believe how good Phil was at bass. He never saw all year.

75. I wish I could have heard the Bill alone, because those 1972-1974 shows are the top of the top, but I loved that Billy was there too.

76. The 1976 Jerry was the best. He was youthful. Ever song he sang was beautiful. His guitar playing was out of the world. He looked happy every show. And he played like no one. He was why we came the best. The band was always on every night back in 1976, but Jerry was the key. Miss you dude.

I have a lot of 1976 flacs in here













Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Eyes of the World Exceptions in the EEE (Estimated Eyes Era), 1977-1988



Eyes of the World debuted at the famous Stanford February 9, 1973 show and had a beautiful flexible almost entirely second set run through Boston May 7, 1977 where it was Estimated, Jerry smoke break,  Eyes>The Wheel>Wharf Rat>Around & Around.  In total in its full life it would be played 381 times.

The Grateful Dead debuted Estimated Prophet at the first shows of 1977 and started to get a feel for its placement in the set list. If you saw a set one Estimated, you were lucky.
By May of that year, Estimated became the lead-in to Eyes. For 164 of the next 198 times, Eyes was preceded by Estimated, which is about 5 out of 6 times. Roll those laughing bone and if a six comes up, you get an exception. Which was fun to me during the EEE (Estimated Eyes Era).

1977 starts with St Louis May 15 with the first seque into Eyes.  While not as glued together as China>Rider or Lazy Lightning>Supplication, Estimated Eyes were a solid pairing. Estimated often went into other tunes, He's Gone usually, see http://gratefulseconds.blogspot.com/2017/03/second-set-structure-1972-1982.html  and http://gratefulseconds.blogspot.com/2017/03/estimated-one-time-only.html for more flavor, but if you heard an Eyes for the next dozen years through 1988, it almost always came out of Estimated.  I like to remind people that the only self-contained Estimated>Eyes that came to a full stop, and didn't go into drums was at Englishtown September 3, 1977.  I kissed alot of frogs coming to that conclusion and fact.

This piece speaks to those exceptions when Estimated was not present.

In 1989 and 1990 Estimated>Eyes faded from the scene with the last four in 1993-1995.  So you late comers to the scene in 1991 and beyond, Estimated Eyes is just mainly a legend, an artifact of a forgone era.  [Note: edited to correct 4 last versions on April 5, 2018, oops)


from another brilliant dead essays blog, guest post by Kell C. Mercer . Who are you and please write more.
http://deadessays.blogspot.com/2013/12/eyes-of-world-field-guide-guest-post.html


There were 34 Estimated Eyes Exceptions during the Estimated Eyes Era, 1977-1988. I saw four of the 34 including the first two back-to-back in upstate New York November 1977.

Estimated Eyes Era

1977    15 versions, 13 were Estimated>Eyes, 2 exceptions
1978    25 versions, 23 were Estimated>Eyes, 2 exceptions
1979    22 versions, 18 were Estimated>Eyes, 4 exceptions
1980    18 versions, 15 were Estimated>Eyes, 3 exceptions
1981    21 versions, 18 were Estimated>Eyes, 3 exceptions
1982    13 versions, 11 were Estimated>Eyes, 2 exceptions
1983    13 versions, 12 were Estimated>Eyes, 1 exception
1984    13 versions, 10 were Estimated>Eyes, 3 exceptions
1985    16 versions, 11 were Estimated>Eyes, 5 exceptions
1986    10 versions, 09 were Estimated>Eyes, 1 exceptions
1987    15 versions, 11 were Estimated>Eyes, 4 exceptions
1988    17 versions, 13 were Estimated>Eyes, 4 exceptions

34 Exceptions Out of 198 Times.  Thus 83% of the time Eyes came out of Estimated during this era

Transition: The Hardly Ever Era
1989    17 versions, 07 were Estimated>Eyes, 10 exceptions
1990    17 versions, 02 were Estimated>Eyes, 15 exceptions


The Never Ever Era
1991   15 versions, 00 were Estimated>Eyes, 15 exceptions
1992     8 versions, 00 were Estimated>Eyes, 8 exceptions
1993   11 versions, 02 were Estimated>Eyes, 9 exceptions
1994   17 versions, 01 were Estimated>Eyes, 16 exceptions
1995     9 versions, 01 were Estimated>Eyes,  8 exceptions

In the Never Ever Era, you were 3x as likely to see a Dark Star than an Estimated>Eyes (4 only)

