THANK YOU: TEN RULES OF THE ROAD I LEARNED AT MY FIRST CONCERT: AN ORDINARY GUY'S LIFETIME OF LIVE ROCK & ROLL

THANK YOU!

I've sold almost 50 copies of TEN RULES OF THE ROAD I LEARNED AT MY FIRST CONCERT: AN ORDINARY GUY'S LIFETIME OF LIVE ROCK & ROLL (That's 49 more than I thought I'd sell - figured my wife would be the only one to buy it!).  I really appreciate that folks spent their hard earned money, especially in these tough times, on my little saga.

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Go HERE to purchase it in US.  

Also available in Kindle in: UK, DE, FR, ES, IT, NL, JP, BR, CA, MX, AU, and IN!

Also available in Paperback in: UK DE FR ES IT JP CA

Ten Rules Of The Road That I Learned At My First Concert is one ordinary guy's saga of 160 concerts over the last 44 years:

"From scalping tickets to catch Captain Fantastic at the height of his success to missing the opportunity to see Sir Paul close down Shea Stadium; from meeting one band in the middle of 43rd street to watching another play in a parking lot; from seeing a crowd throw objects at an amateur lead-in band to hearing two legends, Macca and Bruce, play "I Saw Her Standing There" - twice; from never seeing Van Morrison play "Someone Like You" to having him surprise us all with a rendition of "Send In The Clowns"; from attending a concert that never started to being at a show that we wouldn’t let end; the “Ten Rules Of The Road” have marked the moments of my journey from August 15, 1976 right through today."

EN RULES OF THE ROAD I LEARNED AT MY FIRST CONCERT

An Ordinary Guy’s Lifetime Of Live Rock & Roll

Table of Contents

Dedications

Before The Rules

• Back When It All Began

The Ten Rules

• Introduction
• Rule #1: You Can’t Get Good Seats, But The Scalpers Can
• Rule #2: Expect The Unexpected On The Way To Or From The Show
• Rule #3: No Concert Ever Starts On Time
• Rule #4: Rejoice - There Is No Opening Act
• Rule #5: Rock Concerts Are Rarely Played At A Venue Meant For Music
• Rule #6: Enjoy The Special Guests - They’re a Rare Event
• Rule #7: The Set List - The Bad News - The Band Will Never Play Everything You Want To Hear
• Rule #8: The Set List - The Good News - The Band Will Always Play An Unanticipated Tune You’ll Never Forget
• Rule #9: Elvis Has Left The Building - Once The Houselights Come On, The Show Is Over
• Rule #10: Don’t Miss The Moment - Go To Every Show You Can

Outside The Rules

• Introduction

• On The Grateful Dead
• There’s Nothing Like A Grateful Dead Concert
• Jerry Garcia Vs. The Grateful Dead

• On The Business Of Concerts
• Concert Ticket Prices Over The Years
• The Omnipresent John Scher

• On Concert Song Selections
• Ten Memorable Cover Songs - Grateful Dead Edition
• Ten Memorable Cover Songs - Non-Grateful Dead Edition
• Same Song, Different Band 

• On Concerts And Life
• The Summer Of Love And My Lifetime Of Live Rock & Roll
• Passing The Torch
• Farewell Yellow Brick Road - The End of An Era?

The Concerts

• Introduction
• Concerts Summaries: 1976 - 2019

The Lists

• Introduction - Baseball, Relix, Deadbase And My Obsession With Concert Statistics
• Concert Statistics: 1976 - 2019
• Selected Set Lists

Conclusion

• A Long And Difficult Set Break

Grateful Dead - 1978-08-31 - Morrison CO (SBD)

Grateful Dead

1978-08-31

Red Rocks Amphitheatre

Morrison, CO

Soundboard Recording

320 kbps

Artwork Included

1st Set:

01. Tuning

02. Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo >

03. El Paso

04. Peggy-O

05. Minglewood Blues

06. Candyman

07. From The Heart Of Me

08. Jack Straw

2nd Set:

01. Shakedown Street >

02. Good Lovin'

03. Ship Of Fools

04. Samson And Delilah

05. Terrapin Station >

06. Playing In The Band >

07. Drums >

08. Ollin Arageed >

09. Not Fade Away >

10. Black Peter >

11. Sugar Magnolia

Encore:

01. Johnny B. Goode

Grateful Dead - 1978-08-31 - Morrison CO (SBD)

In the lore of the Grateful Dead, 1978 has always been a year that receives mixed reviews. As regular readers of this blog know, 1977 was THE YEAR for the Dead with a run of shows that may be unmatched in the band’s history. So, 1978 has always founds itself in the “tough act to follow” position. In truth, the Dead’s playing in 1978 wasn’t quite at the same level as the prior year. For example, their 3 shows at the Pyramids, while historic in terms of the setting, did not feature the band's finest musical moments. Their performance at Winterland on New Year’s Eve, however, is the stuff of legends.  This soundboard recording form August 31, 1978, 42  years ago today, captures them on one of those 1978 nights when they were firing on all cylinders. Their 4th show at Red Rocks that summer (they played on July 7 and 8, as well as the night before this concert, on August 31), the band played Shakedown Street live for their very first time, and also debuted Ollin Arageed, which would be featured AS a part of the Egypt shows with Hamza el Din. Unfortunately for me, I would see them 3 days later, on September 2 at Giants Stadium, their last show before leaving for Egypt, a day when the band's playing reflected the downside of 1978!

