How about the Mouth on that Beast? JGB at the Stone, February 2, 1980, as recorded by Bad Bob Menke

LN jg1980-02-02.jgb.all.aud-menke-motb-0038.105635.flac1644

I recently revisited an old favorite, 2/17/80, and surprised myself by not noting anything about the "After Midnight -> Eleanor Rigby -> After Midnight" medley, to say nothing of an old favorite of another kind, "Positively 4th Street". I have vowed to revisit these. Someone was also extolling old favorite 3/8/80 on its recent anniversary, claiming that this last AMERAM was the best, and we speculated that maybe the band hung it up after that because, really, where else was there to go with it? Always leave 'em wanting more, amirite? It would indeed have been sad if AMERAM had become just another thing, like MAMU -> Mexicali over on the dark end of the street. I vow to revisit that one, too, though I have held a candle of hope out for the emergence of that master tape, ready for a fresh clean transfer, for coming on 25 years, to no avail. Why do you forsake me, tape goddesses?

Anyway, let me here touch on a charming third old favorite from this period, 2/2/80 at the Stone. As was typical in the Freddie Herrera - affiliated stable of clubs, old times bluesers Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker played the soft open Thursday night, and then Jerry headlined the first weekend under the new management. (I seem to recall this being pretty much the same billings as opened the seemingly ill-starred Keystone Stockton back in '74.)

John Angus pulled a remarkable tape from the Friday show, I think in the company of his brother Harry, who is the venue guru extraordinaire (a.k.a. JGBP) of our little corner of the blogosphere and who enjoyed the white linen tablecloths and vased red roses classing up the joint on that first Friday. I have not revisited that tape in many years - add another to the to-do list. But the legendary, enigmatic HOF taper Bad Bob Menke pulled an all-time great tape the next night. The Powers That Be (TPTB) even released a track of it, "When I Paint My Masterpiece", on a 2005 Dylan homage / money grab. I hope Bob got paid for it. Because, man, what a recording! The Mouth of the Beast, indeed.

And this is a characteristically killer early 1980 Garcia Band performance. Update: five years ago the first set did nothing for me. That tells you the scientific worth of my quality assessments, heh heh.

Lossless pioneer Danny Metz, who used to do the math to be sure to cut tracks on sector boundaries to ensure Red Book CD-audio compatibility before the programs automated that process, once said that "Jerry's solo in Train To Cry [from] 5:30-7:10 may be the sickest bluesy guitar work I have ever heard." Danny also praises Johnny D's drum work. I can't argue. One of the things I have noticed in some of these shows, too, is that Ozzie Ahlers doesn't take any shit from ol Jer. Here, in TLEO, Mr. Eponymy starts throwing elbows about 4 minutes in, and Ozzie just plays harder for a while. Yeah! All kinds of good glassine guitar work throughout, some of it Mutron-smooth like leaded cathedral fare and some of it sharp and shardy. For me, the real highlights arrive in Masterpiece, well-released not least because it features the longest scrub in the history of rock and roll, and then, of course, AMERAM. So much Mutron, so much killer jamming, such a killer medley. Ozzie even does a little "Riders On The Storm" descent 13:40ish, headed to the Beatles by way of the Doors. All in all, a wonderful listen!

Oh yeah, how about some color from the flamboyantly fabulous Bay Area Reporter (via archive.org):

Garcia's local club dates have long been one of the special joys of this burgh. Some will tell you that here resides the true wonders of The Dead, without all the hocus-pocus. Others will tell you it's just a boring old fart. Let those who have ears hear [!]

Jerry Garcia Band

The Stone

412 Broadway

San Francisco, CA 94133

February 2, 1980 (Saturday)

Menke motb-0038 shnid-105635

--set I (5 tracks, 49:13)-- 

s1t01. //It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry  [8:20] [0:02] %

s1t02. They Love Each Other [9:28] [0:12] % [0:18]

s1t03. Money Honey [8:19] [0:15]

s1t04. Sitting In Limbo [13:26] ->

s1t05. That's Alright, Mama [8:34] (1) [0:14]

--set II (6 tracks, 72:30)--

s2t01. [0:12] Harder They Come [16:53] [0:54]

s2t02. When I Paint My Masterpiece [13:51] [0:16] %

s2t03. [0:13] Russian Lullaby [14:57] [0:07]

s2t04. After Midnight [15:40] ->

s2t05. Eleanor Rigby Jam [4:28] ->

s2t06. After Midnight [4:49] [0:12]

! ACT1: Jerry Garcia Band #11a

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

! lineup: John Kahn - el-b;

! lineup: Ozzie Ahlers - keyboards;

! lineup: John D'Fonseca - drums.

