Grateful Dead

Phil Side, direct view of JG.
Phil came out with a beer before the show and tried to tweak his rig, which to a budding musician/geek was CAF, but the civilian JP types made such a fuss, it drove him off, with him going “Aawawawarrrgggghhhhh” or some such mock reply/yelling/teasing at them on his way out lol. Yeah, if you like 1980, and have never heard the whole show, you’ll dig it!

We need a Crotchfester box! So many great shows there!

Dude, front row! That is sweet.

Must have been a blast.

Do I like 80, oh yes! Who doesn't??

Best we ever did was second row at the old Met Center in April of 89.

Bob Uecker - "I must be in the front row!"
Cheers
Had a few opportunities at Red Rocks to get in the front but we knew from experience the sound was better farther back and the view is always unobstructed there anyway with the steep rise. Usually chose around 7th row.

Playing in the car yesterday and today.
Good stuff. I’ll take more ‘80.

Where’s that Baked Alaska Box, Dave?

Hey rockers!!!

Pick of the Day: Fillmore West, February 8 1970

If you're not familiar with this---or even if you are---check out the big soundboard chunk from the end of the show. Classic gooey Good Old Grateful Dead. Hopefully the complete reels are in those banana boxes!!

Thanks to all for the kind words!!!

Who hears music feels his solitude peopled at once...........

Rock on,

Doc
Music when healthy, is the teacher of perfect order, and when depraved, the teacher of perfect disorder......

For all you spring 1990 lovers, 3/25/90 from the Knickerbocker Arena iseems like a good one to get rolling next.

Who is in?

My favorite show out of 300+ attended. Very powerful. Many highlights not the least of which was as epic Morning Dew.

Catching up here, I last checked in just before Doc's reveal. I'm so sorry to hear this, Doc and I'm sorry for being so late to wish you well.

I'm just getting back from my family's celebration of life for my father, we were finally able to get everyone together to spread his ashes and send him off. We finished the night at getting a big private room at a brewpub, had some food, drink and told stories of his life, many of them I had never heard before. I'm with you in spirit and grieving doc, be well and carry the best of her with you wherever you go.

Man, it's been a tough week.. but move forward we must. We are nothing without what we have absorbed from those we love.

a very tough goodbye

To you both.

And as my mother would say "be gentle with yourselves."

Such a long, long time to be gone, and a short time to be there. - Hunter

“The Truth is realized in an instant, the act is practiced step by step.”

Jim,

Sending you good vibes from the frozen tundra!

So hard to lose a loved one.

...and dvikes, thanks for sending your Tundra our way. It's too cold to think about going outside.

Just finishing up the 30 Trips show from 1972, from Waterbury CT. This show is so good. Love that Dark Star into China Rider.

Thinking of 5/12/74 today. Only listened to this once when it came out. Time for another spin.

Looking at 9/18/87 from MSG and the 30 Trips box.

I did listen to 5/12/74 again last week. Yes, the sound quality on this one is not great, which is a bummer.

We need some good dead news out there. It has been too quiet.

Great recomendations on those shows!

I've been away from here for a bit but you have mention some great ones. The Waterbury show from 30 trips is killer indeed!

I'll bust out 9/18/87, it's been awhile

I see you mention 3/25/90 from Kickerbocker. I just finished that run not long ago, after doing Omni 1990 run.

So much great music on Spring 1990

Rock on, gang!

Did little travelling this last week, which was nice. Hit the latest Dave's and a whole bunch of Jerry Band in the car.

9/18/87 was always one of my favorite 80's shows.

…to ease my soul!

Yes Jonathan, love that Spring Tour and both boxes.

We were so happy to see them back in 87 after Jerry's coma and then In the Dark hit and it skyrocketed from there.

The MSG show is fun Jim. Definitely makes me want to polk around in the post comma era a little more.

Who has a pick out there?

This pick is some fine Vinnie era GD. The Shakedown to open set 2 is a monster! Phil dropping some serious bombs on the intro. I believe this show was ranked best of 1992. Also includes some nice philler from 12/17/92

Rock on, gang

Sounds good Jonathan. I will check this out.