Jerry Garcia Band - 1987-08-30 - Berkeley CA (SBD)

Jerry Garcia Band

1987-08-30

Greek Theatre 

Berkeley, CA

Soundboard Recording

320 kbps

Artwork Included

1st Set:

01. Tuning

02. Cats Down Under The Stars 

03. Mission In The Rain

04. crowd 

05. Stop That Train 

06. Dear Prudence 

07. Evangeline 

08. I Shall Be Released 

09. My Sisters And Brothers 

10. Tangled Up In Blue 

2nd Set:

01. Tuning

02. I'll Take A Melody 

03. Jerry introduces Bonnie Raitt

04. Think *

05. Knockin' On Heaven's Door *

06. crowd

07. And It Stoned Me 

08. That Lucky Old Sun 

09. Midnight Moonlight 

* with Bonnie Raitt

Jerry Garcia Band - 1987-08-30 - Berkeley CA (SBD)

Earlier this month, we brought you a Grateful Dead show from the magical year 1987, when Jerry literally rose from the dead. Today, we bring you a olo show from that same year, from the Greek Theatre in Berkeley on August 30, 1987, 33 years ago today.  Bonnie Raitt, who opened for Jerry, sits in for two songs. The Dead would start their fall tour a few days later, which included the incredible September 18 show at Madison Square Garden that I attended.  Then Jerry would cap this amazing year by taking up residence on Broadway in October 1987, paying 18 shows in 13 days at the Lunt-Fontanne Theater, with 5 days featuring both the traditional Broadway matinee and a late show. Each show consisted of an acoustic set followed by an electric set. The 1500 seat theater that once housed the Sound Of Music and Hello Dolly had never quite seen anything like the crowd that attended a Garcia show.

September's Theme At So Many Roads

For September, we bring back an old favorite - our theme will be Back To Back. In other words, we'll bring you bands playing 2 (or more) consecutive nights from the same year. We've got 17 sets of back to back concerts for you, from 14 different bands, covering shows from the 1960s to the 2010s!

Enjoy the tunz!

Crosby, Stills & Nash - 1992-08-29 - Atlantic City, NJ (SBD)

Crosby Stlls & Nash

1992-08-29

Trump Taj Mahal

Atlantic City, NJ

Soundboard Recording

192 kbps

Artwork Included

01. Wasted on the Way

02. Helplessly Hoping

03. All Along The Lee Shore

04. Military Madness

05. In My Dreams

06. Marrakesh Express

07. In My Life

08. Deja Vu

09. Taken At All

10. Long Time Gone

11. Critical Mass/Wind On The Water

12. Southern Cross

13. After The Storm (Partial)

14. Almost Cut My Hair

15. It Won't Go Away

16. For What It's Worth

17. Chicago

18. Suite Judy Blue Eyes

19. Wooden Ships

20. Teach Your Children

Crosby, Stills & Nash - 1992-08-29 - Atlantic City, NJ (SBD)

In recent years, rock and roll concerts at casinos have become fairly commonplace, Venues such as the Hard Rock Hotel and Mohegan Sun have attracted clientele that want to see rock and roll acts, as opposed to cabaret style revues. Elton John’s Red Piano series ran for over 5 years in Las Vegas.  Eric Clapton, Plant & Page and Paul McCartney have all played casinos. On August 29, 1992,  28 years ago today, however, when I went to see CSN at Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, the idea of a rock band playing a casino still seemed a bit cheesy.  The thought was that artists played Vegas and AC when they were past their prime, when they had become parodies of their former selves, oldies acts playing to overweight, over served businessmen trying to relive their youth. I was pleasantly surprised, therefore,  to see that much of the audience were true fans of the band, much like myself.  CSN played a show worthy of any true rock venue, except for the moment when Graham Nash stormed off stage because the audience wouldn’t quiet down for a new song he attempted during the band’s acoustic set.  Fortunately, David Crosby jumped into the void created by his band mate’s temper tantrum and unleashed an incredible version of Almost Cut My Hair.  Download this soundboard recording of the show, and know that you won’t have to worry about losing your money in the slot machines after it’s over.

CSN/Jerry Garcia Connections 

• In 1970, when CSNY went into the studio to record the album Déjà vu,  Graham Nash asked Jerry Garcia to play pedal steel guitar on the now iconic tune, Teach Your Children.  After one take, Nash told Garcia, "Thanks Jerry, you’re done." Despite Garcia's protests, Nash held firm, recalling that "The first one was exactly what I wanted.’ And of course, his pedal steel was one of the defining elements in that recording."
• In return for Garcia's help, CSN helped the Dead work on their harmonies for their upcoming albums Workingman’s Dead and American Beauty.
• David Crosby sat in on several occasions with the Dead, including 8/19/1970. 9/10/1972 and 12/31/1972. His most famous appearances with The Dead, however, are from December 1971, when he, Garcia, Phil Lesh and Mickey Hart played a series of rehearsals and shows at The Matrix in San Francisco, billed as David & Dorks. 
• Stephen Stills joined The Dead on stage twice in 1969, on October 25 and December 12, and twice in 1983, on April 16 and 17. 
• Both the Dead and CSN had long associations with Bill Graham, and performed at his memorial concert on November 3, 1991.