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/19800202-01

! db: https://etreedb.org/shn/4432; https://etreedb.org/shn/16681; https://etreedb.org/shn/85532; https://etreedb.org/shn/92372; https://etreedb.org/shn/92432; https://etreedb.org/shn/105635 (this fileset)

! map: https://goo.gl/maps/Vr6EBXU6KvA2

! JGBP: http://jerrygarciasbrokendownpalaces.blogspot.com/2012/07/stone-mothers-412-broadway-san.html

! band: http://lostlivedead.blogspot.com/2012/01/jerry-garcia-band-personnel-1975-1995.html

! ad: San Francisco Sunday Examiner and Chronicle Datebook, January 20, 1980, p. 22; San Francisco Sunday Examiner and Chronicle Datebook, January 27, 1980, p. 13

! mention: San Francisco Examiner, January 25, 1980, p. 23;

! listing: Bay Area Reporter, January 31, 1980, p. 22. In characteristically cheeky style, the BAR writes "Garcia's local club dates have long been one of the special joys of this burgh. Some will tell you that here resides the true wonders of The Dead, without all the hocus-pocus. Others will tell you it's just a boring old fart. Let those who have ears hear."

! listing: BAM no. 72 (February 1, 1980), p. 41

! official: Jerry Garcia - Garcia Plays Dylan (Rhino, R2 73263, 2005) (d2t01-Masterpiece)

! recollex: Harry Angus recalls that the white linens and roses were on the tables again this night, as the night before, which was the hard opening of the Stone as such. See that date for the specifics.

! R: field recordist: Bob Menke

! R: field recording gear: 2x Nakamichi CM700 > Sony TC-D5

! R: field recording media: 2x Maxell UDXLII

! R: Analog Sound Preservation: MAC >> Nakamichi CR7a => Korg MR-1000 >> DSF [1-bit 5.6448 MHz Stereo] >> Korg MR-1000 => Korg AudioGate >> WAV [24/96]. Transfer By: Bob Menke; Mastering By: Derek McCabe

! R: MOTB Release: 0038 16/44.1

! R: Release Date: 2010-01-26

! R: Bob Menke pulled a truly amazing audience tape this night.

! R: s1t01 ITALTL, ITATTC clips in

! P: s1t02 TLEO Ozzie missed Jerry's not-so-subtle cue to step back early 4, Ozzie just asserts and plays. Good on ya!

! R: s1t04 SIL tape flip near end (patched?? with Nak300's > Sony 158 > MAC (Maxell UD XLII) source

! P: s1t05 TAM killer glassine guitar tone 2.

! s1t05 (1) JG: "We're gonna take a short break, be back in a little while."

! P: s2t02 WIPMM Jerry working the Mutron. Huge long scrubby segment through the 11 range. Whoa. Still at it over 12. Longest scrubbing run ever, until 12:15?

! P: s2t04 AM so much Mutron 10:15. Wonderful jamming here 11. Ozzie does a little "Riders On The Storm" descent 13:40ish. Man, this jam is stretchy-good.

! R: s2t05 tape flip patched with Nak300's > Sony 158 > MAC (Maxell UD XLII source

! P: s2t06 AM more big fanning. Great stuff.

Soft, Gentle and Round vs. Burning, Fiery and Huge: JGB at Laker Hall, SUNY Oswego, February 17, 1980

LN jg1980-02-17.jgb.all.aud-gatto.9017.sh2flac

The adjectives in the subject allude to the contrasts that really defined Garcia's guitar playing in 1980. Some tunes, like "I'll Take A Melody" featured both modes, the contemplative and the rockin'. "Friend Of The Devil", here in one of its last electric GOTS performances, features long, gentle, lovely progressions, as does "It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry". "That's Alright, Mama" delivers the fire, as do "Money Honey" and "Let It Rock".

For whatever reason, the two obvious setlist highlights, "Positively 4th Street" and the "After Midnight -> Eleanor Rigby -> After Midnight" melody, get no notes. A reviewer noted that Eleanor Rigby kicked off at the stroke of 12, which is a good touch. Apparently John was pretty stationary, as he had a 102 fever and had visited the local Krankenhaus earlier in the day.

I used to do backflips over this show, this time I find it merely very-good-to-excellent. Strong. Fine. Enjoyable.

Jerry Garcia Band
Laker Hall
SUNY Oswego
Oswego, NY 13126
February 17, 1980 (Sunday) - 8 PM
Gatto MAC shnid-9017 shn2flac retrack

--set I (7 tracks, 83:47)--
s1t01. //I'll Take A Melody [#17:35] %
s1t02. Friend //Of The Devil [9:#06] [0:02] %
s1t03. /How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) [#9:20] %
s1t04. /Catfish //John [#12:#06] %
s1t05. /Deal [#9:14] [0:08] %
s1t06. /Positively 4th Street [#14:17] [0:06] % dead air [0:13]
s1t07. [0:05] /That's Alright, Mama [#11:31] (1) [0:04] 

--set II (8 tracks, 79:56)--
s2t01. /Money Honey [#9:12] [0:02]
s2t02. Sitting In Limbo [12:54] %
s2t03. Let It Rock 9:13] %
s2t04. After Midnight [12:21] ->
s2t05. Eleanor Rigby [5:34] ->
s2t06. After Midnight [4:45] [0:06] % dead air [0:11]
s2t07. /It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry [#10:45] [0:01] %
s2t08. [0:05] Harder They Come [14:44] (2) % dead air [0:02]

! ACT1: Jerry Garcia Band #11a
! lineup: Jerry Garcia - el-g;
! lineup: John Kahn - el-b;
! lineup: Ozzie Ahlers - keyboards;
! lineup: John D'Fonseca - 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/19800217-01

! db: https://etreedb.org/shn/9017 (this fileset)

! band: JGB #11a (http://lostlivedead.blogspot.com/2012/01/jerry-garcia-band-personnel-1975-1995.html).