Thanks!

I like that one a lot its just a fun show, great energy :)
It shows things can be pretty good with Vince

Nice show!
I’d dial it up if I wasn’t preoccupied otherwise…

Hey, rockers!!!

Pick of the day: Star Theater March 8 1970

What to do with uninvited, unexpected guests? It can get problematic, whether it’s your house or your concert…………..

Interesting little show and a nice example of the early 1970 electric/acoustic/electric format. Bob Weir’s attempted humor. Interesting China/Rider/High Time trifecta. Bouncy Dire Wolf. Greasy Hard To Handle. Hunky dory so far…………..

As with many early 1970 acoustic sets, this one has a casual, warm feeling. Tasty Monkey & The Engineer, Been All Around This World, Me & My Uncle and Black Peter. Things start to go a little sideways at the end of Katie Mae, as a local high school student---part rock and roll cheerleader, part blues screamer---joins in the festivities as they evolve/devolve into a spontaneous and quirky blues jam. Sounds odd now but sounds like at the time the audience was digging it………

Cap it all off with a hot NFA/Lovelight with more screaming and an unknown harmonica player sittin’ in…………

The available recordings, while a bit rough, are actually pretty listenable. However, given how sonically spoiled we’ve become, I’m not sure it can be brought up to official release standards. Not even sure it should be an official release, admittedly it would be way down on my wish list.

By no means a classic, but I’m glad I have it………………

Doc
This is the sense of the desert hills, that there is room enough and time enough……

Got this rolling again this morning. Bummer the first few songs are missing Jerry. But it picks back up at Peggy O and what a great Peggy O it is.
Sound quality on this one is stellar.
Kind of surprised this box hasn't sold out yet.

My copy sound just fine. I wish I got tapes of this quality back in the day.

Listened to the Katie Mae -> Blues -> NFA. My copy calls the blues "Inpromptu Blues".

I will come back to this.

... I'll throw it out there: 9.9.72 - Hollywood Palladium

I know this one got mixed reviews when it first came out (don't they all to some degree, heh heh). And admittedly I listened to it just twice before shelving it for a while ...

My recollection is that it gets better and better as the evening wears on. So I'm gonna dig in and see if that's still the take.

Oh yeah, and I would not mind at all if we could get the Dark Star w/ Crosby from the next night released.

Sounds good to me Strat

Will que it up after I finish 6/8/77. Just think if Mickey didn't get injured after these June shows. I think the June Winterland run is the best run of the year at Winterland.

Not sure if the 6/4/77 at the Forum will ever be released.

Well, it's interesting ... This is apparently a Bear recording - and in a "not true to form" way that was noticeable on disc 1, the vocals are quite 'hot' while the broader feel of the sound/spacing in the room is more or less missing; it sounds cramped (for lack of a better musical term) ... Perhaps it was the small stage or something - as a few errors along the way are right in your face.
Warts and All, as they say !

My sense was that they moved the mics or changed something in the set-up after Deal, because Playing & Loser are really good / sound 'right' to my ears. Playing has some fluidity that presages fall and early '73 versions. Funny: They close Loser, and Bob picks ... JB Goode - You can clearly hear Jerry say WTF!! He wants to play at least another song ... Then he promptly rips it up.

Set 2 starts solidly, and the Friend of the Devil here is stellar. All of disc 3 is excellent - a caveat though for those who are feedback averse, as the middle of TOO has a major 'melt' section. The sequence coming out of that is entrancing. Lastly, the Stella Blue is faster than later versions ... I like it. Also, Jerry sings the "Can't keep from crying" line in the bridge instead of "Gonna make 'em shine". (Edit: I skipped El Paso in favor of the) Rock and Roll to close it out from there.

