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Great American Music Hall


Mango

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05-11-72 Rotterdam Civic Hall, Rotterdam, The Netherlands (Thu)

1: Playin, Sugaree, Mr. Charlie, B. T. Wind, Deal, Chinatown Shuffle, Mexicali, China Cat> I Know You Rider, Hurts Me Too, BIODTL, B. E. Women, Jack Straw, Big RxR Blues, Good Lovin, Casey Jones

2: Morning Dew, Me & My Uncle, Two Souls, El Paso, Tennessee Jed, Next Time, Dark Star> Drums> Dark Star> Sugar Magnolia> Caution> Who Do You Love> Truckin> Uncle John E: Saturday Night

Marathon. I'm exhausted. :cheers:

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uhhhhhhh, what else could you really want from a Euro 72 set? Happy for all those who caught the 3 san fran shows, looked like a blast. the band seemed to be firing on all cylinders this time around. cant wait for them to come back east so i can get my fix

:dsorocks:

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I"ll try to add more later, but I'm still just a little too shaken up from last night's show to post more than a few thoughts. This tour de force of a show really clinched it for me that DSO is better than ever. The whole band was blowiing the roof off the place, but I want to say a few words about three of the players. First, JM is the absolute master of this earlier GD music, which the band pretty much stayed clear of until recently. I'll admit that I wasn't completely sold on him as JKs replacment. Part ot this is surely just being used to hearing JK and not wanting change. However, last night closed the deal for me. JM has added a new set of tools to the band that were not there previously. Second, lIstening to Rob B. on the Pigpen material was a complete revelation. Absolutely fantastic! While I've always absolutely loved his keyboards work, I didn't realize what a fine vocalist he is too. Finally I have to give it out to Kevin. This bass last night was truly wonderful!! Jerry once said, "When :Phil is happening, the band is happening". Well I guess when Kevin is happening, DSO is happening. It was like listening to Phil on one of his best nights.

One thing that surpised the hell out of me was that this was a re-creation. Right to the end, I thought this setlist couldn't have been real. Morning Dew to open the second set??? I was attending the show with a friend who was a member of the GD organization starting in the early 70s, and was a very good friend of Jerry's since the 60's. He even attended Warlocks shows, so he knows this music!! He was fooled too, but eventually started to think near the end that this might be from one of the '72 Europe shows.. He was most impressed with last night's performance.

Thank you DSO for one hell of a ride!!

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I Finally I have to give it out to Kevin. This bass last night was truly wonderful!! Jerry once said, "When :Phil is happening, the band is happening". Well I guess when Kevin is happening, DSO is happening. It was like listening to Phil on one of his best nights.

Thank you DSO for one hell of a ride!!

I couldn't agree more. Kevin was playing a new Bass Guitar Last Nite. Does anybody know anything about it?

I'll post a picture of it later.

What a great time. THANK YOU DSO!!!!

Got to run a catch a flight. See you all down the road.

Peace

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Guest Lisacat

Kevin is playing a new bass!?

Oh yes he is! And it sounded so great. I couldn't pry myself off the speaker. He had all the ladies by the speaker giggling last night! At some point last night he threw down a big bomb in transition between songs and I hear my dear friend yell to the stage wow do that again please!

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Earnest Hemingway once said "All things truly wicked start from innocence." In my opinion the show last night was WHOLLY wicked. The song that opened it, however, was anything but innocent.

Of course it couldn't have been one of the really long ones but it was long enough...a full Playin (w/the reprise), thick, dangerous and heavy. The stuff Mattson was doing reeked of bad intentions, at least to my ears. I was shocked at the seriousness of this one as it was the opener of a show which everyone knew would be pretty long (Mattson told us as much before launching into it).

By the time Mr. Barraco sang the third song, Mr. Charlie, I knew the show, as I'm guessing some others in the house did as well. 5/11/72 is just one of the big ones, plain and simple. For those of you not in the know regarding this, I urge you to go and have a listen. The electric urgency on songs like Two Souls from that evening in Rotterdam will leave you breathless...literally. That is a promise from me to you, whomever you are.

There have been DSO shows where I knew from the second song what show it was, but this obviously had much bigger ramifications regarding my autonomic nervous system. It felt like: "Holy mother of god, are they really going to do this?" Eaton must have had this one in his holster for a bit and the fact that he decided to pull it out on a Saturday night in San Francisco was a one fine decision in my book. You could tell how seriously he takes a show like this and I can imagine how special it must be for him and the rest of the band that night to play it.

Continuing on with the actual music, the China Cat was incredible. The crazy thing is how much of the same intensity it had as the China Cat from Rotterdam, the same kind of muscularity...it was startling. Speaking of musical muscularity, Eaton played guitar like a man possessed during many parts of this show and the transition into Rider was one of them. The only shame of the first set is that Lisa didn't get to do her thing on the Hurts Me Too. Not that Rob can't handle that one alone but those are some seriously powerful bullets being kept in the chamber right there, but for authenticity sake, I guess that's how it had to be.

The Mexicali, Big Railroad, Jed and Sat night were all flat out monsters. The Morning Dew was a behemoth whom actually ate those monsters. Obviously the largest monster of this show from '72 was the Dark Star (over 40 minutes worth--more if you include drums). That version is very much adored by people who appreciate improvisational genius, and the version last night was indeed wonderful. Mattson stayed on stage for all of it (I think). It would have been really wonderful if everyone around me could have shut the fuck up for those 30 minutes, but it's hard to expect that with something like this. As so many people love to say nowadays, 'it is what it is' which they say after uttering 'at end of the day'. These people are just having their fun on a Sat night... I just wish they would have been by the bar instead of up front, but I'm sure this was the case for much of the place. There were a couple sections in that Dark Star that were just ethereal, with two jams in particular that enveloped that building and seemed to squeeze it so tight, it was almost hard to breathe.

