Busted Down On Bourbon Street

This is the anniversary of a very unspecial guest to the Grateful Dead hotel room in New Orleans, Louisiana. In 1970, the Grateful Dead played two shows at The Warehouse, and after the first gig the police raided the band's hotel rooms with their only Probable Cause being that they were the Grateful Dead. The lazy detective got a search warrant at 1:50 AM to search 300 Bourbon Street, Room 2134, which they did that night.

The band was not the first rock band to be busted in a similar fashion by the NOPD and it did not have too much of a negative effect on the band but it did effect us the fan. The bust cemented the fact that Bear would be going to jail. With the Dead's sound guy being jailed, gaps start to appear in the Master's and Soundboards that are in circulation from the Dead's most frequently played year of 1970. Bear was forced to leave the band after the Valentine Day shows at the Fillmore East, which are now Dick's Picks 4, and didn't see the band again until they visited him in prison as I mentioned in DAYS BETWEEN 8/4.
So the Dead went on stage after Fleetwood Mac opened up with the cosmos in full mind-fucking effect on this date. Download the soundboard of the show HERE and HERE.
"And I ain't gonna be treated, this old way," Garcia sings for the bands opener of "Cold Rain and Snow." Bobby then announces that they are going to play an "ultra appropriate song," which "Mama Tried" is for the band at this moment. Afterwards Bobby wants to "Tell 'em as it is Weir" about how the bust is a conspiracy to keep musicians out of New Orleans, which he assures the audience that it won't deter them from returning. "Since action speaks louder than words" it did have an effect on the Dead who wouldn't return to New Orleans for more than 10 years after these shows.

The set gets kicking with the shaking cymbals that indicate the start of "Morning Dew." Garcia seems delivery of the lyric "I thought I saw a young man moan this morning" is very point, considering Jerry came into his hotel room the night before to find the cops riffling through his belongings. The "Mason's" is high energy rock 'n roll and despite the tightness of the song structure the band finds room to jam it out. It's really a wonder why they would only preform this song three more times. This stellar version is a victim of the tape flip, which cuts out part of the song. This quintessential version "Hard to Handle" exemplifies what Pigpen probably had in mind when he convinced the band to "Go electric." Listen to Pigpen howl as the band slips out of the loose blues into bold spacey jam. The band does a great job of pushing the limit of the song, until Pigpen is ready to revive the closing verse. In the background you'll hear the negative cosmos that surrounds the band catch up to Phil's bass amp. As static dominates the band's bassist. Like gremlins in water, once they've infiltrated they don't go back.
As the consummate professionals, the show must go on, so Bobby and Jerry bust out the acoustics to try and keep the audience happy. Bobby preforms a mini set of some of his favorite Country/Western songs. "Long Black Limousine," "Seasons of my Heart," "Saw Mill," the only Grateful Dead version of "Bound in Memories," and "The Race is On" rounds out Bobby's acoustic set. Jerry takes a verse of "Saw Mill" and moves from acoustic to electric guitars durning Bobby's set. Jerry then takes vocals on "Black Peter" which sly transfers into "Little Sadie," which is a treat because rarely did the band link songs acoustically. After "Around this World," Pigpen takes lead on his first ever acoustic song with the band, "Katie Mae." This song would be featured on "Bear's Choice" and is ironically debuted on the day that would be his downfall. The band closes out the set with an acoustic/electric "Cumberland Blues." "I don't know now, I just don't know, if I'm going back again."
The following day the Grateful Dead with members of Fleetwood Mac put on a benefit for show for the Grateful Dead legal mess. The band invited the arresting officers to attend and remarkably some of them did. Durning this show, Mountain Girl called the hotel for Jerry who was on stage. She had just gone into labour with the couple's first child Annabelle.

Cold Rain, Mama Tried, Dire Wolf, Big Boss Man, Morning Dew, Mason's, Uncle, Hard to Handle, Long Black Limousine, Seasons, Saw Mill, Bound In Memories, Race is On, Black Peter, Little Sadie, Around this World, Katie Mae, Cumberland

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If you missed last weekend, which I did because I was on Island time last week. Joe Russo held an event at Brooklyn Bowl, called Almost Dead. Instead of me wasting ink, follow this LINK for description and download of the show. Those are my weekend plans!

January is the slowest month for Special Guest, but things will pick up now in February.

