• https://www.dead.net/features/2011/dragon-power-furthur-shake-it-down-down-new-years
    Dragon Power! Furthur Shake It Down-Down for New Year’s

    In the Grateful Dead days, it was always fun to see the band after they hadn’t played for a few weeks, because even inveterate set list analysts were hard-pressed to predict what they might play the first night back, and whatever rotational habits they might have gotten into during a tour had similarly been obliterated. It was a clean slate. Furthur already mixes up their enormous repertoire in more interesting ways than the Dead ever did, so going into their first-ever three-night New Year’s run at San Francisco’s Bill Graham Civic (the group’s first shows since late November), we really didn’t have a clue what to expect. Would the first night be a tame warm-up for the other two, the band still getting their sea legs back, settling back into their groove?

    We will survive! Furthur during "Touch of Grey" on 12/30/11.
    Photo: Ethan Hoffman ©2012

    Uh, no. Apparently not. Instead, Furthur stepped out onto that familiar stage and proceeded to tear it up from the first downbeat of the powerful opening jam, which eventually exploded into “Help on the Way.” Oh, I see, these guys are serious. The first of several twists in the show occurred when the conventional “Slipknot!” jam did not materialize after “Help”—Phil played a few notes of it, but JK was not having it, and the others didn’t follow Phil’s brief walk into that territory, either. Rather, they went into some of the types of jamming spaces that usually occupy the middle of that tune, but soon went off course completely before somewhat awkwardly landing at a moody “Estimated Prophet,” which properly welcomed our many out-of-town visitors to California’s “burning shore.” By the time the jam after that one was unfolding, it was abundantly clear that the band was playing with tremendous confidence and flair—the jams were going to unpredictable places, and everyone in the group seemed locked into each other and the crowd, which was more boisterous and enthusiastic than one might have expected for a first show. So, it felt as if we were already mid-second set (song-wise), yet what came next was an old GD first-set standby, and it turned into one of the highlights of the night—“Brown-Eyed Women” raised the intensity a full notch (who knew?), and the show rarely came down from that level for the rest of the night. The first set also had a nicely developed “Cassidy,” one of those versions of “Tennessee Jed” that gets everybody singin’, George Harrison’s “Any Road” (one of my faves) and, to cap it, a generous “Weather Report Suite.” It was one of the longer first sets of the year, and one of the best, I’d venture.

    The second set kept the warm and friendly vibe going with a tremendous “Box of Rain” opener. This band has been opening up the song’s middle solo for a while now, but I hadn’t heard one that was as expansive as this; beautifully done. “Big Bad Blues” has developed into a solid number, with its different parts—some slinky, some highly rhythmic—all flowing together well by now, and JK has found a perfect gnarly tone for his solos. The middle part of the set was even better than the song list indicates: “China Cat,” “Scarlet,” “Truckin’” and “New Speedway Boogie” all sparkled with inventive playing outside the norm, and it sounded as if every person there was joining in on the big choruses, which gloriously filled the big room from floor to rafters. I felt as if I were back at Kaiser, or Winterland even. It gave me chills at one point. The closing instrumental coda of “Unbroken Chain” (unique to this band) provided one of my favorite buildups of the night, and that was followed by a devastating “Standing on the Moon,” which has become perhaps Bob’s best ballad. “Goin’ Down the Road” got us back into boogieing and sing-along mode, and it had a twist at the end: Rather than going into the instrumental “We Bid You Goodnight” section that usually follows the song, this time, right on the beat, the band entered into the long-lost “Slipknot!” so cruelly abandoned at the show’s start. “Franklin’s” was then a satisfying and unifying closer; Bob’s near-perfect “Baby Blue” encore a meditation to send us home.

    A tough act to follow? Well, depends on what you’re looking for. The first night was right in my wheelhouse (as they say) in terms of song selection and overall vibe. If jammy/spacy is more your thing (it was for me with the Grateful Dead; less so with post- JG bands), you might have preferred the second night. I felt the playing on 12/30 was as passionate and committed as it was on 12/29, and there were many strong tunes in both sets.

    The first set on 12/30 served up great variety, with kickin’ versions of “Jack Straw” (with a great middle jam that felt fresh) and “Bertha” to start. The group then shifted gears, easing into a breezy, loping “Eyes of the World”; a nice surprise to get that so early in the show. The outro from that led to “The Music Never Stopped, which contained one of the best jams of the night. “Cold Rain & Snow” and “Lost Sailor” > “Saint of Circumstance” were all performed a little slower than I like (especially “Saint”), but I certainly can’t fault the playing in any way, and I still dug them. But it was nice to then get a zippy and wild “Deal” to end the set.

    Set Two started out promisingly with an unexpected combo— “Dear Mr. Fantasy,” with blistering solos by JK, into a raucous “Passenger.” I really like the way John sings “Wharf Rat,” but it seems to bog down during the long bridge (“But I’ll get back on my feet someday ”)—it provides the song’s most beautiful moments, but Garcia himself would have trouble keeping to the glacial pacing this band prefers for that section. The rest of the set consisted of seven songs from the Dead’s ’66-’67 period: “New Potato Caboose,” “Cryptical Envelopment,” “The Other One,” “Caution,” “Death Don’t Have No Mercy,” “The Eleven” and “Lovelight.” (Only “King Solomon’s Marbles” from 1975, placed between “Caution” and “Death Don’t…” interrupted what could have been a list from the Carousel Ballroom in the winter of ’68.) There was fierce jamming throughout (especially on “The Other One” and “Caution”), a full-blown, brain-melting “space” after “New Potato Caboose,” and also a bit of unfocussed searching along the way; it happens. The “Lovelight” was brief but spirited (I don’t recall much of a guitar solo—unusual on a night when JK was shredding on just about everything). For the encore, it was back to the warm sing-along vibe of the 12/29 show—“Touch of Grey,” about as good as that song gets these days, leaving smiles all around as we walked into the cool night air.

