Brief Encounters of the Weird Kind: JGB at Penn State, December 11, 1977

jg1977-12-11.jgb.all.sbd-sirmick.80773.flac1644

Again, listening notes may be briefer for awhile. Certainly, these are bullet-style.

David Gans once said something to the effect that Garcia exhibits the shortest distance between spirit and fingertip of any musician he knows. That's probably not quite right, but it was something like this. A reviewer from this last show of the Fall '77 JGB tour, Don Foster, sort of alludes to the same notion, in saying  "I'd swear if there was some way of putting a tracer into his vibrations you would see them travel through his body to his fingertips, out to his guitar, and then into the audience."

I also like Foster's take here: "The Mystery Cat banner in the background reminded me a lot of Donna Godchaux. She would leave the stage when she was not singing and like a cat reappear mysteriously for her next number." Very evocative. I'd say the show has a really sleek, unperturbed kind of feline energy to it. Smooth, pretty graceful.

Nice tape. Thank you for the work on it, sirmick. I didn't compare with other versions - all circulating sources are sbds, presumably from the same root tape. John sounds full and fat, as he would through 1978.

This is a rare Jerry-before-GD performance space.

Peppy "Sitting In Limbo". I like it. And "I Second That Emotion" finds some nice room that I also dug.

Turns out the "Close Encounters" theme in "Lonesome And A Long Way From Home," one of a few on the tour, and which I have mentioned before, is extremely brief. But there is more than one encounter here, as after "Love In The Afternoon" we hear some stage talk about aliens, and then, before "Russian Lullaby," Jerry and John noodle on the famous five-note theme for a good 30 seconds. And, because we focus on Garcia On The Side (GOTS) here, we are contractually obligated to note that this occurs before the Grateful Dead would grapple more fully and wildly with the theme on 1/22/78 in Eugene. Just sayin'.

Band got $12,500 + $2,500 sound and lights for the gig, which only grossed something like 16 grand. Gotta love those student activities budgets! Proft, schmofit, so long as the kids have a good time.

Jerry Garcia Band
Recreation Hall, Penn State University
Curtin Rd.
University Park, PA 16802
December 11, 1977 (Sunday)
sbd sirmick remaster shnid-80773

--set I (5 tracks, 54:22)--
s1t01. How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) [9:22] [0:06] % [0:03]
s1t02. Catfish John [10:04] % [0:07]
s1t03. Simple Twist Of Fate [12:33] %
s1t04. Sitting In Limbo [10:24] [0:07] %
s1t05. Mystery Train [11:31] (1) [0:04]

--set II + encore (8 tracks, 97:56)--
--set II (7 tracks, 79:31)--
s2t01. [0:03] Love In The Afternoon (2) [11:51] % [0:05]
s2t02. I Second That Emotion [14:12] % [0:06]
s2t03. Gomorrah [7:07] % [0:06]
s2t04. Harder They Come [11:32] [0:18] %
s2t05. (3) [0:54] Russian Lullaby [14:29] % [0:04]
s2t06. Tore Up Over You [9:12] [0:09] % [0:03]
s2t07. Mission In The Rain [9:12] % [0:08]
--encore (1 track, 18:25)--
s2t08. Lonesome And A Long Way From Home [18:21] (4) [0:04]

! ACT1: JGB #4
! lineup: Jerry Garcia - el-g, vocals;
! lineup: John Kahn - el-b;
! lineup: Keith Godchaux - piano;
! lineup: Buzz Buchanan - drums;
! lineup: Donna Jean Godchaux - vocals.

JGMF:

! Recording: symbols: % = recording discontinuity; / = clipped song; // = cut song; ... = fade in/out; # = truncated timing; [m:ss] = recorded event time. The recorded event time immediately after the song or item name is an attempt at getting the "real" time of the event. So, a timing of [m:ss] right after a song title is an attempt to say how long the song really was, as represented on this recording.

! Jerrybase: https://jerrybase.com/events/19771211-01

! db: https://etreedb.org/shn/80773 (this fileset), plus lots of other filesets presumably derived from the same root tape.

! band: http://lostlivedead.blogspot.com/2012/01/jerry-garcia-band-personnel-1975-1995.html. No Maria Muldaur.

! JGBP: http://jerrygarciasbrokendownpalaces.blogspot.com/2012/07/recreation-hall-curtin-road-university.html. This is a rare Jerry-before-GD hall.

! historical: From Foster review I infer 3,200 attended and 8,600 capacity. But contract makes it clear that capacity is 5,000. Band got $12,500 guarantee, plus 70% over $21,500 (not triggered) plus $2,500 for sound and lights, on gross potential of $25k.

! ad: Daily Collegian, December 1, 1977, p. 17

! exante: "Jerry Garcia Band to perform," Daily Collegian (Penn State University), December 9, 1977, p. 3;

! exante: Clifford 1977;

! review: [positive] Foster 1977: "I'd swear if there was some way of putting a tracer into his vibrations you would see them travel through his body to his fingertips, out to his guitar, and then into the audience."

! expost: Wilson 1977

! seealso: JGMF, "JGB: November-December 1977 East Coast Tour Rarities"

! R: source: source: sdb > master reel > cassette > pcm > dat > cdr

! R: Seeder comments: - this is a remaster of shnid-6622 - Hiss reduction was attempted on this source once before but the results were not very successful.  I think that this is far more pleasing to the ear - remastered using iZotope Ozone and 4Front Sandbrush - hiss reduction with Waves X-Noise - SIRMick December 2006

! R: Nice tape. I haven't listened to this show in many years, and I don't think I have ever heard this sirmick version. It is buttah. The bass tone is as good as the '78 boards. Man. Later on, some more hiss comes onboard, and sometimes it overloads, but it's nice to have!

! P: s1t01 HSII the band comes in feeling absolutely groovy right out of the gate. John sounds so amazing, so it's hard to parse the capture from the playing, but I do think the playing is just wonderful - fluid, inventive, big, playful.

! P: s1t02 CJ nice version, but tempos are a little variable.

! R: s1t03 STOF more hiss

! P: s1t04 SIL done sprightly, maybe peppiest version I have ever heard. In the 7-minute mark it takes a really spare feeling, not much Keith, or he's way back, anyway. Lovely stuff.

! R: s1t04 SIL splice at 7:09

! s1t05 (1) JG: "We're gonna take a break for a little while. We'll be back in a little bit. Thank you."

! s2t01 (2) at around 7 minute mark, someone says something like "check out the aliens [inaudible]".

! P: s2t02 ISTE I am not always a big fan of this tune. But Buzzy does some splashing late 7 that really catches my ear, and maybe Jerry's, because Jerry puts on a little spacier tone and the band gives him a little more room. Just wonderful. 

! s2t05 (3) Jerry and John noodle on the "Close Encounters Theme" for a good 30 seconds here.

! P: s2t05 Russ Lull JK feature 7:58-11:15. Despite the fatter tone, this feature feels more like later ones, very fluttery and not very impressive. Buzzy trying to add some rhythm in the back, but he's swimming upstream.

! R: s2t07 MITR splice at 1:17

! R: s2t08 LAALWFH splice at 6:09

! P: s2t08 LAALWFH Close Encounters 15:30, but it's really just a few riffs here.

! s2t08 (4) JG: "Thank you. See y'all later on."

Slowly Unraveled Over You: JGB 3c at Keystone Palo Alto, April 9, 1977

Obviously I am catching up on posting some listening notes. Quality will be even more variable than usual.

LN jg1977-04-09.jgb.all.aud-bunjes.13361.shn2flac

Some tapes travel unlikely paths to our ears. Here's an unattributed aud tape, the only one circulating, which went to Germany before coming out into the broader world. I really love the feel of it. It's not amazing, but it's got character.