I Got A Friend Somewhere

On this date in 1967, the Grateful Dead played the Human Be-In at the Polo Grounds in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. A Gathering of the Tribes for a Human Be-In was a event that featured poets and local San Francisco bands of the time. The stage alternated between poetry reading by the likes of Allen Gingberg, Gary Synder and Timothy Leary and bands like Quicksilver, Big Brother, Airplane and the Dead.

The gathering of free spirits and hippies was an eye opening event for the band and specifically, Jerry Garcia. After coming down from 710, Jerry was awestruck, saying "There are so many of us." Later reflecting on the event he said, "It was all the people who were into dope of any sort." This was a much bigger scale event than the Acid Test the band was used to playing.
The dawning of age of Aquarius was clearly upon them as 30 thousand bohemian kids descended upon the Polo Grounds. Owsley was running around the event passing out his new strain of LSD that he called "White Lightning." Timothy Leary preached his "turn on, tune in, drop out" message, which every member of the Dead found to be appalling in its message and tone. They were all graduates of the Acid Test and were weary of his message and the politics of the time. According to Rock Scully, one of the event organizers and the Dead's manager, the only speaker that went over well with the crowd was Allen Ginsberg, who read "Howl" then led a chant of "Let's all breathe together."

This is arguably the biggest moment in the band's history at this point. They were in the process of arguing with Warner Brothers for creative control. They had only played a handful of gigs outside of the state of California, and this was by far the biggest audience yet.  The band nailed it with a potent set that even Dizzy Gillespie found to be "swinging."
The soundboard of this show can be downloaded HERE. They open their set with "Morning Dew." There is an edge to this "Dew." It announces itself as a proclamation that we are here and are radical in a different sort of way. Although Garcia shies away from the dissident political tone of the day, this statement of the atomic dawn amid crashing drums and beating rhythm guitars, channels the angry tone of the day and filters it into a beautiful falsetto. Garcia goes for it twice before breaking for the ending solo, which he crushes. This is the first known performance of "Morning Dew."

The band's musical prowess goes on full display as they move into "Viola Lee" next. There are some errors in this copy of the recording, which is unfortunate. As the band starts its decent, after a lengthy solo, the tape cuts and gets spliced as they start to build a speed jam out of the verse. The speed jam though provides quite the excitement. Just when you think you've reached the edge of the cliff you get strung out on a line that keeps you spinning, then takes you right back into the slow blues jaunt. You'll hear Pigpen call out "wow" and the crowd responds with joy, then he calls out "Sing the last verse." The mics got tampered with so Bobby is very faintly singing in the background till Phil, whose mic works, sings, "I got a friend somewhere."

 The special guest of the evening joins them for the final song of the set. This is the second time a special guest joins the band on stage, but it's the first one I have on recording. Previously, on 7/16/66 Joan Baez and Mimi Farina joined the band on "Midnight Hour." Charles Lloyd comes out and plays the jazz flute, that is before Ron Burgundy immortalized the jazz flute in "Anchorman." The vocal mics are still not being up to par. Pigpen tries singing the first verse but its way down in the mix. The band allows Charles Lloyd to go off. At this time, Lloyd was in between his two most popular albums, "Dream Weaver" and "Love-In." Actually, "Love-In" was recorded about two weeks later at the Filmore in San Francisco.
The Dead let Lloyd go off on flute as he does a mini nonsensical rap during the flute solo. They bebop the end of "Schoolgirl" to close the set. During the set a man jumped out a plane and parachuted into the crowd. Like the Dead's playing at the Be-In the parachute enveloped the audience, as the Dead had started to take a giant step forward into the human consciousness.

Morning Dew, Viola Lee, Schoolgirl*

*w/ Charles Lloyd

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New Years '72

"And the joint was jumping" as the final moments of 1972 ticked down the Grateful Dead welcomed in 1973 at the Winterland Arena. Fans that weren't able to get into the show were able to party along with the band on radio KSAN, which you can download HERE and HERE.
In a touch of irony, the band laments the loss of 1972, a fine year in Grateful Dead history, as they complain "Don't you let that Deal go down, no no." A very fine "BE Women" is followed by a sublime "Box" before the energetic "Jack Straw" dazzles the crowd. The radio DJ is afraid of the dead air that is created by the technical problems the band experiences after they play "Candyman" and starts chatting but doesn't stop until halfway through "El Paso." This is why pre-FM recordings are much preferred. Later when the the DJ starts describing the scene inside the venue and spilling the beans about David Crosby being seen backstage (and despite what he says, Bing Crosby is not David's father) at least there is some substance. The first DJ talk up is disastrous because he talks over the music, the second is bad because he gives away state secrets.