! map: https://goo.gl/maps/awDzv2i26GP2

! JGBP: http://jerrygarciasbrokendownpalaces.blogspot.com/2012/03/laker-hall-suny-oswego-ny.html

! seealso: GratefulSeconds, "JGB's After Midnight>Eleanor Rigby>After Midnight Reigns Supreme in Oswego February 17, 1980," URL http://www.gratefulseconds.com/2019/06/jgbs-after-midnighteleanor-rigbyafter.html.

! ad: Oswegonian, February 7, 1980, p. 12;

! preview: Finn and Donoghue 1980; condensed version appeared as preview: "Jerry Garcia Band to Play at Laker Hall," Pulaski (N.Y.) Democrat, February 13, 1980, p. 12.

! review: [positive] Fausner 1980; "Kahn's lack of movement was due to the fact that he played the show with a 102 degree fever and had been taken to the hospital prior to the show." According to reviewer, Eleanor Rigby (in middle of "After Midnight") was started right at midnight - nice touch!

! historical: Rachel Sweet billed to open, but "announced the cancellation of her tour last week, much to the delight of Garcia fans" (Fausner). A ticket from ebay shows "Special Guest The Tom Johnson Band".

! R: field recordist: Keith Gatto

! R: field recording gear: 2x Nakamichi 300 > Sony TC-D5

! R: lineage: MAC > DAT > CD > WAV > SHN. shn2flac and retrack to sets, jgmf 2/17/2021

! R: Note: This was originally seeded with a corrupt d3t02 (HTC).

! R: good tape but for the cuts

! R: s1t01 ITAM cuts in

! P: s1t01 ITAM Jerry engages in some long wonderful mandolin fanning late 14 over 15.

! R: s1t02 FOTD presumed brief splice @ 0:40

! P: s1t02 FOTD it seems to me that this was relatively rare at this point, but maybe I just haven't paid attention. This version has some very lovely, gentle passages, but it ends a little abruptly. Update: Jerrybase shows it played again 2/22 and 2/23 and 7/24/80 the last GOTS electric version - after that it'd be JGJK, JGAB, JGBW (12/4/88) and JGDG only.

! R: s1t03 HSII levels lower, hiss higher until 8:47.

! P: s1t03 HSII Garcia's guitar work this date feels really round, soft, gentle. Not the least bit shreddy so far, but it's lovely.

! R: s1t04 CJ clips in, splice @ 10:44

! P: s1t04 CJ some really nice stacking chunks 10:15ish

! R: s1t05 Deal clips in

! P: s1t07 TAM shws the first real fire of the evening in Gar's guitar work.

! s1t07 (1) JG: "We're gonna take a break for a little while ..."

! P: s2t01 Money Honey ol Jer is playing some burning guitar in the 7 min range.

! P: s2t03 LIR huge, huge guitar work 6-7

! P: s2t07 ITALTL, ITATTC back in the gentle, contemplative guitar picking space.

! s2t08 (2) JG: "Thank you."

Warmup for Four: JGB at the Stone, July 19, 1980

LN jg1980-07-19.jgb.all.aud-moore-berger.122980.flac1644

These notes were orphaned - I listened to this sometime back, never posted them.

Last of three warmups for the short-lived JGB #11b quartet. We used to think that this band happened because the 11a drummer, John d'Fonseca, died in Spring 1980. But we now know that's not true, so it's not clear why he left the band. Anyway, Greg Errico was a consummate pro, and Jerry called on him a lot when he needed a guy to keep the beat. Consistent with the Iron Law, this new configuration debuted on an off-night (Wednesday, 7/16). They then played a weekend for the Berkeley regulars, and took a very brief, very lucrative little jaunt out east, grossing $150k for four consecutive nights' work. Maybe Jerry needed a new pair of mocassins.

What really stands out to me about this show is the hard limit he keeps hitting on his voice. Whatever is happening with him in this period, he hasn't adjusted his arrangements to conform to his vocal limitations. Not only does he clam up a few times, but he sometimes switches key mid-verse to manage things. The whole show feels lackluster, perfunctory. A six-minute Deal? I wonder when was the last time it clocked in so short?

Anyway, for the record and all that.

Jerry Garcia Band
The Stone
412 Broadway
San Francisco, CA 94133
July 19, 1980 (Saturday)
2nd gen cassette Moore-Berger shnid-122980 renamed to sets

--set I (4 tracks, 35:02, probably incomplete)--
s1t01. Deal [6:21] [0:05]
s1t02. Sitting In Limbo [10:46] [0:03] % [0:09]
s1t03. Money Honey [7:10] [0:05] % [0:07]
s1t04. Tangled Up In Blue [10:08] (1) [0:10]

--set II (5 tracks, 60:36)--
s2t01. Harder They Come [13:50] [0:06] %
s2t02. Mission In The Rain [11:55] [0:04] % [0:08]
s2t03. Simple Twist Of Fate [12:58] [0:05] %
s2t04. Dear Prudence [11:30] [0:07] % [0:09]
s2t05. Midnight Moonlight [9:34] [0:08] %

! ACT1: Jerry Garcia Band #11b
! lineup: Jerry Garcia - guitar, vocals;
! lineup: Ozzie Ahlers - keyboards;
! lineup: Greg Errico - drums;
! lineup: John Kahn - bass.