The show features what I presently list as JGB 3c. JGB 3 is the basic Keith and Donna version with Tutt, starting in '76. Not least because the JGB was relatively uninstitutionalized at this point, many variations popped up around the invariant Jerry, John and Keith core. I have proposed cataloguing them as follows:

3b: #3 + Maria - e.g., 9/12/76

3c: #3 + second guitarist - e.g., 11/20/76

3d: #3 + John Rich - e.g., 12/21/76

3e: #3 + Maria + second guitarist - e.g., 2/5/77

3f: #3 - Tutt + Errico - e.g., 6/23/77

3g: #3 - Donna + Maria (e.g., 7/3/77)

3h: #3 - Donna (e.g., 7/8/77)

3i: #3 - Tutt + Kreutzmann - e.g., 8/12/77

I know that's a little bit ridiculous, but it has the nice taxonomic quality of the categories being mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive.

So, I say I say I say, 4/9/77 features variant 3c, the basic group plus the second guitarist. He is pretty far in the background most of the night, as he was on every night he played. He plays tastefully throughout, though, seems to eschew a feature opportunity in "Stir It Up" and steps forward a little more, seemingly because everyone else in the band was insisting that he take the space that they were giving him, during "Tore Up". This is his last known appearance with Jerry, though we can't really be sure. At the setbreak announcement, Jerry says something about getting things straightened out, which might be nothing, might be equipment related, or might indeed be about attempting to find alignment with the visitor.

The post title speaks to this version of "Tore Up Over You", which doesn't involve Hank Ballard's sudden rending so much as a soft disentegument. Clocking in at almost 20 minutes (!), this has to be the longest version of this tune ever played by anyone. It finds some nice quiet and open spaces, and Jerry even bends some strings for a bit, but to me it stands as a cautionary tale and monument to the excesses of JGB #3 - whatever the suffix.

Set II is short for the period, 3 songs and 47 minutes (heh heh). I wouldn't be surprised if a tune or two preceded Midnight Moonlight, or happened in between the songs presented here. We can't tell, since there are tape discontinuities after every song. We do know that Tangled Up bumped up against closing time in Palo Alto. (No, not 9 PM, you Weisenheimers.)

All told, very glad this tape made its way into the world, though it does nothing to dissuade me from the view that JGB #3 was most often kind of a snooze.

Jerry Garcia Band

Keystone Palo Alto

260 S. California Avenue

Palo Alto, CA 94306 

April 9, 1977 (Saturday)

aud shnid-13361 shn2flac

--set I (6 tracks, 72:43)--

s1t01. They Love Each Other [8:08] % [0:11]

s1t02. That's What Love Will Make You Do [11:06] [0:05] %

s1t03. Stir It Up [15:40] [0:06] %

s1t04. [0:05] Simple Twist Of Fate [14:02][0:09] %

s1t05. [0:06] Mystery Train [10:22] [0:03] % [0:05]

s1t06. The Way You Do The Things You Do [12:13] (1) [0:20]

--set II (3 tracks, possibly incomplete, 47:17)--

s2t01. [0:08] Midnight Moonlight [14:59] [0:02] %

s2t02. [0:16] Tore Up Over You [19:48] [0:08] %

s2t03. Tangled Up In Blue [11:30] (2) [0:13] % dead air [0:11]

! ACT1: Jerry Garcia Band #3c

! lineup: Jerry Garcia - el-g, vocals;

! lineup: Keith Godchaux - keyboards, vocals;

! lineup: John Kahn - el-b;

! lineup: Ron Tutt - drums, vocals;

! lineup: Donna Jean Godchaux - vocals;

! guest: [redacted] - el-g.

JGMF:

! Recording: symbols: % = recording discontinuity; / = clipped song; // = cut song; ... = fade in/out; # = truncated timing; [x:xx] = recorded event time. The recorded event time immediately after the song or item name is an attempt at getting the "real" time of the event. So, a timing of [x:xx] right after a song title is an attempt to say how long the song really was, as represented on this recording.

! Jerrybase: https://jerrybase.com/events/19770409-01

! db: shnid-13361 (this fileset)

! map: https://goo.gl/maps/6U9QR2V8UV4YwBDh9

! JGBP: http://jerrygarciasbrokendownpalaces.blogspot.com/2012/11/keystone-sophies-260-s-california-ave.html

! band: JGB #3c (http://lostlivedead.blogspot.com/2012/01/jerry-garcia-band-personnel-1975-1995.html). This band features second guitarist XXX, who was also around on 1/29-30, 2/5-6, and 4/10, at least. This might even be considered a separate band, since that's most of the shows from the first part of '77, and possibly some in late '76 as well.

! setlist: Jerrybase lists starting time, presumably from the contract, as 9:30. If we allow for starting very late and for a very long setbreak, and in view of that fact that TUIB definitely lands on closing time, it's possible this set II is complete. But in the absence of other information, we can't really know. I would not be shocked if another song or two preceded Mid Moon.

! historical: Keystone $750 contract

! ad: San Francisco Sunday Examiner and Chronicle Datebook, April 3, 1977, p. 43

! R: MAC (unknown taper, equipment, location) > reel > playback on Uher reel-to-reel machine > Marantz standalone CD recorder master CD > Plextor CD extraction using EAC (high, secure, offset-corrected) > .shn encoding using mkwACT. Reel > CD by Thomas Donhauser, EAC > SHN and seeding by Hanno.

! R: s1t01-02 needs retracking

! P: s1t02 TWLWMYD I hear the second guitar now, hadn't heard it in TLEO

! P: s1t03 SIU Keith on electric keys. Second guitarist some very gentle stuff 12ish, as if it were his feature.

! s1t06 (1) JG: "We're gonna take a break for a little while. We'll be back a little bit -- later, see if we can get things straight."

! P: s2t01 Mid Moon should have ended it around 13, Jerry was sort of trying to, but it just kept choogling, so he took another spin with it.

! P: s2t02 TUOY guest takes a feature late 11 over 12. He sounds pretty good! The tune enters an extremely quiet section in 16. I can't believe they will end up playing this song for almost 20 minutes? Jerry bending some strings 17:20.

! s2t03 (2) Emcee: "Thank you, thank you very much. Folks, it's 2 o'clock. [inaudible, maybe 'we've got to go']"

! s1t06 (1) JG: "We'll take a break for a little while. We'll be back a little ... later ... soon as we can get things straight."

JGB in Binghamton, November 20, 1977: first night DLG + LAALWFH = 1/2 (two weeks later DLG + LAALWFH)

LN jg1977-11-20.jgb.all.sbd.141495.flac1644

First night of the fall '77 Garcia Band tour (22 gigs in 22 nights), third live gig for young Buzzy Buchanan in the drummer's seat. The great Jerry Moore had some nasty thoughts about him, but I think he sounds fine here. Keeping time for this group could not have been a picnic.

I have covered the Fall '77 tour in a number of posts, and David Davis has done a couple, as well.

• JGMF,  "JGB: November-December 1977 East Coast Tour Rarities"
• JGMF, "Maria 'Shaking Her Substantial Booty' at Waterbury's 'Decrepit Palace Theater': JGB 11/23/77, Commander aud"
• JGMF, "His voice is fading fast: JGB at SUNY New Paltz, 11/29/77"
• JGMF, "Fall '77 Gig Economics: The Case of SUNY New Paltz (JGB, 11/29/77)"
• GratefulSeconds, "The Jerry Garcia Fans Strike Back: Buffalo, November 30, 1977"
• GratefulSeconds, "Another Great 1977 Show: Jerry Garcia Band, Boston December 2, 1977"
• JGMF, "A Monster Don't Let Go at Hartwick College, December 3, 1977"
• JGMF, "A Long Way From Spain: JGB at SUNY Stony Brook, December 9, 1977"

Musically, the true segue between "I'll Take A Melody" and "Don't Let Go" is quite interesting. Garcia Band didn't do such things all that often, and it just sounds like Jerry asserts the change and everyone else falls into line.