DVikes
* 6/7, 6/8 (as mentioned before) and 6/9/77 are Way up there for me ... 6.9's Half Step, Deal, Music, the Epic HSF and Estimated > Stephen - All Great 👍

Had already decided to head this way after the bonus disc and then saw it was POTDWD. Haven't done the full dive cause still on work duty but that ends later today a few days early (project will be finished.) I spun this a fair bit back at release time - but didn't find it an " RJ" (to quote Oro). Haven't listened to it yet on the new Senns with the Ifi DAC so that'll be a good revisit. Listening to Set I and I'm reminded that the screamer that's sort of close to the stage Set I was slightly annoying lol. The reocrding seems a little "flat" and Jerry's guitar tone (so far) doesn't seem like its miked just right? But despite those quibbles, it is, after all, September freaking '72. Will continue with this later this Spring weekend. Have fun out there friends.

Huge 72 fan, so I was excited when this one was announced.

Agree with Strat and BC regarding the recording, it is not bad but yes, something is a little off. Still an enjoyable show. Second set picks it up.

Haven't listened to 9/10/72, but I always heard this show was the better of the two.

Thanks for the pick Strat. Oh and this one has not sold out yet. Going back to 2023.

Put on RT1.4 from October 78 at Winterland.
I love this release. Recording and energy are A+. Got my MoJo Working. If that doesn't make you want to get up and move I don't what will. And we Get If I had The World to Give.

How is this not sold out?
It's 1972 for Pete's.
Will admit I've heard the bonus disc twice and the 9/9 only once.
Will have to remedy that.
Synchronicity with the RT 1.4 pick. Had the bonus disc on when I read that. I saw the 1st World To Give at Red Rocks. Always thought it would stay in the rotation, but not to be. Difficult vocal range like the Star Spangled Banner, lol.
Cheers and happy Spring

That is great Firstshow!

Pretty sweet you saw the first one live in August at Redrocks. What a great summer for you in 78.
Do you remember how much you spent on tickets for these fantastic shows?

Love this release but also have mixed feelings about it as because they releasesd it, I don't think they will ever release the full Winterland October 78 run. My two cents, release the whole run, so good and so different from the Spring and yes, it incorporates the Shakedown Street songs so I am a bit biased.

I'll spin this show today. Last I did, I thought it was top notch!!

I was just praising 8/25/72 on the what are you listening to page.

The jams from 1972 are absolutely epic!!

Rock on, gang

August '78 ticket ticket says $8.25 + $0.75 some sort of fee. And as I recall I was earning the princely sum of $5.00/hour + tips as a pizza delivery manager/driver at the time while still pretending to be taking classes at C.S.U. and thinking, "Why do I need college? I have a good job (free dinner!), a bag of fine Columbian, a good stereo, some decent skis, and a VW bug to get me there. All a guy needs, right?". Ah, those were the days.
Cheers

Wow, $9. That is great..

And making $5 an hour plus tips back in 78, that was good money. I don't think I hit $5 an hour until my college days in the early 90s.

How much does it cost to see Dead and Co now? Quite a bit.

Going back for that today.
Love the Boulder, CO cuts on the bonus disc.
I think my older sister went to that one.

Yeah DV, I was rolling in it then, lol. Made sure I had no classes Tuesday & Thursdays that spring semester and skied every week, worked at night, partied daily. By fall I had quit school, changed to a daytime job for $5.25/hr. and ended up hating it and my roommates were getting stale so I picked up and moved to the mountains where wages were more like $4.25 but got back in school at Western State (bumper sticker was "Ski Western State and get a degree in your spare time"), night job in a restaurant, cheap rent in a mansion, and made new friends who got me into the backcountry ski scene. Never looked back on the city. Had ups & downs on wages but didn't break out of that range until the '90s either. So stay in school kids, or train for a trade!
Looking back, I would have to say getting on the bus in '78 changed my perspective for the better back then.
Cheers

Been spinning parts of this over (and over) the last few days midst other activities and varying moods. Not a just exactly perfect recording by Bear (we're spoiled nowadays cause in the old days we would have killed for this) but yeah its a real solid '72 show which right there is all you really need to know if you love licorice. Of course would really like to have an official release visit the house next door (9/10) but it has the David Crosby guest appearance which complicates things (though surely that can be worked out, right PTB?) Every once in awhile I'll be listening to a release and some unusual passage will stand out and I can picture Dave dialed in and blown away and thinking "we got to release this!!" Whether that's really the case I don't know of course but for me here its that theme that Garcia introduces at the 24 minute mark of the Other One. Very cool! Does anybody recognize it, is he quoting some song, or is it just pure Jerry? And yeah Disc 3 has a He's Gone > Trucking > Other One and that Other One is almost 35 minutes long with 2!! Phil thunder "intros" and the whole sequence is typically raucous and excellent for that great era. Good to come back to this one and give it some time on the Senns.