Exceptions

1977 I saw both 11-4  Colgate Playin>Eyes>Estimated and 11-5   Rochester Phil Solo>Eyes>Samson opening set two
1978  Consecutive shows 7-8 and 8-30 at Red Rocks, both only Estimated>The Other One>Eyes ever
06-28-79 (my 3rd exception, 1st California show)  Sacramento Playin>Eyes>Drums
11-05-79  Philly  Eyes>Estimated>Franklin's  Go listen now!
12-07-79  Indy  Eyes>Lost Sailor>Saint of Circumstance
12-27-79  Oakland Eyes>Lost Sailor>Saint of Circumstance
05-02-80 Hampton Alabama>Feel Like a Stranger>Eyes>Drums
05-16-80  Nassau  Stranger>Althea>Lost>Saint>Eyes>Drums
12-12-80 the Swing, Estimated>He's Gone>Eyes>Drums (let's play into both He's and Eyes tonight)
07-14-81 Denver, Truckin>Eyes>drums
10-10-81 Bremen, Lost Sailor>Saint>Eyes>Drums
12-28-81  (my 4th in person) Eyes>Drums
04-18-82 Hartford Playin>Eyes>Drums
08-10-82 Iowa City, Lost Sailor>Saint>Eyes>Drums
10-20-83 Worcester, Eyes>Drums
04-06-84 Vegas, Drums>Space>Eyes>Truckin
04-17-84  Niagara Falls, Man Smart>Jam>Eyes>Drums
07-21-84  Ventura, Truckin>Eyes>Drums

1985 starts to feel like 1973 Eyes again, even wilder
02-18-85  Oakland, 1st show of the year sees He's Gone>Spoonful>Eyes>GDTRFB>Drums
03-09-85  Berkeley CT, Crazy 85 goes China Cat>Cumberland>Miracle>Eyes>Drums
04-27-85  Frost, Scarlet>Eyes>GDTRFB>Man Smart>Drums
06-27-85 SPAC, Stranger>Eyes>GDTRFB>Man Smart>Drums
09-03-85  KC, That's It for the Other One>Eyes>Don't Need Love>Drums

1986-1987 seem much less creative in sonfg selection
02-11-86  Oakland,  Iko,  Eyes>Drums
01-28-87  SF, Drums>Space>Eyes>Black Peter>Around>Sugar
04-02-87  Worcester, Eyes>Drums
07-07-87  Roanoke, LL Rain>Eyes>Drums
08-15-87  Telluride, eyes>Drums

1988, End of the Era brings a bit more variety, especially the last one of the era
02-16-88  Oakland, Playin>Eyes>Drums
05-01-88  Frost, Eyes>Drums
09-03-88  Landover, Victim>Foolish>Man Smart> Eyes>Drums
09-12-88  Spectrum, Box>Cold Rain>Man Smart>Eyes>Drums
12-29-88  Oakland,  Playin>Crazy>Samson>Playin>Eyes>Drums


Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Grateful Dead's 15 Once-Only Show Openers, 1972-1995


Hey look 15 shows and I saw zero of them. This is the master list of tunes the Grateful Dead opened a show with only once; I expect there are more in the 1965-1967 era but I could not tell you precisely.

The 15 songs below are the only songs that the Dead opened with exactly one time.
Obviously, Bo Diddley was played first and best with Bo Diddley himself.  I never saw Loose Lucy as an opening song, nor did I Tennessee Jed.   Crazy Fingers and Terrapin would have been cooler in that first song slot more often. So would have Eyes.

Franklin's was a jack of all trades tune played everywhere in the show, especially at the start of its run.



Hey Bo Diddley    03-25-1972 first one
Loose Lucy           02-15-1973
Wave That Flag    02-21-1973
Crazy Fingers       06-17-1975  first one
Tennessee Jed      06-29-1976 thanks WillieParkJr for pointing out the 1973 occasion
Terrapin Station   02-26-1977  first one
Franklin's Tower  05-09-1978
Passenger             12-13-1978
Cassidy                 08-21-1983
Day Job                04-13-1984
Big Boy Pete        11-21-1985
Day Tripper          06-25-1985
Roadrunner           03-21-1986
Mighty Quinn       03-03-1987
Eyes of the World 06-17-1991
Salt Lake City       02-21-1995  first one
       
Here's a few of the tunes


https://archive.org/post/40534/grateful-dead-unique-set-openers

Sunday, March 25, 2018

Dizzy Ain't The Word: Those 15 Times Supplication Wasn't Lazy (And Mostly Jammed), 1976-1995




While starting as a interesting mainly first set duo, Supplication broke the mold of Dead tunes and was become involved over time in some very interesting song transitions.  I will admit it now, I am in love with Supplication.