The first set featured jam is as usual "Playin' in the Band." The band attacks this with a ferocity of pirated sailors as we walk the plank. The deep waters of the "Playin'" and it's crescent current sweeps us out to sea till the reprise rift reaches for us like a lifeboat. Safely we are brought back. Then the band kicks out a "Casey Jones" with an extended solo that revs the engine till, "And you know that notion, just crossed my...miiind."

The second set starts with a "Promised Land" that restarts the Deadhead engine. This is followed by "Half Step," a song that has fully developed since it's beginning in July. The band takes it's time and builds the coda like a well trained engineer.
The set gets out of control when the band steers out "Truckin'." The roller coaster shifts and bounces our consciousness on the Phil Lesh bass lines. Up and then dropping our stomachs, every shift and turn as the drums steer the band into "Other One." The band lets Billy vent for a stretch and then Phil slides back into the groove, until one by one the guitars and piano pick up on jam. The band stays with the groove created by Billy and Phil as they shoot for the stars. When the reach the stars the whole thing explodes into pieces. The pieces are put back together one by one, till the realization of what was left behind is remembered. The band assaults "The Other One," as the careful guitar work of David Crosby can start to be heard post verse. In a matter similar to their recent album side D, they decent through a "Prelude" jam and into a touching "Morning Dew."
Bobby takes a moment to thank Bill Graham on behalf of the band, then serenades him by tuning up his favorite song. A magnificent "Sing Me Back Home" with some sly guitar rifting by Jerry is played next. This song would only be played 3 more times in '73 and then never again. Essentially it was replaced by the Garcia and Hunter "Stella Blue." So to not leave on a sad note the band rocks out the set with "Johnny B Goode."

I: Around, Deal, Mexicali, BE Woman, Box, Straw, Don't Ease, BIODTL, Candyman, El Paso, Jed, Playin', Casey Jones

II: Promised, Half Step, Big River, Sugaree, Truckin', Other One, Drums, Other One*, Dew*, Sugar Mags, Sing Me, JBG, E: Uncle John's, Saturday Night

*w/ David Crosby

Once again many thanks to Peter White (@pawhite) for creating images for this blog. Being that this year is being dedicated to special guests, I won't have anything till mid January, which as it so happens is the first time someone sat in on a formal Dead gig (not counting the weirdness of the acid trips.) 

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New Years 82

There are so many reasons why New Years is the greatest holiday in Grateful Dead history. The first New Years gig was in 1966 and was of course a Bill Graham Presents event. They skipped 67, but played there first Winterland New Years gig in 1968. This cumulated 10 years later when the band closed the Winterland with there midnight show in 1978. "Closing of Winterland" was later released as a CD/DVD, but before that David Lemieux said that it was the third most requested archival release to Cornell '77 and Venture '72.
Being that New Years is the date that just keeps on giving, I've decided to honor the holiday with an New Years Eve show and a Midnight show, which will be published at midnight. Both of these shows features special guest and the first is 30 years ago, New Years '82, which you can download SBD's HERE, HERE, and HERE.

The show opens with a whimsical "Cold Rain and Snow," because this was Jerry and Mountain Girl's first wedding anniversary. When he sings, "I married me a wife, she's been trouble all my life," he is taking a humorous jab at MG. Bobby of course follows that up with "Girl now you made me love ya, woman, now your man is gone." The first special guest of the night, Matthew Kelley sits in on this  excellent "CC Rider." An energetic "Cumberland" is followed by a sweet "Far From me" and an enticing "Cassidy." Jerry gets gitty again with this "Ramble on Rose." Bobby then graces a crowd to rousing version of "LL Rain," before Jerry caps the set with Chuck Berry-esk "Day Job."

The Grateful Dead played "Sugar Magnolia" at the start of more New Years sets more than any other song. The tradition was started at the request of Bill Graham who called it his favorite Dead song. Don't adjust the volume because through the "Mags" there is the pre-recorded music that is competing with the band through the PA. So "Sugar Mags" is how the band rings in the New Year, and before they get to "Sunshine Daydream," they slyly progress into "Sugaree." From here the band pops into a lively "Woman are Smarter" before a graceful "Ship of Fools." The "Playin'" that comes next is thick with waves of notes that flutter up and down through the cosmos. Out of "Space" the second special guest of the evening joins the band, John Cipollina plays on the rest of the second set. "NFA" a song that would have fit nicely in the Quicksilver catalog because of the rhythmic beat of the song, features some great interplay between Garcia and Cipollina. "Deal" comes flying out of a dissolved "NFA," before the hitting beat of "Sunshine Daydream" closes the set.

