Just Like Wolfman Jack

Man, the Dead's 3/26/73 show in Baltimore is the cat's meow. Hearing Garcia grin behind his beard during Ramble on Rose, after Wolman Jack had just come out on stage and done his thing, is worth the price of admission -- which, due to the miracle of Deadhead ingenuity and the internet happens to be free, e.g., here.  But the whole gig is fantastic, from the 17-song first set, to a beautiful jam post-Truckin' which lists (and indeed includes) a Weather Report Prelude, but touches on many distinct themes, to the anything-you-can-do-I-can-do-better one-upsmanship whereby Jerry responds to Bob's Bobby McGee not only with Eyes, but with Eyes -> Dew -- wow. I know The Powers That Be have released 3/28 and 4/2, which are both terrific, but I can imagine that 3/26 got some good long consideration. Great, great stuff. What a band.

Nick on GASB

Check out Nick's awesome post on GASB in June '74, emphasizing Garcia's work on acoustic guitar - great work, Nick!

Acoustic Sing-Along at the Stone: Garcia and Kahn, September 27, 1985

I don't have a ton to say about this - it's about what you'd expect. Two sets below the 45-minute Minnelli Line, voice bad to start and shot by the end. But, besides the fact that this was taped by the lovely Don Dearth, who was my third grade teacher, the best part about this is the fact that the audience is just singing along enthusiastically with like every song. It has a real homey feel. They don't care too much about the vocals or whatever. It's a Friday night in late September in The City, probably a warm one that time of year, and Jerry's playing and the drinks are flowing and folks are singing and probably dancing and having a good old time.

Jerry Garcia and John Kahn
The Stone
412 Broadway
San Francisco, CA 94133
September 27, 1985 (Friday)
Don Dearth MAC shnid-84821

--set I (5 tracks, 38:51)--
s1t01. [0:29] Jack-A-Roe [4:56] [0:03] % [0:14]
s1t02. Deep Elem Blues [7:36] [0:12]
s1t03. Friend Of The Devil 7:25] [0:11]
s1t04. When I Paint My Masterpiece [7:06] ->
s1t05. Little Sadie [5:10] ->
s1t06. Run For The Roses [5:20 [0:09] %

--set II (5 tracks, 44:20)--
s2t01. It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry [7:45] ->
s2t02. Reuben And Cérise [6:40] [0:07]
s2t03. Gomorrah [5:57] [0:05]
s2t04. Bird Song [10:02] ->
s2t05. Ripple [4:11] ->
s2t05. Goodnight Irene [9:27] [0:05]

! ACT1: Jerry Garcia and John Kahn
! lineup: Jerry Garcia - ac-g, vocals;
! lineup: John Kahn - ac-b.

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.

! JB: https://jerrybase.com/events/19850927-02

! JGC: http://jerrygarcia.com/show/1985-09-27

! db: this fileset

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

! R: field recordist: Don Dearth. He was my 3rd grade teacher at Burton Elementary School in Lafayette. I saw him at one of the 12/87 Dead shows and hung out with him, so I knew then he was a Deadhead, but it still tickled me years later to learn that he was also a casual taper.

! R: field recording gear: Sony D6C with Sony stereo mic

! R: field recording media: MaxellXL2S90 (one tape would have done it).

! R: transfer Nakamichi CR3A playback (no Dolby) > HP computer > Sound Forge Vol@ 5.5DB and normalized, CD Wave to make tracks->Flac7->You! Transferred by John Moses.

! R: not high fidelity. I would track a little earlier than seeder has, in many cases.

! P: this is a full-on singalong all night long. I have never quite heard anything like this - neat. Garcia's voice is characteristically raggedy.

! P: s1t06 RFTR a few missteps in his guitar playing here.

! P: s2t05 GI at this point his voice is a totally shot.

GD-GOTS Shared Venues

For a long time, for no particular reason, I have been wanting to dive into the venues that Jerry played with the Dead and on his own. In general, we'd expect the Dead to play a room first and whatever side project to play it second, the Garcia Band (for example) eventually growing big enough to play some of the spaces that the Dead had played earlier (and many of which it had outgrown).

Below is a very sketchy analysis, counting 80 shared venues, of which 63 were first played by the Dead. It would have been interesting to do a bit more, e.g., to show which rooms had some alternation (e.g., GD both preceding and following at least one GOTS event), which ones the GD eventually really did outgrow, etc. etc. But I don't have time for that. Have at it. (Here's a link to a Google Sheet if you are so inclined.)