Also noted is the vast expansion of "Don't Let Go" and "Lonesome And A Long Way From Home". Here, they run14+ and 9+ minutes respectively. By later in the tour (12/3 and 12/9, respectively), they'd each clock in at a much chunkier 27 or so minutes. So Buzzy gets a few iterations to play it pretty straight, but by the end of the tour he's swimming in the deep end.

The recording is fine, with some hiss, swish, wow and flutter, especially from tape 1. AF did yeoman's work, as he always does, marrying it to tape 2 and sharing it out.

Maria is absent, for reasons unknown.

Public debut of LITA.

JERRY GARCIA BAND
West Gym (aka Men's Gym), SUNY Binghamton
1092 Bunn Hill Rd.
Vestal, NY 13850
November 20, 1977 (Sunday) - 7:30 PM
mono sbd composite shnid-141495

--set I (8 tracks, 71:25)--
s1t01. How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) [9:01] [0:41]
s1t02. They Love Each Other [7:23] [0:06] %
s1t03. Let It Rock [8:38] [0:17] %
s1t04. [0:14] Simple Twist Of Fate [11:18] %
s1t05. /Stir It /Up [#9:15] [0:31] %
s1t06. That's What Love Will/ Make You Do [9:#06] [0:16]
s1t07. Gomorrah [6:39] [0:02] %
s1t08. Mystery Train [7:52] (1) [0:06]

--set II (7 tracks, 72:57)--
s2t01. [0:07] The Way You Do The Things You Do [8:51] [0:12] %
s2t02. ... Love In The Afternoon [#6:38] [1:07]
s2t03. [0:07] Midnight Moonlight [8:15] [0:25] %
s2t04. [0:39] Russian Lullaby [11:18] [0:07] %
s2t05. [[0:15] I'll //Take A Melody [9:#55] ->
s2t06. Don't Let Go [14:10] [1:12]
s2t07. Lonesome And A Long Way From Home [9:29] (2) [0:05]

! ACT1: JGB #4*
! lineup: Jerry Garcia - el-g, vocals;
! lineup: John Kahn - el-b;
! lineup: Keith Godchaux - piano, vocals;
! lineup: Buzz Buchanan - drums;
! lineup: Donna Jean Godchaux - vocals;
[! absent: Maria Muldaur - vocals]

JGMF:

! Recording: symbols: % = recording discontinuity; / = clipped song; // = cut song; ... = fade in/out; # = truncated timing; [x:xx] = recorded event time. The recorded event time immediately after the song or item name is an attempt at getting the "real" time of the event. So, a timing of [x:xx] right after a song title is an attempt to say how long the song really was, as represented on this recording.

! Jerrybase: https://jerrybase.com/events/19771120-01

! db: https://etreedb.org/shn/132097 (s2 sbd flac1644); https://etreedb.org/shn/132098 (s2 sbd flac2496); https://etreedb.org/shn/141495 (this fileset).

! band: http://lostlivedead.blogspot.com/2012/01/jerry-garcia-band-personnel-1975-1995.html. Maria Muldaur is absent, so this is #4*, a variant Corry doesn't list.

! map: https://goo.gl/maps/A3rerZrT2hR4xLkL9

! JGBP: https://jerrygarciasbrokendownpalaces.blogspot.com/2011/12/west-gym-harpur-college-suny-1092-bunn.html

! seealso: JGMF, "JGB: November-December 1977 East Coast Tour Rarities," URL http://jgmf.blogspot.com/2010/10/jgb-november-december-east-coast-tour.html.

! seealso: JGMF, "Maria 'Shaking Her Substantial Booty' at Waterbury's 'Decrepit Palace Theater': JGB 11/23/77, Commander aud," URL http://jgmf.blogspot.com/2014/02/ln-jg1977-11-23jgballaud-commander.html.

! seealso: JGMF, "His voice is fading fast: JGB at SUNY New Paltz, 11/29/77," URL http://jgmf.blogspot.com/2014/02/ln-jg1977-11-29jgballaud.html

! seealso: JGMF, "Fall '77 Gig Economics: The Case of SUNY New Paltz (JGB, 11/29/77)," URL https://jgmf.blogspot.com/2019/01/fall-77-gig-economics-case-of-suny-new.html.

! seealso GratefulSeconds, "The Jerry Garcia Fans Strike Back: Buffalo, November 30, 1977," URL http://www.gratefulseconds.com/2019/03/the-jerry-garcia-fans-strike-back.html.

! seealso: GratefulSeconds, "Another Great 1977 Show: Jerry Garcia Band, Boston December 2, 1977," URL http://www.gratefulseconds.com/2020/06/another-great-1977-show-jerry-garcia.html.

! seealso: JGMF, "A Monster Don't Let Go at Hartwick College, December 3, 1977," URL http://jgmf.blogspot.com/2011/01/listening-notes-jgb-saturday-december-3.html.

! seealso: JGMF, "A Long Way From Spain: JGB at SUNY Stony Brook, December 9, 1977," URL https://jgmf.blogspot.com/2019/08/a-long-way-from-spain-jgb-at-suny-stony.html.

! historical: first show of the fall 1977 Garcia Band tour, 22 shows in 22 days November 20 - December 11. Ronnie Tutt had left the live band that summer, and young Buzz Buchanan came on board, drumming through the end of the band's run in fall 1978. This is his third show, and he sounds just fine.

! P: overall, the show strikes me as solid but not remarkable. The true segue between ITAM and "Don't Let Go" is the most interesting part, musically, and is really kind of out of the blue. At 14 minutes, DLG is half as long as the monster they played at Hartwick College 13 days later (12/3/77). Size isn't everything, of course, but this version never achieves escape velocity. The following LAALWFH, on only its second spin after more than a year away (9/18/76, then 11/16/77 preceding this version) also has not found its legs - at 9 minutes, it was one-third the length of the 27+ minute iteration at Stony Brook on 12/9/77, which got waaaayyyy out. So this certainly sounds like a band breaking in a new guy on the first night of the tour.

! R: Source: Unknown SBD > ? > CDR, combined with ID-132097, see note below.

! R: Transfer: CDR > EAC > FLAC (2005) > TLH > WAV > Wavelab; and ID-132097 > WAV > Wavelab; both sources: CD-Wave > TLH > FLAC 1644 tagged. 03/2018

! R: Note: This show was previously listed in etree as having taken place at the Forum Theatre in Binghamton, now listed here with the correct venue. This file-set presents the entire concert together, with thanks to JGMF and Rob Berger for the sources!

! R: JGMF's CDR provides HSII thru TWYDTTYD ("tape 1"), with the balance of the show from ID-132097 ("tape 2"). These appear to derive from the same root (mono) SBD. Both sources were re-mixed a bit to better match each other. Tape-generational hiss remains, particularly in parts of "tape 1" where low-gain sections were raised. There's also some minor tape speed fluctuations & warble audible in the "tape 1" material (STOF & SIR).

! R: Pauses and cuts were left as-is, no cross-fades were added. SIU cuts in near the beginning. There's a fade-to-cut in SIU at 6:51 (from the source CDR) but it appears that no music is missing there. Another fade-to-cut in TWLWMYD at 7:15 with the end of Keith's solo missing. LITA cuts in with about a minute missing from the beginning. Cut in ITAM at 2:13 with about 45 seconds missing. (Small FLAC size is due to mono WAV data.)

! P: s1t01 HSII he flips the first two verses. I tend to appreciate this, becuase while there's an intial flub, he is tuned-in enough to make it better.

! R: s1t05 SIU clips in

! R: s1t06 TWLWMYD fades to splice @ 7:15

! s1t08 (1) JG: "We're gonna take a break for a little while, we'll see y'all later."

