I’m going through Al‘s posts in the WELL, my online hangout for the last 20+ years. Al was there for about ten of those years, and I am finding lots of fun stuff to post here.
The first Dead tape I ever heard was in Al’s apartment – Cow Palace ’74, a couple of weeks after it happened. What I remember most about hearing that tape was the was it captured the rattling of the whole building when Phil hit his note in the bridge of “China Cat.” Lo and behold, I found this in a post just now (I’m extracting Al’s posts for his family and to post some highlights):
deadlit.454.37: Alan Feldstein (fiddle) Thu 28 Feb 02 09:34
I was at the back of the floor for that show and the sound was astounding. When Phil hit the bomb on the E chord during the bridge of Chinacat it was like a lightning bolt out of the sky. Even though I have tapes I don’t remember much about the music except the Playing et al medley, but it was typical great 74 stuff. A great night!
From a discussion of the Dead’s 5-night run @ Winterland in October 1974, filmed for The Grateful Dead Movie:
deadlit.94.85: Alan Feldstein (fiddle) Wed 20 Jan 93 08:44
Went to all 5 of these and loved them all, especially 18th, 19th and 20th. Finally gittin some decent audience tapes this year but still no sbds. An interesting personal note (at least to my friends!). On 10/20/74 I took my last LSD trip. My reasoning, at the time, was that they were quitting so I would too. Well, at an early 80’s Greek show (I think 83) I somehow got hoodwinked into promising to take acid on 10/20/94 (the 20th anniversary) if the Dead were still touring! At the time I thought this was a commitment I would never have to meet. Well, as you all know, this is now less than 2 years away! And, by the way, do I get to extend the time given the 2 Garcia/illness breaks the band has taken? Every show I go to now one of my friends will say “only—more months left Al!”
Responding to a post by “Castle” about her first Dead show:
deadlit.125.76: Alan Feldstein (fiddle) Thu 21 Jan 93 09:00
… I stopped trying to turn people on to the Dead years ago because every time I took somebody the band played poorly. Of course, every show SOMEBODY thinks was great and SOMEBODY thought it was terrible.
You, Castle, might have a problem in the other direction. IMHO 12/16 was one of the best shows of 1992. Your next one is likele to disappoint to some degree.
PLEASE PLEASE let us know what you think of your next show!
And more interaction w/ Linda (castle) about the next run of shows in the Bay Area:
deadlit.125.83: Alan Feldstein (fiddle) Mon 25 Jan 93 15:26
Heard that last nite was pretty good, Castle. Are you the band’s new good luck charm?
deadlit.125.85: Alan Feldstein (fiddle) Tue 26 Jan 93 06:56
Good luck. Usually the spectacle of a CNY, Mardi Gras, or NYE is entertaining even if the show fizzles. By the way, it’s still possible to have a good time at at a GD show even if the band fizzles…
deadlit.125.92: Alan Feldstein (fiddle) Thu 28 Jan 93 09:09
Hey Linda, I bet you’ll run into somebody someday who will say that the show you thought was bad (I didn’t go but all my friends agree with you) was the BEST they’d ever seen! In my opinion, they’re all good AND they all suck!
And a few words about “The Days Between,” one of the last Hunter-Garcia compositions to enter the GD repertoire:
deadlit.134.57: Alan Feldstein (fiddle) Sun 30 May 93 14:56
Days [Between] is most unusual… it is a slow dirge, yet very gripping… I must say that the Vegas version was one of the most powerful GD moments I have ever experienced… it just goes to show ya what I have always claimed… in the GD universe, song selection means nothing… if they are gonna play good and show some interest it matters not what the tunes are… and when they are bad no combination of great tunes is going to save the show…
deadlit.134.59: Alan Feldstein (fiddle) Tue 1 Jun 93 09:34
I have mixed feelings about the tune, David…I can’t say I *LIKE* it, but I gotta admit it has become one of their strongest live tunes and that it has crept into my subconscious in a major way….I guess I like it after all!
From a discussion of “Jews and the Dead”:
deadlit.202.24: Alan Feldstein (fiddle) Sat 16 Jul 94 22:18
Well, there is either something to this or it is just an amazing coincidence. The numbers of jewish jeads is impossible to ignore. I’m jewish, but had about five minutes of religious training.. in fact, most of my religious knowledge comes from Charlton Heston movies and Dead songs!!
I was turned onto the GD by non-jewish friends and never realized the phenomenon until I started meeting heads in the seventies…
And this needs no context at all:
deadlit.306.79: Alan Feldstein (fiddle) Mon 10 Jun 96 10:39
Arguing about the ten best shows of 95, IMO, is a laughable pursuit at best. Kind of akin to to rating Pat Buchanan’s ten best social programs 🙂