Stub Memories: Jerry Garcia Band, 11/19/1991
Posted: September 28, 2009 Filed under: Concerts | Tags: 11/19/1991, cults, Grateful Dead, Jerry Garcia, Providence, shows you saw in college, stub memories 3 Comments »
I have one distinct memory of this show, which took place in the fall semester of my sophomore year. On the way into the arena, I looked up, and there, selling merchandise, were two people I knew from growing up. One was a really good friend of one of my siblings. She had started touring with the Dead in high school or college and got completely sucked into this strange, cult-like group. If I’m not mistaken, this group followed the band around – and Jerry’s solo projects too, I guess – and supported themselves selling Guatemalan-type clothing (“I mean, is that a Mexican poncho, or is that a Sears poncho? Hmmm. No foolin’.”)
Then, and I don’t know what the story is here, her younger sister got sucked into the cult as well. Both of them were outside the gig, with their wares spread out on the ground. We exchanged a bit of small talk.
I haven’t seen either of them since, but I’m pretty sure they both extricated themselves from the cult. Again, not entirely sure of my facts, but I think there was some sort of breakdown where the cult’s leader was exposed as a total fraud or bamboozler or whatever. I suppose that’s how these situations often end.
Anyway, as for the music of the show, I remember just about nothing. Thanks to The Jerry Site, however, we’ve got a set list – and video!
- Set 1 -
How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)
He Ain’t Give You None
That’s What Love Will Make You Do
And It Stoned Me
Dear Prudence
Run For The Roses
Senor (Tales Of Yankee Power)
Deal
- Set 2 -
Lay Down Sally
Shining Star
Waiting For A Miracle
Ain’t No Bread In The Breadbox
Tore Up Over You
Don’t Let Go
That Lucky Old Sun (Just Rolls Around Heaven All Day)
Midnight Moonlight
Bird Song
Posted: September 27, 2009 Filed under: Videos | Tags: Balloon Juice, Bird Song, Grateful Dead 1 Comment »Via Balloon Juice (which doesn’t seem to be working at the moment), a nice find:
Party Sounds with Grateful Dead
Posted: September 25, 2009 Filed under: Listening | Tags: Grateful Dead, iPhone, party sounds, Voice Memos 2 Comments »Voice Memos is rapidly becoming my favorite iPhone app.
Tonight, I used it to capture a wonderful, soothing sound: a party with the Grateful Dead on in the background.
Stub Memories: Grateful Dead 09/17/1991
Posted: August 24, 2009 Filed under: Concerts | Tags: Bruce Hornsby, Grateful Dead, shows you saw in college Leave a comment »
In contrast to some of my other stub memories indulgences, I don’t have to play history detective with this show. It was a memorable gig.
In the fall of sophomore year, a pal of mine was dating someone he had met that summer on Nantucket. She was a serious Dead Head. Like on tour kind of Head.
Her family was also loaded. I can’t remember why.
Now, this turned out to have some ancillary benefits for the friends of her boyfriend, because in the fall of 1991, her loaded parents and my buddy’s parents were kind enough to treat everyone to box seats at Madison Square Garden for a Dead show.
So we all moseyed down to NYC. The night of the gig, which interestingly was a Tuesday, I remember an unfortunate incident occurring as we walked up to the Garden. An absolutely irate cab driver was yelling at a bunch of Dead Head types, who had just gotten out his cab. I guess they had stiffed him on the tip or something. The cabbie ran around to the back of the car, unscrewed the antenna that was attached there, and brandished it at the poor folk. They coughed up some cash, I think saying something like “Ok, ok, ok, ok!” Yeesh. Road rage.
Anyway, inside the show, I remember thoroughly enjoying the box seats. There was free food and booze. Sure, it was a little awkward with the parents and everything, and maybe not the coolest way to take in a Dead show, but that didn’t particularly bother me.
Unfortunately, it did bother my friends, and a decision was made that the gig would be more fun out in the crowd. So we ventured out.
The only other thing I remember about this show was thinking that Bruce Hornsby was a great addition to the band. When they played Iko, the opener, Bruce rocked an accordion!