! R: s2t02 LITA fades in, swishy sound of a fresh tape side

! song: "Love In The Afternoon" (s2t02): understood public debut.

! P: s2t04 RussLull @ 6:47 John kicks off a little feature.

! R: s2t05 ITAM splice @ 2:13

! P: s2t05-06 ITAM -> DLG a true segue - totally unique

! P: s2t06 DLG nicely paced.

! P: s2t07 LAALWFH not very long, but good power

! s2t07 (2) JG: "Thanks a lot. See y'all later."

A Long Way From Spain: JGB at SUNY Stony Brook, December 9, 1977

LN jg1977-12-09.jgb.all.aud-matera-fix.137736.flac2488

Not much time to post much detail, so some bulleted observations.

1)  Keith is playing some classical-Spanish sounding thing at the end of s1t01. Then, @ 7:21 of "Lonesome And A Long Way From Home", I hear John hitting some Spanish stuff, too. Check it out because, while Jerry was Swedish-Irish on his mom's side, his father was, of course, full-blown, born-in-Spain Spanish and, well, that's just fun.

2) I love "Reuben And Cérise" (Hunter's spelling, with French-accent-snob-appeal-to-me), and this one has some great power chords, but they repeat the ending figure a large number of times. I didn't count, but it's too many.

3) This LAALWFH is just amazing. It clocks in at 27 minutes, but, more importantly, it's endlessly interesting. It really gets wide open, not just in a noodly-spacey sense, but always remains musical. I was impressed with what young Buzzy, the studio drummer who often, rather necessarily, played metronomically on this first tour, with new material, with a band lacking in temporal discipline, lays out in this open idiom. The whole band sounds great here.

4) Maria is absent. She was on and off this tour.

5) The previews I reference provide great color around Stony Brook Deadheadism, the purest and ur-ist form of the broader genus Deadheadus Eastcoasticus.

6) About 165 minutes of music on a tightly-edited tape. Second set clocks in at 95+ minutes. Good bang for the six bucks and fifty!

Oh, and I found a pic, uncredited. Happy to supply credit if the identity of the photog emerges.

Garcia at Stony Brook, 12/9/77. Photographer unknown to me at this time.

Jerry Garcia Band
Pritchard Gymnasium, State University of New York
1 Center Drive
Stony Brook, NY 11794
December 9, 1977 (Friday)
Matera MAC shnid-137736 fix shnid-137720

--set I (6 tracks, 68:47)--
s1t01. Harder They Come [12:03] [0:06] % [0:15]
s1t02. Catfish John [10:52] [0:10] % [0:08]
s1t03. That's What Love Will Make You Do [11:13] [0:03] % [0:08]
s1t04. They Love Each Other [7:11] [0:13] %
s1t05. Knockin' On Heaven's Door [14:22] [0:02] % [0:05]
s1t06. The Way You Do The Things You Do [11:50] (1) [0:05]

--set II (7 tracks, 95:43)--
s2t01. Midnight Moonlight [14:53] [0:07] % [0:06]
s2t02. Gomorrah [8:21] [0:04] % [0:02]
s2t03. Tore Up Over You [9:22] [0:04] %
s2t04. Simple Twist Of Fate [15:30] [0:07] %
s2t05. /Reuben And Cérise [8:58] [0:02] %% [1:08]
s2t06. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down [9:17] [0:04] % [0:04]
s2t07. Lonesome And A Long Way From Home [27:26] [0:09]

! ACT1: JGB #4*
! lineup: Jerry Garcia - el-g, vocals;
! lineup: John Kahn - el-b;
! lineup: Keith Godchaux - piano;
! lineup: Buzz Buchanan - drums;
! lineup: Donna Jean Godchaux - vocals.
[! absent: Maria Muldaur - vocals]

JGMF:

! Recording: symbols: % = recording discontinuity; / = clipped song; // = cut song; ... = fade in/out; # = truncated timing; [mm:ss] = recorded event time. The recorded event time immediately after the song or item name is an attempt at getting the "real" time of the event. So, a timing of [mm:ss] right after a song title is an attempt to say how long the song really was, as represented on this recording.

! Jerrybase: https://jerrybase.com/events/19771209-01

! db: https://etreedb.org/shn/4444 (s2 Nak 300s shnf); https://etreedb.org/shn/16859 (reshn of shnid-4444); https://etreedb.org/shn/77713 (pitch-correct shnid-4444, flac1644); https://etreedb.org/shn/137720 (Matera flac2488); https://etreedb.org/shn/137721 (Matera flac1644); https://etreedb.org/shn/137736 (Matera flac2488, this fileset); https://etreedb.org/shn/137737 (Matera flac1644 fix).

! band: http://lostlivedead.blogspot.com/2012/01/jerry-garcia-band-personnel-1975-1995.html. I denote this configuration as JGB #4*, since Maria Muldaur is not present.

! map: https://goo.gl/maps/efyWYZ1ew4qmbr4v9

! JGBP: http://jerrygarciasbrokendownpalaces.blogspot.com/2012/10/pritchard-gym-suny-100-nicholls-road.html

! exante: “Ticketron Gets Garcia Tickets Before Campus,” (SUNY Stony Brook) Statesman, October 28, 1977, p. 3, accessed online;

! exante: Grossman 1977;

! exante: Razler 1977;

! review: [positive] Alkon 1977, who liked the show. Misidentifies drummer as Tutt. That said, he didn't like the "irritating" 75 minute intermission.  "Outraged" by a five and a half hour concert (8-1:30) with three hours of music: "When Keith and Donna sat down on the piano bench for a smoke and fifteen minute chat I felt like I was invading their privacy! I realize that a group needs frequent breaks, but the Garcia Band abused the privilege, showed disrespect for their audience, and unprofessionalism."

! seealso: JGMF, "The mystery of the Jerry Garcia Band 11/28/77 ticket stubs," URL http://jgmf.blogspot.com/2010/02/mystery-of-jerry-garcia-band-112877.html. Wherein I go on at great length about a very small matter of tickets misprinted with the date of 11/28/77.

! pic: URL http://www.dead.net/fanphotos/jerry-stony-brook-1977

! historical: the previews provide great color around Stony Brook Deadheads wanting to camp out for tickets and such. Stony Brook is just about ground zero in the development of campus-based GD mania and the history of the East Coast Deadhead.

! R: field recordist: Phil Matera

! R: field recording gear: unknown mics > unknown cassette deck

! R: lineage: MAC > Reel (Maxell-UD135, 1/4trk @ 3-3/4) > Teac X2000R > Korg MR1000 DSD DFF@ 5.6MHz > AudioGate > 24/88.2 Wave > Wavelab6 > OzoneRx4a > Ozone6A; CD Wave > TLH > Flac24. Transfer by John Hance.

! R: This is a fix of shnid-137720. The last 2 tracks of the second set have changed.

! R: patches from shnid-77713: s2t01-Midnight Moonlight, s2t04-Simple Twist Of Fate and s2t07-Lonesome

! R: seeder note: "Thank you Phil & JJ! Salah Febuary 7, 2017"

! R: very nice recording

! P: overall: voice sounds a little fatigued.

! P: s1t01 KG is playing some Spanish-classical thing at the end of the track.

! P: s1t05 KOHD KD on electric piano

! s1t06 (1) JG: "We're gonna take a break for a little while. We'll be back a little later."

! R: s2t05 RAC cuts in

! P: s2t05 RAC is very good. Some huge chords. But it does on too long. Quite a bit too long.

! P: s2t07 LAALWFH. This LAALWFH gets *way* out there. @ 7:21 John is hitting a Spanish theme. I think this is pretty incredible, though hard to characterize. Just great open playing by every player.

Fall '77 Gig Economics: The Case of SUNY New Paltz (JGB, 11/29/77)

Handbill for JGB at SUNY New Paltz, 11/29/77. Scan via Mark Cohen. Note that Ron Tutt is erroneously listed among the personnel.