Armistice Day Rocker: JGB at Felt Forum, November 11, 1982

JGB #15b played two long, smoking shows for John Scher and the assembled faithful on Thursday, November 11, 1982. Among these faithful was taper Jim Wise, who pulled two beautiful, powerful tapes from the theater inside Madison Square Garden. If forced to choose, I'd recommend the late show to you. Clocking in at 108 minutes of tape, it features a very hot Valerie, and a good Don't Let Go which actually noodles over into Knockin' On Heaven's Door, a rare true segue for the JGB. Garcia's voice is quite shreddy even in the early show, and by Mystery Train in the late show it's pretty well shot, but the playing is excellent throughout.

Both gigs sold out 4,332 at $12.50 a pop, so Scher and Jer and friends grossed over $100k for the night, not bad at all, and well worth it for the fans who caught one of the best Garcia Band shows of 1982.

Listening notes follow.

Jerry Garcia Band
Madison Square Garden, Felt Forum
4 Pennsylvania Plaza
New York, NY 10001
November 11, 1982 (Thursday) - Early Show and Late Show
Wise Minches flac1644 shnid-34710 track rename

--early show, main set + encore (11 tracks, 10 tunes, 86:05)--
--early show, main set (10 tracks, 9 tunes, 78:46)--
e-t01. crowd and tuning [0:14]
e-t02. How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You [8:05] [0:01] % [0:07]
e-t03. Catfish John [9:45] [0:14] % [0:07]
e-t04. Valerie [6:59] [0:04] % [0:13]
e-t05. Simple Twist Of Fate [15:51] [0:02] %
e-t06. crowd and tuning [0:43]
e-t07. That's What Love Will Make You Do [10:00] [0:04] % [0:07]
e-t08. Run For The Roses [4:45] [0:07] % [0:02]
e-t09. Sugaree
e-t10. Tangled Up In Blue [10:30] (1) [0:05] %
--early show, encore (1 track, 7:18)--
e-t11. Deal [7:15] [0:04] %

--late show, main set + encore (11 tracks, 10 tunes, 108:28)
--late show, main set (10 tracks, 9 tunes, 101:01)--
l-t01. crowd and tuning [0:13]
l-t02. Mission In The Rain [9:51] [0:06] % [0:02]
l-t03. They Love Each Other
l-t04. The Harder They Come [18:31] [0:03] % [0:22]
l-t05. Valerie
l-t06. Mystery Train [10:56] [0:12] %
l-t07. Don't Let Go [14:10] ->
l-t08. Knockin' On Heaven's Door [13:30] [0:12] % [0:01]
l-t09. Run For The Roses [5:52] [0:27]
l-t10. Deal
--late show, encore (1 track, 7:26)--
l-t11. Midnight Moonlight

! ACT1: Jerry Garcia Band #15b
! lineup: Jerry Garcia - el-g, vocals;
! lineup: John Kahn - el-bass;
! lineup: Melvin Seals - keyboards;
! lineup: Greg Errico - drums;
! lineup: Elisecia Wright - vocals;

! lineup: Shirley Faulkner - 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/19821111-01 (early); https://jerrybase.com/events/19821111-02 (late)

! db: http://etreedb.org/shn/13981 (late, Jim Wise MAC shnf, deprecated); http://etreedb.org/shn/14205 (early-late, Jim Wise MAC shnf, deprecated); http://etreedb.org/shn/16703 (early Mark Cohen MAC, shnf, great tape); http://etreedb.org/shn/16704 (late Mark Cohen MAC, shnf, great tape); http://etreedb.org/shn/34710 (this fileset); http://etreedb.org/shn/120087 (David Dyche early show flac1644, runs SLOW); http://etreedb.org/shn/120088 (David Dyche late show flac1644, runs SLOW)

! map: https://goo.gl/maps/gAgwbQxS1Br

! JGBP: http://jerrygarciasbrokendownpalaces.blogspot.com/2011/11/felt-forum-madison-square-garden-8th.html.

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

! seealso: JGMF, "Greg Errico hits like a linebacker," http://jgmf.blogspot.com/2017/07/greg-errico-hits-like-linebacker.html.

! ref: Billboard, November 27, 1982, p. 34.

! ref: John Scher Presents in New York City: Jerry Garcia Band at the Felt Foum, November 11, 1982. John Scher Presents Program no. 270.

! historical: Two very long shows - check out the 1 hour 48 minute late show - both with encores, both sellouts, grossing $107,661 for the night.

