The Dead

strat1117 · Apr 22, 2009

Getting psyched for the Dead show at the Nassau Coliseum on Friday night (4/24). I heard the Buffalo show was top shelf, just like a '73 GD show -- Playin' in the Band, Eyes of the World, Promised Land, etc., etc.

It's been a few years, and I can hardly wait!!!

Anyone else see (or going to see) any of the shows on this tour?

:a5:

strat1117 · Apr 23, 2009

Not a single Dead Head in the lot of you!?!?!?

I just can't believe that. Where's otherstar?

:a5:

SmoovD · Apr 23, 2009

I admit that I have an appreciation for the Grateful Dead. The past few years I have defintely made a swing towards the JGB- love that R&B groove. It has been interesting since Jerry died for we now have a few bands carrying on the same vibe: The Dead, Phil and Friends, the occasional Other Ones and Ratdog tours. But I can always listen to '72 or '77 shows. When they were on very few bands could touch them. But when they weren't on they were OMG bad.

thirdeye · Apr 23, 2009

The boys will be in Hartford soon. You know were I'll be found.... :w00t:

wilsonent · Apr 23, 2009

What did the Grateful Dead fan say when he ran out of pot?

"Hey,,,,,this band sucks!"

strat1117 · Apr 23, 2009

SmoovD said:
But I can always listen to '72 or '77 shows. When they were on very few bands could touch them. But when they weren't on they were OMG bad.

Those are absolutely prime years. Unfortunately, there were a lot of drugs involved, and when you add that to the improvising "without a net" nature of much of what they played, you can get some pretty high highs, and some pretty low lows. That's one of the reasons we love 'em -- they are, in their way, extremely human.

wilsonent said:
What did the Grateful Dead fan say when he ran out of pot?

"Hey,,,,,this band sucks!"

Gee, I never heard that one before . . . . :tongue_sm

TimmyBoston · Apr 23, 2009

Saw the Grateful Dead in one of their last shows when I was in the 8th grade. I absolutely hated it. I guess that really shows what effect never having tasted alcohol or doing a drug has on their music.

Jcof3474 · Apr 23, 2009

I consider the Grateful Dead to be my all time favorite band even though I don't listen to them as much as I used to in high school and college (I'm 25). I did get to see the Dead play at the first Bonnaroo, and that was a great moment for me.

J.

strat1117 · Apr 23, 2009

TimmyBoston said:
Saw the Grateful Dead in one of their last shows when I was in the 8th grade. I absolutely hated it. I guess that really shows what effect never having tasted alcohol or doing a drug has on their music.

Those shows in the 90's, just before Jerry died, were among the worst. Jerry was sick of being the "head hippie", and he was just mailing it in at best. You needed to see them in the 70's to really understand wihat the band was about. And trust me, it was about music, NOT drugs. Check out Workingman's Dead, for example, and tell me that you need to be high to appreciate that music.

Enjoy!

Jcof3474 · Apr 23, 2009

TimmyBoston said:
Saw the Grateful Dead in one of their last shows when I was in the 8th grade. I absolutely hated it. I guess that really shows what effect never having tasted alcohol or doing a drug has on their music.

Trust me, their music has nothing to do with drugs or alcohol. In fact I hate it when there music is stereotyped as music for drugged out hippies. Sure I love the Dead, Phish, Widespread Panic (amongst many other types and genres of music), but I am in no way a hippie and don't do drugs. Not all of their fans are wookies; I am a clean cut and go to church every Sunday kind of guy. I just happen to love music that allows for improv and is free for the musicians to take a song in a different direction when they want.
Try some live Dead from the 70's, there is nothing like it!

J.

scoopster · Apr 23, 2009

I saw the Saturday night show (4/19) in Worcester MA. I hadn't seen the band in a while so it was nice to see some things never change. It was a pretty laid back set. Lots of jammin in between what was a mostly mellow set of songs. The folks I went with also went to the Sunday night show and said the setlist was much better.

I figured I had better go to a few more shows before the band looses another founding member, or keyboard player.

SmoovD · Apr 23, 2009

strat1117 said:
Those shows in the 90's, just before Jerry died, were among the worst. Jerry was sick of being the "head hippie", and he was just mailing it in at best. You needed to see them in the 70's to really understand wihat the band was about. And trust me, it was about music, NOT drugs. Check out Workingman's Dead, for example, and tell me that you need to be high to appreciate that music.

Enjoy!

True dat. I would add that by the end the crowd was worse than the band. There are plenty of great runs and great individual shows throughout the band's career. I love the Pigpen-era. Too bad having Keith meant having Donna. The Midland years were pretty decent as well. Hell, I have even grown to like some of the disco-dead. There are even some quality early 90's gigs but by the end it was brutal.

What I loved about a Dead show was the chance to hear rock, blues, country and free jazz in the same show. Sometimes even the same song. Their ability to improvise was spellbinding. For me, the best part of the shows were Space or any other improv where the band really pushed the envelope. Awesome stuff.