    New Year’s Eve Day broke sunny and clear in San Francisco, so line duty for the Big Night was pleasant as can be weatherwise, though that didn’t help much with the inescapable anxiety that usually accompanies the long wait: Where will I end up once the doors open? Am I farther back in the line that I was last night? Is there going to be greater competition for seats upstairs because of more graying Heads coming to just this show? Oh, the things we find to worry about! But to me, it’s worth it to put in the time and effort to get that great spot. Line time and inside pre-show time are traditions I cherish. Every day/night before the first note has its own rhythm and character, just as every show does. All three days, people seemed to be cheerful in line and inside. That’s what good shows will do.

    The band had played so well the first two shows, and there were so many great songs still out there waiting to be tapped, I was confident that the band would come through for us and the large audience of Heads listening in on Sirius Radio. And boy, did they ever! I don’t know how it sounded on the radio, but being there was so magical, as the group whipped out one great tune after another over the course of three varied and unpredictable sets.

    The first set was another hot one, starting with a bangin’ “Golden Road” (always a good time) and then changing gears for a marvelously executed, uptempo “Cosmic Charlie”—after 32 years, they’ve finally gotten the vocals together; yay! JK never fails to deliver “Althea” with authority and élan, and two songs later, his “High Time” dug into the deep emotion of every verse and managed to tame a party-hungry New Year’s crowd eager to rock ’n’ roll. The JK deniers will always be out there, but for me the verdict has been in for a long time: This guy “gets it” on every level, and he’s amazingly adept at bringing Jerry’s songs to life as both a guitarist and singer. This run of shows was probably the best I’ve ever seen him play. “Shakedown Street” was a surprise late-set funkathon, and then “Viola Lee Blues”—no sectioned sandwich this time, just the full portion— was the perfect psychedelic bookend to the “Golden Road.”

    The halls during the break were buzzing with excited, colorfully decked-out revelers stumbling about. I love that so many women dress up specially for New Year’s Eve, saving their glittery tops and dresses or brightest tie-dyes for the occasion. Folks you would never expect to put on silly party hats were blowing horns and rattling noisemakers, and with each set break the crowd got a little wilder, a bit more frantic. The high quality of the music—and not just the significance of the night—surely put everyone in a good mood.

    Set Two of 12/31 turned out to be my favorite of the three-night run (though both sets of 12/29 gave it a run for the money). How can you go wrong with a set that opens with “Morning Dew,” JK completely confident from beginning to end? The jam that came next eventually rolled into “Dark Star,” and this, too, was marked by bold assurance as the ensemble navigated the jam’s convoluted terrain. A jaunty “Mason’s Children” emerged from the chaos; then the players wended their way through various other strange tangents before arriving back at the second verse of “Dark Star.” “Mountain Song,” which has popped up in key spots all year long, proved to be a sturdy bridge between “Dark Star” and a triumphal “I Know You Rider.” I thought that might signal the end of that set, but no, there was more to come: a near-perfect “St. Stephen” dropped right into “Fire on the Mountain.” Incredible! But that left just 30 minutes until the Midnight Madness.

    Make that 20 minutes. At 10 ’til midnight, the house lights went down again and loud noises started emanating from the quad sound system. (Two large speaker stacks hung above each side of the rear balcony, but were barely used at the first two shows.) Frightening thunder cracks boomed through the hall. There were rumbles, growls, snorts and finally what sounded like the angry or anguished cries of some great creature. An angular, très moderne orchestral composition called "Arcana," written in the mid-1920s by the great French composer Edgard Varèse, pumped through the P.A. at deafening volume and added to the unfolding sonic drama. Suddenly, red smoke billowed from a black-curtained area hanging from the ceiling above the front of the center balcony. Slowly, the beast came into view just below the curtains: An enormous, fearsome dragon—30 feet from open jaws to curled tail-tip, eyes glowing, smoke rising from its ruby-red throat—was threatening to lay waste to us all! Yikes! Run for your lives! Or better yet, take another hit!

    Emily Sunderland rides a 30-foot dragon toward the stage
    just before midnight on New Year's Eve.
    Photo: Regan McMahon ©2012

    But, what’s this? A comely blond maiden in shiny, diaphanous togs, miraculously ascended from a spot near the soundboard up to the dragon’s level above the crowd! She bravely straddled the loathsome monster, which shrieked its displeasure. As the Varèse piece reached a dissonant climax, it was abruptly replaced by the opening riff of the Rolling Stones’ “Start Me Up,” and our heroine—now firmly in control of the dragon—began a slow journey toward the stage, high above the crowd, on the spiny back of the beast, showering the crowd below her with handfuls of red rose petals. She was greeted at the stage by children tossing petals down onto the revelers, a brave knight of some sort, and the towering figure of Father Time—good ol’ Bill Walton, who has now played that role almost as many times as Bill Graham did. Once safely on the stage, the maiden received a big hug from Father Time and Furthur leaped into—what else?—“Sugar Magnolia.” Bob spaced the lyrics early on but nobody cared; we all had him covered! Hundreds of balloons fell from the ceiling and the dragon rose slowly to a spot above the front of the stage and turned its giant frame so it appeared to be menacing the crowd. It hung there the rest of the night, occasionally belching great clouds of white smoke—its eyes shining red, then blue, green and yellow—as the band played on below. (To watch Jay Blakesberg's excellent video of the dragon flight, the midnight moment and "Sugar Magnolia," go to www.furthur.net!)