Sting - 1993-08-28 - Oslo, Norway (TV SBD)

Sting

1993-08-28

Spektrum

Oslo, Norway

TV SBD Recording

320 kbps

Artwork Included

CD 1:

01. If I Ever Lose My Faith In You

02. Heavy Cloud No Rain

03. Love Is Stronger Than Justice

04. Seven Days

05. Fields Of Gold

06. Synchronicity II

07. Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic

08. Roxanne

09. It's Probably Me

10. Shape Of My Heart

CD 2:

01. Saint Augustine In Hell

02. Straight To My Heart

03. Englishman In New York

04. King Of Pain/All This Time

05. Bring On The Night/When The World...

06. She's Too Good For Me

07. Nothing 'Bout Me

08. Every Breath You Take

09. Fragile

Sting - 1993-08-28 - Oslo Norway (TV SBD)

When Sting released his 4th solo album in 1993. It was just 1 less than he had produced during his entire tenure with The Police. That album, Ten Summoner’s Tales, went to #2 on both the US and British charts, while achieving triple platinum status in less than a year. Ten Summoner’s Tales, would be nominated for 6 Grammys, and win 3, including Best Pop Vocal performance for If I Ever Lose My Faith In You, the first single from the album. That tune would reach #17 on the Billboard charts in the US, while another song from the album, Fields of Gold, would climb to #23. Sting launched a world tour in support of the album, which would take him to all 6 inhabited continents. This soundbaord recording captures him during that tour in Norway on August 28, 1993, 27 years ago today.

Sting/Jerry Garcia Connections

• In 1993, Sting agreed to be the lead in band for the Dead’s summer tour, playing 11 stadium shows.  During that run, Jerry Garcia sat in with Sting for 3 tunes, Walking On The Moon, Consider Me Gone, and Been Down So Long, on June 26, 1993.  Jerry also sat in with Sting a few other times during that summer run.
• For these shows, Garcia advised Sting to "Go out there and push your limits, because these people (the Deadheads) are gonna listen to you." 
• During a joint interview with Jerry and Sting for Rolling Stone at the the Four Seasons Ritz Carlton (side note - kind of ironic that a San Francisco hippie an an English punk rocker would one day be at Ritz Carlton) Garcia said of Sting, “Everybody knows he’s a wonderful musician and a truly fine person, too. It’s nice that we get to meet him, hang out with him a little bit and sort of . . . network a little with him. We share interests, and I think there’s stuff that we could do together in the hypothetical future that would be fun for him and for us."
• Sting who playfully nicknamed Garcia "Father Christmas", explained his decision to work with Jerry and the Grateful Dead as follows: "I want to see this Deadhead phenomenon. I want to see it first hand. I've never supported anyone in my career. It's so off the wall, such a crazy idea. Hell, let's do it." 

Bruce Springsteen - 1999-08-27 - Boston MA (IEM Matrix)

Bruce Springsteen 

& The E Street Band

1999-08-27

Fleet Center

Boston, MA

IEM Audience Matrix Recording

320 kbps

Artwork Included

CD 1

01. Candy's Room

02. The Ties That Bind

03. Adam Raised A Cain

04. Prove It All Night

05. Two Hearts

06. Rendezvous

07. Darlington County

08. Mansion On The Hill

09. Point Blank

10. Youngstown

11. Murder Inc.

12. Badlands

13. Out In The Street

CD 2:

01. 10th Avenue Freeze-Out

02. Working On The Highway

03. Spirit In The Night

04. The Ghost Of Tom Joad

05. New York City Serenade

06. Light Of Day

CD 3

01. Jungleland

02. Born To Run

03. Thunder Road

04. If I Should Fall Behind

05. Raise Your Hand (With Peter Wolf)

06. Bobby Jean

07. Land Of Hope And Dreams

Bruce Springsteen - 1999-08-27 - Boston MA (IEM Matrix)

In 1999, after a long, 11 year separation, Bruce Springsteen, decided, to paraphrase the immortal words of John Belushi in The Blue Brothers, to put the band back together. The Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band reunion tour launched in April 1999 and stretched until July 2000. On highpoint of the tour was a record sold-out, 15-show run at Continental Airlines Arena in New Jersey. Another was a 10-night, sold-out engagement at New York City's Madison Square Garden. At key points in each show, usually during Tenth Avenue Freezeout and his newest song, Land of Hope and Dreams, Springsteen played the role of preacher, calling on his disciples in the crowd to feel the healing power of the Ministry of Rock and Roll. Another special moment each night occurred during If I Should Fall Behind, a song written while Springsteen was away from the E Street band. With the band reunited, the song became a vow of togetherness, with Springsteen, wife Patti Scialfa, Steve Van Zandt, Nils Lofgren, and The Big Man, Clarence Clemons each singing a verse, promising to wait for each other. It was clear that the Boss was glad to be back with his old comrades. This IEM matrix recording captures Bruce & E-Streeters during the early stages of their reunion tour, on August 27, 1999, 21 years ago today, in Boston.  