So I'll admit upfront, there really wasn't much difference during the 111 versions of  Lazy Lightning that the Grateful Dead played, although I am partial to the 1976 and 1977 ones like Deadbase favs Cornell, SF 7-18-76 and Dick's Picks 3.

I was able to see the 3rd of the 111 LL>S's, a rare set two on June 9, 1976 and the 111th of 111 on October 31, 1984 in Berkeley so I consider myself a bit knowledge about the two.




Supplication was another story, with some real outstanding ones including 15 versions where it moved out of the confines of the LL>S structure totally 126 total plays over its 20 year career.

The one cut was the deepest with the famous Supplication sandwich in the middle of Playin In the Band during William & Mary's second show on September 24, 1976. The only other full Supplication without Lazy will occur 17 years later. A few tunes   https://www.reddit.com/r/gratefuldead/comments/50i7zb/what_are_some_good_lazy_lightningsupplication/

9-24-76 Playin>Supplication>Playin
about the 20th time Supplication is played:

SO Dizzy, The Well-Informed Report in VA misses the Supplication sandwich on 9-24. Does Keith's piano in Supplication sound like Charles Ives to you?  Maybe.

Four years later and the only other lone one during the Lazy Lightning>Supplication era

The Invention of the Supplication Jam
09-04-80  Providence Set 2 Supplication Jam>Estimated>Eyes, and the only one seen with Grateful Seconds own eyes two days before Lewiston.

After Lazy is retired by the band, Bobby can't seem to stay away from Supplication Jams

The Remorse Era, Can't Stop
03-29-85 Nassau Set 1 Supplication Jam>My Brother Esau
04-08-85 Spectrum  Set 1 Ending Tons of Steel>Supplication Jam>Might As Well
06-27-85 SPAC Set 1 Stagger>El Paso>Crazy Fingers>Supplication Jam>High Time (huh??)
11-05-85 Centrum Set 2 Supplication Jam>Playin Jam (1st ever)>Don't Need Love
11-10-85 Meadowlands Set 2 opens  Half Step>I Know You Rider>Playin>UJB>Supplication Jam>Drums
03-21-86 Hampton Set 1 ends Tons of Steel>Supplication Jam>Let It Grow
03-27-86 Portland, ME Set 1 ends Supplication Jam>The Promise Land
04-03-86 Hartford Set 1 ends Supplication Jam>Let It Grow>Don't Ease Me In
04-13-86 Irvine Set 1 ends Supplication>Let It grow

Five Year Break, They Remember How to Play It
06-24-91 Bonner Springs check out set 1  Set 2 Estimated>Supplication Jam>Uncle John's
08-14-91 Cal Expo Set 2 copycat  Set 2 Estimated>Supplication Jam>Uncle John's
05-22-93 Only Stand Alone with Lyrics  5th song in first set, only standalone with lyrics
06-21-95 Knick, only a dozen shows to the end Set 2 All Too Much>Playin>Supplication Jam>Drums>Easy Answers>final ever Morning Dew

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

It's New Year's Eve and I Do Believe There'll Be Dancin' in the Streets, Winterland, December 31, 1971 FM





A great new Charlie Miller FLAC of this show was just released.

Thanks to Tim Dalton for this knockout upgrade and to Charlie Miller for the transfer.



edited and mastered
SIRMick
March 2018 



 Prior was only one FM on the archive. Listen and grab with NRPS add-on (hear Graham introduce NRPS above).  Nathan Wolfson below calls this the "return of the jam" and I like this as the transitional Dancin in the Streets from the old towards the 1976 new (and later return again to more like this 1971 one, see Greek 7-15-84 as Dancin opens into Bird Song). The Same Thing is here.  Last I think Very cool Truckin>The Other One opens set two with a Cosmic Cowboy Me & My Uncle sandwiched in between. The Jam>Black Peter which followed was released in 2003 as part of the New Year's Eve bonus disc when buying the CD or DVD of The Closing of Winterland 1978. This alone is worth the price you are paying to listen to this show here.   Playing in the Band towards the end of set one was the first time Donna sang with the band and continued to expand in length.  The performance took place from midnight to about 5am according to the fans. Funny that Bill Graham did not expand into 12/30 land but instead scheduled the boys for January 2 (Good Lovin>China Cat>Good Lovin). Enjoy a little jewel between 1971 and 1972 and 1976