    It’s hard to believe the band still had the energy to play another 90 minutes (or that we had the stamina to dance another 90), but hey, it’s New Year’s and no time to be a weenie. The third set supplied plenty of fuel for us, too: a flowing “Playing in the Band” that segued into a good-vibes “Uncle John’s Band,” Phil’s dynamic “Colors of the Rain” (some cool jamming in that one), “Born Cross-Eyed” (still totally odd after all these years), another excuse to sing at the top of our lungs with “The Wheel,” and finally the “Playing” reprise—always a satisfying set-ender in my book. For the encore, I fully expected “One More Saturday Night,” perhaps in tandem with some other tune, but instead we got the full “Terrapin” suite—20-plus minutes of pure bliss to send us home. Loved the way Joe Russo’s drums got thrown around the quad speakers during “Terrapin Flyer.”

    What a special night. What a special week. Everyone played and sang fantastically well. This is a pretty good little band they got goin’. Wish you all could have been there!

    * * *

    Here’s a link to Trent T.’s superb audience recording of 12/31/11.
    Here’s Nak Guy’s cool aud. of 12/30/11.
    And here’s Nak Guy’s aud. of 12/29/11.
    Also, video of many of the songs from each night are on YouTube.

    Glittery New Year's Eve ticket
    mailed out by GDTS TOO.

    Finally, the dragon motif appeared on the custom New Year’s Eve ticket (pictured) and a number of beautiful posters and T-shirts created for this series of shows, representing the upcoming Chinese lunar New Year transition from the Year of the Hare to the Year of the Dragon. I wondered if we might see Flash—the Hog Farm’s traditional parade dragon from GD Chinese New Year shows past—at midnight. I certainly did not expect the wondrous and completely mind-blowing spectacle we got. Yowza!

    For more photos of the band and the dragon (including the making of said beast) check out Furthur's page on Facebook and also go to www.furthur.net!

    337981

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  • spinyn
    12 years 9 months ago
    TTB
    Blair - I can't quite remember exactly what the band played at midnight. The countdown snuck up pretty quick because they started around 11 and played so enthrallingly, it was midnight before I realized it was coming. There was a balloon drop, of course, and I believe Susan tore into "Try", ala' Janis, after that. It was that or "Uptight", which she sang the heck out of, too. They also are now doing lovely arrangements of "Darling Be Home Soon" and "Everybody's Talkin'", as well as a version of "300 Lbs. of Heavenly Joy" dedicated to Hubert Sumlin. I saw the band in Birmingham, AL in April (the version of "Midnight In Harlem" they played that night with Derek channeling "In A Silent Way" in the intro was as good as music gets for me). They have continued to grow and become even more of a fully functional unit since, now firing on all cylinders with no one superfulous. I saw Mad Dogs and Englishmen at Winterland and it definitely reminded me of that with so many contributing to the ensemble sound. The sheer power of a band that size is something to behold. Derek seems to be enjoying leading the band as he clearly was directing things in his low key way. If he moved in your direction, he wanted you to solo, and Koki and the horn players were up to the task. It reminded me of "Bitches Brew" at points, so deep was the stew. And Susan was fantastic all night, absolutely killing the vocals and going toe-to-toe with Derek on guitar at one point. Her treatment of Bobby Bland's "That Did It"' brought down the house. Yeah, my girlfriend said there was no better place for music on the PLANET than SF over New Years. Two incredible shows, both so much more than mere entertainment...
  • spinyn
    12 years 9 months ago
    TTB
    See below.
  • spinyn
    12 years 9 months ago
    TTB
    Sorry for the duplicate posts. I didn't realize the editing I was doing was creating multiple copies. I woulda deleted them if I coulda so I emptied them to avoid the repetition.
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15 years 7 months

In the Grateful Dead days, it was always fun to see the band after they hadn’t played for a few weeks, because even inveterate set list analysts were hard-pressed to predict what they might play the first night back, and whatever rotational habits they might have gotten into during a tour had similarly been obliterated. It was a clean slate. Furthur already mixes up their enormous repertoire in more interesting ways than the Dead ever did, so going into their first-ever three-night New Year’s run at San Francisco’s Bill Graham Civic (the group’s first shows since late November), we really didn’t have a clue what to expect. Would the first night be a tame warm-up for the other two, the band still getting their sea legs back, settling back into their groove?

We will survive! Furthur during "Touch of Grey" on 12/30/11.
Photo: Ethan Hoffman ©2012

Uh, no. Apparently not. Instead, Furthur stepped out onto that familiar stage and proceeded to tear it up from the first downbeat of the powerful opening jam, which eventually exploded into “Help on the Way.” Oh, I see, these guys are serious. The first of several twists in the show occurred when the conventional “Slipknot!” jam did not materialize after “Help”—Phil played a few notes of it, but JK was not having it, and the others didn’t follow Phil’s brief walk into that territory, either. Rather, they went into some of the types of jamming spaces that usually occupy the middle of that tune, but soon went off course completely before somewhat awkwardly landing at a moody “Estimated Prophet,” which properly welcomed our many out-of-town visitors to California’s “burning shore.” By the time the jam after that one was unfolding, it was abundantly clear that the band was playing with tremendous confidence and flair—the jams were going to unpredictable places, and everyone in the group seemed locked into each other and the crowd, which was more boisterous and enthusiastic than one might have expected for a first show. So, it felt as if we were already mid-second set (song-wise), yet what came next was an old GD first-set standby, and it turned into one of the highlights of the night—“Brown-Eyed Women” raised the intensity a full notch (who knew?), and the show rarely came down from that level for the rest of the night. The first set also had a nicely developed “Cassidy,” one of those versions of “Tennessee Jed” that gets everybody singin’, George Harrison’s “Any Road” (one of my faves) and, to cap it, a generous “Weather Report Suite.” It was one of the longer first sets of the year, and one of the best, I’d venture.