The economics of the Garcia Band's Fall '77 tour have remained a little out of view for me, since I have never been able to track down itineraries, contracts, box office reports and all that, which I have seen for a few other trips. But a great report in the SUNY New Paltz Oracle lays them bare for one gig (11/29/77), and provides a snapshot into Garcia's rock star lifestyle of the time.

I should note that I have discussed a setlist rarity from this show (the Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun" inside the Wailers' "Stir It Up"), set forth some listening notes under the title "his voice is fading fast", and have also presented these kinds of data for a gig two years earlier ("Accounting the JGB: October 8, 1975").

The SUNY New Paltz Concert Committee brought in name talent a couple times a year for the students, drawing from student activity fees and generally running these events at a loss. But the earnest-seeming crew in place in Fall 1977, which seems to have been operating under the probably-copyright-infringing-but-totally-1977 name of "Jedi Productions", didn't plan to lose as much as they did on the Garcia Band's Tuesday night gig. For Google interest, here are the names and positions of the folks involved in putting on the show.

Kirt Madsen ... Production Manager
Eric Early ... Production Manager
Bill Dacey ... Stage Manager
Rick Markle ... Electrician
Joni White ... Talent Coordinator
Shari Berkowitz ... Tickets
Esther Friedman ... Publicity
Karen Reilly ... Hospitality
Rob Insolia ... Treasurer
Stan Wisla ... Security
Brian Higgenson ... Staging Consultant
Erica Pauling ... Secretary
Richard Someck ... Concessions
Randi Sackheim ...Programs
Debbie Golub ... Programs
Steve Martin ...General Manager
Jack Babb ... Assistant to General Manager

I would love to hear from any of them, especially Karen Reilly, who is mentioned in the narrative below.

According to the report in the school paper (Ratner 1977), the gig lost about $8,000, which is more than planned, mostly due to ticket sales of only 1,300 against a projected 2,000. But other aspects of putting the concert on probably also taught our young impresarios some valuable lessons in show biz economics. Here are the expenses.

Table xxx. Expenses for JGB at SUNY New Paltz, 11/29/77. Source: Ratner 1977.

So here we have the band at a $10k guarantee, whereas it got $12,500 at Penn State (Clifford 1977). Monarch does well on sound and lighting. But let me get to the "hospitality" line item, which generates the following data and story, a little sidebar under the heading "Garcia Serves Up New Paltz, Brings His Own Chef":

     When the Jerry Garcia Band plays a school, it usually submits a list of refreshment requirements: Freshly ground coffee (either of Sumatra, Celebes, Jamaica High Mountain, Mocha-Java, or Columbian beans); Coffee must be made via the drip method, not electric percolator; Three (3) bottles of good French red wine and one and one-half (1 ½) cases of Heineken Light beer; Four (4) quarts of orange juice – no sugar; Four (4) of bottled spring water; Bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches and good cheeseburgers; a dinner meal for fifteen …
     When they came to New Paltz, they were willing to forego the refreshment requirements. Instead; they brought their own chef, affectionately named Cy Kocis, and asked the concert committee for $600.
   "I knew things were going to be wrong when they wanted $600 in cash Tuesday morning," explained Karen Reilly, the Concert Committee's Hospitality Chief. Karen managed to knock them down to $450.
     Cy Kocis arrived at 1:30 on Tuesday; installed a four-burner stove charcoal grill and large cooler in Elting Gymnasium 101, and went to work. Filet Mignon and halibut steaks were on the dinner menu. The cooler contained a sumptuous feast for the band and its crew. Karen was there to meet the entourage. In fact, she was there since 9:00, earlier than anyone, making sure everyone experienced New Paltz's hospitality. "But when Cy Kocis gave me 4 large butternut squashes and told me to start peeling and cutting, I told him I had to get towels, or something, for the stage crew." Everyone has their limits.

Why do I imagine this merits quoting at length? I love the standard contract rider information. I knew Jerry was a coffee junkie, but I didn't know he was a coffee snob (which I count as a point in a person's favor). Good French wine pleases me, too, though not sure who of the band would most enjoy it. I guess I have Keith as good for at least a dozen of those Heinekens, but what do I know? Burgers? Definitely Jerry.

Then comes "Cy Kocis". Interesting. $600 cash is also interesting, and suspicious minds sometimes wonder whether that kind of wad might not have bought more than filet, halibut and butternut squash. I also admire the cut of Karen Reilly's jib, haggling them down to $450 and taking a pass on the vegetable peeler. She sounds awesome.

Anyway, good color.

With and Without Maria: JGB at Keystone, August 6-7, 1977

If "without and with" rolled better off the tongue, that'd be the more accurate title, because here we have a pair of summer '77 JGB shows, the first admittedly only partially available, on which Maria Muldaur respectively does not and does make an appearance. I guess I am working toward pinning down her appearances throughout the year, leading up to the fall east coast tour, at which point she was unambiguously part of the band.

These aren't as sleepy as I had feared. I generally don't love '76 and '77 JGB, but these show some pep, and the tapes --Betty's, I presume, though as I note on 8/7/77, where these tapes came from and where they currently live remains a bit of a mystery to me-- the tapes sound great.

Listening notes below, not much to report.

update: of course, the bigger personnel news here is that these are Ronnie Tutt's final live JGB gigs until fall 1981.

Jerry Garcia Band
Keystone
2119 University Avenue
Berkeley, CA
August 6, 1977 (Saturday)
s2 MSC Miller shnid-106922

--set II (5 tracks, 4 tunes, 46:59)--
s2t01. tuning [1:43]
s2t02. Sugaree [12:35] [2:36]
s2t03. Mystery Train [7:52] [2:12]
s2t04. Simple Twist Of Fate [11:37] [1:54]
s2t05. Don't Let Go ... [6:31#]

! ACT1: Jerry Garcia Band #3
! lineup: Jerry Garcia - guitar, vocals;
! lineup: John Kahn - bass;
! lineup: Keith Godchaux - keyboards, backing vocals;
! lineup: Donna Godchaux - vocals;
! lineup: Ron Tutt - drums.

JGMF:

! Recording: symbols: % = recording discontinuity; / = clipped song; // = cut song; ... = fade in/out; # = truncated timing; [ ] = recorded event time. The recorded event time immediately after the song or item name is an attempt at getting the "real" time of the event. So, a timing of [x:xx] right after a song title is an attempt to say how long the song really was, as represented on this recording.
! JGC: https://jerrygarcia.com/1977-08-06

! db: all of these derive from the same source cassette: https://etreedb.org/shn/4448 (shnf), https://etreedb.org/shn/83754 (flac1644), https://etreedb.org/shn/106922 (this fileset).

! map: https://goo.gl/maps/LDc43

! venue: http://jerrygarciasbrokendownpalaces.blogspot.com/2012/02/keystone-2119-university-avenue.html | http://lostlivedead.blogspot.com/2010/12/2119-university-avenue-berkeley-ca.html | http://lostlivedead.blogspot.com/2011/01/jerry-garcia-and-keystone-shows.html

! band: JGB #3 (http://lostlivedead.blogspot.com/2012/01/jerry-garcia-band-personnel-1975-1995.html). Maria Muldaur makes an appearance during set II the next night, but I don't hear her here.

! setlist: not sure if this is the complete set II (save for most of DLG) or not. Probably, I guess, as next night's set II ran about 45 minutes.

! ad: BAM, August 1977, p. 60.

! ad: SFSECDB19770731p43.

! R: Recording Info: SBD > Cassette Master (Nakamichi 350/Maxell UDXLI90)

! R: Transfer Info: Cassette Master (Nakamichi DR-1) > Sound Devices 744T (24bit/96k) > Samplitude Professional v11.03 > FLAC/16 (1 Disc Audio / 1 Disc FLAC). All Transfers and Mastering By Charlie Miller, charliemiller87@earthlink.net, February 22, 2010.