! P: both shows are exceptionally strong, the whole band playing with tremendous energy. Garcia's vocals are shot, but this is nonetheless a strong candidate for best show of the tour (which I don't claim to know that well) and of the year (contending in that context with the likes of 6/16/82). It's hard for me to identify any standouts, because everything is good. I guess I'd note "Valerie" really coming into its own here - great song, performed with just the right frazzly, coked-out, post-Belushi burn. I'd also note the rare and very good true segue from DLG into Knockin'.

! R: early: Recording by Jim Wise: Master Audience Cassette; Beyer M160s w/ Senn 421 blend at SB (Maxell XLIIS); Transfer and FLAC encoding by David Minches: Master played back on Nakamichi Dragon > ART DI/O > Digital Audio Labs Card Deluxe soundcard > Cool Edit 2000 > flac encoding > FLAC.

! R: late: Recording by Jim Wise: Master Audience Cassette; Senn 421s (at SB) > Uher cassette deck (Maxell XLIIS); Transfer and FLAC encoding by David Minches: Master played back on Nakamichi Dragon > ART DI/O > Digital Audio Labs Card Deluxe soundcard > Cool Edit 2000 > flac encoding > FLAC.

! R: early show: very nice.

! P: e-t01 HSII Kahn keeps hitting some very, very, very low notes, which are just awesome. This has very nice pep.

! R: e-t01 HSII warble 6:40 ish.

! P: e-t07 TWLWMYD very energetic, but the voice is getting a little shreddy.

! e-t10 (1) JG: "Thank you, see ya later."

! P: l-t05 Valerie very hot

! P: l-t06 MT his voice is completely shot - ouch

! P: l-t07-t08 DLG -> KOHD is a truly true segue, very rare, and very nice!

! R: l-t08 KOHD patch from alt source 12-12:20.

The Hypothesis is Wrong - Long Live the Hypothesis!

update: I now have it on good authority that, indeed, the arrangements in the tour book are for the crew, while the band enjoyed a somewhat more upscale experience. So, the hypothesis is correct, I just don't have any parchment evidence for it.

update2: here is link to the whole tourbook as a pdf.

I spoke with Melvin some years ago for a half hour or so. He's a very sweet guy.

I came away with the impression that the late-era east coast Garcia Band tours were first-class affairs, staying in a nice Manhattan hotel and flying to and from shows one at a time from Teterboro. (NYT just had a good article on Teterboro, BTW.) It felt like quite a contrast from the bus-centered tour of late '83.

Well, a copy of the JGB's November 1993 tourbook came up on ebay, and while it was exorbitant, I justified the purchase by using a gift card for a chunk of it. (Our psychologies play all kinds of tricks to enable the consumption that makes markets tick.) I was especially interested in this because, rather ironically, I have had more access to 1970s era business materials than to materials from the 80s and 90s. Because one of my abiding interests in institutionalization, which, as any process, only takes over time, this is really problematic: I have the "before", but not so much on the "after". Beyond institutionalization, there's also the overall difference in Garcia's circumstances, lots more money sloshing around post-coma (post-In The Dark) than before, and I sort of assumed an aging and more affluent Garcia would have done exactly as Melvin gave me to believe - a little higher end hotel, a little higher end travel, etc.

So, when the tour book came, I opened it with alacrity, expecting to see mostly one Manhattan hotel, charters out of Teterboro, maybe even first class seats on the transcontinental pieces to start and end the tour.

Well, not so much. Though I haven't seen the '91 tour info, the '93 materials more or less falsify the hypothesis. My mind immediately went to the narrative I was planning - from straitened circumstances on the bus in '83 to the lap of luxury ten years later. I was crestfallen. For all of about a thirty seconds. And then my mind immediately spun a new narrative - that things hadn't changed that much, and wasn't that cool? That the Garcia Band remained a pretty simple, stripped down affair, even as the money got bigger and bigger. He wasn't playing boutique theaters and sweaty college gyms anywhere, but Madison Square Garden and various other five-figure-capacity sheds, but things were still pretty straightforward.

I can make that work, of course. It's interesting, too. But I was just struck by what anybody who knows a lick about human cognition knows, which is that we are storytellers, and we can pretty much always find a narrative to fit any set of facts.

Anyway, that was all I had to say about that.

Oh, no, actually, one more thing: maybe the tourbook is only, or mostly, crew info. update: yes, that is indeed the case. So the Marriots and Embassy Suites, and the sometimes several-hundred mile drives right after shows ended, were maybe only for the grunts. Maybe Jerry and the band did fly around. I'll have to ask around.

Above Ground, But Below the Minelli Line: JGB, The Stone, August 9, 1985

A decade before the final fall, Garcia played another Friday night at the Stone. I still think of this as the Rock Bottom period, even though he is clearly recovering.