The second set kept the warm and friendly vibe going with a tremendous “Box of Rain” opener. This band has been opening up the song’s middle solo for a while now, but I hadn’t heard one that was as expansive as this; beautifully done. “Big Bad Blues” has developed into a solid number, with its different parts—some slinky, some highly rhythmic—all flowing together well by now, and JK has found a perfect gnarly tone for his solos. The middle part of the set was even better than the song list indicates: “China Cat,” “Scarlet,” “Truckin’” and “New Speedway Boogie” all sparkled with inventive playing outside the norm, and it sounded as if every person there was joining in on the big choruses, which gloriously filled the big room from floor to rafters. I felt as if I were back at Kaiser, or Winterland even. It gave me chills at one point. The closing instrumental coda of “Unbroken Chain” (unique to this band) provided one of my favorite buildups of the night, and that was followed by a devastating “Standing on the Moon,” which has become perhaps Bob’s best ballad. “Goin’ Down the Road” got us back into boogieing and sing-along mode, and it had a twist at the end: Rather than going into the instrumental “We Bid You Goodnight” section that usually follows the song, this time, right on the beat, the band entered into the long-lost “Slipknot!” so cruelly abandoned at the show’s start. “Franklin’s” was then a satisfying and unifying closer; Bob’s near-perfect “Baby Blue” encore a meditation to send us home.

A tough act to follow? Well, depends on what you’re looking for. The first night was right in my wheelhouse (as they say) in terms of song selection and overall vibe. If jammy/spacy is more your thing (it was for me with the Grateful Dead; less so with post- JG bands), you might have preferred the second night. I felt the playing on 12/30 was as passionate and committed as it was on 12/29, and there were many strong tunes in both sets.

The first set on 12/30 served up great variety, with kickin’ versions of “Jack Straw” (with a great middle jam that felt fresh) and “Bertha” to start. The group then shifted gears, easing into a breezy, loping “Eyes of the World”; a nice surprise to get that so early in the show. The outro from that led to “The Music Never Stopped, which contained one of the best jams of the night. “Cold Rain & Snow” and “Lost Sailor” > “Saint of Circumstance” were all performed a little slower than I like (especially “Saint”), but I certainly can’t fault the playing in any way, and I still dug them. But it was nice to then get a zippy and wild “Deal” to end the set.

Set Two started out promisingly with an unexpected combo— “Dear Mr. Fantasy,” with blistering solos by JK, into a raucous “Passenger.” I really like the way John sings “Wharf Rat,” but it seems to bog down during the long bridge (“But I’ll get back on my feet someday ”)—it provides the song’s most beautiful moments, but Garcia himself would have trouble keeping to the glacial pacing this band prefers for that section. The rest of the set consisted of seven songs from the Dead’s ’66-’67 period: “New Potato Caboose,” “Cryptical Envelopment,” “The Other One,” “Caution,” “Death Don’t Have No Mercy,” “The Eleven” and “Lovelight.” (Only “King Solomon’s Marbles” from 1975, placed between “Caution” and “Death Don’t…” interrupted what could have been a list from the Carousel Ballroom in the winter of ’68.) There was fierce jamming throughout (especially on “The Other One” and “Caution”), a full-blown, brain-melting “space” after “New Potato Caboose,” and also a bit of unfocussed searching along the way; it happens. The “Lovelight” was brief but spirited (I don’t recall much of a guitar solo—unusual on a night when JK was shredding on just about everything). For the encore, it was back to the warm sing-along vibe of the 12/29 show—“Touch of Grey,” about as good as that song gets these days, leaving smiles all around as we walked into the cool night air.

New Year’s Eve Day broke sunny and clear in San Francisco, so line duty for the Big Night was pleasant as can be weatherwise, though that didn’t help much with the inescapable anxiety that usually accompanies the long wait: Where will I end up once the doors open? Am I farther back in the line that I was last night? Is there going to be greater competition for seats upstairs because of more graying Heads coming to just this show? Oh, the things we find to worry about! But to me, it’s worth it to put in the time and effort to get that great spot. Line time and inside pre-show time are traditions I cherish. Every day/night before the first note has its own rhythm and character, just as every show does. All three days, people seemed to be cheerful in line and inside. That’s what good shows will do.

The band had played so well the first two shows, and there were so many great songs still out there waiting to be tapped, I was confident that the band would come through for us and the large audience of Heads listening in on Sirius Radio. And boy, did they ever! I don’t know how it sounded on the radio, but being there was so magical, as the group whipped out one great tune after another over the course of three varied and unpredictable sets.

The first set was another hot one, starting with a bangin’ “Golden Road” (always a good time) and then changing gears for a marvelously executed, uptempo “Cosmic Charlie”—after 32 years, they’ve finally gotten the vocals together; yay! JK never fails to deliver “Althea” with authority and élan, and two songs later, his “High Time” dug into the deep emotion of every verse and managed to tame a party-hungry New Year’s crowd eager to rock ’n’ roll. The JK deniers will always be out there, but for me the verdict has been in for a long time: This guy “gets it” on every level, and he’s amazingly adept at bringing Jerry’s songs to life as both a guitarist and singer. This run of shows was probably the best I’ve ever seen him play. “Shakedown Street” was a surprise late-set funkathon, and then “Viola Lee Blues”—no sectioned sandwich this time, just the full portion— was the perfect psychedelic bookend to the “Golden Road.”