Clarence Clemons/Jerry Garcia Connections

• Bruce Springsteen had really no connections to Jerry Garcia or the Grateful Dead. As he admits in his autobiography, he went to one show and didn't get it. Only years later did he come to appreciate what the Dead were all about.
• His right hand man, however, the one and only Big Man on the saxophone, Clarence Clemons, was well connected to Jerry and the Dead.
• Clemons sat in with the Grateful Dead for at least 5 shows in 1988 and 1989. Clarence joined a select list of horn players to sit in with the Dead, which included such legends as Branford Marsalis and David Murray.
• In addition, Clarence played 7 concerts with the Jerry Garcia Band in the fall of 1989. Those shows that were so good that 5 of them have now been officially released - September 1, 2, 5, 6 and 16. 
• Blair Jackson documents all of Clarence's appearances with the Dead in this article
• By the way, at one point, Garcia and Weir actually considered inviting Clarence to join the Grateful Dead as a full time member. According to Weir, it was in the early 1990s, right after Springsteen broke up the E-Street band (temporarily, it turned out). It might have worked according to Weir, except that a couple members of the Dead “hated saxophones”. Go here to read more about how close Clarence came to being a Dead Head!

Phil Lesh - 2015-08-27 - San Rafael, CA (SBD)

Phil Lesh & Friends

2015-08-27

Tribute to GD 1980

Terrapin Crossroads

San Rafael, CA

Soundboard recording

320 kbsp

Artwork Included

1st Set:

01. Sugaree >

02. New Minglewood Blues

03. Candyman

04. Me And My Uncle >

05. Big River

06. Loser

07. Lazy Lightning >

08. Supplication

09. Far From Me

10. Ramble on Rose

11. Feel Like a Stranger

2nd Set:

01. Big Railroad Blues

02. Samson & Delilah

03. Terrapin Station >

04. Playing In The Band >

05. Drums >

06. Space >

07. Truckin' >

08. Stella Blue >

09. Sugar Magnolia

Encore:

01. One More Saturday Night

02. > Brokedown Palace

Recreates: Grateful Dead - 1980-06-21 - West High, Anchorage, Alaska

Phil Lesh - 2015-08-27 - San Rafael, CA (SBD)

For 30 years, Phil Lesh stood on the opposite side of the stage form Jerry Garcia, the 2 end points in the base of a triangle with Bib Weir out front. If Garcia's guitar pointed the way as the Dead segued from song to jam to song, Phil's bass was right there with him, helping lead the band unlike any other bass player had ever done, Yet if Phil's playing was often out front, he rarely took that role on stage.  Yes, he occasionally took a lead vocal, but he hardly seemed like the type to lead a band.  Yet, in the wake of Jerry death, that's exactly what Phil did. In 1998, he began playing under the moniker Phil Lesh and Friends. Over the years, those friends have included a virtual who’s who or rock and roll, including Jorma Kaukonen, Trey Anastasio, John Molo, Warren Haynes, Jimmy Herring, Joan Osborne, Derek Trucks, and Susan Tedeschi, just to name a few. In 2015, as part of the Grateful Dead's 50th anniversary celebration, Phil & Friends played a series of shows dedicated to each year in the band's long, storied history. This soundboard recording from August 27, 2015, 5 years ago today, captures Phil recreating the Dead's set from June 21, 1980.

FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED: TEN RULES OF THE ROAD I LEARNED AT MY FIRST CONCERT: AN ORDINARY GUY'S LIFETIME OF LIVE ROCK & ROLL

If you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited, you can read Ten Rules Of The Road I Learned At My First Concert for FREE!

Go HERE to purchase it in US.  

Also available in Kindle in: UK, DE, FR, ES, IT, NL, JP, BR, CA, MX, AU, and IN!

Also available in Paperback in: UK DE FR ES IT JP CA

Ten Rules Of The Road That I Learned At My First Concert is one ordinary guy's saga of 160 concerts over the last 44 years:

"From scalping tickets to catch Captain Fantastic at the height of his success to missing the opportunity to see Sir Paul close down Shea Stadium; from meeting one band in the middle of 43rd street to watching another play in a parking lot; from seeing a crowd throw objects at an amateur lead-in band to hearing two legends, Macca and Bruce, play "I Saw Her Standing There" - twice; from never seeing Van Morrison play "Someone Like You" to having him surprise us all with a rendition of "Send In The Clowns"; from attending a concert that never started to being at a show that we wouldn’t let end; the “Ten Rules Of The Road” have marked the moments of my journey from August 15, 1976 right through today."

