June 6 - June 12, 2011

I remember these pre-coma shows very well. I was about 15 yards back on the floor, they had no seats of course. I was flabbergasted the next night, on 7-7-86 the final pre-coma show, when they opened up with Ramble on Rose and then I think they went into Minglewood. On a good night they could rock those songs, but opening a show with them, and at a stadium show? Really strange vibe and song choice.
Then( continuing with 7-7-86) they do Baby Blue mid first set. Having seen about 50 shows at that point I had seen my share of train wrecks (and incredibly stellar shows too, my favorite being 10-18-84) but nothing came close to that. Dylan wasn't even in the right key, and they just kept on playing. At that point I began to enjoy the show from a historical perspective because it was uniquely "off", and this was a huge audience. Jerry may have left the stage prior to the song, and when he came back on, he gave Dylan a knowing look like he felt bad, a "Doing my best despite" look.
Dylan wore a lot of leather during those shows if I remember correctly, despite the heat. The heat was bad enough that a 17 year old kid like me almost passed out so how the band- and particularly Jerry-managed was beyond me.
Then they did a Playing. I think that was the time Parish refers to when Jerry split the stage mid-jam. Turns out he had to relieve himself, but I guess he couldn't, something to do with his diabetes. As I mentioned I was very close to the stage. I was very familiar with the typical routine of which members would leave the stage and when, and it was unprecedented that Jerry would just split mid jam at this earlypoint in the set.This furthered the intrigue and sense of history for me.
A little backstory on my perception of Jerry's health: my first show was 83 and Jerry's health was always a huge concern. It wasn't a side topic, it was always a main focal point for heads then, and it was very hard to reconcile the fact that the same guy in front of us was, only 7 years earlier, full of energy.What a huge transformation he underwent between 78 and 83! In 84 he was nearly immobile and completely unkempt ( but his guitar playing was at times incredible). He was kind of like a combination of a shaman, guru, guitar genius, historical figure, and bigfoot- and I was in awe of him!
He was the center of the band's and the crowd's universe and he was in such sorry shape, it was amazing they continued and didn't do something. Kind of like when you have a family get together and one of the people is really, really "out there" but no one addresses it at all. How he made it through 84 up until his arrest is Golden Gate Park is a medical miracle.
Back to this show, during Playing, when Jerry abruptly left the stage, Bob and Phil did their best to do some jamming w/o Jerry- and in fact it was pretty cool to see them wing it like that-and then Jerry came back on and went right in Terrapin.
Then Jerry went into a coma and it seemed like the whole way of life was in jeopardy.
I'll tell you what, when Jerry came back to the East Coast after the coma in 87, that first tour was INSANE. The crowd on the East Coast was constantly at near pandemonium level on many nights due to sheer joy that the band was still in existence.
Jerry carried himself completely differently post-coma, at least for a couple of years (I only saw a couple of shows with Bruce and never saw Vince). In 83 and 84 he was often immobile, huge, super long grimy hair, and stared at the floor. Mind you I am not saying this as a put down, I was actually very impressed with his outlaw look. After the Golden Gate arrest in early 85 he got a very short haircut and put on even more weight, but seemed more together.
The band had picked up a lot more energy in 85- super short set lists- but he was still in poor health and usually didn't move too much. As 85 wore on, he seemed to get better and more alert, with 86 seeming even better in terms of alertness. But when he came around after the coma, he was a completely different person, and it was a one of the thrills of my life to see him like that after nearly losing him and my greatest passion, which was going to shows.
He radiated energy and confidence and was all smiles. His playing was in top form. One show that I saw in Hampton 3-27-87 where they opened with Alabama->Greatest and then closed the set with Music Never Stopped, Jerry's playing was MONSTROUS. I have not heard a good copy of that show, even on the archive, but I would love to. God that was a great show! Please release 3-27-87 David!

I think the '86 RFK show w/ Dylan & Petty was the last time I saw Jerry and the band live in person. It was not a happy day. I was actually more excited to hear Dylan than the Dead, since I'd heard them dozens of times and him very seldom. The sound was awful; I didn't even know what songs Dylan was playing. The Dead did nothing for me that day, though it doesn't sound that bad here. Jerry of course was not well, the day was oppressive, the stadium not comfortable, it was not a typical lighthearted Dead crowd, and on top of it all, my marriage was falling apart though I was not yet grasping it. If the Grateful Dead were the soundtrack to most of my young adulthood, this concert was sort of the grim transitional music to darker scenes to follow.

~ I'll meet you some morning in the sweet by and by

One more thing....that triple CD in conjunction with the original "Made in Japan" LP reflects "every single note" of Deep Purple's Japanese tour in August 1972. Two Scooby snacks for anyone who can identify what pivotal Grateful Dead show took place this same month.

Ha, until very recently I too thought Penultimate was a synonym for Ultimate, just like iamagonzo, so I can empathize. I was called out on Facebook when I posted this:

"Forgive me, please. I've posted a link to this album before. But it is phenomenal. The intensity and sound quality is the best r'n'r ever. I love the Dead, the Who, the Stones, Tuna, Progressive Rock....you name it. But the Machine Head lineup was the penultimate."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_in_Japan_%28Deep_Purple_album%29

Sometimes you just have to say D'oh and admit you are Completely Wrong, as I did then and now LOL!

It was obvious Jerry was hurting at these shows. Both sets of the 7/7 show almost fit on one 90 minute tape. Only 5 songs in the first set! When they opened with Ramble on Rose I thought I missed the beginning of the show. Jerry blood was like mud.