Coming Attractions

From September 11 to 20, we'll bring you:
Bruce Cockburn, Edie Brickell, Bruce Springsteen, Rick Derringer, David Bowie, Southside Johnny, Music For Montserrat, Jerry Garcia, Crowded House, Counting Crows,The Pretenders, Men At Work, Elton John, and Bob Weir!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday, August 3, 2023

Levon Helm - 2008-08-03 - Newport, RI (SBD)

The Levon Helm Band
2008-08-03
Newport Folk Festival
Newport, RI
Soundboard Recording
320 kbps
Artwork Included

01. The Same Thing 
02. Ophelia 
03. Fannie Mae 
04. Love Played A Game 
05. Long Black Veil
06. Got Me A Woman
07. Ashes Of Love
08. Anna Lee 
09. Deep Elem Blues 
10. Rag Mama Rag 
11. The Shape I'm In 
12. Chest Fever 
13. The Weight


When it comes to The Band, it all began with Levon Helm.  He was the first, in 1958, to sign on with The Hawks, Ronnie Hawkin's backing band, later joined by Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, and Garth Hudson, in that group.  When they split with Hawkins in 1964, they became Levon & The Hawks, eventually serving as Bob Dylan's backing band.  Levon was there when they became The Band in 1968 and released their classic debut album, Music From Big Pink.  He played at the farewell concert, the legedary Last Waltz in 1976, and was instrumental in reforming the group, sans Robertson, in 1983. Levon stayed until The Band said farewell for the 2nd time in 1999, but then pursued a solo career.  He made music unril cancer took him from us in 2012. This soundbaoard recording captures Levon out front of his own band, 4 yearss before left this earth, at the Newport Folk Festival on August 3, 2008, 15 years ago today.






Traffic - 1994-08-03 - East Rutherford, NJ (SBD)

Traffic
1994-08-03
Giants Stadium
East Rutherford, NJ
Soundboard recording
320 kbps
Artwork Included

01. Riding High
02. Some Kinda Woman
03. Medicated Goo
04. Mozambique
05. Rock And Roll Show
06. Rainmaker
07. Empty Pages
08. Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys
09. Light Up Or Leave Me Alone
10. John Barleycorn
11. Dear Mr. Fantasy

Notes:
- Opened for The Grateful Dead
- Jerry Garcia played guitar on Dear Mr. Fantasy


As legend goes, Steve Winwood reformed Traffic in 1994 after a Dead Head left a message for Bob Weir suggesting that if would be “cool” if the Grateful Dead and Traffic toured together! I’m not quite sure how true that is, but Traffic did come back together in 1994, and they were the lead-in band for the Grateful Dead’s summer tour! This sounboard captures them in East Rutherford on August  3, 1994, 29 years ago today, with Jerry Garcia sitting in during Dear Mr. Fantasy. Of course, the connection between the 2 bands goes back to the 1960s/1970s, including a legendary show at the Fillmore East on November 16, 1970 that long was believed to have taken place a week later at the Anderson Theater. (go here for the full details).   In the 1980s, the Dead added two Steve Winwood compositions to their set lists, Dear Mr. Fantasy and Gimme Some Lovin. Those songs left the band’s live repertoire, however, with the passing of Brent Mydland in 1990.

Traffic's Winwood also has connections to both the Allman brotehrs and The Band. In 2012, Winwood appeared at the Mountain Jam festival, where he was joined on stage by Warren Haynes. He also played The Weigh as part of his set, in honor of Levon Helm who passed way earlier that year.  The in 2013, Winwood served as the opening act for the Allman Brothers summer tour. In 2017, he headlined the Peach Festival, which had been founded by Greg Allman, for a series of shows just months after Greg's death, held as a tribute to the late singer.  In 1997, Winwood, along with James Taylor, Sheryly Crow and Jakob Sylan, all backed Leveon Helm on The Weight at the 1997 VH1 Honors broadcast. Some 15 years later, he and fellow Blin Faith alum Eric Clapton, appeared on Robbie Robertson's 2011 album How To Become Clairvoyant.  