EN RULES OF THE ROAD I LEARNED AT MY FIRST CONCERT

An Ordinary Guy’s Lifetime Of Live Rock & Roll

Table of Contents

Dedications

Before The Rules

• Back When It All Began

The Ten Rules

• Introduction
• Rule #1: You Can’t Get Good Seats, But The Scalpers Can
• Rule #2: Expect The Unexpected On The Way To Or From The Show
• Rule #3: No Concert Ever Starts On Time
• Rule #4: Rejoice - There Is No Opening Act
• Rule #5: Rock Concerts Are Rarely Played At A Venue Meant For Music
• Rule #6: Enjoy The Special Guests - They’re a Rare Event
• Rule #7: The Set List - The Bad News - The Band Will Never Play Everything You Want To Hear
• Rule #8: The Set List - The Good News - The Band Will Always Play An Unanticipated Tune You’ll Never Forget
• Rule #9: Elvis Has Left The Building - Once The Houselights Come On, The Show Is Over
• Rule #10: Don’t Miss The Moment - Go To Every Show You Can

Outside The Rules

• Introduction

• On The Grateful Dead
• There’s Nothing Like A Grateful Dead Concert
• Jerry Garcia Vs. The Grateful Dead

• On The Business Of Concerts
• Concert Ticket Prices Over The Years
• The Omnipresent John Scher

• On Concert Song Selections
• Ten Memorable Cover Songs - Grateful Dead Edition
• Ten Memorable Cover Songs - Non-Grateful Dead Edition
• Same Song, Different Band 

• On Concerts And Life
• The Summer Of Love And My Lifetime Of Live Rock & Roll
• Passing The Torch
• Farewell Yellow Brick Road - The End of An Era?

The Concerts

• Introduction
• Concerts Summaries: 1976 - 2019

The Lists

• Introduction - Baseball, Relix, Deadbase And My Obsession With Concert Statistics
• Concert Statistics: 1976 - 2019
• Selected Set Lists

Conclusion

• A Long And Difficult Set Break

Joe Russo's Almost Dead - 2016-08-26 - Arrington VA (SBD Matrix)

Joe Russo's Almost Dead 

2016-08-26 

Lockn Festival

Blue Ridge Bowl

Oak Ridge Farm

Arrington, VA

Soundboard Matrix Recording

320 kbps

Artwork Included

01.  Jam >

02.  Good Lovin' (SM) >

03.  Shakedown Street $ (TH) >

04.  China Cat Sunflower (TH) >

05.  I Know You Rider (All) >

06.  Dancin In The Street % (SM & NA) >

07.  The Music Never Stopped (SM & NA)

08.  Turn On Your Lovelight * (NA) >

09.  Slipknot! >

10.  Franklin’s Tower (TH & NA) >

11.  Throwing Stones (SM)

12.  Not Fade Away & (All)

Early Comers Soundcheck #:

13.  Ruben & Cherise (TH)

14.  Uncle John’s Band (All)

NA indicates Nicole Atkins on Lead or Background Vocals

@ - Technically started on the morning of Saturday, 8.27.16

# - There was a small crowd assembled at the stage for soundcheck, so Joe decided to play some songs that they weren’t “Going to play later tonight” for them. 

$ - With two “Bathtub Gin” (Phish) teases/jams (Band & JR) 

% - With a “Fat Mama” (Herbie Hancock) Tease (MB); a Dave Dreiwitz Bass Solo & a "Shortnin' Bread" (James Whitcomb Riley) tease from DD during said solo; a “Good Lovin” Jam (Band) & call & response “Woo”s from the crowd; with a Duo Jam.

* - Not played since 12.27.13 at the Capitol Theatre, 79 shows

& - With an unknown (but very familiar) tease (MB)

Joe Russo's Almost Dead - 2016-08-26 - Arrington VA (SBD Matrix)

What would a month "deadicated" to the late, great Jerry Garcia be without a post from a Grateful Dead cover/tribute band. Just shows how Jerry's legacy lives on decades after his passing. Of course, Joe Russo's Almost Dead (JRAD) has a bit more credibility than most such bands since their leader, drummer Joe Russo, was part of Furthur with Bob Weir and Phil Lesh, as well as a member of the 2014 line up of Phil & Friends. This soundboard matrix recording captures JRAD on August 26. 2016, 4 years ago today, at the Lockn Festival.. By the way, I first learned about JRAD in June 2015 when they played the 6th Annual Songs Of Love Benefit Concert at Webster Hall. Songs of Love is a non-profit foundation that creates free, personalized, original songs to uplift children and teens currently facing tough medical, physical or emotional challenges. A good friend of mine is on the Board Of Directors. If you love music and love to help kids, then visit their site and make a donation. And if you know a youngster facing tough issues, contact them and request a free song. 