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/19800719-01

! db: https://etreedb.org/shn/122980 (this fileset)

! band: http://lostlivedead.blogspot.com/2012/01/jerry-garcia-band-personnel-1975-1995.html

! map: https://goo.gl/maps/Vr6EBXU6KvA2

! JGBP: http://jerrygarciasbrokendownpalaces.blogspot.com/2012/07/stone-mothers-412-broadway-san.html

! historical: Chris Rowan opened. This is a rare quartet show, the last of three local warmups before taking a very brief, very lucrative little jaunt out east for John Scher.

! ad: San Francisco Sunday Examiner and Chronicle Datebook, July 13, 1980, p. 10

! listing: BAM no. 83 (7/18/80), p. 37

! R: source: MAC > cassette 1 > cassette 2 (Jerry Moore's Maxell MX-110, Dolby B);

! R: transfer: nak dragon/b > tascam hd-p2 24/96 > pc > adobe audition 2.0 > cd wave > flac; transferred & seeded by Rob Berger Nov. 2012.

! P: s1t01 Deal First "spend some time" reveals vocal limitations. Also "all that went down" - he goes off key to adjust for his limited voice. He does some good hard stuff after the vocals, but he doesn't sustain it very far. Very short and uninspired.

! R: s1t02 SIL taper and neighbor chatter.

! P: s1t02 SIL this tape really captures his voice well, and he can't really sing SIL very well. He has lost the sweetness he once had for this song.

! P: s1t03 MH breaking in new guys can be really interesting. As they try to sync up, Garcia starts the song with some really fuzzy grungy guitar. Awesome! He can't hit his night notes very well vocally this night.

! s1t04 (1) "We're gonna take a break for a little while."

Jerry Garcia and John Lennon, summarized by Dennis McNally

On December 8, Garcia was at Front Street working on Dead Set when get got a call that told him of the assassination of John Lennon. Work was impossible. He sat down at Keith Godchaux's old Steinway (more pain: Keith had died in a car accident that summer) and noodled for many hours, lost in thought.

But here's the analytical money shot:

Both had emerged from childhoods damaged by deeply flawed relationships with their mothers, and through their losses had found a stunning creativity which put them in the prison of celebrity.

Friends disagree about such psychological speculation (which can only be projection), but I think it's all a reasonable part of a serious analysis. I accept Dennis's Freudian piece, and I love the simple causal chain he forges. Quite right, IMO.

! ref: McNally 2002, 541.

Concert Vault

My goodness, I don't really follow what all comes online --or maybe it's new, so effectively I do-- but there is some 1980 and 1982 JGB (and snippets of 4/10/82 Garcia solo acoustic) online at concertvault.com. I need to investigate some of this more.

Here's "Let It Rock" from 6/24/82:
http://www.concertvault.com/jerry-garcia-band/video/let-it-rock_2147002982.html

And "Deal" from 7/26/80, Greg Errico on the drums:
http://www.concertvault.com/jerry-garcia-band/video/deal_2147003437.html

"The Little Cash Cow" - JGB, Early 1980

Last weekend's post "On the Bus with the Garcia Band" looked at the November-December 1983 JGB tour's extensive ground travel - everything was by bus, 3,000 miles on the road in a few weeks in the eastern time zone. Commenter Nick asked a great question comparing that tour with earlier ones, pointing out Ozzie Ahlers's recollections of limos and such on the early 1980 tour. In comments, I noted that that one had been a multimodal affair:

2/13 fly commercial DC-Albany
2/14 drive 165 mi. to Boston
2/16 drive 140 mi. to New Haven
2/17 charter plane to Syracuse
2/20 fly commercial to Hartford
2/21 fly commercial to Newark
2/23 drive 90 mi. to Philly
2/24 drive 110 mi. to Long Island
2/26 drive 180 mi. to Provy
2/27 drive 180 mi. back to NYC

Nick raises the question of whether the later tour maybe just wasn't generating the same amount of cash, so that the bus was a budget-conscious choice. (Corry offers an alternative hypothesis.)

I'd love to be able to compare the money on the two tours, but I lack the '83 piece. I can lay out the '80 piece, and it is quite impressive. Somewhere I have Dennis McNally calling the Garcia Band a "little cash cow", and the numbers affirm.

Table xxx. Jerry Garcia Band Touring Revenues, February-March 1980

In 2015 dollars, that's just over $571k for three weeks' work, not bad.

The last column may also be of interest. $19k (1980$) cash out on the road would have bought Our Hero a lot of cigarettes and chili dogs.

Heresy Alert

Avert your eyes if you are sensitive to this sort of thing.

Great tapes, but 2/2/80 set I does nothing for me.

Discuss.

Further hypothesis: it exhibits the "Cornell Effect", whereby great sounding tape produces systematic and massive overestimation of performance quality.