Warren Haynes - 2014-08-03 - Morrison, CO (SBD)

Warren Haynes
2014-08-03
Jerry Garcia Symphonic Celebration
Red Rocks
Morrison CO
FM Broadcast
224 kbps
Artwork Included

CD 1
01. Tuning
02. Intro
03. Dark Star
04. Bird Song
05. Uncle John’s Band
06. Jam
07. Shakedown Street
08. Doin’ That Rag
09. Here Comes Sunshine
10. China Cat Sunflower
11. Orchestra Outro
12. Morning Dew
13. Sirius Outro

CD 2:
01. Crowd/Tuning
02. Comes A Time
03. Crazy Fingers
04. Jam
05. Scarlet Begonias
06. Black Peter
07. Drums 
08. Jam
09. West LA Fadeaway
10. Terrapin Station
11. Slipknot
12. Terrapin Refrain
13. Crowd
14. Attics of My Life (Orchestra Only)
15. Ship of Fools
16. Thanks/Band Intros
17. Stella Blue
18. Sirius Outro 


Warren Haynes was recruited by Dickey Betts to join the Allmn Brothers' Band in 1989, which led to a revival of the band's popularity and a dramtic improvemnt in their live performances.  He quit in 1997 to focus on his other band, Gov’t Mule, but returned in 2000, continuing on until 2014. In fact, Haynes announcement early that year that he intended to leave the band, a sentiment echoed by the band's other guitarist Derek Trucks (you'll hear more about Trucks later thsi month) prompted the Allman's to announce their retirement. They would play their final show at one of their favorite venues, the Beacon Theatre, on October 28, 2014, the 43rd anniversary of the tragic death of Duane Allman.

This soundbaord recording captures Warren at Red Rocks on August 3, 2014, 9 years ago today, playing a tribute to the the Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia, backed by a full symphony orchestra. The Jerry Garcia Symphonic Celebration concerts were just one of numeorus connections between Warren and the Dead. At many of the Symphonic Celebration shows, Warren played Garcia’s famed Wolf guitar. His tune, Patchwork Quilt, is a tribute to Jerry, mentioning how the Allmans were at Jones Beach the night Jerry died. In addition, From 1999 to 2003, Haynes played guitar for Phil Lesh and Friends. Then in 2004 and 2009, he played with The Dead, one of the several post Grateful Dead incarnations of the band.  Of course, in both bands, he took on the lead guitar parts that once belonged to the one and only Mr. Garcia.



Wednesday, August 2, 2023

Bruce Hornsby - 1990-08-02 - Seattle WA (SBD)

Bruce Hornsby
1990-08-02
Paramount Northwest Theatre
Seattle, WA
Soundboard Recording
320 kbps
Artwork Included

1st Set: 
01. Western Skyline
02. Valley Road
03. End Of The Innocence 
04. Fire On The Cross
05. Barren Ground
06. Jacob's Ladder
07. Road Not Taken 
08. Working In A Coalmine
09. Lost Soul
10. Across The River

2nd Set: 
11. Night On The Town
12. Every Little Kiss
13. Stranded On Easy Street
14. Mandolin Rain
15. Till The Dreaming's Done
16. Defenders Of Tthe Flag 
17. lot To Laugh, Train To Cry
18. Piano Solo Intro
19. The Way It Is
20. Look Out Any Window

Encores: 
21. Another Day
22. Dixie Lullaby
23. The Letter


In July 1990, Bruce Hornsby released his last album with The Range, entitled A Night On The Town. The disc went to #20 on the Billboard charts, and featured contributions from Jerry Garcia on Barren Ground and Across The River. Hornsby went on tour in support of the album, including this show, captured in a soundboard recording, in Seattle, on July 20, 1990, 33 years ago today. A little over a  month later, on September 15, 1990, Hornsby would join Garcia as part of the Grateful Dead in the wake of keyboardist Brent Mydland’s death due to a drug overdose. Hornsby, would stay with the Dead full time until March 24, 1992, when he left to restart his solo career. 