Issue 100 on Sale December 31, 1971








The Standalone DAncin' Between 1970 and 1976







That night
Hot Tuna was very hot. They played about 2 hours, from 10-midnight. By then I had completely forgotten about the Dead. Half an hour later I'd forgotten about Tuna. I think it was at this show that I saw I guy fall from the balcony and land pretty much unharmed, the right-side balcony as you look at the stage. And there was a dude who stripped down and danced across the stage, acting out playing a guitar (and pretty much in sync), right across in front of the band, from left to right, and then back across again before a behemoth bouncer pushed him off the stage into the crowd, from which he was exited the building. He was on fire. I think Weir or Lesh commented on the incident with a "How about that?" at the end of the tune. This was an archetypal Dead deal....not done until 5 a.m. Yip. Five hours straight, without any real break, of course, if you don't count the 2-5 minutes of tuning that went on at times. Ultimate satisfaction is my fond memory of that night. Great music, great vibes. from santa rosa 70 on dead.net

Sunday, March 18, 2018

Grateful Dead's 31 Once-Only Encores, 1971-1995

At my first show on June 9, 1976 (also known as Road Trips 4.5), the Dead brought back High Time and St Stephen and encored with Frankin's Tower.  This was the only time the band ever played Franklin's as an encore, in any form, and never played Help>Slip>Franklins either. I also saw the once only as encore Etta James versions on December 30, 1982 (which were repeated during Set 3 the next night).

This little study comes out of that show, which songs did the Dead only encore with one-time.  I see 31 given the following assumptions.  There is no full and complete list from 1965 to 1970.  1970 show setlists are even being discovered now.   I used Deadbase 11 as my database, I did not discover any new information in more current sources and will be glad to revise my list if you have better info.
Listen to some of these? Here's some of them    Here some folks favorite encores



1972-03-28 Sidewalks of New York   Last Night at Academy, Last Show before Europe 72

1973-07-28 Mountain Jam                  Watkins Glen with ABB and The Band

1974-10-20 Mississippi Half-Step       Last night at Winterland before Goin Fishing

1976-06-03 The Wheel                         First Ever, Portland
1976-06-09 Frankin's Tower                My First Show, First East Coast Show since 1974
1976-06-21 Roses                                 First Night Tower run followed by JBG
1976-07-13 Dancin' In The Street        Night Two, Orpheum Run

1977-10-14 Playin In The Band           Brokedown>Playin (reprise); only reprise into encore
1977-10-15 Truckin'                             Texas Two-Step with Playin and Truckin>OMSN encores
1977-12-27 Samson & Delilah             Famous Dick's Picks Winterland show

1978-01-11 Passenger                          at the Shrine during Jerry's voice issue California tour

1979-12-11  The Promise Land           KC sees multi encore Alabama>once-only The Promise Land

1981-11-30  Might As Well                 Dayton gets only Mack the Knife and Might as Well encore

1982-08-28  Dupree's                          Kesey 10th Anniversary gets only old-school Dupree's encore
1982-12-30  Too Hard To Handle        I watch Emma James & Boys bring back Pigpen Tune(s)
1982-12-30   Tell Mama                      I see Emma's Signature Song also played set 3 12-31-82

1983-09-10  Cold Rain & Snow          Day before Mickey turns 40; Santa Fe sees beauty

1984-06-21  New Orleans                   with The Band Kingswood Ontario nation-wide FM
1984-06-21  Big Boss Man                 with The Band Kingswood Ontario nation-wide FM
1984-07-13  Dark Star                         I skip Fri at Greek (why??); only known Dark Star encore

1985-11-21  Walkin' The Dog              middle HJ Kaiser show also opened with Big Boy Pete (cool)

1986-12-27  Push Comes to Shove      first of three at HK Kaiser

1987-11-08  Tom Thumb Blues           3rd of 3 at Kaiser see rare Phil encore

1988-04-30  China Cat>                      Special Night at Frost
1988-04-30   I Know You Rider          Frost goes into OMSN for very rare three song encore
1988-09-03   Ripple                            Only Known Make a Wish Request Fulfilled in Landover
1988-12-31   Wharf Rat                       NYE at Oak Coliseum with Clarence Clemons

