Love The One You're With

Today is the 30 year anniversary of a two night run at the Brendan Byrne Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Spring 83 run is a vastly underrated run in Grateful Dead history. The UVM show from a couple of days earlier is among the finest of the first half of the 80's. These two high energy shows and thick jam made them a fixture in most Grateful Dead tape collection. That and the fact that the great Stephen Stills sits in for both the Jersey shows; which you can download night one HERE and HERE, and night two HERE, HERE, and HERE.

The first night opens with "Minglewood," which always raises a red flag for me because it opened the infamous Cornell 77 show. The first set is punctuated with spacious "Bird Song" and a punctual "Brother Esau," along with the set closer combo of "LL Rain/Touch." The early "Touch's" are different because they end up sound more like "Bertha" than the hit, because of Brent's approach to the song.
The second set sees the band linking their two 1970 hit's together pre-Drums with the "Uncle John's/Truckin'" combo. Post "Space," Stills joins the band for the second ever "Black Queen." Bobby clearly gets charged up by the performance and calls his fading "Bob Star." as the band geared up "Other One." Stills returns to the stage and tries to keep up with Bobby's encore rap of "Johnny B Goode," but bails in the harmonies because Bobby is going too fast for him.

The second night opens with "Touch" and in a study of contrast, Bobby picks out "Rooster" out of the closing notes. As "Rooster" ends there is a ambient sound, which in the background is called a Transmitter. It actually sounds pretty cool, like future midi space sound, but "Parrish and the boys get under control as Jerry starts to pick out "Dupree's." An excellent "Let It Grow," which pushes the boardline of time and space, prompts Jerry to tear into one more rocker to close the set.
The fun begins with "Help/Slip/ Frank's" as a door swings open for the second set. Brent really works hard to keep the band together as interplay between Jerry and Phil pushes the "Slip" onward and upward. After a nice "Women" piggybacks on the the energy of the blazing "Franklin's," before venturing into to a mammoth "Playin'." Clocking in at close to 20 minutes this magnificent exploratory jam stretches and reaches the bounds of Grateful Dead excellence.
Again out of "Space," Stills marches out to join the band, this time choosing his most well known solo song. A hippie tribute to free-love, the band puts a charge into "Love the One You're With." Stills leaves the stage as the band uses "The Wheel" to circle back around to reprise "Playin'." An early version of "Throwing Stones," which doesn't have the full written and developed jam break, as Stills returns to help the band rock out the closer "Not Fade Away."

Furthur just announced their summer plans, it should be noted that the Brooklyn comes in between Phish's gigs at Jones Beach and PNC. Could that mean a special guest or two at any of these three gigs? This is the anniversary of the Warfield weekend in 1999 with Phil & Phriends.

4/16/83

I: Minglewood, Jed, Uncle, Mexicali, Bird Song, Esau, West LA, Maybe You Know, LL Rain, Touch

II: China, Rider, UJB, Truckin', Drums, Space, Black Queen*, Iko*, Bob Star, Other One, Black Peter, OMSN* E: JGB*

4/17/83

I: Touch, Rooster, Dupree's, BIODTL, Roses, Cassidy, Big RxR, Esau, Peggy-O, Let It Grow, 

Might as Well

II: Help, Slip, Frank's, Women, Playin', Drums, Space, Love the One*, Wheel, Playin', T Stones, NFA*, E: Brokedown

*with Stephen Stills