! R: nice recording. Betty.

! historical: Keith is playing electric piano.

! P: old notes: overall: Utter mediocrity, to my ears. Great, amazing tape, dull-as-hell music. New note: that's too harsh.

! P: s2t02 Sugaree comes in a little thin. Nothing like the big full swagger the Dead gave it, especially on the bottom end. Scrubbing over 10, it's nice. Not rushed.

! P: s2t04 STOF is rather a mess. Jerry is a little lost. Not good. The only plus for this SFOT is that there is no bass feature (though, to be fair, in 1977 Kahn could, at times and typically on other songs, be amazing).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jerry Garcia Band
Keystone
2119 University Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94704
August 7, 1977 (Sunday)
GMB sbd s1ps2 shnid-86045

--set I (4 tracks, 3 tunes, end of set, missing 4 tunes, 37:47)--    
[MISSING: The Way You Do The Things You Do]
[MISSING: Catfish John]
[MISSING: Stop That Train]
[MISSING: Let It Rock]
s1t01. tuning [2:06]
s1t02. Russian Lullaby [11:49] [1:55]
s1t03. Knockin' On Heaven's Door [11:50] [1:57]
s1t04. Midnight Moonlight [7:55] [0:16] %

--set II (4 tracks, 45:27)--
s2t01. They Love Each Other [7:25]
s2t02. Tore Up Over You [9:26] [2:05]
s2t03. Simple // Twist Of Fate [10:#33] [1:34]
s2t04. The // Harder They Come [12:#11] (1) [0:22]

! ACT1: Jerry Garcia Band #3b
! lineup: Jerry Garcia - guitar, vocals;
! lineup: John Kahn - bass;
! lineup: Keith Godchaux - keyboards, backing vocals;
! lineup: Donna Godchaux - vocals;
! guest/lineup: Maria Muldaur - vocals (set II only);
! lineup: Ron Tutt - drums.

JGMF:

! Recording: symbols: % = recording discontinuity; / = clipped song; // = cut song; ... = fade in/out; # = truncated timing; [ ] = recorded event time. The recorded event time immediately after the song or item name is an attempt at getting the "real" time of the event. So, a timing of [x:xx] right after a song title is an attempt to say how long the song really was, as represented on this recording.
! JGC: https://jerrygarcia.com/show/1977-08-07-keystone-berkeley-ca/

! db: https://etreedb.org/shn/6371 (incomplete MSC shnf); https://etreedb.org/shn/86045 (incomplete MSC, this fileset); 106923 (complete MSC via Miller).

! map: https://goo.gl/maps/LDc43

! JGBP: http://jerrygarciasbrokendownpalaces.blogspot.com/2012/02/keystone-2119-university-avenue.html;

! venue: http://lostlivedead.blogspot.com/2010/12/2119-university-avenue-berkeley-ca.html;
 URL http://lostlivedead.blogspot.com/2011/01/jerry-garcia-and-keystone-shows.html.

! band: JGB #3 (http://lostlivedead.blogspot.com/2012/01/jerry-garcia-band-personnel-1975-1995.html). * Note that Corry shows Maria coming in with JGB #4 on 11/15/77. We now have her showing up on 2/5/77, 7/2/77 and 7/3/77 (the latter without DJG, IIRC), and this show.

! personnel: Maria Muldaur comes in around 7:20 of TLEO, stays on board for all of set II. Hard to know if she is a member of the band at this point.

! ad: BAM, August 1977, p. 60.

! ad: SFSECDB19770731p43.

! R: Source: Soundboard Master Cassette > DAT

! R: Transfer: Panasonic SV-3700 > M-Audio Audiophile 2496 to Wavelab 5.0; mastering with iZotope Ozone 3 > CDWAV1.9 > FLAC (level 8); Transferred, Remastered by B. Koucky and Seeded by Green Mountain Bros. June 2007. 

! R: I wonder where this tape came from? It would seem associated with the Betty Boards, but by 2015 the presumed full collection of BB cassettes did not have these 8/77 tapes.

! R: sounds beautiful.

! R: s1t02 RL level drop ca. 3:25

! P: s1t02 RL bass feature 6:15ff-8ish. Good.

! P: s1t03 KOHD peppy for the period. KD some nice pie-anner 6 min range.

! P: s1t04 MM Garcia plays with great fluidity this whole night. MM also has a nice pep in its step.

! s1t04 weird that there is no setbreak announcement

! R: s2t01 TLEO the bass sounds so great!

! R: s2t03 STOF splice @ 5:38

! P: s2t04 HTC Tutt is drumming like he was born to play this tune. Stellar.

! R: s2t04 splice @ 10:58.

! s2t04 (1) JG: "[inaudible: maybe "so long"] - thank you."

JGB in Chumash Country: Campbell Hall, UCSB, February 5, 1977

In my writeup of the Garcia Band's 11/20/76 gigs at the Pismo Theatre, I noted that Jerry urged the crowd to come see ol' Hoyt Axton in a couple of weeks. "He'll be down here doin' a benefit for Redwind, which is just a good scene, about forty miles from here, a lot of good people workin' real hard."

I elaborated:

The RedWind Medicine Camp was a Native American community, chiefed by the last full-blooded Chumash, Semu Huaute, located in rugged San Luis Obispo County. In correspondence, Bob Sewana Saenz explains: "Jerry visited me in SLO after a show at the Pismo Beach Theater in late 1976. I drove him and a few band members to Semu Huaute's (Chumash) Red Wind Medicine Camp. I showed him a school project that we were in need of funds to develop for the many children there." I presume they went up on Saturday, and came back down in time for Jerry to play his shows. He must have been moved, because he speaks. Even more importantly, he puts his money where his mouth is, headlining a benefit for the RedWind Foundation at UCSB on February 5, 1977 - but I'll get to that later.

Later is now. On 1/19/77, the UCSB Leg. Board approved the benefit gig, to be put on by Bob Sewana Saenz's Band Aid in support of Red Wind. The pre-show publicity doesn't mention this - nothin' in re benefit status of this event. But the documents are clear that the Garcia Band not only played the gig, but lent the promoter $1,000 to help put it on, a pretty righteous thing to do and part of a small inflection in benefits Garcia played in '77 (see also 6/23/77 for the Forest People of Camp Meeker and 8/12/77 for Greenpeace).

The shows don't move me all that much, though the late show "Don't Let Go" has some interesting passages. I find the sociometry more interesting, on three fronts.

First, there is a second guitar player present, playing country style backing licks. As noted on the 11/20/76 post, I know who this is but am holding it back for the book (major scoop! - not really). But, this player was present on nearly every known show from the first half of 1977, raising the question of whether this was a distinct band configuration as opposed to just a guest shot. These are academic questions also impossible to answer, but it's nevertheless interesting that a heretofore unknown aggregation appeared regularly as late as 1977.

Second, Chris Sobik drew my attention to a second female vocalist, and indeed we find Maria Muldaur providing backing vocals for both shows. This is the earliest Maria engagement with the JGB. update: that lasted for almost a day.  I have now heard her on 9/12/76. She had sat in with Jerry and Merl several times in '74 (and one night, 10/12/74, the Garcia-Saunders-Fierro-Kahn-Humphrey aggregation backed her for a whole set), and at least once with the Legion of Mary in '75. (This post seems to cover the bases.) But, while Corry has JGB #4, with Maria a full member, emerging on 11/15/77, she had already joined the band onstage at least 9/12/76, this night (February 5th), July 2-3 (without Donna Jean), August 7, August 12 (Greenpeace benefit), and maybe others from this slow period for the JGB.

Oh yeah, one last thing: Deborah Koons made this trip with Jerry. FYI.

Listening notes after the jump.