The halls during the break were buzzing with excited, colorfully decked-out revelers stumbling about. I love that so many women dress up specially for New Year’s Eve, saving their glittery tops and dresses or brightest tie-dyes for the occasion. Folks you would never expect to put on silly party hats were blowing horns and rattling noisemakers, and with each set break the crowd got a little wilder, a bit more frantic. The high quality of the music—and not just the significance of the night—surely put everyone in a good mood.

Set Two of 12/31 turned out to be my favorite of the three-night run (though both sets of 12/29 gave it a run for the money). How can you go wrong with a set that opens with “Morning Dew,” JK completely confident from beginning to end? The jam that came next eventually rolled into “Dark Star,” and this, too, was marked by bold assurance as the ensemble navigated the jam’s convoluted terrain. A jaunty “Mason’s Children” emerged from the chaos; then the players wended their way through various other strange tangents before arriving back at the second verse of “Dark Star.” “Mountain Song,” which has popped up in key spots all year long, proved to be a sturdy bridge between “Dark Star” and a triumphal “I Know You Rider.” I thought that might signal the end of that set, but no, there was more to come: a near-perfect “St. Stephen” dropped right into “Fire on the Mountain.” Incredible! But that left just 30 minutes until the Midnight Madness.

Make that 20 minutes. At 10 ’til midnight, the house lights went down again and loud noises started emanating from the quad sound system. (Two large speaker stacks hung above each side of the rear balcony, but were barely used at the first two shows.) Frightening thunder cracks boomed through the hall. There were rumbles, growls, snorts and finally what sounded like the angry or anguished cries of some great creature. An angular, très moderne orchestral composition called "Arcana," written in the mid-1920s by the great French composer Edgard Varèse, pumped through the P.A. at deafening volume and added to the unfolding sonic drama. Suddenly, red smoke billowed from a black-curtained area hanging from the ceiling above the front of the center balcony. Slowly, the beast came into view just below the curtains: An enormous, fearsome dragon—30 feet from open jaws to curled tail-tip, eyes glowing, smoke rising from its ruby-red throat—was threatening to lay waste to us all! Yikes! Run for your lives! Or better yet, take another hit!

Emily Sunderland rides a 30-foot dragon toward the stage
just before midnight on New Year's Eve.
Photo: Regan McMahon ©2012

But, what’s this? A comely blond maiden in shiny, diaphanous togs, miraculously ascended from a spot near the soundboard up to the dragon’s level above the crowd! She bravely straddled the loathsome monster, which shrieked its displeasure. As the Varèse piece reached a dissonant climax, it was abruptly replaced by the opening riff of the Rolling Stones’ “Start Me Up,” and our heroine—now firmly in control of the dragon—began a slow journey toward the stage, high above the crowd, on the spiny back of the beast, showering the crowd below her with handfuls of red rose petals. She was greeted at the stage by children tossing petals down onto the revelers, a brave knight of some sort, and the towering figure of Father Time—good ol’ Bill Walton, who has now played that role almost as many times as Bill Graham did. Once safely on the stage, the maiden received a big hug from Father Time and Furthur leaped into—what else?—“Sugar Magnolia.” Bob spaced the lyrics early on but nobody cared; we all had him covered! Hundreds of balloons fell from the ceiling and the dragon rose slowly to a spot above the front of the stage and turned its giant frame so it appeared to be menacing the crowd. It hung there the rest of the night, occasionally belching great clouds of white smoke—its eyes shining red, then blue, green and yellow—as the band played on below. (To watch Jay Blakesberg's excellent video of the dragon flight, the midnight moment and "Sugar Magnolia," go to www.furthur.net!)

It’s hard to believe the band still had the energy to play another 90 minutes (or that we had the stamina to dance another 90), but hey, it’s New Year’s and no time to be a weenie. The third set supplied plenty of fuel for us, too: a flowing “Playing in the Band” that segued into a good-vibes “Uncle John’s Band,” Phil’s dynamic “Colors of the Rain” (some cool jamming in that one), “Born Cross-Eyed” (still totally odd after all these years), another excuse to sing at the top of our lungs with “The Wheel,” and finally the “Playing” reprise—always a satisfying set-ender in my book. For the encore, I fully expected “One More Saturday Night,” perhaps in tandem with some other tune, but instead we got the full “Terrapin” suite—20-plus minutes of pure bliss to send us home. Loved the way Joe Russo’s drums got thrown around the quad speakers during “Terrapin Flyer.”

What a special night. What a special week. Everyone played and sang fantastically well. This is a pretty good little band they got goin’. Wish you all could have been there!

* * *

Here’s a link to Trent T.’s superb audience recording of 12/31/11.
Here’s Nak Guy’s cool aud. of 12/30/11.
And here’s Nak Guy’s aud. of 12/29/11.
Also, video of many of the songs from each night are on YouTube.

Glittery New Year's Eve ticket
mailed out by GDTS TOO.

Finally, the dragon motif appeared on the custom New Year’s Eve ticket (pictured) and a number of beautiful posters and T-shirts created for this series of shows, representing the upcoming Chinese lunar New Year transition from the Year of the Hare to the Year of the Dragon. I wondered if we might see Flash—the Hog Farm’s traditional parade dragon from GD Chinese New Year shows past—at midnight. I certainly did not expect the wondrous and completely mind-blowing spectacle we got. Yowza!

For more photos of the band and the dragon (including the making of said beast) check out Furthur's page on Facebook and also go to www.furthur.net!