UPDATE: In March 2021 I revisited this show, and found it to be "killer". Let that be a lesson to you, readers, that my assessments are not only subjective (lacking reliability) but also inconsistent (lacking validity).

So He Goes Nowhere

https://archive.org/details/gd1980-06-08.SonyECM250.walker-scotton.miller.88452.sbeok.flac16

This fileset is great - awesome tape by Joani Walker. It also includes a few great tracks from the Warren Zevon set and a post-show interview with Bob Weir. Here's an interesting little exchange, 24 minutes into the interview, or thereabouts.

Bob: "Garcia, who's really visible for miles ... he can't go anywhere. He gets absolutely no peace anywhere. So he goes nowhere. He stays with his friends, and that's about it."
Interviewer: "And people are still 'Captain Trips'ing him."
Bob: "Yeah."
Interviewer: "That must be, in a way, a kind of Hell, the times that that happens that he doesn't want it."
Weir: "Well, on the other hand he's sort of architected his life around that, and lives quite comfortably within the confines of the existence that he's more or less constructed for himself. He practices a lot, he writes. He hangs out with his close friends."

Weir sounds full of regret that this is Jerry's circumstance. I note that and note that this was Garcia's reality, part of the Burden of Being Jerry as observed by Bob, already by 1980.

UMass 'Master of the Fretboard': JGB, February 20, 1980 (late show)

LN jg1980-02-20.jgb.late.aud-Sony_23F-Nak_550.131018.flac2448

The Jerry Garcia Band (JGB #11a) played 22 shows in the 29 days of February 1980, warming up locally and then touring college and off-campus theaters, reportedly to help pay for the film rights to Kurt Vonnegut's "Sirens of Titan". I have all kinds of information about John and Jerry's quest for those rights, and their ultimately fruitless efforts to make a movie, just need to find time to write it all up.

While some dislike the sound of this band, often because of Ozzie Ahlers' electric keyboard and synthesizer tones, I have big love for its, and especially Garcia's, playing during this period. The After Midnight release of the Kean College shows on 2/28/80 give an excellent representation of what the group was all about. Lots of very expressive Garcia guitar playing, by turns fast, fluid, cogent, energetic, inventive, plucky, pensive, burning and corrosive. His voice generally sounds pretty good, the repertoire mixes things up nicely, and everything cooks about as it should. I like lots of shows from the tour, with 2/15/80 (Orpheum Theatre in Boston) and 2/17/80 (SUNY Oswego) maybe topping the list, though they're pretty much all good. And, to repeat, it's mostly about energy and guitar playing.

The early (7 PM) show at UMass Amherst on Wednesday, February 20th has only a rotten multigenerated cassette tape in circulation. I must have listened to it at some point, but maybe not. Anyway, the 10 PM show is much better represented, by a recently-polished 1st gen cassette dubbed from an unknown taper's 2x Sony ECM-23f > Nakamichi 550 setup. It's a good tape. It's not great, cut up a little bit and with some overloading.

But it's worth a listen because it's a good show. I don't have a ton of specifics, see my listening notes below the fold.

I found archives for the UMass Amherst Daily Collegian, which naturally held a few ads, such as this one:

Garcia had his hair long like that during the Reconstruction era, in 1979. The picture is almost certainly from the Dead's May 12, 1979 gig in the UMass campus stadium. Ex-post, one of staff photog Wayne Rosenberg's Jerry snaps appeared the next day, and then there was a review the next week.

In addition to confirming that Robert Hunter opened (which I did not have pinned down), and though not a Dead/Garcia fan, the reviewer (Alvord 1980) is mostly pretty impressed. Garcia is a

master of the fretboard … mesmerizing … Garcia did not get involved at all with the audience, although there was dynamic interaction on the stage between the band members, trading off exquisite solos and jovial expressions of delight and amusement between Garcia and the keyboardist, blank expression by the bassist, and multiple expressions of estranged nature by the percussionist. The bass solo was the only low point of the concert ... it sucked!

I assume he saw the early show, since the bass solo in "Simple Twist" is presumably even more feathery and fluttery than the one in the late show's "Russian Lullaby" (which is, perhaps suspiciously, cut out of the tape under consideration). It is nice to hear that Jerry and Ozzie seemed to be having a good time, anyway.

Anyway, good show. "Sugaree", "Tore Up Over You", and even "Midnight Moonlight," which is too often Jerry starting to pack it in, especially impress me.


REFERENCE:

Alvord, Rick. 1980. The Dead's head plays it true to form. Daily Collegian (University of Massachusetts, Amherst), February 25, 1980, p. 7; via URL https://archive.org/details/massachuse19791980univ, accessed 11/9/2014.

new snow on top of freezing rain and fog and really poor visibility, just a disaster of a night for travelin', but we didn't wanna miss the show

This ticket stub is an awesome piece of memorabilia - attendee wrote the names of all of his show-going companions. Here are his recollections, posted from Lossless Legs (12/16/2013):

I vaguely recall the weather bein' a combination of new snow on top of freezing rain and fog and really poor visibility, just a disaster of a night for travelin', but we didn't wanna miss the show and drove down to New Haven from Waterbury, parked on campus somewhere, and made the hike across campus on foot (slippin' and a slidin') to the gymnasium.  I seem to remember the ice bein' more the problem than the snow (no surprise there).  With 13 names on my ticket stub we all must've come down in one car - maybe 2.