Yet even before and after his official stint with the band, Hornsby had significant ties to the Dead. He incorporated Grateful Dead tunes into his live shows from the start of his solo career, a practice which continues until this day. Hornsby often served as the lead-in act for the Dead in the late 1980s, and sat in with them on numerous occasions as a guest after his official departure from the group. After his time with the Grateful Dead, Hornsby’s solo concerts took on a more improvisational flair, including building set lists around requests from the audience. In the wake of Jerry Garcia’s death, he participated in the Further Festivals in 1996 and 1997, then became a member of the Other Ones, the first of many reincarnations of the Grateful Dead. Hornsby inducted the Dead into the rock and roll Hall of Fame in 1994, and participated in the Comes A Time show in 2005 in honor of the 10th anniversary of Garcia’s passing. He also participated in the Fare Thee Well shows in 2015 that celebrated the Garteful Dead's 50th annivrsary and marked the last time all the original surviving members of the band played live together,  In recent years, Hornsby and Weir have performed several shows together, with each doing a solo set followed by the pair playing together on a number of tunes. The list of connections between Bruce and The Dead is almost as endless as the possibilities that existed every time either started to jam! 

Hornsby also has numerous connections to the Allman Brothers.  His early band, Bobby Hi-Test and the Octane Kids, would regularly play Allman Brothers (and Grateful Dead) covers. At the Allman’s February 23, 1991 show at Rafter’s in Crested Butte, Colorado, the band was joined by Hornsby for Southbound towards the beginning of the evening and then One Way Out and Ramblin’ Man later in the show. During the Allman Brothers 40th anniversary run at the Beacon Theater in March 2009, Hornsby sat in with them at the March 21 concert. Hornsby also played at Greg Allman's inaugural Laid Back Festival in at Jones Beach in New York on August 29, 2015.  

To top it all off, Hornsby has several conenctions with The Band. He co-wrote the tune Go Back To Your Woods with Robbie Robertson.  Levon Helm appeared in a video for Hornsby's tune Look Out Any Window, though he did not play on the track.  Hornsby played at a Levon Helm Benefit Concert on October 3, 2012 in East Rutherford, NJ, along with Warren Haynes and Gregg Allman of the Allman Brothers. In discussing his appearance at that show, Hornsby noted that his friendship with Levon went back to 1985.

We'll bring you shows from a host of artists this month, but few are as connected to all 3 of our featured bands as Mr. Bruce Hornsby!










Tuesday, August 1, 2023

Allman Brothers Band - 1996-08-01 - West Allis, WI (SBD)

Allman Brothers Band
1996-08-01
Wisconsin State Fair, 
West Allis, WI
Soundboard Recording
320 kbps
Artwork Included

01. Statesboro Blues  
02. Midnight Rider  
03. Blue Sky  
04. You Don't Love Me  
05. Worried Down With The Blues  
106. True Gravity >  Mountain Jam > Drums > Bass > Turn On Your Lovelight > The Other One > 
        Will The Circle Be Unbroken > True Gravity  
07. Change My Way of Living 
08. Dreams  
09. No One To Run With > Back Where It All Begins  
10. One Way Out  


We couldn't start this month without also including a post from our 3rd featured band, The Allman Brothers. This soundboard recording captures the Allmans onthe stage in West Alles on August 1, 1996, 2y years ago today, The show took place less than a year after Jerry Garcia's passing, on what would have been his 54th birthday.  As only they could, the Allmans rose to the occasion in legendary fashion.  Six songs in, they played True Gravity, which became the launching pad for a jam that could have come straight out of a Dead concert.  True Gravity became Mountain Jam, which then segued into  Drums and Bass. As if the jam itself wasn't enough tribute to Jerry, the bass solo rumbled into Turn On Your Loevlight and then into the Other One, two staple of the Dead's live performances.  

Those musical tributes to Garcia are just the tip of the iceberg of the connections between the Allmans and the Grateful Dead.  The San Francisco psychedelic pioneers and the Macon Georgia Southern rockers both were renowned for their improvisational jams. Both bands had 2 drummers, had roots in blues, country, jazz, folk and bluegrass, and suffered tragic losses in the early 1970s only to rise to new heights. Both bands were connected to Bill Graham, and as a result frequently headlined both Fillmores. In fact, the Allmans closed the Fillmore East, while the Dead did likewise at the Fillmore West. In addition to their 1973 summer tour dates, The Dead and Allmans played 3 dates together in February 1970 at the Fillmore East. On December 31, 1973, the Grateful Dead took a rare break from performing on New Year’s Eve, so who else but the Allman Brothers stepped in to play a show at the Cow Palace. Of course, Jerry couldn’t stay away completely, as he and Bill Kreutzman showed up to join the Allmans for the encores.  And the relationship between the 2 bands continued long after the 1970s as we will discuss when we post a show from Warren Haynes later this month.