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In the Grateful Dead days, it was always fun to see the band after they hadn’t played for a few weeks, because even inveterate set list analysts were hard-pressed to predict what they might play the first night back, and whatever rotational habits they might have gotten into during a tour had similarly been obliterated. It was a clean slate. Furthur already mixes up their enormous repertoire in more interesting ways than the Dead ever did, so going into their first-ever three-night New Year’s run at San Francisco’s Bill Graham Civic (the group’s first shows since late November), we really didn’t have a clue what to expect. Would the first night be a tame warm-up for the other two, the band still getting their sea legs back, settling back into their groove?

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but at least I was there for the 77-78 NYE dragon visit. ;o} 'It all rolls into one'....... Hope all are able to catch some live music in the upcoming new year. Happy trails and take care
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... you may be right in terms of overall quality of playing and song selection. For runs of three days or more, I would also at least mention last year's excellent Radio City shows, and the multiple shows in Boston, Best Buy (NYC) and Philly last winter; though they might not have been as consistent wall-to-wall. Last summer's Red Rocks shows had plenty o' good stuff, too.
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Unfortunately I didn't attend any of those east coast shows you mentioned, I've listened to them all but that's not the same. I am sure all that Abbey Road stuff was off the charts. So I should say the best run that I have seen out of 22 shows. I loved the song selection and order from all the sets of all 3 nights. I thought the set lists were very creative to say the least and really kept me guessing, scratching my head, doing a double take, almost fainting and just dancing all over the place with a big ol smile!
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I agree 100 percent. Never had a clue what coming next and loved every choice they made (pretty much). Can you imagine if the GD had been that unpredictable? Of course they didn't work off set lists...
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Great review, Blair. I found more structure in the second set of 12/30 than you did, I think, but overall I appreciate your deep attention to these shows and your great descriptions of the pleasures they offered. I feel blessed to have been able to be there for all three shows; my memory goes back to Greensboro in 1991, or NYC in September of 1990, for the last time I saw a set of shows of this power. I wonder if anyone knows why the November and December downloads are full of SBEs? After a rocky start, the downloads mostly had no SBEs from spring 2010 thru August/September 2011, but the November downloads and now these three are shot full of them. It's especially odd because the discs purchased at the shows don't seem to have corresponding anomalies. The abject lack of quality control in the downloads is strange, given how wonderful all else was....
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An SBE is a "sector boundary error". The short story is that CD tracks need to be multiples of 1/75th of a second. Back around 2000 there was a long argument in trading circles as to whether or not this mattered. It was resolved as "yes it does", so even when tapers share AUDs with no intention of having them burned to CD, they still break tracks at sector boundaries. If you want to read more deeply, here's a good explanation: http://www.thetradersden.org/forums/archive/index.php/t-2422.html Up through September of 2011, the downloaded sources matched what you'd get if you bought CDs at the shows and ripped them (at least, that was true for the ten shows I've been to up to that time). Now I'm getting ready to upload these three shows to the LMA and register them with db.eTree, and I see that the downloaded music is different than the CDs. On the upside, the downloads do not have the fades that the CDs have. On the downside, the downloads have SBEs whereas the CDs do not seem to have had them (if you start with sources with SBEs, and then burn a CD, you have slight pauses between tracks). You can ask around of course, but I would argue that it's great that the downloads do not have fades at CD boundaries, but there is no reason not to break tracks at good boundaries. The more things stay the same, the more they change ;)
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I loved these three shows.... 12/29 was a blessing for me: I have always loved the WRS, and this was the first time I ever saw the start of it live. The scratchy tone of the Prelude fit incredibly well into the mood of the first set, and Part 1 was jammed out by Jeff and John very very well. The Let It Grow was better than many, a fitting part of the whole. The first set was brilliantly played and stretching into 60 minutes, I figured we'd have a short song to take us home: the WRS was pure bliss for me. Of all the extended jams in the three nights, I think the China Cat > Unbroken Chain jam in the second set of 12/29 was perhaps the most "accessible" music they played these three nights. By which I mean, if I want to share this music with non-fans at work (for instance), this is the jam I'll share first. Such intense involved interest, and yet such welcoming melody. Stretching for metaphor, this show was a sort of 76-78 experience for me, the band very involved and inventive, but still playing "easy". In the venue, I thought 12/30 took a huge turn at the Wharf Rat there in the third song of the second set. Up to that point, while the Eyes was interesting, the best stuff they'd played was the energetic rocking music (Jack Straw, Bertha, TMNS, Deal, Passenger). But Wharf Rat begat New Potato, and in New Potato things got melty and weird and wonderful. Delightfully "uneasy" as it were, reminiscent (again to stretch a metaphor) of pre-1975 explorations. I imagine that what you took to be unguided I took to be adventuresome and extremely unexpected, because in through there I was filled with delight, lost in the union, loving the love. The Other One was a bump in that road: it was angular and interesting, but not as far out as it might have been. But the Caution returned to wild brilliance, as energetic as the one I'd seen in Eugene, but more willing to go off into places. Marbles was brilliant (go Joe!). After the sweet deep Death Don't, I heard more Marbles before the Eleven, and from there we kind of cruised home. After those two brilliant shows, the buzz was doubting 12/31. The band proved that doubt incredibly wrong. The first set was a brilliant welcome to what the band had in mind for us: the bouncing Golden Road, the stretched and jammed Cosmic Charlie, the rich Althea, the twisted Next Time and then High Time, and then the monster "end of the first set" Shakedown > Viola Lee that shook me back and left me with a post-exaltation letdown. The second