Here’s the set list, courtesy of Dead.net:
Iko Iko
Greatest Story Ever Told
Althea
Little Red Rooster
Loser
Baby Blue
Brown Eyed Women
Picasso Moon
Box of Rain
Cold Rain and Snow
Samson and Delilah
Eyes of the World
drums
space
This Could Be the Last Time
Black Peter
Throwin’ Stones
Not Fade Away
U.S. Blues
Stub Memories: Grateful Dead, 03/28/1990
Posted: August 4, 2009 Filed under: Artists, Concerts, Listening | Tags: Grateful Dead, Looks Like Rain, shows you saw in high school, stub memories, Without a Net Leave a comment »
Among other things, this blog is a chronicle, a daily update on how music enters and affects the lives of its contributors.
It’s also about turning back the clock now and then.
I bring this up, because the other day, rummaging, I found a stack of ticket stubs in a closet bureau. I think I walked around with these stubs in my wallet for years before they finally made it into the closet. Yes, I’ve got a bit of pack rat in me. Not terrible, but it’s there.
Anyway, last night I thought I might post a list of these shows, just for the record. I created the list in Excel, with columns for date, artist, venue, and a quick note. Then I spent about 15 minutes trying to work the table into WordPress. Finally, I gave up and posted the image of one of the tickets, a bit out of desperation.
But then it occurred to me that perhaps that format might be a good one to blog around, using the relic – the stub – as a point of reference.
So this is the first in a series. Turning the clock back to March, 28, 1990, here are some of the memories that the stub, pictured above, conjures for me.
In 1990, I was a senior in high school. One day, as I was running to class, my roommate yelled out to me, asking if I had some money (I can’t remember the exact amount he asked for). I think I told him to buzz off or something, at which point, he replied that in that case, fine, no Grateful Dead ticket for me. Ha ha. I gave him the cash and got the ticket.
Memory shifts from there to the parking lot out at Nassau Coliseum. I have a distinct recollection of buying hot dogs off a vendor. At one point, I had two of them in my hand. A sort-of good looking young woman asked me if she could have one. I gave it to her. That was it. No conversation, no followup, just sure, you can have my hot dog. See you later.
Inside the gig, I remember not much, except that we were behind the stage. The seats actually weren’t terrible, if you didn’t mind the band having their backs to you for most of the gig.
After the show, we had a nasty surprise when we got back to our car (the Jeep of my roommate’s girlfriend): the tires had been slashed. I don’t recall the sequence of events, but fortunately someone had a credit card or something, and we spent the night in a hotel nearby.
And that’s all I remember about the gig.
Now, I’ve just looked at the set list for this show, courtesy of Dead.net.
It’s killer.
- Cold Rain and Snow
- New Minglewood Blues
- Easy to Love You
- High Time
- Queen Jane Approximately
- Loose Lucy
- Cassidy
- Deal
SET TWO
- Foolish Heart
- Looks Like Rain
- Cumberland Blues
- The Weight
- Hey Pocky Way
- drums
- The Other One
- Wharf Rat
- Good Lovin’
ENCORE
- Revolution
Apparently, according to the notes at Dead.net, the “Looks Like Rain” is the one that appears on the live record “Without A Net.” Holey smokes. I’ve listened to that recording dozens of time since, without realizing that I was at the show. I knew that “Without a Net” was recorded from that tour, but I didn’t put it together.
Looking at the set list, I’m sort of conjuring memories of the show itself now, but I’m not sure if those are real or imagined.
Hooks: Jay-Z and the Grateful Dead, Genesis
Posted: July 24, 2009 Filed under: Artists, Videos | Tags: Genesis, Grateful Dead, hooks, Jay-Z Leave a comment »More may come this evening, but I’d like to get up on the scoreboard with two quick hits.
- Jay-Z gets mashed up with the Grateful Dead here. Worth at least 10 seconds of your time. I found that one via the Welcome to Now blog, which I found tag surfing.
- Since I’m on a bit of a Genesis bender at the moment, here’s a vid. This song has some gigantic hooks.