The third set starts with a third set of special guests joining the band on stage, the blues legend Etta James and the Tower of Power horn section. They had joined the band the night beforehand for the encore. These two nights saw two non-Pigpen version of "Hard to Handle," which Ms. Etta James took lead vocals on. "Lovelight" has a perfect transition into "Tell Mama," and to think 4 years earlier the Blues Brothers would have loved to make this transition. The "Hard to Handle" is worth the 11 year wait, as Etta and Tower of Power kick the song into high gear. Then Bobby and Etta take vocals on the first "Midnight Hour" since the final gig at the Fillmore East, which was 730 shows ago! The long over due wait was well worth it.

Again at midnight EST, I'll publish another show blog. If you have Sirius/XM, you can listen to the Furthur New Years show live from the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium on the Grateful Dead channel number 23. Once again thanks to my fellow traveler Peter White for creating these images for this blog. Follow him on twitter @pawhite.

I: Cold Rain, CC Rider*, Cumberland, Far From Me, Cassidy, Ramble, LL Rain, Day Job

II: Sugar Mags, Sugaree, Woman, Ship, Playin', Drums, Space, NFA**, Deal **, SSDD**

III: Lovelight***, Tell Mama***, Baby What you Want***, Hard To Handle***, Midnight Hour***, E: Brokedown

*Matt Kelley **John Cipollina ***Etta James & Tower of Power

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WEATHER DOWN HERE

Some times Santa's sled can slow down the travel of love one's and bandmates. That's what happened on this date in 1969 to Billy Kreutzmann and the Grateful Dead. This facilitated the second ever Acoustic/Electric show in GD history, which you can download HERE and HERE.

As Jerry says at the beginning of the show "Billy is somewhere over Omaha right now but we assured that he'll be here soon." Instead of making the audience sit around between acts, Bobby and Jerry decide to play a couple of songs on acoustics. Eventually Phil joins the boys but the audience that was coming to see a set similar to the "Live Dead" release are now seeing a bunch of country and bluegrass standards. The really gives it to Bobby because all his songs come from Country Western TV shows, which a Texan is of course familiar with, and an interesting dialog ensues. Eventually Bobby calls a song to which you hear Jerry respond, "I don't know that one. Do you?" Bobby does and sings "The Master's Bouquet." Jerry's musicianship shines through as he manages to play along and sing harmonies. You really understand why Jefferson Airplane used him as their "Musical and Spiritual Adviser" on "Surrealistic Pillow." Jerry introduces the crowd two new songs, "Black Peter" and "Uncle John's Band," and Billy arrives right before the last acoustic song.
If I can pose a question it would be, why no "Dupree's" or "Mountains of the Moon?" Both songs fell out of their brief rotation in July of this same year. Did they have to play Country & Western songs? Too bad I wasn't backstage to ask.

The Electric starts with a furious "Casey Jones." Knocking the socks off the crowd, in a couple of months "Workingman's Dead" would be released and this song would be on everyone's turntable. While Jerry, Bobby and Phil were playing a wooden set, Pigpen was obviously backstage drinking. He sings a pretty sloppy "Hard to Handle." He comes in early on the second verse and then forgets most of the verse as he tries to keep up. A psychedelic "China/Rider" features some outstanding transitional leads by Phil. Then listen to Jerry's voice go falsetto on the "I wish I was a headlight" line. He did this a couple of times (Comes a Time in 71 and So Many Rds in 95), this is the first time I know of, and when it happens he seems shocked like he doesn't know where to go next. He resumes in his normal voice for "I'd shine my light through the cool Colorado rain."
The band goes "Full Psychedelic" as they slide in to a 23 plus minute "Dark Star." The full super powers of this "Dark Star" unfortunately fall victim to the tape change in the middle of the second verse. Before that their is beauty and fear in the catechism of the musical landscape. As the tape cuts back in the band is in the middle of "Speedway." This version features the short lived background vocals. They got dropped faster than "Sweet Suzie." Pigpen was then given a chance at redemption, as the "Lovelight" rift lifts the roof off the place.
After this lone night in Texas, the band went on to play three nights in Boston, which included a New Years show. This is the only New Years show that the band played outside of the greater San Francisco/Oakland area. My next post will feature at least one of the fantastic New Years show the band played.