set jam, for me, was probably the best playing they did the whole series of shows. They have really remade Dark Star; if you do a classic lining up of the jams in a pre-first-verse, tweener, and post-second-verse sort of way, that great 33 minute version with the joyful Mason's Children sandwiched in there deserves comparison to Dark Stars past IMHO. Like you (and like myself towards the end of the first set of 12/29), I figured we were done after the brilliant Mountain Song and then Rider; and I was astonished and weepy-delighted by the St Stephen > Fire. The Third Set had many friendly wonders, and then the Terrapin Encore was another unexpected (okay, kind of expected gift). Throughout that third set, I was wondering, who was that lady on the dragon? and, why aren't there as many candies as there used to be? and, would I have eaten a candy at that point? (see, I’m getting old, it’s not 1970 anymore). Walking back to the hotel after the 12/31 show, I realized, there was no One More Saturday Night. Other than the 12/30 Encore and a nice "Days Between", there were no songs from In The Dark or Built To Last. There were no cowboy songs. Other than Baby Blue, there were no Dylan Covers. It's not that I don't like all those things, but over and over again, at every moment during these three nights, the set lists focused on songs that could be played brilliantly. And, over and over again, the band played them more brilliantly than one might hope. What a gift!
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Thanks for chiming in! I was kinda hoping for and half-expecting the "Terrapin" encore myself. It felt a little greedy, but considering they'd practically given me everything I'd wanted to hear already, I wasn't exactly surprised when it materialized. As Lawrence Welk used to say to his band after a rousing polka, in that German/North Dakota accent of his: "Thenk you, boys!"
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NYE was a great, great show, with masterful playing all around. I also noticed the lack of covers - no Dylan tunes, no Beatles tunes, no Pink Floyd... just a few covers that are so associated with the Grateful Dead that we forget that they are covers, like Morning Dew or Viola Lee Blues. I can't be the only one who noticed the horrible, loud distortion on Bobby's guitar when he tried to play slide near the beginning of the first set. That was the only thing that marred the show for me - it took a few songs before Weir could fully participate in the music due to his equipment problems. But that's a minor complaint; I'm still high from the show!
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...we were joking about that earlier over in the DNC Furthur conference. Bob was having a helluva time getting his guitar to sound right during "Althea." One person said it sounded like he was trying to murder a whale! It was definitely squoinky and wrong, whatever was happening... But he fixed it eventually...
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When my mail orders were all sent back with my money orders uncashed I originally gave up on these shows. Boy am I glad I changed my mind and did some quick ticket scrounging. From the opening triplet on the first night to the last notes of Terrapin I had an experience that's still with me. New Years was the capper for me, my favorite of the Furthur shows I've attended (and among the best I've heard) particularly the middle set.
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to the NYE show in 1977 and the Dead put it onstage. An inside joke that only I got. I do that frequently, much to my wife's chagrin. My apology, carry on regarding 2011/12. Grate year for Deadheads and Furthur!
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Your dragon story. That's a good one, Oro!
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I know!! I waited 22 shows to FINALLY here Althea and the beginning was a wreck. I was like "Noooooo!!"" Murder a whale that's a perfect description =) =) Ahhh well the song finished strong! =) =) I'll take the Terrapin encore over OMSN any day of the week!! =) =)
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Jeff was outstanding all three nights, and particularly fun to watch in the jams. He sits in the chair of legends and does a damn good job. I loved what he brought to Unbroken Chain and that was probably my favorite Jeff moment of the three nights. What were your favorite Jeff moments Blair? With 2,600 words he deserves at least one shout-out. :-)
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As I was walking around Lake Merritt a little while ago this morning, listening to the 12/29 show for the first time since that night (still great!) I actually thought to myself, "I guess I usually try to give a shout-out to Jeff and Sunshine and Jeff P. and I didn't really this time..." Jeff C. is a marvel; in my opinion, the best all-around keyboardist these guys have played with, period, Grateful Dead included. Keith was perfect for his time but was really just a piano guy for the most part. But he really understood the full range of the Dead's sound and contributed so much to it while he was there, particularly 71-'74. Brent was a great B-3 player and a consummate rock 'n' roller, but I was not as taken with his piano work (or sounds) and I never felt like he "got" the spacier stuff that well. (Obviously YMMV). I wish he'd played more synth after '79. Bruce, of course, was great at what he did, and I love him to death, but often seemed a bit apart from the others. Vince was hampered by some bad sounds at the beginning but grew into the role pretty well, I thought. He's an underrated player, I think. Ironically, it wasn't until Missing Man Formation, after Jerry died, that he really started to show what he could do, and that's in part because he was allowed to play B-3 and a real piano, instead of that sometimes cheesy keyboard they stuck him with when he joined the Dead. Well, I've said too much. This should more properly be a blog topic itself. Buy yeah... LOVE Jeff C. He's really good at everything and isn't shy about showing it, without being pretentious about it... He also happens to be a really lovely human being. It's no wonder everyone wants to play with him... Steve Molitz is my favorite other keyboardist to have played with the post-GD bands (P&F, of course)...
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I really wish he was playing with Phil and Friends in Broomfield. He brings a subtle techno edge which ends up being pretty psychedelic.. I'm pretty excited to check out Phil's line up though!
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Yeah, I've also very much enjoyed watching Steve with Phil and Friends. Thanks for the insightful analysis Blair, and great review as always.