Jimmy Cliff - 2000-08-25 - Worcester, MA (SBD)

Jimmy Cliff  

2000-08-25

The Palladium

Worcester, MA

Soundboard recording

320 kbps

Artwork Included

01. You Can Get It If You Really Want It

02. Jump (Walkin On)

03. Johnny Too Bad > Son Of Pain

04. Many Rivers To Cross

05. Samba Reggae

06. Family Together

07. Save Our Planet Earth

08. Vietnam

09. Hakuna Matata

10. Wild World

11. Treat The Youths Right

12. Rub-A-Dub Partner

13. The Harder They Come

14. Third World People

15. I Can See Clearly Now

Jimmy Cliff -  2000-08-25 - Worcester, MA (SBD)

When I started following the Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia in 1977, I didn’t realize at the time the variety of music I would be exposed to and learn to appreciate. Thanks to the Dead, I learned about musicians such as Merle Haggard, Marty Robbins, Buddy Holly, and Sam Cooke, just to name a few, from their covers of Mama Tried, El Paso, Not Fade Away and Good Times. From Jerry Garcia, I gained my first exposure to the legendary reggae artist, Jimmy Cliff, after hearing stellar live versions of The Harder They Come and Sitting In Limbo. If you don’t have the album, The Harder They Come, which is the soundtrack to the movie of the same name, then you are missing out on one of the landmark recordings in rock history. The disc introduced reggae to mainstream audiences, and has been ranked by Rolling Stone, Time, and Blender as one of the best albums of all time. The music has influenced and been covered by acts as diverse as Garcia, Linda Ronstadt, Joe Jackson, Willie Nelson, The Clash and Bruce Springsteen! This soundboard recording captures Jimmy Cliff on August 25, 2000, 20 years ago today in Worcester.

Jimmy Cliff/Jerry Garcia Connections

• As noted above, the Jerry Garcia Band frequently covered 2 Jimmy Cliff songs in concert, The Harder tHey Come and Sitting In Limbo.  In fact, Garcia played the Harder They Come over 350 times with his various solo bands.
• The reggae legend sat in with Garcia on at the Greek Theater in Berkeley on August 26, 1989, to sing what else, but The Harder They Come!
• Cliff also sang his signature tune at the Dear Jerry tribute concert held on May 14, 2015 in Columbia, Maryland.

Jerry Garcia - 1991-08-25 - Squaw Valley, CA (SBD)

Jerry Garcia 

With Dave Grisman

1991-08-25

Gold Coast Concert Bowl 

Squaw Valley CA

Soundboard Recording

320 Kbps

Artwork Included

01. Jack A Row

02. Spring in California

03. Grateful Dawg

04. Angels Layed Him Away

05. Off To Sea

06. Friend of The Devil

07. Two Soldiers

08. So What

09. Russian Lullaby

10. Dawg Waltz

11. Thrill Is Gone

12. Old Rockin’ Chair

13. Arabia (A)

14. Arabia (B)

15. Eat My Dust*

16. Ripple* 

*With Bela Fleck

Jerry Garcia - 1991-08-25 - Squaw Valley, CA (SBD)

As promised yesterday, here's another one from Jerry Garcia in Squaw Valley, but this one finds him playing acoustic with long time friend and musical collaborator, David Grisman. Their partnerships go all the way back to 1964, when they met in San Francisco. Grisman would play on the Grateful Dead album, American Beauty, and in the 1970s, be part of Garcia's Old and In The Way and Great American String Band projects. In the 1990s, the 2 collaborated in earnest, playing live on around 20 occasions, and recording 7 albums together. Garcia nicknamed Grisman, Dawg, after a dog that was following him while they were driving around in California. This soundboard recording captures the duo on August 25, 1991, 29 years ago this very day.

Jerry Garcia with Merl Saunders - 1974-08-24 - San Francisco CA (SBD)

Jerry Garcia 

with Merle Saunders

1974-08-24

Great American Music Hall

San Francisco, CA

Soundboard Recording

320 kbps

Artwork Included

1st Set:

01. Neighbor Neighbor

02. Favela

03. Second That Emotion

04. Problems Got Problems

05. He Ain't Give You None

06. Money Honey

2nd Set:

01. Harder They Come

02. La-La > 

03. People Make The World Go 'Round

04. (I'm A) Road Runner

05. Sitting In Limbo

Jerry Garcia with Merl Saunders - 1974-08-24 - San Francisco CA (SBD) 

From December 1970 to June 1975, Jerry Garcia, when not playing with the Grateful Dead, often found himself collaborating with keyboardist Merle Saunders. In fact, Garcia and Saunders played over two-hundred and fifty shows together, The duo even released a live album together, entitled Live At Keystone featuring tracks from their concerts at that venue in Berkeley on July 10 and 11, 1973. This soundboard recording finds the duo about a year later, in San Francisco, on August 24, 1974, 4 dozen years ago today.

Jerry Garcia Band - 1991-08-24 - Squaw Valley, CA (SBD)

Jerry Garcia Band

1991-08-24

Goldcoast Concert Bowl

Squaw Valley, CA

Soundboard Recording

320 kbps

Artwork Included

1st Set:

01. How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You

02. Stop That Train

03. Run For The Roses

04. Forever Young

05. You Never Can Tell (C'est La Vie)

06. Lazy Bones

07. Deal

2nd Set:

01. The Way You Do The Things You Do

02. Waiting For A Miracle

03. Struggling Man

04. Money Honey

05. Shining Star

06. Somebody To Love

Jerry Garcia Band - 1991-08-24 - Squaw Valley, CA (SBD)

In 1960, Squaw Valley, CA hosted the Winter Olympics. Some 3 decades later, the mountains which hosted skiing events also provided the site for a unique concert venue.  The Gold Coast Concert Bowl sits at the top of a mountain, requiring ticket holders to use chairlifts and gondolas to get access to the venue.  The Jerry Garcia Band played the Gold Coast Bowl, on August 24, 1991, 22 years ago today, as part of Bill Graham’s Summer Music Festival.  Download this soundboard recording and be glad you don’t have to climb the mountain to hear great music!  Then stop back tomorrow for another  Jerry show from the same venue, with a little bit different sound!