And taking a step back I love 8/25/72 - DaP24 - wherein our hero Bobby Weir has eaten roses for lunch. At the time of release some folks were expecting the night before - a known classic - I seem to remember that Bolo dropped a clue right before the release of this one that it was a Dewzy but he got unintentionally head faked by DL who had relayed that it was 2 before Veneta which Bolo interpreted as 2 shows before but DL meant 2 calendar days before. I'm hoping we'll see a whole lot more from that BCT run (like all of it!) - "mini" box that up along with the August 1971 shows too!!

Super excited for #54 and another fine 73 show added to the collection. Since 73 is on my brain, might as well que up 5/26/73. Another upper echelon show from 73.

... I will spin that this weekend 👍

Never gets old.

And the HCS Box is number 1 at my house.

The new box looks sweet.

Day late and a dollar short, but I will get to it when I road trip this weekend.

Morning, rockers!

Let's all celebrate National Fillmore East April 28 1971 Day!!!

Without a doubt my all time favorite Grateful Dead recording! El Paso, Cumberland for Jim, The Rub, killer Dew to open Set 2, great Other One, best ever Hard To Handle, short sweet Star. So cue it up, hunker down in a comfy chair, imbibe your preferred libation, turn it WAY up, and listen to just how amazing the Good Old Grateful Dead could still play in 1971.......

You'll thank me for it. I think........

Music is nothing else but wild sounds civilized into time and tune.....

Rock on!!

Doc
Music comes from an icicle as it melts, to live again as spring water......

Thanks Doc,

Will get this great show going today.

hmmm... tough to choose between 4/28 and 4/29 there at FE... would debate 8/6, Jerry's jamming peaks.

Hello rockers, flockers, and shockers............

Sorry, all due respect but 4/28 as a show and the 4/28 H2H crushes 4/29. Do I dare even opine that 4/29 is actually a bit overrated?

Music is the silence between the notes.....

Rock on!

Doc
Music is the medicine of the mind.....

Agreed on 4/28 over 4/29, the GOAT debate is with 8/6... which on most days for me, is the pure Jerry jam

Yes, indeed, Doc! Happy National Fillmore East 4/28/71 Day. I remember listening to abridged cassettes of the two shows in the car near the confluence of the Ms. & Mo. rivers on a choice early Summer day. Ain't that somethin'?

I was away from dawn to too tired to start a show yesterday, but I'm rocking today.

Thanks Doc, thanks all.

Absolutely love this idea, Bolo24, count me in! A communal listening thread sounds like the perfect way to stay connected and keep the vibes alive while we’ve all got a little extra time on our hands. Dick’s Picks 18 is a stellar first choice too, those February ‘78 shows have some real electricity. The Scarlet > Fire and Eyes from 2/3 are peak ‘78 Dead for me. There’s something about that era, raw, soulful, and unpredictable in the best way.

I’m also really intrigued by the thought of rotating picks, almost like a “Deadhead DJ of the day” concept. Could make for some fun variety and deeper dives into underappreciated shows or eras. I know a lot of us have our go-to favorites, but this could be a great opportunity to explore hidden gems or even some of the newer releases like the Dave’s Picks series that might not have had as much time to soak in yet.

And while we’re on the subject of community and gear, for those looking to rep their Deadhead spirit in everyday life, I recently came across some really creative fan-made merch at merch.subie-eyes It’s got a nice blend of classic Dead imagery and subtle, thoughtful designs, not your typical mass-produced stuff. Worth a look if you're into low-key ways to show your love for the band.

Looking forward to seeing what everyone thinks of the first pick, and the stories, insights, and maybe even a few cosmic revelations that follow. Let the Deadnet Picks roll!