1989-08-19   Foolish Heart                  Rex Benefit, local  FM Broadcast at Greek

1991-11-03   Forever Young                 Only version with Neil Young at Bill Graham memorial

1994-10-15   Want to Tell You              One of the last of 52 shows at MSG
1994-10-17    Rainy Day                       with Bob Dylan; show 50 at MSG

1995-04-02   Unbroken Chain               Memphis show




Saturday, March 10, 2018

The Other Day They Waited, The Sky Was Dark and Faded at the Greek, June 16, 1985: Cryptical Returns After 791 Shows

After the frenzy of sitting in the hills on Friday http://gratefulseconds.blogspot.com/2015/11/does-this-count-as-attending-sitting.html , I secured tickets for Saturday and Sunday at the Greek, I believe from Cormac. My brother Ralph said, hey I think Cormac might have an extra. Thanks Oregon Man.
 Here's the whole show  Starts with In the Midnight Hour>Bertha and surprises the hell out of all of us with That's It for the Other One in set two.  I was standing near front right pretty close to the stage when this occured on this beautiful hot Sunday.  This was a very big deal to me.

Cryptical had left the Grateful Dead planet after Felt Forum and Hill Auditorium Ann Arbor in December 1971, and one 1972 appearance in Waterbury September 1972, so this was another of those great moments I was able to experience in person at my shows with the Dead bringing back a vintage after a many years absence.  This night saw the longest period before the return, almost 150 months.

St Stephen                   6-09-76          10-31-71           4 Years
High Time                   6-09-76          07-12-70           5 Years
Comes A Time            6-12-76          10-19-72          3 Years
Oh Boy                      12-12-81          04-06-71         10 Years
Me & Bobby McGee 12-12-81          10-16-74          7 Years
Big Boss Man            12-26-81          05-25-72          9 Years
The Eleven Jam          12-26-81         09-28-75          6 Years
Dark Star                    12-31-81          01-20-79         2 Years
Hard to Handle           12-30-82         08-26-71        10 Years
In the Midnight Hour  12-31-82         04-29-71       11 Years 
Mind Left Body Jam  12-30-83          10-17-74       8 Years
Comes A Time           06-14-85          10-02-80       4 Years
and Cryptical Here     06-16-85          09-23-72      12 Years


There is a wealth of information on this weekend in Berkeley, and this show too.  I recommend listening to the That's It for The Other One by clicking the link above while reviewing the literature.  It's fun and was totally unexpected, and only repeated four more times over the next month or so.
According to Deadbase the last time, the  Grateful Dead performed That's It for The Other one complete, without drums in the middle was at the Fillmore West on March 1, 1969 (Cryptical>The Other One>Cryptical). You might remember that show.  Here's some insight from experts better than me"

THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

June 17, 1985
Edition: FINAL
Section: DAILY DATEBOOK
Page: 56

Topics:
Index Terms: 
MUSIC
REVIEW
CELEBRATIONS


What's 20 Years to the Dead?
Anniversary party for 27,000
Author: JOEL SELVIN









Article Text:
It would have been amazing enough to have such a deranged, disorganized, disparate group stay together one year, let alone 20, but that is exactly what the Grateful Dead has done.
At three sold-out concerts this weekend at UC-Berkeley's Greek Theater - for a total audience upwards of 27,000 - the beloved San Francisco rock institution marked two decades of playing, although what this landmark event means is anybody's guess.
So much interest was stirred up, in fact, by this signal anniversary that all six band members went so far as to participate in an uncharacteristic press conference, where, predictably, nothing was revealed.
``It's no big deal,'' said guitarist Bob Weir. ``We're not sure when the date was anyway. It doesn't matter to anyone.''
``It's a matter of indifference,'' echoed guitarist Jerry Garcia.
Not entirely. The band performed all weekend in front of a giant backdrop painted by one of the great early San Francisco poster artists, Rick Griffin, depicting a skeleton dressed as a Revolutionary War Minuteman above the legend ``Twenty Years So Far.''
The shows opened Friday with a blast through the public address system from the beginning of the Beatles' ``Sergeant Pepper'' album: ``It was 20 years ago today . . .''
Earlier that afternoon, as many as a couple of thousand Deadheads milled around the grass outside the Greek Theater waiting to get in, throwing Frisbees and trading stories. Hippie-types in tie-dye lined the streets blocks around the site, holding signs reading ``I Need a Ticket'' or ``Just One Please.''
Some sported signs, bumper strips or T-shirts with a slogan referring to the ballooning girth of Dead kingpin and lead guitarist Jerry Garcia: ``I Want to See the Fat Man Rock.''
One enterprising soul yesterday carried a placard saying he would swap a bottle of '74 Robert Mondavi Cabernet for a pair of tickets. It was a testament to the incongruous upscale nature of certain members of the supposedly peasant set who have been attending Dead concerts over the years.
Dead concerts are more like carnivals than rock shows. Many people attended each show of the series -the Dead remains one of the few rock bands to improvise a new repertoire show by show. Craftsmen hawked jewelry and bootleg T-shirts outside, begging tickets while they made change.
An entire section of prime seats was reserved for the tapers, who sprouted a forest of 7- to 10-foot-tall microphone stands. Most rock groups frown on tape recorders at concerts, wary of potential copyright violations and lost royalties. Not the Dead.
``We can't stop them anyway,'' said drummer Mickey Hart. ``They just trade the tapes around. They don't make money from them.''
Not only have the Dead merely survived as a mostly intact unit for 20 years (five of the six musicians belonged to the original group) but the Dead, more than any other contemporaries that have managed to continue to struggle along, have remained the most true to the band's original vision.
Listening to the Dead open yesterday afternoon's show with ``In the Midnight Hour,'' the Wilson Pickett classic the band has performed for most of those 20 years, it was impossible not to notice how little the music has changed - Garcia's fluid, crystalline guitar weaving through the imaginative, fleet-fingered bass parts of Phil Lesh, with drummers Bill Kreutzman and Hart joining in intuitive polyrhythms at the bottom of the sound.
The band defies show business conventions. The Dead has yet to score a hit record. In fact, the band hasn't released new material in more than four years. A new album has been in the works for at least two years, with little progress reported.
Nevertheless, interest in the Dead never has seemed higher. Not only do their concerts sell out within hours of going on sale, the shows are not even advertised, only announced over a Dead hotline with an unlisted number.
The 20th anniversary has landed the band on the NBC Nightly News and the Today show and the group recently recorded the theme song to the revived ``Twilight Zone'' that debuts on network TV this fall.
Despite the hoopla surrounding the anniversary ``non-event'' - which the Dead slyly promote and reject simultaneously - nobody really can figure out what the longevity benchmark means, other than that the Dead itself is older than some of its fans.
Truly, few rock concert crowds span the range of ages to be found in the Dead's audience. Gray-bearded grandfathers mingle with little kids (T-shirts were even being sold in children's sizes this weekend), with a single unifying thread - the common cast of '60s counterculture.
Last among those able to attach significance to the occasion were the members of the Dead themselves. At the press conference, they weren't even sure what exact moment in the band's evolution the anniversary marked.
The date selected to represent the group's 20th anniversary corresponded, explained Dead press agent Dennis McNally, with the date in history when bassist Phil Lesh moved to Palo Alto to join the nascent rock band.
``I showed him how to tune the bass and where to place his fingers for the scales,'' said Garcia, ``and two weeks later he played the first gig.''
Lesh paid tribute the band's growth over the years. ``It's not age, it's experience,'' he said. ``It's that thing that only time can give you - mayonnaise.''
A TV reporter wanted to know what role drugs played in appreciating the Dead's music. ``To some,'' he solemnly intoned, ``The Grateful Dead and psychedelics are synonymous . . .''
``Do you mean, Does the mind play a role?'' asked Garcia.
``No, the drugs,'' the TV man replied.
``His lips are moving, but nothing's coming out,'' said Weir, as the band dissolved in chuckles.
Garcia praised their audience, the fervent Deadheads.
``They're no slouches,'' he said. ``They're paying attention. It's like they're willing us to make it good.''
The press conference ended with the band being asked what they have learned in 20 years.
``Never take your eyes off the guy to your right,'' said drummer Mickey Hart, ``or the guy to your left.''






























My personal handout from 6-16-85





Midnight Hour
Bertha
Walkin' Blues
Tennessee Jed
My Brother Esau
Big Railroad Blues
Looks Like Rain
Mississippi Half-Step
Promised Land

Scarlet Begonias
Fire on the Mountain
Samson and Delilah
Cryptical Envelopment
The Other One
drums
Goin' Down the Road Feelin' Bad
I Need a Miracle
Wharf Rat
Turn on Your Love Light

Brokedown Palace