Grateful Dead - 1969-08-23 - St. Helen's, OR (SBD)

Grateful Dead  

1969-08-23

Pellitier Farm

St. Helen's, OR

Soundboard Recording

320 kbps

Artwork Included

01. Hard to Handle 

02. Mama Tried >

03. High Time

04. Casey Jones 

05. Easy Wind

06. Sittin' On Top of the World

07. Tuning

08. Dark Star >

09. St. Stephen > 

10. The Eleven >

11. Turn on Your Lovelight

12. We Bid You Good Night 

Grateful Dead - 1969-08-23 - St. Helen's, OR (SBD)

As part of our tribute to Jerry Garcia this month, we want to take you back to 1969, a year in which the Grateful Dead closed out the "Psychedelic 60's" with live music that embodied everything that nickname symbolized, and then some. Their concerts at The Fillmore West in late February/early March that year, from which the album Live Dead was culled (and more recently a 9 disc box set of the entire run) found the band exploring the depths of space on tunes such as Dark Star, St. Stephen and That's It For The Other One. At the same time, with Pigpen at the helm on vocals, they could produce powerful down and dirty blues numbers such as Alligator or Turn On Your Lovelight. When the Live Dead disc was released in late 1969, it marked the first time the band had released a live performance on disc. At the time, Robert Christgau wrote that side two of the album "contains the finest rock improvisation ever recorded." This soundboard recording captures the Dead during that incredible year in Oregon on August 23, 1969, 51 years ago today.

Robert Hunter - 1980-08-22 - The Other End, New York, NY (SBD)

Robert Hunter

1980-08-22

The Other End

New York, NY

Soundboard Recording

320 kbps

Artwork Included

01. Slack String Quartet

02. Cumberland Blues >

03. Keys To The Rain

04. Bird Song

05. Mr. Charlie >.Easy Wind

06. Tiger Rose

07. Rueben And Cerise

08. Willy Poor Boy

09. //Black Peter

10. Truckin'

11. Scarlet Begonias > Sunshine Daydream > Stella Blue > Sunshine Daydream > Scarlet Begonias

12. Boys In The Barroom >

13. Ripple

Robert Hunter - 1980-08-22 - The Other End, New York, NY (SBD)

Robert Hunter, who wrote or co-wrote many of the Grateful Dead's best known tunes (Uncle John's Band, Truckin, Friend Of The Devil and Dark Star, just to name a few), started his association with Jerry Garcia in the early 1960's, when the two played together in blue grass bands, In the 70's and 80's., Hunter often served as the led-in band for Garcia's solo concerts. When the Grateful Dead entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Hunter, at Garcia's insistence was included as part of the band! Garcia and Hunter were also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in June 2015. This soundboard recording captures Hunter in New York on August 22, 1980, 4 decades ago this very day!

Jerry Garcia Band - 1981-08-21 - Berkeley, CA (SBD)

Jerry Garcia Band
1981-08-21
The Keystone
Berkeley, CA 
Soundboard Recording
320 kbps
Artwork Included

1st Set:
xx. I'll Take A Melody (missing)
01. They Love Each Other
02. After Midnight
03. Russian Lullaby
04. I Second That Emotion >
05. Tangled Up In Blue

2nd Set:
01.  Mission In The Rain
02.  Harder They Come
03.  Let It Rock
04.  Night They Drove Old Dixie Down >
05.  Dear Prudence
06.  Midnight Moonlight

Jerry Garcia Band - 1981-08-21 - Berkeley, CA (SBD)

Besides the 50 times I saw the Dead live, I attended 4 Jerry Garcia Band concerts in 3 different decades  - in March 1978 at the Capitol Theater, in March 1980, also at the Capitol (a show that has been officially released), in August 1984 at Caldwell College and finally in November 1991 at Madison Square Garden. Garcia solo shows were like Dead concerts in some ways as some songs overlapped, the set lists were unpredictable and the jamming intense, but unlike them in others. Garcia on his own played an amazing variety of covers not found in the Dead;s set lists, broke out some of his rarer solo tunes, and took far more solos than he would when jamming with the Dead. To sum it up, seeing Garcia solo was not seeing the Dead, and vice versa. I have a whole essay on that subject in my just published book! This soundboard recording captures Garcia on his home turf, in Berkeley on August 21, 1981, 39 years ago today, and just 2 months after I graduated from college.  Where do the years go?