LN jg1980-02-16.jgb.all.aud-macfarland.102352.flac2496

The show doesn't slay me. It's OK. The tape is pretty good. I am not sure that WIPMM is actually an encore, need to cross-check with other tapes.


Jerry Garcia Band
Charger Gymnasium, University of New Haven
300 Boston Post Road
New Haven, CT 06516
February 16, 1980
MacFarland MAC flac2496 shnid-102352

--set I (5 tracks, 51:23)--
s1t01. [0:38] How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) [7:27] [1:00]
s1t02. They Love Each Other [6:57] [1:30]
s1t03. Let It Rock [9:18] [0:08] % [0:15]
s1t04. Simple Twist of Fate [16:17] % [0:01]
s1t05. That's Alright, Mama [7:36] (1) [0:15] %

--set II + encore (5 tracks, 56:42)--
--set II (4 tracks, 46:49)--
s2t01. /It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry [11:04] [0:07] % [0:09]
s2t02. Tore Up Over You [8:46] [0:13] % [0:08]
s2t03. Russian Lullaby [12:42] [0:05] %
s2t04. [0:17] The Harder They Come [12:03] [1:14]
--encore (1 track, 9:53)--
s2t05. When I Paint My Masterpiece [9:48] [0:05] %

! ACT1: Jerry Garcia Band
! lineup: Jerry Garcia - el-g, vocals;
! lineup: John Kahn - el-b;
! lineup: Ozzie Ahlers - keyboards, vocals;
! lineup: John D'Fonseca - 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/1448

! db: http://db.etree.org/shn/21477 (unknown aud shnf); http://db.etree.org/shn/32346 (Scott Vid flac1644); http://db.etree.org/shn/100697 (composite of shnid-21477 and shnid-32346); http://db.etree.org/shn/102353 (MacFarland flac1644); http://db.etree.org/shn/106583 (Morris flac2496); http://db.etree.org/shn/102002 (Morris flac1644); http://db.etree.org/shn/102352 (MacFarland flac2496, this fileset).

! map: https://goo.gl/maps/tffBV7F2wKx

! venue: http://jerrygarciasbrokendownpalaces.blogspot.com/2012/10/charger-gymnasium-300-boston-post-road.html

! band: JGB #11a http://lostlivedead.blogspot.com/2012/01/jerry-garcia-band-personnel-1975-1995.html

! tags: 1980, JGB, college gigs, listening notes, Bob MacFarland, Charger Gymnasium, University of New Haven, New Haven, CT

! R: field recordist: Bob MacFarland a.k.a. Emoto

! R: field recording location: FOB

! R: field recording gear: ?mics > Superscope/Marantz CD-330

! R: field recording media: 2x Maxell UDXL-II90 (Dolby B on)

! R: archivist: Rob Berger

! R: transfer: Nakamichi Dragon > HD-P2 24/96 > HD > Adobe Audition 2.0 > CDWave > flac, 11/3/2009.

! R: seeder notes: "fuckin' killer ... my favorite version of a favorite show ... nice job Emoto!  thanks for sharing your master with us."

! P: overall: Kahn has a nice fat tone this night.

! P: s1t01 HSII I find Jerry's singing to be well articulated on this tour. It's not the 1978 Dylan exaggerations, but he's hitting his hard consonants hard, lots of good 't's and 'f's and 'd's. He's doing a little bit of growling here "open my *eyes* at nigHT" stuff here. Nice strong guitar solo 3:30. Ozzie singing harmony vocals 7-min mark.

! P: s1t03 LIR Ozzie gives a real nice synthesized train effect to set the tone. Nice. Johnny D is a nice drummer, setting the foundation with some hard splashes, Jerry steps right on and starts with the first verse, and takes a strong guitar run late 1-min mark, raunchy rtakinte mark. Late 7 minute mark over 8 Garcia does some ridiculous fanning. He now has the crowd's full attention.

! P: s1t04 STOF meanders, as it tended to. John featuring in the 12-minute range, and I do like his tone this night.

! s1t05 (1) JG: "We're gonna take a short break, we'll be right back."

! s2t01 R: ITALTL, ITATTC clips in, almost nothing missing

! P: s2t02 TUOY does nothing for me

! P: s2t03 RL Ozzie solo late 4-minute mark.

! P: s2t04 HTC some very fine guitar work in the 8-minute mark, Jerry has found a spark, and the crowd is receptive.

! R: s2t04 I think there's a splice about 10 seconds or so after end of HTC, maybe 15. But it's subtle. Otherwise, if this is continuous tape, we should really consider whether this constitutes an encore. I need to check other copies and reviews and such.

! P: s2t05 WIPMM ends with good energy, but it doesn't strike me as equal to the 2/24/80 version.

Two Negative Reviews, One Participant Observation of Deadheaddom, Long Island Style: JGB at Stony Brook, February 24, 1980

So much to say, so little time. Eventually the February 1980 tour will have to be written up. Here are some raw materials. Really nice tape, an excellent version of "When I Paint My Masterpiece" , two negative show reviews and one a participant observation study of Deadheaddom, Long Island style, February 1980.