Jerry's Guitar Style

Where most rockers tend to push against the beat to build excitement, using a vocabulary of riffs that has come largely from the blues and Chuck Berry, Mr. Garcia constructs lines that float over the top of the rhythm.

! ref: Palmer, Robert. 1977. Dancers Rock to Jerry Garcia. New York Times, November 29, 1977, p. 44. re: JGB 11/27/77 Palladium

Palm Sunday

I know today is Easter, but JGBP tipped me off to a reddit AMA with Donna Jean the other day, and she provided this great memory from the Cats Under the Stars sessions:

It was about 4 o'clock in the morning, and Jerry and I were singing the duet on Palm Sunday, and we had the microphone on omni, so we were facing one another singing this song. It was probably the most soulful singing experience I ever had. It was a beautiful thing. I cannot say enough about how soulful that was, singing four inches from one another and singing that song. It's something I'll never forget.

Cool.

! ref: https://www.reddit.com/r/gratefuldead/comments/88dm78/hey_yall_its_donna_jean_ill_be_over_here_at_600/dwk2i0h/

Mr. Sandoz Dilaudid

I have a memory of hearing Phil say this over the PA during one of the Dead's Egypt shows, but I have no idea if this was just a dream I dreamed, it happened at another show, something like this but not exactly like this happened, or something else.

Does this ring a bell to anyone?

update: 11/2/77 - Canada, not Egypt. After FOTM and before Estimated, https://archive.org/details/gd1977-11-02.mtx.chappell.sb23.86233.sbeok.flac16/gd77-11-02s2t07.flac at about 9:35

Would Mr. Sandoz Dilaudid please come to the backstage area?

Find Someone Who Looks at You the Way John Looks at Jerry

VN jg1977-07-09.jgb.late.voodoonola

Jerry Garcia Band

Convention Hall

1300 Ocean Avenue
Asbury Park, NJ 07712
July 9, 1977 (Saturday) –Late Show 10 PM

complete (128:25) B&W proshot video via Music Vault, URL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Glq7yzbfy-o

re-do the time markers

0:00:00 – [0:47 The Harder They Come 0:48-15:04 -15:06

0:15:07 - Stage Noise

0:17:42 - They Love Each Other -25:42

0:25:46 - Stage Noise

0:30:05 - Midnight Moonlight

0:40:13 - Stage Noise

0:43:38 - Russian Lullaby (incomplete)

! R: RL splice @ 58:05, not much missing

0:58:57 – noodling

1:00:51 - Tore Up Over You

1:14:06 - crowd noise

1:14:54 - Knockin' On Heaven's Door

1:31:32 - Stage Noise

1:33:51 - Tangled Up in Blue

1:45:46 - crowd noise

1:51:00 - Not Fade Away (Incomplete)

! ACT1: Jerry Garcia Band

! lineup: Jerry Garcia – el-g, vocals;

! lineup: John Kahn – el-b;

! lineup: Keith Godchaux – el-piano (Polymoog keyboard), ac-piano;

! lineup: Ron Tutt – drums.

JGMF:

! Recording: symbols: % = recording discontinuity; / = clipped song; // = cut song; ... = fade in/out; # = truncated timing; [ ] = recorded event time. The recorded event time immediately after the song or item name is an attempt at getting the "real" time of the event. So, a timing of [x:xx] right after a song title is an attempt to say how long the song really was, as represented on this recording.

! Jerrybase: https://jerrybase.com/events/19770709-04

! db: http://etreedb.org/shn/8659 (Mattson early and late shows shnf); http://etreedb.org/shn/76441 (Mattson early and late shows flac1644); http://etreedb.org/shn/124426 (Steve Strange late show flac1644).

! map: https://goo.gl/maps/tfwJJ

! venue: http://jerrygarciasbrokendownpalaces.blogspot.com/2011/09/convention-hall-1300-ocean-ave-asbury.html

! band: JGB #xxx. Notice that neither Donna Jean Godchaux nor Maria Muldaur is present.

! JGMF: see also "Rockabilly JGB Doing Not Fade Away: July 9, 1977," http://jgmf.blogspot.com/2013/12/ln-jg1977-07-09jgblate-2aud-strange.html.

! ad: Asbury Park Press, June 26, 1977, p. 14.

! expost: "Arrests Follow 2 Rock Concerts," Asbury Park Press, July 11, 1977, p. unk.

! historical: "More than 30 persons, most of them from North Jersey and New York, were arrested Saturday night and early yesterday morning" after the Garcia Band shows ("Arrests Follow 2 Rock Concerts"). 22 police. Crowd of 250-300 (per police) gather at Bradley Park, across Ocean Avenue from Convention Hall, about 6:30 pm. Drinking. Cops announce they're gonna bust the drinking, etc. over the bullhorn. Crowd mostly dispersed 7:30, when JGB scheduled to start. Arrests begin at 10:30 pm, after the early show. "Police arrested people as they came off the Boardwalk and were visibly intoxicated. The arrests continued until about 1:25 am [text not clear]". Most was possession of alcohol, maybe 28? That'd be a summons or $100 bail. Nine for possession of marijuana or LSD, $500 bail. One Prince Charming got three charges and $5,000 bail: possession of a large knife, assault and battery of a police officer, and resisting arrest. (Your mother will love him!) Wage: $20,557. Only 120 tickets shy of a sellout (3,776 of 3,896).

! R: seeder notes: Thanks to BGA LLC.

! R: Original audio from video mastered using Adobe Audition

! R: audio patch in NFA from shnid 76441 taped by Mark Mattson

! R: audio and video editing by Voodoonola

! R: the video and audio quality are breathtaking.

! P: HTC catch Tutt do a great run around 3:15. Keith's electric keyboard is clearly shown 7:15ish. Watching JG play 8:30 is wonderful. At 10:10 he looks at John with such love. The admiration is so great. Swaying and smiling 10:25 as the crowd cheers. So, so, so nice.

! P: TLEO Tutt doing some harmonies visibly @ 20:10. Keith now on acoustic piano.

! P: MM KG has baritone and Tutt has high parts. KG's voice is unfortunate. Nice solo over 30, Kahn hitting some nice fat stuff and there's a crowd shot of a dude right upfront reacting to it, probably same look I had on my face. Wow. Late 30 Jerry takes another turn, he wasn't satisfied with the first one (it's true he hit a bad note in there), now he has his eyes closed and that helps, sometimes.

! P: RL wow. We know that Jerry, John and Keith, sometimes just Jerry and Keith (!), played some Hot Club stuff at Club Front in mid-1978. The love that Jerry and John share for each other is palpable. Over 43 John is practically cooing at Jerry, playing with him like a kitten, and Jerry is using that to get off. It's potent. At 45, John steps in front of Jerry and is ready to jump on a feature, but Keith steps up and plays a beautiful little thing. Jerry sways with pleasure and smiles at Keith, comping with his eyes on Keith. If Garcia's comping and looking at you and urging you to play, you play, by God. 46 Keith picks up his tempo a little bit. He's playing very well-controlled piano here, not so heavily percussive on the left hand. Now John feature 47:15 ff. At 48:45 you are getting a perfect view of John's fingers. It is very nice to see this, but I don't think this bass solo holds a candle to what some of John's contemporaries could do. Garcia is having a smoke and watching John, so it's a little trio configuration of John leading, Keith and Ronnie just holding the beat. Jerry comes back 50:35, crowd gives John a nice hand. But it also knows, or many of its members do, that Garcia's about to play his guitar.

! P: TUOY John was playing something very interesting around 70 min mark, but the seeder had already tracked KOHD. I think he was noodling something else, and then the transition to KOHD sounded abrupt. But maybe I just wasn't playing close enough attention.

Englishtown: Get the Aud!

https://archive.org/details/gd1977-09-03.aud.102409.flemming.berger.flac24

You want to hear the energy of Englishtown? Get the aud.