Grateful Dead - 1987-08-20 - Park City, UT (SBD)

Grateful Dead

1987-08-20

Park West Ski Area

Park City, UT

Soundboard Recording

320 kbps

Artwork Included

1st Set:

01. Tuning

02. The Addams Family

03. Big Boss Man >

04. Promised Land

05. Dire Wolf

06. New Minglewood Blues

07. Row Jimmy

08. It's All Over Now

09. Loser

10. Cassidy

11. When Push Comes To Shove

2nd Set:

01. Tuning

02. China Cat Sunflower >

03. I Know You Rider

04. Man Smart (Woman Smarter)

05. Ship Of Fools

06. Truckin' >

07. Smokestack Lightning >

08. Drums >

09. Space >

10. The Wheel >

11. Gimme Some Lovin' >

12. All Along The Watchtower >

13. Stella Blue >

14, Sugar Magnolia

Encore:

01. Encore Break

02. The Mighty Quinn (Quinn The Eskimo)

Grateful Dead - 1987-08-20 - Park City, UT (SBD)

For the Grateful Dead, and Jerry Gracia, especially, 1987 was a year of re-birth. In the summer of 1986, Garcia had fallen into a diabetic coma, and for a while, it appeared he might not survive. When he did emerge from the coma, he had to re-learn how to play guitar. As the Dead song says " I need a miracle, every day" and Jerry got more than his share. By December 1986, Garcia was back where he belonged, on stage with the Grateful Dead for a series of 6 shows in Oakland, including the band's traditional New Year's Eve bash. Who knew at the time that 1987 would be one of the band's greatest years. By spring of 1987, the song Touch of Grey, with its refrain of "I will get by, I will survive" echoing Garcia's recovery and rebirth, became the band's first and only top 10 hit. By the way, only the Dead could write a song in 1982, perform it countless times in concert, then wait 5 years to release it as a single! The video for Touch of Grey, which was recorded in May and featured skeleton puppets of the band playing the song, received major airplay on MTV. In July, the band released In The Dark, their first studio album in 7 years, which also climbed into the top 10. The summer featured a tour with Bob Dylan, with the band playing 2 sets of their own music, then backing Dylan on his tunes for the closing set. The fall tour featured my favorite show ever - September 18, 1987 at Madison Square Garden, a performance that was the first one selected for the 30 Trips Around The Sun retrospective. Most of all, the euphoria and out pouring of love at each show was unlike anything before or since in the band's career.We all knew that Jerry, the band and all of us had been granted a 2nd lease on life. This soundboard recording captures Jerry and the band during that miraculous year, in Utah on August 20, 1987, 33 years ago today. 

Neville Brothers - 1986-08-19 - Philadelphia PA (SBD)

Neville Brothers

1986-08-19

Chestnut Cabaret

Philadelphia PA.

Soundboard Recording

320 kbps

Artwork Included

1st Set:

01. Jam > Hey Pocky Way

02. Africa

03. People Say

04. True Love (Stay With Me)

05. You’re The Only One

06. Wildflower

07. The Dealer

08. I’ll Be There In A Heartbeat

09. I Never Needed No One

10. Brother John > Iko Iko >

11. Do You Wanna Dance > Banana Boat Song

12. Fire On The Bayou

2nd Set:

13. Fear, Hate, Envy, Jealousy

14. Rockin' Pneumonia > Something You Got > I Know > Everybody Loves A Lover

15. Mojo Hannah

16. The Greatest Love

17. Tell It Like It Is

18. Take A Chance On Love

19. Money Back Guarantee

20. Wishin’

21. Midnight Key

22. Wake Up

23. Big Chief > Band Intros

24. Johnny B. Goode > Boney Maronie > Dizzy Miss Lizzy

25.) Ain't No Use >

26. Band Intros and Solos > Amazing Grace >

27. Down By The Riverside > Amen > This Little Light Of Mine > Amen

Neville Brothers - 1986-08-19 - Philadelphia PA (SBD)

In 1986, Rhino records released a 2 CD set Treacherous: A History Of The Neville Brothers, 1955 - 1985,  The release traced the band's log musical history and lifetime association with the city of New Orleans. This soundboard recording captures the Nevilles that same year, playing a 2 set, 27 song extravaganza in Phialelphia on August 19, 1986, 34 years ago today.

Neville Brothers/Jerry Garcia Connections

• In the late 1980s, the Neville Brothers sat in with the Dead on numerous occasions. The most famous might be their appearance on December 31, 1987, when they joined the Dead for the 3rd set that included Woman Are Smarter, Iko Iko, Day-Om Do You Wanna Dance and Knockin on Heaven's Door. 
• They also joined the Dead on stage on February 11, 1986, February 12, 1986, December 16, 1986, December 30, 1986, July 6, 1987, October 18, 1987 and July 10, 1989 (a show I was at.).
• The Nevilles were also on stage with the Dead on October 18, 1988, when the Bangles also made a guest appearance
• Jerry Garcia sang lead on the Dead's cover of Aiko Aiko, a song the was a regular part of the Neville's set list.
• Jerry also played guitar on You’re the One, found on The Neville Brothers 1987 LP Uptown