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I know there are lots of folks around here and elsewhere who insist that the only great Dead music was pre-80's, or that no post-Jerry lineup is worth listening to or seeing in concert. I understand part of that - pretty hard to beat the energy and sheer mind-blowing performances of some of the late sixties and early seventies shows. And Jerry - well, what can you say? He was a musician for the ages. I doubt we'll see or hear anyone like him again. But, friends, let me tell you: Furthur is really, really good! Next time they're in your area, do yourself a favor and set aside any pre-conceived notions you may have about them, grab a close friend or two, and head to the venue to hear that wonderful music you've loved for so long. You won't regret it. During the NYE run, I was transported back to 70's Winterland - great energy, great vibe, great music. I really appreciate that these folks are still bringing the JOY after all these decades. It was a real privilege to be there - thanks so much to all who were involved in putting on 3 stellar shows! Keep on truckin' !!
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My sentiments exactly. There were times I almost couldn't believe how good it was! But it was!
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Have a big ole' smile just listening to the warm-ups / tuning. Thanks for the recorded links & all who made it possible. I shall give it a listen, & it sounds like I won't be disappointed after reading your many approving messages !!Happy, happy !
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I totally agree, Bolo. This band is really something to experience. Musically speaking, this is the best project I've seen post-Jerry. I feel sorry for the folks who have written off anything after Jerry passed. For me, it's about celebrating the music that has been such an important part of my life. Phil and Bob are playing and singing better than I've heard in years. They really sound fantastic! Not to mention the rest of the band. They have all really come into their own. Jeff, John, and Joe are just killing it, and don't even get me started on what Sunshine and Jeff add to the mix. The vocals sound sooooo good. There is so much soul, and the harmonies are perfect. I've attended around twenty Furthur shows. Several of them have been fantastic, but these three shows just absolutely blew me away. It's nice to read Blair's review and know that I'm not completely crazy. There was just a little something extra magical about this run. Thank you for all of the wonderful music. I'm so happy that I could be a part of it.
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i have to agree, the energy from the band and the energy from the audience created a magical night both nights.... and being in SF for New Years where as Phil said was "playing to our hometown" at this stage of this long strange trip was incredible... i saw deadheads ranging from a three week old baby, teenagers, a mom bringing her son's to their first shows, old friends, to grandparents. what other band could bring us all together.. and at the core, Phil and Bobby tearing it up, inspired by a crew of young, fearless musicians.. can you believe they're almost at their 50th year of playing together? un-freaking-believable to be playing at this level now after such a career...if this music doesn't move you.. you're definitely off the bus and there are plenty of others ready to take your place..
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What a stellar night, indeed! It was my first Furthur show as they haven't made it to New Orleans yet. I flew in for the holidays to see my family and for the Tedeschi Trucks Band on NYE. I was happy to see the Furthur shows come up so my girl and I could catch them, too! I grew up in the Bay Area and always loved the Dead's NYE shows... The 30th turned out to be just exactly perfect for me. Blair said what I thought...it was 1968 at the Carousel all over again! I fell in love with the Dead there, with Jerry so often opening sets with "The other day, they waited..." so that Set II excursion thru "Anthem of The Sun" really touched me. 'Caution' goes back to the Acid Tests and it felt like one in there! Phil was just ridiculous, at that point. Fierce is the word! Everyone played so beautifully, each band member now so comfortable in their spot, and the music was so primal, deep and magnificent, the sound so crisp and powerful (Phil's stack... Wow!). I had to put my hands on my girlfriend's shoulders at one point, probably during "The Eleven", 'cuz she was starting to levitate. I am not kidding... Just a fabulous night, a personal epiphany for me...to be back in the Bay Area with the Dead family again, all these years down the road, as wonderful and powerful as it has ever been. Thanks to the band and crew for such a moving and fun experience! PS Derek and Susan were incredible, as well!
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I saw Tedeschi and Trucks earlier in the year at the Warfield, right before their album came out (I Interviewed Derek by phone for Mix magazine... what a sweetheart!) and loved them! What a great band! Seems New Year's Eve appropriate. If you read this, Spinyn, I'd be curious to know what went on at midnight at that show, what they played, etc. (I can sure picture Susan wrapping that incredible voice around a "Midnight Hour"...)
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Sorry for the duplicate posts. I didn't realize the editing I was doing was creating multiple copies. I woulda deleted them if I coulda so I emptied them to avoid the repetition.
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See below.
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Blair - I can't quite remember exactly what the band played at midnight. The countdown snuck up pretty quick because they started around 11 and played so enthrallingly, it was midnight before I realized it was coming. There was a balloon drop, of course, and I believe Susan tore into "Try", ala' Janis, after that. It was that or "Uptight", which she sang the heck out of, too. They also are now doing lovely arrangements of "Darling Be Home Soon" and "Everybody's Talkin'", as well as a version of "300 Lbs. of Heavenly Joy" dedicated to Hubert Sumlin. I saw the band in Birmingham, AL in April (the version of "Midnight In Harlem" they played that night with Derek channeling "In A Silent Way" in the intro was as good as music gets for me). They have continued to grow and become even more of a fully functional unit since, now firing on all cylinders with no one superfulous. I saw Mad Dogs and Englishmen at Winterland and it definitely reminded me of that with so many contributing to the ensemble sound. The sheer power of a band that size is something to behold. Derek seems to be enjoying leading the band as he clearly was directing things in his low key way. If he moved in your direction, he wanted you to solo, and Koki and the horn players were up to the task. It reminded me of "Bitches Brew" at points, so deep was the stew. And Susan was fantastic all night, absolutely killing the vocals and going toe-to-toe with Derek on guitar at one point. Her treatment of Bobby Bland's "That Did It"' brought down the house. Yeah, my girlfriend said there was no better place for music on the PLANET than SF over New Years. Two incredible shows, both so much more than mere entertainment...