Acoustic: Monkey & Engineer, Sadie, Long Black Limousine, Around This World, Master's Bouquet, Black Peter, Uncle John's

Electric: Casey Jones, Hard To Handle, Cold Rain, China Cat, Rider, High Time, My Uncle, Dark Star, Speedway, Lovelight

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EVERYBODY'S PLAYING

Here is the most compelling Christmas song Jerry Garcia ever played, God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen. This was recorded live in December of 1991, with David Grisman and company. Why they never recorded this to be on their "So What" jazz album is beyond me.

My announcement about the future of the my blog is that I want it to continue for as long as possible. So in order to make it last, I'm going to spend the next doing a concept year. The next year will be everybody who played in the Heart of Gold Band. These will be Special and not so Special Guest, which will be left to my own discretion. The Allman's, The Band, Bob Dylan, The Beach Boys, and the police as in the cops will be some of the Special Guest.
I'm really looking forward to this project, even though my busiest time of year is going to be right when MB (Mountain Baby) comes, so I'm going to be busy. MB has to learn to rock out and nap time will fully be utilized as writing time.
I'm going to start this on New Years and end on next New Years, (even though this blog was started impulsively on Cornell 77 day) because there is so many amazing New Year shows and guest. I hope you enjoy this, even though years like 76 and 77 won't be featured in the next year.
Please feel free to RT, MT, or whatever else you have to do to tell your friends because "The Candyman is in town."

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FEELING GOOD WAS EASIER

The Grateful Dead finished their fall 1973 tour with two shows in Tampa Florida. Today is the anniversary of the first of the two nights. The second night was released as Dick's Picks Volume 1 in 1993. Download the show HERE and HERE.

The show opens up with a fluffy "Tennessee Jed," which was used as an opener only four times and this is the third time it was done. A rare comical drumming error by Billy occurs durning the beginning of the "LLRain." Billy is playing the beat for "BT Wind" and when Bobby sings the first line, sheepishly Billy drops into a lazier beat for the correct song. There is no mistake by the band member for the upbeat "TLEO," which features the break and the third verse that later versions abandoned. After a lively "Bobby McGee," the piano needs to be tuned and this prompts Bobby to improv a story for the folks in the crowd. It's a story that he builds from audience participation, which makes it kind of funny considering "Holland was now neutral." Lucky the piano gets tuned in time for a prefect "BE Women." The set ends with a blazing "Jack Straw" and "China/Rider." The "China Cat" glows like an early winter sunset. A crest of sparkling glowing colors, peaking as it flows into the "Feeling Groovy" jam that eases into the "Rider."

The second set of music gives you something to write home about.
                                               Dear Mom, 
                                               You missed an amazing set of music. 
                                                                 Love, 
                                                                         Your Son
The band strings together three rockers to open up the set. Then Jerry calls "Row Jimmy" and plays a slide solo between the verses that melt like butter on your heart strings. So delicately each quiver of each note is song unto itself. The jamming begins with "Weather Report Suite." The accumulating comfort the boys have with the song has grown in the two months since it's debut. The a master seamstress the band sews together "Let It Grow" and "Dark Star." The "Dark Star" floats for a while around the theme before disintegration occurs, but the energy of the lead in "Weather Report" is something the band doesn't lose. The keen listener will pick up on different proposed directions for the "Dark Star" to go in, but Jerry stays the course. The presented themes are "Sugar Mags," "Mind Left Body," and "Other One." At about the 20 minute mark, Jerry stumbles up yet another theme and in order to aline the stars, he pauses for a "Drums" break before vaulting into an "Eyes." Phil's bass solo jam at the "Eyes" sets up the band for energetic out put jam, till Jerry and Phil hit these excitable alternating notes that peak the song. A magnificent "Wharf Rat" is pulled from the "Eyes" jam, before being kicked into high gear for the set closer "Sugar Mags." Listen to Phil in the background scream at Bobby right before the "Mags," "Go ahead." Yeah Bobby, what you waiting for go ahead.

I: Jed, My Uncle, Don't Ease, LL Rain, TLEO, Bobby McGee, BE Women, BIODTL, Peggy-O, El Paso, Deal, Jack Straw, China Cat, Rider

II: Promised, Bertha, Greatest, Row Jimmy, WRS, Dark Star, Drums, Eyes, Wharf Rat, Sugar Mags E:Uncle John's