Jersey Shore, Jerry and Scher (VN jg1977-07-09.jgb.early)

In July 1977, the Jerry Garcia Band went out east for a few big paydays playing for John Scher in Hempstead, NY and two shows on the Jersey Shore, at the Convention Hall in Asbury Park. I have reported on the first night (7/8) and on the 7/9 late show from an audience tape.  Lots of interesting stuff here – the Garcia-Scher partnership (a Don Law-promoted show up Cape Cod was scheduled for the 10^th, but canceled for reasons unknown to me), money, hooliganism (between shows on the second night) and some interesting performances ("Tough Mama", from Dylan's Planet Waves, shows up the first night in the middle of a seven-year absence, and the late show second night ends with the only known JGB performance of "Not Fade Away").

Here's how it might have looked financially for the night of the 9^th:

As noted, a big payday all around, about $200,000 in 2013 dollars.

Now, into the world drops video of many John Scher promoted Garcia Band shows, including material from both 7/9/77 shows. I have now viewed the early show video, and it's nothing short of amazing. Stunning. Unbelievable. I can't believe I get to watch this. My deepest gratitude goes out to all those who have made it possible for this stuff to be seen. Wow.

See my viewing notes below. A few tiny points. First, neither Donna Jean Godchaux nor Maria Muldaur is present. Second, John Scher says at the end that folks can use their ticket stubs to go see the Grateful Dead Movie. This makes me think that there is some cross-promotion happening between the Garcia Band gigs and The Movie. No big deal, but interesting. (update: of course, John Scher's business partnership with the Dead included a chunk of change around The Movie, specifically the distribution. So these Garcia Band shows and The GD Movie are bound together in some pretty essential ways, it seems to me.) We know that fucker was a monkey on Garcia's back – maybe the band and John Scher and all the rest of them are celebrating together their shared midsummer fortune with a payday, some partying, some music. I wonder where John Belushi was this night?

Jerry Garcia Band

Convention Hall

1300 Ocean Avenue
Asbury Park, NJ 07712
July 9, 1977 (Saturday) – Early Show 7 PM

partial (41:34) B&W video

--end early show + encore--

[0:04] Sitting Here In Limbo :05-12:29 -15:49

Mystery Train 15:50-27:19 (1) -30:09

--encore--

tuning 30:10-31:59

How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) 32:00-40:36 –(2) 41:34 %

! ACT1: Jerry Garcia Band

! lineup: Jerry Garcia – el-g, vocals;

! lineup: John Kahn – el-b;

! lineup: Keith Godchaux – piano;

! lineup: Ron Tutt – drums.

JGMF:

! Recording: symbols: % = recording discontinuity; / = clipped song; // = cut song; ... = fade in/out; # = truncated timing; [ ] = recorded event time. The recorded event time immediately after the song or item name is an attempt at getting the "real" time of the event. So, a timing of [x:xx] right after a song title is an attempt to say how long the song really was, as represented on this recording.

! TJS: http://www.thejerrysite.com/shows/show/1325

! db: http://db.etree.org/shn/8659 (Mattson early and late shows shnf); http://db.etree.org/shn/76441 (Mattson early and late shows flac1644).

! map: https://goo.gl/maps/tfwJJ

! venue: http://jerrygarciasbrokendownpalaces.blogspot.com/2011/09/convention-hall-1300-ocean-ave-asbury.html

! band: JGB #xxx. Notice that neither Donna Jean Godchaux nor Maria Muldaur is present.

! historical: when this show ended, around 10:30 p.m., police started arresting visibly intoxicated people along the Boardwalk, a couple dozen in all (“Arrests Follow 2 Rock Concerts”).

! R: Both the audio and video quality of this recording are quite stunning. The video is a black and white multicam from the Monarch Entertainment screen feeds. They had this pretty locked in. The lighting is good. This is not a heavily generated copy. Tracking is clean. Pro quality. Some static late 36 minute mark.

! P: SHIL botches the first lyrics, and his voice is already betraying him. And this is the early show? Gonna be a slog vocally for awhile, I predict. Garcia looks skinny in the arms, heavy lidded, bouncing 2:25 to get himself warmed up. Tutt hitting the shit out of it. Keith short sleeves and mid-tint shades. 4:08 Jerry is really warming up already, a beautiful run @ 4:20, I was totally wrong. He is still futzing with his gear, but his guitar voice is fluid and expressive. John is beautifully mixed and he sounds good. Tutt visibly deeply in the groove 5:36. @ 5:50 ish Jerry is playing to Keith, looking over to him as he plays percussively and a little rough, asking him to soften it up. Keith is staring lost down at the ground to 3 o’clock, but he hears Jerry and starts with some more melodious stuff, warming up to a feature in the second half of 6-minute mark that is very nice. Around 7:30 Jerry is comping melodiously behind, almost like his “Day By Day” feel. Keith still getting warmed up, but this is pretty good. @ 8:45 Garcia is beautifully filmed, looking very much like Ed Perlstein’s blue snap of Garcia from ?2/22/76? on the cover of Don’t Let Go, frizzy haloed hair. Keith is noodling something, maybe Epistrophy, something jazzy, e.g., 14:15. Fascinating. Kahn is doing some ditty now late 14 over 15. Not just scales, I don’t think, but maybe. Can hear the stage talk 15:45 ish.

! MT @ 18:22 see Harry Popick dancing in the background. Garcia isn’t real secure on the vocals, so he steps back like he means to stay back for awhile late in the 18 minute mark. Not in a hurry, clearly warming himself up. Tutt is a metronome, lots of high-hat, e.g., 19:30ish. 23-24 Jerry picks up his pace a little, gets John’s attention. Things had been a little sluggish, they are a little peppier now. Nice shot of the white Travis Bean 24:30ish. He’s smiling a little now, strumming, John is roostering, getting real close to Jerry, signals a little thing to him around 25 turn. Jerry now down reel close on the neck, comes back confidently 25:51 because he strums his way to the mic. Kahn swings around behind him? Jerry sings the station master part with such gusto that he knocks his glasses down the end of his nose, big dig 25:35. Big dig.

! @ 27:35 (1) It looks like they are going to stay on for another song, no-one’s leaving, then Jerry leans over, whispers something, in John’s ear, and steps to the mic, pulling off his guitar: “Thanks a lot, we’ll see ya later.” That is odd that he waited 15 seconds to call it. It’s possible that Scher told them to shut it down, Big Steve relayed it to Jerry, and so they are shutting it down. But maybe it was Jerry saying “Hey John, let’s go get high, we’ll do a last one as an encore.” Or, perhaps he knows that later they plan to drop the half-hour singleton “Not Fade Away”, he knows they’ll need the time, and so he’s just planning responsibly. These and many other inferences are observationally equivalent. Maybe it’s everything at once. Sometimes it is. Tutt returns @ 30:10. This was one of those perfunctory encore calls, band and audience both knew they were coming back. 30:55 Kahn is playing a classical tune I should know, Fur Mathilde or something like that.

! P: HSII Jerry is very bouncy, obviously found some energy during the three minutes he was off stage. Note there are harmony vocals. If my analysis of the 4/2/76 early show video is correct, that would be Tutt on high harmonies, since Keith sings baritone parts. Jerry enthusiastic, rocking and looking back at Tutt, affirming his harmonies, some strong chords 37 minute mark. Nice closeup of some nice guitar soloing around 38:40. Back to “open my eyes at night”. Late Keith joins in on vocals, so all three are singing.

! @ 41:20 (2) John Scher: “Thank you very much, and good night. Those of you that want to be reminded, with you ticket stubs you can go see the Dead Movie for a half a buck less. Again: thanks, and good night. We’ll see you next time.” Wow. That little piece explains this mini-tour to me: It was about the GD Movie!