The Band - 1973-08-01 - Jersey City, NJ (SBD)

The Band
1973-08-01
Roosevelt Stadium
Jersey City, NJ
Soundboard Recording
320 kbps
Artwork Included

01. Back To Memphis
02. Lovin' You
03. The Shape I'm In
04. The Weight
05. Stage Fright
06. I Shall Be Released
07. Don't Do It
08. Endless Highway
09. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
10. Across The Great Divide
11. This Wheel's On Fire
12. Life is A Carnival
13. Share Your Love
14. Up On Cripple Creek
15. Chest Fever
16. The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show
17. Saved (from 31 July 1973)


We brought you the Dead at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City earlier today to kick off the month, now we bring you The Band's opening set from the very same day, August 1, 1973, 50 years ago this very day. The Band's performance, as captured in this soundboard recording, probably surpasses their set at Watkins Glenn in both quality and intensity.  By the, It's amazing how many great shows took place at the now torn down Roosevelt Stadium.  In addition to The Dead and The Band,  The Allman Brothers, CSNY, Eric Clapton, Pink Floyd, Yes and The Eagle, just to name a few, also played legendary concerts at that venue.

By rhe way, in addition to touring together in 1973, The Grateful Dead and the Band have numerous other connections. Bpth played at Woodstock in August 1969, sets we will bring you later this month. In the summer of 1970, The Dead and The Band, along with Janis Joplin and Delaney & Bonnie & Friends, participated in the Festival Express, a train tour across Canada that was detailed in a 2003 documentary film. In the 1990’s, Rick Danko of The Band sat in with The Dead during their 3rd set on December 31, 1983, while all the members of The Band joined the Dead for the encore on June 21, 1984. The Dead added The Band tune the Weight to their set lists in the 1990s, often playing the song as an encore. Moreover, After they reformed in 1983, sans Robbie Robertson, The Band served as the lead-in band for the Grateful Dead on about a half dozen occasions, including what turned out to be the Dead’s final show on July 9, 1995 at Soldier Field in Chicago, just a month before Jerry Garcia’s death. And fear not - we'll get to the connections between the Allmans and The Band later this month!



Grateful Dead - 1973-08-01 - Jersey City, NJ (SBD)

Grateful Dead
1973-08-01
Jerry Garcia's 31st Birthday
Roosevelt Stadium
Jersey City, NJ
Soundboard Recording
320 kbps
Artwork Included

1st Set:
01. Phil's announcements
02. Promised Land
03. Sugaree
04. The Race Is On
05. You Ain't Woman Enough
06. Bird Song
07. Mexicali Blues
08. They Love Each Other
09. Jack Straw
10. Stella Blue
11. Big River
12. Casey Jones

2nd Set:
01. Around & Around
02. Mississippi Half Step Uptown Toodleoo
03. Me & My Uncle
04. Row Jimmy
05. Dark Star
06. El Paso
07. Eyes Of The World
08. Morning Dew
09. Sugar Magnolia
10. Goin' Down The Road Feelin' Bad
11. One More Saturday Night

 
What better way to open our month dedicated to the Grateful Dead, The Allmans and The Band than with a Grateful Dead concert on Jerry Garcia's 31st birthday! And oh so appropriately given our theme this month, The Band led in for the Dead that day, a show we will have for you later today.  Those 3 bands, 3 of the finest North American rock bands ever, spent the summer of 1973 on tour, sometimes together, sometimes separately, but always with incredible results.  As we posted last month, on July 28, 1973, all 3 came together for rke massive show at Watkins Glen, to this day the largest attended rock concert in the US history, with over 600,000 fans on hand to enjoy the music. Less than a week, later, The Dead and The Band were at it again, rocking Jersey City on August 1, 1973, a half century ago today.  The Dead were in exceptional form that summer, as evidenced in earlier posts on this blog of the aforementioned Watkins Glen rehearsals and concert, as well as of the June RFK Stadium performances with The Allmans. This soundboard recording from Roosevelt Stadium is another masterpiece. The Dead played inspired versions of Bird Song, Dark Star, Eyes of The World and Morning Dew. In addition, they broke out some rare gems such as The Race is On and You Ain't Women Enough. Download this one and remember all the joy Jerry brought us on what would have been his 81st birthday.