Personal Favorites

(This page will always be under construction.)
Favorite Shows
11-07-71 Harding Theatre
The entire show just rocks! Not spacey show,but pure 
rock n' roll.
 
06-18-74 Freedom Hall
Nicely played show. Parts of the show will leave you breathless, at least it does for me. Take a listen to the section of WRS Prelude->WRS Part I->Let it Grow->Other One->Its a Sin Jam and you'll know what I'm talking about. Musical heaven. By the way, the encore of Morning Dew just speaks for itself. Wow!
05-08-77 Barton Hall
Some people have said that this show is over rated, 
that's their opinion. 2nd set has some of the best music 
the Dead has ever produced. Immense Scarlet>Fire. Beautiful
Morning Dew. 1st set not bad either w/ a hot Dancin'!
07-08-78 Red Rocks
Killer show, even though Donna totally destroys a hot 
deal.Highlight: Estimated>Other One>Eyes..Triple encore
12-01-79 Stanley Theatre
Intense from the start and never seems to let up. Jack 
Straw -> Sugaree opener is one of the best openings you'll 
find! Smokin'. Very nice 1st set, is just a prelude for 
what the 2nd set would bring. China->Rider nice opener,but 
the "meat" of the set comes after He's Gone. The band lead 
us into a thrilling "Gloria" jam. Simply amazing! To top 
this, (you couldn't think they could,but they do..)the band
breaks out its first CC Rider. Pure Bobby. You would think 
it might take a few versions to get the cobwebs out,but 
this version smokes with Bobby going crazy on vocals at the
end of the show. Yes, this show deserves a big WOW!
06-18-83 Saratoga Performing Arts Center
Show starts off with a hopping Bertha -> Jack Straw 
opener and never lets up.
Highlights: Scarlet -> Fire,Morning Dew
04-06-82 Spectrum
Very well played show. Every tune is nice and crisp!
10-10-82 Frost Ampitheatre
 Very nice show, which includes one of the best,if not 
the best, set one closings in their hostory. Nice opener 
of Minglewood->Sugaree,but the gem of the show is the end 
of the 1st set, which has a fine rendition of Looks Like 
Rain. Set 1 ending: Loser->Far From Me->Looks Like 
Rain->China->Rider.
07-13-85 Ventura Fairgrounds
Saturday Night--->Fire on the Mountain to open the show.
My favorite solo Fire on the Mountain. Solid show from 
start to end.
 
09-18-87 Madison Square Garden
Somewhat short 1st set, but well played. The real "meat"
of this show is the 2nd set. The 2nd set is played with a 
purpose. They were on, period. Highlight: a very sweet 
Morning Dew. Bonus, this Dew wasn't even the closer. Too 
much!
10-03-87 Shoreline Ampitheatre
Hot show from start to end. Highlights: Hey Pockey Way..
Maggie's Farm>Cumberland to open 2nd set
03-18-90 Hartford Civic Center
(The following review is posted with the permission of Roger 
Catlin, the rock critic of the Hartford Courant. This review 
appeared in The Hartford Courant's March 19,1990 edition. Thanks 
Roger!)

Grateful Dead are Mellow and Musical
"It would be easy to say that the Grateful Dead are making big 
money on the road selling the '60s to tie-dyed kids who weren't 
even born then.
But it also might be true that the Dead sound nearly as good 
today as they ever had in that long strange, quarter-century 
trip. And maybe it is the utter lack of pretension and 
single-minded commitment to the music that attracts easily the 
most fanatical bond of vagabond followers short of organized 
religion.
The ploy of keeping Hartford dates secret until just a week 
ago didn't quite succeed; instead of Deadheads' descending on the 
city with tickets to the show Sunday, there were thousands of 
Deadheads with no tickets.
The nearly three-hour show Sunday started with an espcially 
stirring 15-minute version of "Shakedown Street." Besides the 
local appeal of its chorus, "Don't tell me this town ain't got no 
heart," it whizzed into an improvisation the band usually doesn't 
unleash until the second set---backed with a more soulful than 
usual grove.
However he may look, Jerry Garcia was in good shape 
vocally(especially compared with the 1988's shows here). His 
bright lead guitar solos were augmented with a brand new 
sund,courtesy of a new MIDI hookup that had him playing what 
soounded like a saxaphone honk on "Iko Iko," a trumpet solo in 
"Ramble on Rose" and a full Mexicali horn section o"Mexicali 
Blues."
p>A bit of strain on Bob Weir's voice didn't keep him from trying 
to stretch it on a few of his bes tunes,including "Looks 
LikeRain" and "When I Paint My Masterpiece," one of two Bob Dylan 
songs performed(the other, a scorching "All Along the 
Watchtower"). Willie Dixon was another source for materila Sunday 
with his standards "Little Red Rooster" and "Spoonful."

Keyboardist Brent Mydland, still the new guy after 10 
years,brought out the only song from the last two studi albums. 
"Just a Little Light" hadmore structure and punch than a lot of 
the mellow materal performed, but it also seemed a bit poppy and 
out of place.
Phil Lesh, who turned 50 last week, provided more of his 
underrated melodic bass underpinnings, flat-picked from a 
six-string model. And Mickey Hart and Bill Kruetzmann provided 
double percussion behind them, as well as kicking off the 15 
minutes of drumming andf electronic noodling that was the only 
time the whole house wasn't dancing.
In all, it was a solid and very musical concert that never 
once(wellmaybe once) approached the doldrums od shows from, say, 
15 years ago. So here's to another 25 years of the Dead."
   
Roger Catlin
Rock Critic
Hartford Courant
To add my two cents, Shakedown Street and Music Never Stopped 
are smokin'!
09-20-90 Madison Square Garden
U S Blues to end 1st set!! Enough said. To put a cherry 
on top, add a jammin' China>Rider & Dark Star and what more
can you ask for?
09-10-91 Madison Square Garden
Branford Marsalis plays entire show. You gotta love what
Branford adds to a show. On this night, it was pure magic.
Shakedown>CC Rider>Traincry is immaculate..Some of the 
finest Dead I've heard
Favorite Versions
China>Rider: 5-3-72,8-27-72,9-20-90
Scalet>Fire: 5-8-77,11-1-79,6-18-83
WRS Prelude->WRS Part I->Let it Grow: 6-18-74
Estimated Prophet: 7-8-78
Eyes of the World: 8-6-74
Fire on the Mountain(solo): 10-31-80,7-13-85
Looks Like Rain: 10-10-82,10-31-85
Shakedown Street: 3-18-90,9-10-91
Music Never Stopped: 3-18-90
CC Rider>Traincry: 9-10-91
Big River: 6-25-85
Morning Dew: 5-8-77,6-18-83,9-18-87
Dancin' in the Streets: 5-8-77
Dark Star: 10-31-91
Minglewood Blues: 6-21-89
Sugaree: 5-28-77,12-1-79,12-28-79
1/2 Step: 5-7-77
Masterpiece: 6-21-89
Jack Straw: 5-8-81
Bertha: 3-19-90
Friend of the Devil: 7-2-89
Hell in a Bucket: 10-4-87
C.C. Rider: 12-1-79
Saint of Circumstance: 10-4-81
I Need a Miracle: 10-18-78,1-11-79
So Many Roads: 10-01-94
Memphis Blues: 2-12-89
Goin Down The Road: 11-7-71 (really no comparison out there!)

Max Creek
If you are not familiar with Max Creek, I think it will 
be worth your time to check them out. They are an amazing band 
that knows how to jam! They just celebrated their 29th 
anniversary. They must be doing something right to last this 
long.
03-22-97 Great American Music Hall
This show rocks!

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