Two sets below the Minelli Line (45 minutes), the whole gig fits snugly on a single Maxell, with room for filler on the B-side. Nothing terrible, not even the voice. Just nothing worth noting. I'd happily plunk down eight 1985 dollars --$18 and change in 2016-- to see this show today.

jg1985-08-09.jgb.all.aud-connor.11131.shn2flac

Jerry Garcia Band
The Stone
412 Broadway
San Francisco, CA 94133
August 9, 1985 (Friday)
Connor MAC shnid-11131 shn2flac

--set I (5 tracks, 42:26)--
s1t01. /Cats Under The Stars [#9:02] [0:19]
s1t02. Catfish John [8:33] [0:08]
s1t03. Simple Twist Of Fate [10:46] ->
s1t04. Run For The Roses [5:13] ->
s1t05. Deal [8:18] [0:07] (1) %

--set II (5 tracks, 38:32)
s2t01. /I'll Take A Melody [#11:29] [0:03] %
s2t02. /When I Paint My Masterpiece [#6:28] ->
s2t03. Gomorrah [6:24] ->
s2t04. Reuben And Cérise [7:01] [0:05] % [0:02]
s2t05. Midnight Moonlight [6:54] (2)

! ACT1: JGB #21b
! lineup: Jerry Garcia - el-guitar, vocals;
! lineup: John Kahn - el-bass;
! lineup: Melvin Seals - keyboards;
! lineup: David Kemper - drums;
! lineup: Jacklyn LaBranch - backing vocals;
! lineup: Gloria Jones - backing vocals.

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.

! JB: https://jerrybase.com/events/19850809-01

! JGC: http://jerrygarcia.com/show/1985-08-09

! db: this fileset

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

! R: field recordist: Charlie Connor

! R: field recording gear: John Corley's disassembled Nak 700s clipped to brim of
hat for stealth > Sony TCD5M (3rd deck in a patch chain)

! R: field recording location: FOB. 20' from stage, first row of tables, dead center

! R: transfer: Nak DR-10 (playback) > Midiman Flying Cow 24bit/48kHz A/D > RME Digi96/8 >
Steinberg's Wavelab 3.0 (bit resolution & resampling to CDR redbook 16/44.1 > CDWav beta1.6 (tracking only) > SHNv3 (MKW ACT). Analog and Digital Mastering by Charlie Connor. Shn'ed, vined and seeded to fungus and abgd August 6, 2002. shn2flac by jgmf 1/1/2018.

! R: nice punchy tape.

! R: s1t01 CUTS clips in

! P: s1t01 CUTS band comes out with energy. Garcia's voice sounds pretty rough, but it's mercifully low in the mix.

! s1t03-s1t04 these guzintas are sortaguzintas, of the kind that were common in this period of short sets.

! s1t05 (1) no set break announcement

! R: s2t01 ITAM clips in

! R: s2t02 Masterpiece clips in

! P: s2t05 Mid Moon: nothing says "horse racing back to the barn" better than a Rock Bottom era Midnight Moonlight..

! s2t05 (2) JG: "Thank you. See ya later."

! P: It's not bad. It's just really short. Both sets under the Minelli Line.

Half Century Jerry: JGB in Irvine, August 1, 1992

In looking at the date index for the blog, I noticed I hadn't engaged a 1992 show, and the only tag for the year wasn't really focused on it. I confess that I have a strong prior that 1992 sucks. I have spun pieces of shows a time or two, and even whole ones, including 2/7/92, some of the April and early May gigs, a summer show, and 10/31/92, and never found anything to feel good about. I have it in my head that 1991 has some greatness, and 1993 has some greatness, but that 1992 had none. Update: I have now done up some notes for 4/30/92 and 10/31/92.

So, feeling a certain level of aversion, I thought that I'd pick a show with some possible meaning, so I picked Jerry's 50th birthday show, 8/1/92, from behind the Orange Curtain. I have to confess that I didn't hate it, and even found plenty to like. It pleasantly surprised me.

In the book, I plan to narrate the way the media narrated Garcia's 1992:

redemption! (the AP birthday story)

fall! (8/3/92 collapse, the dirty f!@#$% hippy probably doing drugs again)

redemption! (ca. 10/31/92, Jerry's second triumphant return, having lost a bunch of weight, smoking less, etc.)

See some of my sketchy historical notes below for some thoughts. I don't have time to write it all up right now.

