Garcia

The Story So Far…

Today’s Jerry Week entry is not coming to me too easily. So I thought I’d just write a little about my history as a Deadhead.

I probably started listening to the Grateful Dead in the mid-eighties just as I began listening to other groups from the 60’s and mostly rejecting the pop music of the day. Something about the music of the era spoke to me and I filled my twelve-year-old brain with Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Bod Dylan, The Stones, The Beatles, The Who and, The Grateful Dead. I think it was late in eighth grade when my friend’s dad gave him two cds for his birthday: Jimi Hendrix – Are You Experienced and Big Brother & The Holding Company – Cheap Thrills. I immediately taped those and began to digest their contents.

With my radio tuned to classic rock and tapes playing as much of the stuff as I could copy from friends or from the radio, I was enveloping myself in the music of the past and loving it. I dubbed copies of American Beauty and Skeletons In The Closet and wore them out. But I soon had all of the albums and, having moved, I made new friends who actually had seen the Grateful Dead. One gave me my first live tape (1981-05-05 Glens Falls, NY) and, that Spring, they invited me to join them for the shows at the Cap Center. My parents denied me those shows just as they had denied me all concerts at that point.

Summer of 1991 approached and, with it, another tour. Then that fateful day of June 14th arrived and my life changed forever.
(Read about it here.)

Anybody who really gets it will tell you that The Grateful Dead were more than just a rock band. And they weren’t just a lifestyle choice, either. They were troubadours bearing a message more complex than peace and love. Theirs was of higher thought and interconnectedness; groupthink and grasping after the elusive “it”. Jerry Garcia, although he casually rejected the mantle of leadership, bore that weight and guided us into places no other music has uncovered.

Have a listen to some of that RFK ’91 show:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=3A22B30080BACE40[/youtube]

Dark Star Crashes…

1972-08-27 PosterToday I want to tell you about one of my favorite bits of Grateful Dead music. Some (most) days I will probably tell you that the 1972-08-27 show from Veneta, Oregon is the Best Show Ever. Naturally, that’s just my opinion but it certainly is one of the great ones.

Played in record heat as a benefit for Ken Kesey’s Creamery, this show features notable performances of China > Rider, Playing In The Band, Jack Straw, Bird Song, and The Greatest Story Ever Told. It’s the triple-punch of Dark Star > El Paso followed by Sing Me Back Home that launches this show up into legendary status.

Dark Star opens the third set just as the sun has slipped away and the band and audience find relief from its blistering heat. They begin at a leisurely pace completely dialed in from their long hot day on the stage and hit several peaks before launching into space. Deep space. Out of that space, an astute listener may think they hear Morning Dew beginning to form. I certainly do. But then, in a move that may forever be questioned but ultimately proves decisive and delightful, Wier begins strumming El Paso and Jerry takes off with it. The intergalactic ego-death of Dark Star into the murderous cowboy ballad of El Paso comes off as a powerful mind-fuck if you let it. The song is nailed and then, after only the briefest pause, they slowly enter Merle Haggard’s prison ballad, Sing Me Back Home. This one is a great song given the most powerful of treatments and should forever go down as one of Garcia’s strongest vocal performances. You’ve got to hear it to believe it, so I’ve setup a stream of this epic three song passage below.

If that does the trick for you, I suggest you seek out the entire show. It also floats around in the form of an unreleased concert film entitled, “Sunshine Daydream”. Here’s the Jack Straw from the film:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2K1dZOeElIo[/youtube]

Dark Star > El Paso & Sing Me Back Home stream comes from the Live Music Archive at Archive.org.

Happy Birthday, Jerry Garcia

Happy 68th Birthday, Jerry.

Please enjoy The Grateful Dead from 1973-08-01 Roosevelt Stadium, Jersey City, NJ

Set 1:


The Promised Land, Sugaree, The Race Is On, You Ain't Woman Enough,

Bird Song, Mexicali Blues, They Love Each Other, Jack Straw, Stella Blue,

Big River, Casey Jones


Set 2:


Around And Around, Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo, Me And My Uncle,

Row Jimmy, Dark Star > El Paso > Eyes Of The World > Morning Dew,

Sugar Magnolia


Encore:


Goin' Down The Road Feeling Bad > One More Saturday Night

Stream via the Live Music Archive at Archive.org

Countdown to Hampton: My First Hampton Shows

Hampton Coliseum

In just two short weeks, Phish will break nearly five years of silence with a three night run in one of their favorite venues: Hampton Coliseum. Over the next two weeks, we’ll give you a little look back at what makes Hampton Coliseum so special to Phish, their fans, and more.

Growing up in nearby Virginia Beach, I came to know Hampton Coliseum as a welcome landmark along the highway, signifying our imminent arrival at home. I did not, however, have the opportunity to attend a concert there until after I’d left the area, midway through High School.

 

Spring of 1992 came around and, with it, Grateful Dead tourdates. The initial announcement included the usual run of shows at my local arena, the Capital Center, and I made plans to attend. I believe that my friend Mike, still in Virginia Beach, is the one who let me know that two shows had been added in Hampton just before the Cap Center run. This time, to skirt the ban, the band changed their name to “Bruce Hornsby and Friends”. They also limited sales to local outlets. This made it, in those pre-Internet days, all the more difficult for me to aquire a ticket. Telling my parents that Mike had one for me, I secured permission to drive down for the Friday night show.

On March 6, 1992, I skipped school, and drove to Hampton. As I had no ticket, I was not permitted to drive into the parking lot so, I parked at a nearby hotel. After securing a pizza box top and magic marker, I began walking up and down Coliseum Drive advertising, “$$ for One Ticket.”

Not ten minutes passed before success smiled upon me and I managed to secure a ticket for face value. I ditched my sign and left my car at the hotel (not advisable these days as the hotels are quite diligent about towing non-guest vehicles.) then I hustled into the lot for my second Grteful Dead show. We, of course, had no cell phones back then but Mike and I had planned to meet at the fountain in front of the coliseum. For those who have been there before for a Grateful Dead or Phish show, I’ll pause a moment so that you may recover from your laughing fit.

…

Upon reaching the fountain, I came to realize that ours was not only a silly plan, but it was not even remotely original. The area teemed with Deadheads- all looking for tickets and/or friends; selling food, crafts, or drugs; participating in or watching a large drum circle; or simply wandering aimlessly. I began to worry a little bit as I stood on the lip of the fountain and surveyed the area. With showtime rapidly approaching, I concocted a plan to go in alone and search further during the set break. I scanned the crowd one last time, noting that the drum circle was shrinking and that the flow of the masses had shifted from aimlessness toward the coliseum entrance. Biting my my lip, I set my resolve to go in alone. Continue reading →