LN jg1980-02-24.jgb.all.aud-stankiewicz.126077.flac2496

Jerry Garcia Band
Pritchard Gymnasium, State University of New York (SUNY)
1 Center Drive
Stony Brook, NY 11794
February 24, 1980 (Sunday) 9 PM
Richie Stankiewicz MAC flac2496 shnid-126077

--set I (6 tracks, 57:17)--
s1t01. crowd [1:05]
s1t02. Sugaree [15:15] [0:17]
s1t03. Catfish John [9:40] [0:40]
s1t04. How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) [8:44] [0:09] %
s1t05. Sitting Here In Limbo [11:54] [0:56]
s1t06. That's Alright, Mama [8:20] (1) [0:36]

--set II + encore (7 tracks 65:00)--
--set II (6 tracks, 56:40)--
s2t01. crowd [1:47]
s2t02. That's What Love Will Make You Do [9:14] [0:22]
s2t03. When I Paint My Masterpiece [9:01] [0:18] %
s2t04. Tore Up Over You [9:01] [0:14] % 9:15-
s2t05. I'll Take A Melody [12:24] [0:38]
s2t06. The Harder They Come [12:13] (2) [0:17] %
--encore (1 track, 8:19)--
s2t07. [0:38] Midnight Moonlight [7:31] (3) [0:10] %

! ACT1: Jerry Garcia Band
! lineup: Jerry Garcia - el-g;
! lineup: John Kahn - el-b;
! lineup: Ozzie Ahlers - keyboards;
! lineup: John D'Fonseca - 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/19800224-03

! db: http://etreedb.org/shn/8414 (probable Mark Cohen, shnf); http://etreedb.org/shn/8913 (unattributed, shnf); http://etreedb.org/shn/18019 (Mark Cohen, shnf); http://etreedb.org/shn/35140 (Charlie Connor, shnf); http://etreedb.org/shn/101725 (Bob Morris, flac1644); http://etreedb.org/shn/106582 (Bob Morris, 2496); http://etreedb.org/shn/126078 (Richie Stankeiwicz, flac1644); http://etreedb.org/shn/126077 (Richie Stankiewicz, flac2496, this fileset).

! band: JGB #11a (http://lostlivedead.blogspot.com/2012/01/jerry-garcia-band-personnel-1975-1995.html).

! map: https://goo.gl/maps/VSBMqxPR5QP2

! venue: JGBP supplies the given street address, though I am uncertain about it.

! personnel: "I believe his name is spelled D'Fonseca. According to ancestry.com, he was born July 30, 1958 and died March 28, 1987. His father, also named John D'Fonseca was born December 3, 1934 and died January 16, 1977. It seems like Jerry chose to hire Johnny for that east coast tour, but wasn't necessarily planning to use him long-term." (Anonymous, URL http://hooterollin.blogspot.com/2011/11/johnny-de-foncesca-jr-drums.html?showComment=1368021211671#c7721560489908964906)

! review: Wald, Richard. 1980. Jerry Garcia: Relic of the Past. Statesman (SUNY Stony Brook), Alternatives section, February 27, 1980, p. 3A. Negative review. Wald describes the concert as an ordeal, and Garcia as unbudging and stagnant.  "Total lack of regard for the audience"  show opened an insensitive 45 minutes late, 30 minute Hunter set, then another 45 minutes for Garcia to come on, so ca. 11 pm.  "No apologies or helloes were offered, just an evident feeling that Garcia would rather be doing more drugs backstage" ouch. "No Dylan being played", so reviewer doesn't know Masterpiece. Almost another hour between sets, then languid and tedious set, then another half hour wait for the encore! Bemoans Jerry's appalling lassitude and insensitivity.

! review: Jaffe, Larry. 1980. Jerry Garcia Drifts Along. Unknown publication. Negative review. Here's the template, as he sees it: "five minutes to tune up, another five to find the right riff; five minutes later, the vocals came, and then jamming with the same guitar leads for five more minutes. It was like the Jerry Garcia Machine: take a classic song, ... drop the record into the slot, and [sic] comes out sounding like the Grateful Dead. ... incredibly repetitive ... great music to fall asleep by." Didn't like the hourlong intermission, bemoans idolatry of the fans, in whose eyes Garcia "can do no wrong". "A mild indulgence of this sort of aimless shuffling is harmless, but addiction to the Grateful Dead, my friends, is a sad sickness."

! review: Corley, Eric. 1980. Being a Deadhead: Unity and Insanity. Stony Brook Press 1, 8 (February 28, 1980), p. 6. Substantially about "the scene", how odd Deadheads are with their long hair, Volkswagens, their tendency to travel en masse, their rapturous worshipful engagement with Garcia. He thinks he has it figured out: "The reason for the loyalty, devotion and insanity of this particular sampling of mankind lies not so much in the music as in the crowd itself. Thousands of people who get together to smoke pot, scream, and sway with the music provide each other with a much-needed sense of unity."  He finds this endearing. 