Anyway, not bad, not bad at all.

jg1992-08-01.jgb.all.aud-gotfob.94028.flac1648

Jerry Garcia Band
Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre
8808 Irvine Center Dr.
Irvine, CA 92618
August 1, 1992 (Saturday) - 7 PM
Gotfob MAD flac1648 shnid-94028

--set I (7 tracks, 58:38)--
s1t01. [0:05] Cats Under The Stars [9:27] [0:05] % [0:45]
s1t02. Mission In The Rain [8:44] [1:08]
s1t03. Waiting For A Miracle [5:43] [0:49]
s1t04. Mississippi Moon [9:45] [0:16]
s1t05. Ain't No Bread In The Breadbox [7:36] [0:14]
s1t06. My Sisters And Brothers [4:28] ->
s1t07. Everybody Needs Somebody To Love [9:29] (1) [0:02] %

--set II (6 tracks, 60:46)--
s2t01. Shining Star [13:25] [1:10]
s2t02. Money Honey [7:01] [0:52]
s2t03. Knockin' On Heaven's Door [8:30] %
s2t04. The Maker [6:34]
s2t05. Don't Let Go [13:40] [0:08] %
s2t06. /What A Wonderful World (2) [8:45] %

! ACT1: JGB #21b
! lineup: Jerry Garcia - el-guitar, vocals;
! lineup: John Kahn - el-bass;
! lineup: Melvin Seals - keyboards;
! lineup: David Kemper - drums;
! lineup: Jacklyn LaBranch - backing vocals;
! lineup: Gloria Jones - backing vocals.

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/19920801-01

! JGC: http://jerrygarcia.com/show/1992-08-01

! map: https://goo.gl/maps/CddGMG2NU4x

! JGBP: http://jerrygarciasbrokendownpalaces.blogspot.com/2012/02/irvine-meadows-8808-irvine-center-drive.html.

! band: THE Jerry Garcia Band, JGB #21b (http://lostlivedead.blogspot.com/2012/01/jerry-garcia-band-personnel-1975-1995.html)

! historical: Garcia's 50th birthday. Tickets were $28.75, $6-$10 more than the contemporary shows, so one paid a premium to hear Jerry play his own party. It's a fascinating little period: this very day, an AP item made the rounds ticking off Garcia's recent productivity, including JGB, Garcia-Grisman, and Ken Nordine albums, artistic accomplishments, and of course the Dead's record-setting 1991 touring receipts. Then after one more SoCal show, he'd collapse again on August 3, not quite as seriously as in 1986, but seriously enough that he had to cancel August 6-7-8 Warfield JGB shows and then 22 paydays with the Dead, including the planned Third Decadenal Field Trip, reprising a legendarily acid-soaked 1972 gig in Prankster Ken Kesey's neck of the woods. It was serious enough that Garcia even allegedly cut back on his smoking, and definitely lost a bunch of weight, returning to the stage to a third round of national publicity on Halloween night with the JGB. If the health crisis was a little less serious than in '86, and the "back from the brink" narrative was similar, his return to health was less triumphal and much shorter-lived, with Manasha alleging in court papers that ol' Jer was back on the junk before year's end. Indeed, if after '86 Garcia hit new heights --and I think he did-- the post-'92 recovery was merely local, and it's not wrong to envision a slow shuffle from 50 to the grave.

! R: Source: FOB > Schoeps > DAT @ 48k

! R: Transfer: Fostex D5 > Zoltrix 24/96 > Wavelab 5.0 @ 48k(normalized to -1db, edits, crossfades) > Cd Wave > 16/48 FLAC. *Brought To You By Gotfob*.

! P: s1t01 CUTS comes out dragging, but that's as much my priors, I think. This is good.

! R: s1t07 ENSTL fixed right channel mic bump @ 4:25 with left channel pasted in)

! P: s1t07 ENSTL JG doing some nicely layered, complex stuff 5 min mark.

! s1t07 (1) JG: "We'll be back in a little while - thank you."

! P: s2t02 MH they don't have the added piece to the arrangement yet.

! R: s2t03-04 KOHD, Maker fixed pause between knockin/maker crossfaded w/-12db fast.

! P: s2t03 Maker started it in a higher key than he would eventually do, he comes back down after the first few lines. Flubbing lyrics. He doesn't have the lyrical arrangement down, either. When did they start playing this?

! P: s2t05 DLG 7 drops into a faster, interesting space. An interesting version.

! R: s2t05 DLG song faded out, removed  the gap & fixed the fade in.

! R: s2t06 WAWW clips in

! P: s2t06 WAWW this is the Louis Armstrong song. John flutters around as a "feature" in the 5 min range. The tune overall is good though.

! s2t06 (2) JG: "Good night everybody. Thank you very much."

! P: overall, I found this to be very solid.