Too bad they spawned so many dreadful jam bands. For every Gov't Mule there are 10 Phish-like noodlers. Just my opinion, of course.

otherstar · Apr 23, 2009

strat1117 said:
Not a single Dead Head in the lot of you!?!?!?

I just can't believe that. Where's otherstar?

I'm right here. I've been swamped with work stuff lately and been a little under the weather to boot, so I haven't been on much lately. Thanks for thinking of me.

For the OP: I'm super jealous!! I'd love to be able to see them but I won't get the chance. They aren't coming anywhere near Texas and my budget won't let me travel right now.

otherstar · Apr 23, 2009

SmoovD said:
True dat. I would add that by the end the crowd was worse than the band. There are plenty of great runs and great individual shows throughout the band's career. I love the Pigpen-era. Too bad having Keith meant having Donna. The Midland years were pretty decent as well. Hell, I have even grown to like some of the disco-dead. There are even some quality early 90's gigs but by the end it was brutal.

What I loved about a Dead show was the chance to hear rock, blues, country and free jazz in the same show. Sometimes even the same song. Their ability to improvise was spellbinding. For me, the best part of the shows were Space or any other improv where the band really pushed the envelope. Awesome stuff.

Too bad they spawned so many dreadful jam bands. For every Gov't Mule there are 10 Phish-like noodlers. Just my opinion, of course.

I hear that! I only saw one show and that was in 1991. I've heard very few post '91 recordings that do that much for me. One of the guys I was at the show with had been a fan since seeing them in San Francisco in 1967, I would have loved to have been able to see them sometime between 1967-72!

BarryR · Apr 23, 2009

Wow. The Dead at Nassau Coliseum. I last saw the (Grateful) Dead there in the late 70's! I was (am) a fan, but never quite considered myself a true "Dead Head". I have thought about seeing them now, but it takes a lot to get me to go to a large venue.

Have fun!

Brodirt · Apr 23, 2009

My partner is a huge Dead head. He is out this week and some of next with 5 shows.

Me, I don't get it. The overwhelming majority of "fans" these days were in grade school when Jerry died.

Oh, and in case I didn't mention it, Jerry's dead...has been for 14 years!

I have this elbow-in-ribs conversation weekly in my office, by the way. Im just cranky this week on this topic because its 2009, Jerry's been dead for 14 years, my partner is in his mid-40s, I'm in my mid-40s, and I have to cover for him because he thinks he's out "on the bus."

That said, in there heyday, when they were on they were a darn good live band...with or without the pot.

ouch · Apr 23, 2009

All I remember is that their concerts were the easiest place to pick up girls ever.

soapbox · Apr 23, 2009

SmoovD said:
There are plenty of great runs and great individual shows throughout the band's career. I love the Pigpen-era. Too bad having Keith meant having Donna.

Thank you, thank you for saying that. I've thought it for a long time but didn't want to incur the wrath of my friends who really go ape for the Grateful Dead.

What I loved about a Dead show was the chance to hear rock, blues, country and free jazz in the same show. Sometimes even the same song. Their ability to improvise was spellbinding. For me, the best part of the shows were Space or any other improv where the band really pushed the envelope. Awesome stuff.

Well put! That definitely sums up my experience with their music.

Mainecanefan · Apr 23, 2009

scoopster said:
I saw the Saturday night show (4/19) in Worcester MA. I hadn't seen the band in a while so it was nice to see some things never change. It was a pretty laid back set. Lots of jammin in between what was a mostly mellow set of songs. The folks I went with also went to the Sunday night show and said the setlist was much better.

I figured I had better go to a few more shows before the band looses another founding member, or keyboard player.

The scheduling gods had a good laugh that night in Worcester. While the Dead fans were gathering and getting ready to invade the DCU Center, the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival was going on at the Palladium. It was hilarious watching the deadheads and the metalheads comingle. I enjoyed my night at the Palladium immensely. I enjoyed walking past numerous gorked out deadheads and screaming "Look!! It's Jerry!! He's alive!!" I turned down a guy at the hotel who offered to deliver nitrous balloons to my room. That was a MetalFest to remember for sure.

Walter Sobchak · Apr 23, 2009

thirdeye said:
The boys will be in Hartford soon. You know were I'll be found....

RAY! I'll see you there. :001_smile

It'll feel weird to see them without Jerry, I think. I'm WAY too young to have seen anything with Pigpen or Keith (and, ahem, Donna). I did see a few Brent shows. Really, though, I think Vince and Bruce were great, but maybe that's just because that was my era of touring.

I've seen quite a few shows. All were good in one way or another, even when they sucked...if that makes sense. Unfortunately, the farthest west I ever got to see them was at Buckeye Lake a couple of times (love that venue), and the farthest south I've seen them was RFK.

I always wished I had seen a some west coast shows, and maybe seen them at MSG. Boston Garden shows were always a blast. I'm thinking MSG would have been the same.

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