Here is the latest news from David Gans, producer and host of the Grateful Dead Hour.
Kenny’s 3/22/87 story
By 03/22/1987, I had seen Grateful Dead 3 times. The first was 7/2/85 in Pittsburgh. I basically went to check out the scene. I remember being amazed at how crazed the crowd was at the music. From inside the arena, I could see all these people dancing like crazy out in the halls where the light came through the doorways and that it seemed like everyone was constantly roaring it’s approval of the band . I do remember the band played “Revolution” and that it was really cool. After that show, my friends and I started buying the albums, learning the songs and more about the scene. That Fall, we got tickets to 11/8 in Rochester, New York. I remember Jerry seeming distracted and seemed to often have his back to the crowd. I was reallly into hearing “Leaving Texas, 4th day of July…” that night however. The following Summer I went 7/2 in Akron with Bob Dylan and Tom Petty. The sound was poor and if the playing was very good, it didn’t come across to where we were sitting. However, by then I was pretty much into the scene, the songs and the band and was crushed when Jerry went into a coma and was near death just a week or so later. As we know, Jerry recovered and started playing again. When the Spring 1987 tour was announced, I HAD to go. I was working at that time as a substitute teacher in Kent, Ohio and had to work the day tickets went on sale. I paid a friend to sit and hit the redial button on my phone until he got through to the ticket agency and got tickets for all three nights at Hampton Virginia, the start of the Spring tour. The drive for hundreds of miles wasn’t so bad as it seemed like there were so many people with “Dead” stickers on their vehicles and we saw them more and more often the closer we got. I don’t remember much of the lot scene upon arrival except that there was so much color even from the main road before we turned in. We were down on the floor at show time as it was general admission. The band started with “Hell in a Bucket” then “Sugaree.” I was completely stunned by the sound. I had an out of body experience during one of the jams. I was floating around in space during the jam, felt myself being pulled by gravity back to Earth as the jam neared it’s end and landed solidly back on my feet on the floor just as the next verse started. So, I’m hanging around tonight thinking back at my experience 20 years ago and how my life has changed since. I plan to party a bit and maybe watch some Dead on video. If any of you could be with me, that would be really great. Hope to see all of you soon. Kenny
Grateful Dead Hour no. 1092
Week of August 24, 2009
Part 1 33:48
Introduction
Donna Jean Godchaux Band 7/23/09 Gathering of the Vibes, Bridgeport CT
EYES OF THE WORLD->
DARKNESS, DARKNESS
YOU AIN’T WOMAN ENOUGH TO TAKE MY MAN
Part 2 23:22
Grateful Dead 4/25/71 Fillmore East, New York City
FRIEND OF THE DEVIL
CHINA CAT SUNFLOWER->
I KNOW YOU RIDER
CASEY JONES
I raved about the Donna Jean Godchaux Band‘s set at Gathering of the Vibes in this post. And here’s a nice big chunk of the best of that set!
Support for the Grateful Dead Hour comes this week from:
Grateful Dead Productions, announcing the dead.net exclusive release, Road Trips vol 2 no 3: Wall of Sound, featuring highlights from two June 1974 performances using the band’s legendary and crystal-clear sound system. And Road Trips vol 2 no 4: Cal Expo ‘93 – two CDs and bonus disc from a weekend of peak performances at this great outdoor venue. Listening party, message board, and more at dead.net – where you will also find information on a new release of live Jerry Garcia Band music from 1978. Dead.net
Rhino Records, announcing a stack of new releases and reissues celebrating the 40th anniversary of Woodstock. Woodstock – 40 Years On: Back to Yasgur’s Farm has 77 songs on 6 CDs, in chronological order and including 38 previously unreleased recordings. Two reissues – Music from the Original Soundtrack and More: Woodstock, and Woodstock Two – are remastered from the original analog tapes, with rare photos and liner notes from Gene Sculatti. And the soundtrack CD from Taking Woodstock, the new film by Ang Lee. Lots more info at rhino.com/woodstock
Advance Nutrients and Michigan Mike, Presenting the 11th Annual NedFest, Aug 28 thru 30th in Nederland, Colorado. David Grisman Quintet, Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, Particle, Panjea with String Cheese Incident’s Michael Kang, Emmitt/Nershi Band, Split Lip Rayfield, Great American Taxi and many more. Tickets and more information at nedfest.com.
Damn Fine Day.com, building your music collection one song at a time.
Grateful Dead Hour no. 1091
Week of August 17, 2009
Part 1 26:08
Introduction
Grateful Dead 4/25/71 Fillmore East, New York City
TRUCKIN’
LOSER
HARD TO HANDLE
Part 2 30:32
Levon Helm, Electric Dirt
TENNESSEE JED
Grateful Dead 4/25/71 Fillmore East, New York City
ME AND BOBBY McGEE
COLD RAIN AND SNOW
THE RUB
PLAYING IN THE BAND
We’re going to get through the entire concert of 4/25/71, the first of a five-show final run at the Fillmore East before Bill Graham shut it down. Parts of this show were included on the Dead’s “Skull and Roses” album (actual title: Grateful Dead) and later on Ladies and Gentlemen… the Grateful Dead.”
And how about Levon Helm’s cover of “Tennessee Jed”! A friend of mine said, “Levon Helm is Tennessee Jed!”
Support for the Grateful Dead Hour comes this week from:
Grateful Dead Productions, announcing the dead.net exclusive release, Road Trips vol 2 no 3: Wall of Sound, featuring highlights from two June 1974 performances using the band’s legendary and crystal-clear sound system. And Road Trips vol 2 no 4: Cal Expo ’93, – two CDs and bonus disc from a weekend of peak performances at this great outdoor venue. Listening party, message board, and more at dead.net – where you will also find information on a new release of live Jerry Garcia Band music from 1978. Dead.net
Rhino Records, announcing a stack of new releases and reissues celebrating the 40th anniversary of Woodstock. Woodstock – 40 Years On: Back to Yasgur’s Farm has 77 songs on 6 CDs, in chronological order and including 38 previously unreleased recordings. Two reissues – Music form the Original Soundtrack and More: Woodstock, and Woodstock Two – are remastered from the original analog tapes, with rare photos and liner notes from Gene Sculatti. And the soundtrack CD from Taking Woodstock, the new film by Ang Lee. Lots more info at rhino.com/woodstock
Advance Nutrients and Michigan Mike, Presenting the 11th Annual NedFest, Aug 28 thru 30th in Nederland, Colorado. David Grisman Quintet, Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, Particle, Panjea with String Cheese Incident’s Michael Kang, Emmitt/Nershi Band, Split Lip Rayfield, Great American Taxi and many more. Tickets and more information at nedfest.com.
Damn Fine Day.com, building your music collection one song at a time.
RIP Les Paul
I interviewed Les Paul in 1976 at the Old Waldorf in San Francisco, where he demonstrated the “Les Paulverizer,” a prototype looping device! I’m out at Pt Reyes for the day, but over the weekend I will dig out the recording a post a clip.