tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18366371.post7975095010379141978..comments2024-03-15T18:58:45.318-06:00Comments on Jerry Garcia's Middle Finger: The Compensation Hypothesis: GD, January 7, 1978, San Diego Community ConcourseFate Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05648291938690043423noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18366371.post-32825188513714355592016-04-05T13:02:04.476-06:002016-04-05T13:02:04.476-06:00I was at the 4/3/88 show in Hartford when Jerry ha...I was at the 4/3/88 show in Hartford when Jerry had terrible laryngitis. I was familiar with the San Diego shows and was bewildered and disappointed that they didn't try the same thing here. Jerry's voice is terrible the entire show, and then they play "Black Peter." Right before the coda solo, he disgustedly swats the microphone out of its stand. That's the pop you hear at 7:02:<br /><br />https://archive.org/details/gd1988-04-03.nak300.carpenter.andrewf.89986.sbeok.flac16<br /><br />From then on, Jerry really leans into his solo. From watching him as well as listening, I would characterize the playing as "angry" rather than "good." There was no doubt in my mind at the time, though, that he was trying to compensate for something, or obliterate it, with his playing.Mr. Mysteryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11406060935660262330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18366371.post-37952595315233884542016-04-04T13:22:23.517-06:002016-04-04T13:22:23.517-06:00Fascinating observation about the reversal of the ...Fascinating observation about the reversal of the later years. I don't know them well enough to have ever thought of that.Fate Musichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05648291938690043423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18366371.post-74549269649431090402016-04-04T12:22:08.990-06:002016-04-04T12:22:08.990-06:00It sort of worked the other way, too- some of Garc...It sort of worked the other way, too- some of Garcia's best ballad singing was in 1994 and 1995, at the point where his fingers were having pronounced difficulties in doing all of the tricks that he had taught them over the years. <br /><br />As for the notion of Jerry's guitar work excelling to make up for vocal problems, 12-31-1990 supports that theory- voice shot, fairly amazing playing. Although that show really makes it because of the group effort- an octet!- giving one of the top performances of the GD's last five years as a band. DC Readehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16966699799030112905noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18366371.post-9256297206684933372016-03-26T21:36:01.421-06:002016-03-26T21:36:01.421-06:00The St. Stephen on 1/11/78 Shrine features some ri...The St. Stephen on 1/11/78 Shrine features some rippin' Jerry solos...Dr. Jeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17771229779025430726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18366371.post-51888246274914871102015-01-07T21:59:51.771-07:002015-01-07T21:59:51.771-07:00Generally speaking I think there was something to ...Generally speaking I think there was something to say for the idea that if a leg of a Grateful Dead tour started off well, the whole tour was generally pretty good. This may have been as much an indicator as cause, but I still think it's relevant. The January-February 78 tour was an all-timer, and most people don't realize it. I have written about how the Fresno show (Jan 15) was my personal best, but there are meltdown jams from every stop.<br /><br />We can look at it another way: the Dead had the deck stacked against them as the tour opened, and Jerry and the band were determined to make it a great show anyway, and they did. Fresno was a similar situation, albeit for a different reason (a tiny, disinterested audience), and the Dead managed to kill it anyway. The Oregon show and the Dick's Picks shows (Feb 3 and Feb 5) are well-known, but there's no all-out duds anywhere on that tour. <br /><br />I think this fits your theory--Jerry was generally determined to make his performances worthwhile, and when he couldn't do it one way he did it another. The Dead, collectively, was a different beast (albeit one that included Jer), and not always able to successfully exert its will. Garcia had more impact on his own band, so his determination to make something worthwhile out of every show was more apparent. Corry342https://www.blogger.com/profile/08049035074121231425noreply@blogger.com