! tags: JGB, 1980, Pritchard Gymnasium, SUNY, college gigs, tapers, Richie Stankiewicz, John D'Fonseca, listening notes, east coast, tapers, songs-W

! historical: This show resonates as a very "east coast" show. I write about this as a west coaster, which is fraught, so I don't want to go much into it. But Garcia said repeatedly that there was a New York vibe that he, not only a west coaster but a native San Franciscan, recognized and loved. The energy. Can anyone disagree? It's more interpersonally intense, for sure. New York has it all, and it's right out there for you to plug in to. This is example number 9,477 of an ambient recording supplying more information than a line tape. New York, Long Island, no less, in February, two days after the Miracle on Ice? You know what comes next -- fuhgedaboudit. Related, note that no fewer than five audience tapers made it out this night - East Coast tapers, representing.

! R: field recordist: Richie Stankiewicz

! R: field recording equipment: 2x AKG D222E > Nakamichi 550

! R: field recording location: FOB "in the sweet spot"

! R: Transfer: MAC > Nakamichi 1000-II > Sound Devices USB Pre-2 > WAV 2496, by Richie Stankiewicz.

! R: Edits: WAV 2496 > Wavelab > CD-Wave (24bit output) > TLH > FLAC 2496 tagged, by Andrew F. 11/2013.

! R: s2t04 Patch from ID-106582, Tore Up Over You 0:00 > 0:18.

! R: s1t02 a little overloaded on the guitar in Sugaree.

! P: s1t02 tempos are a little uneven, starts too slow but Jerry is trying to pick it up in the 4-5 minute range, to my ears. Crazy fanning in the late 9 minute mark. Yeah, Jer!

! R: s1t03 levels come up around 1:50

! R: s1t05 SHIL more hiss after tape flip

! P: s1t05 SHIL Jerry's voice sounds a little scratchy. Damn coke.

! s1t06 (1) JG "We're gonna take a short break, and we'll be back in a few minutes."

! P: s2t01 JK quotes a famous jazz line, maybe Monk, maybe Epistrophy or something like that?

! P: s2t03 WIPMM Jerry's tone is raunchy as he walks around some very interesting open-sounding guitar work, soloing ca. 1:30-2:30. Now I hear the genius of the tape. Ozzie solos 2:45ff. "Like a rhapsody-y" @ 4:45. Great sustain on his notes this night. He's totally locked in. Jesus he is 100% spot on with his vocals. Extra articulation, big fat bendy notes complementing. Some time in the 7-minute mark a crowd guy gives him a good "Yeah, Jerry!"

! P: s2t04 TUOY now voice sounds a little worn, but hubba hubba the guitar work is top-shelf. Listen to the tone in the 2-minute mark, the sustain. Amazing tone 6:20-6:30 ish, bends a note too far and finds himself off-key (a rare misstep), gets aggressive late 6 over 7-minute mark, some of the most inventive guitar playing that you'll hear. Wow, he is disquisiting now, dissertating, phrases to sentences to paragraphs to pages of flowing creation. Nice. This is a @@ top-shelf version of "When I Paint My Masterpiece".

! P: s2t05 ITAM into some very interesting guitar work 8 minute mark, mid-9 doing some chunka chunka rhythm over the melody. Ozzie is soloing, but he's not very high in the mix, Jerry kind of dominating things.

! P: s2t06 HTC is lightning fast. 7:45 great dissonant tone, raunchy and watery and jangly. 8:15 Johnny D catches Jerry just before he falls, Garcia toes the foothold and launches into another opportunity to chase after shiny sonic objects.

! s2t06 (2) JG: "See ya later."

! s2t07 (3) JG: "Thank you, thank you."

List of John Scher - promoted concerts

Does anyone know a list of John Scher-promoted concerts?

I thought, one day, while I'm at it, why don't I systematically start coding in PROMOTERs? Yeah, that won't take long!

So, having more or less finished coding Jefferson Airplane through 1969, I have taken to coding promoters for them and all of the Garcia stuff, at least i nthe Bay Area. All of this to check a point about the comparison of GD and JA business crossings with Helms/FD and Bill Graham (think of a 2x2 table ... I want the frequencies in the cells, and basically want to do a t-test.)

Thanks to Ross, I have been able to code Bill Graham in, in a rough way. The Family Dog stuff is easy enough, as will be the Herrera stuff.

So, while I am at it, I thought another day, why don't I code Scher? Be good prosopographical practice, says I.

So, I need a list of all John Scher -promoted concerts, at least those involving GD/Garcia. Preferably in Excel format. :)

Moyssi's site, besides containing a huge number of terrific scans of program covers, has a "Complete list of Capitol Concerts 1971-1984 — Compiled by John Goodfellow. Great work, and thank you, gentlemen! (A complete set of Garcia/GD-relevant programs for my archive/museum would be gratefully received!)

And, for our enjoyment, here's a non-Capitol program cover, from the JGB show 7/26/80 at the Convention Hall in Asbury Park, NJ, a "John Scher Presents on the Boardwalk" promotion:

"John Scher Presents on the Boardwalk"
Jerry Garcia Band, Convention Hall, Asbury Park, NJ, July 26, 1980.
Image courtesy of Moyssi (moyssi.com).

Anyway, I need that, but all of his venues, and all of his dates (at least through 1995).


Anyone?