A thick and weighty night to be sure at the Great American.

This is about as long a review as I'm capable of giving these days but the last two shows I've seen, both the '69 Avalon and the '72 Rotterdam, have been REAL fine ones and hence, I felt inspired to write something (both times).

Long live DSO.

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Guest theeleven11

was lucky enough to see the run.....what fun......as i got to will call i got offered 200 for my ticket.......rarely is it as much fun saying no to a question like that......Rotterdam 72.....a legendary show, definitely one of the special ones in my banks of emotion and memory........the longest dark star on record......50 minutes in length.....50 light years from earth.....

DSO was nearly flawless on saturday night....i have seen hundreds of shows and this one is secured for life in my top "whatever" list.......that "million" way tie for first....

the first set overflowed with energy and passion from the band and was reciprocated in kind by the crowd, causing the famous bouncy floor of the GAMH to do its ballet.....

the room was flattened by the Dew opener.....Jeff's struggled a tiny bit on friday night with the second set ballad vocals.....but he payed it forward here with a big delivery.....it set the fire of the second set that at least in my mind, has not yet been extinguished......the ending jam to dark star took me to strange and wondrous place, one from which i certainly hope to never return.....

It was a perfect show for me in other ways too, and id like to thank the people around me (roughly 5th row in front of Rob B.) for being the perfect show companions......nothing but positive energy in that sector.....we all gave each other room......I was even allowed to flirt with two stunning young ladies (and im pretty sure one man)......they had raw positive energy and an overall kindness to match.....but best of all were their broad and memorable smiles.....it was almost as if for a brief moment in time they had forgotten that overweight, middle aged hippies aren't exactly their type.....or maybe my meds make me a bit optimistic sometimes?

I donk know if the band ever reads these posts....but i would like to thank you personally in a big way for this 4/9/11 gem.....a life changer for me.....

ps....kevin please tell me what you were on so i can try it......

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Also, sorry to brag about knowing the show so early but if you can't brag to fellow heads on the DSO message board, then who can you brag to?

It's not like my wife wants to hear it! And my friends at the show are such old school heads (the guy who's first show was Radio City is considered the newbie) that they don't want to either!

Also...the show where I knew what the show was on the SECOND song was the Omni '94 Sunshine>Stranger recreation...not such a great feat, but still bragging about it.

Last thing... the 'epic' Star from Rotterdam clocks in at around 46 minutes or so, but that's counting 'drums.'

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Also, sorry to brag about knowing the show so early but if you can't brag to fellow heads on the DSO message board, then who can you brag to?

It's not my wife wants to hear it! And my friends at the show are such old school heads (the guy who's first show was Radio City is considered the newbie) that they don't want to either!

Also...the show where I knew what the show was on the SECOND song was the Omni '94 Sunshine>Stranger recreation...not such a great feat, but still bragging about it.

Last thing... the 'epic' Star from Rotterdam clocks in at around 46 minutes or so, but that's counting 'drums.'

Thank you for the great review! Your encyclopedia-like knowledge of the GD is always impressive and I for one really admire and enjoy it. I just hope you dont read Dead Base every night to fall asleep! :lol:

Like I posted, I was with someone at the show who actually had attended Warlocks shows and was with the GD organization for many years. He thought after the first set that this was an original setlist. Brag on!!! :cheers:

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Thank you for the great review! Your encyclopedia-like knowledge of the GD is always impressive and I for one really admire and enjoy it. I just hope you dont read Dead Base every night to fall asleep! :lol:

Like I posted, I was with someone at the show who actually had attended Warlocks shows and was with the GD organization for many years. He thought after the first set that this was an original setlist. Brag on!!! :cheers:

I proudly have not looked at a deadbase since being in college!

It's the most useless knowledge one could ever hope to know...ever...but it's all up here! (pointing to head). There are lots of folks out there like this though...I promise.

When we look at the clock and it says 2:13, we think of things like Dark Stars. It's not like we try to memorize anything, it's just that we listen to this stuff and it stays with us and the dates, sometimes, are part of what sticks.

I actually admonish people at dso shows for using their cell phones to look up shows. I do it in a humorous way so they laugh, BUT, they put away their blackberry!

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I proudly have not looked at a deadbase since being in college!

It's the most useless knowledge one could ever hope to know...ever...but it's all up here! (pointing to head). There are lots of folks out there like this though...I promise.

When we look at the clock and it says 2:13, we think of things like Dark Stars. It's not like we try to memorize anything, it's just that we listen to this stuff and it stays with us and the dates, sometimes, are part of what sticks.

I actually admonish people at dso shows for using their cell phones to look up shows. I do it in a humorous way so they laugh, BUT, they put away their blackberry!

They could be using them to tell the babysitter to stay late or the folks who didn't make the show to not wait up cuz with the monster {insert epic song here} it is gonna be a long, long night. In the best possible way.

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I proudly have not looked at a deadbase since being in college!

It's the most useless knowledge one could ever hope to know...ever...but it's all up here! (pointing to head). There are lots of folks out there like this though...I promise.

When we look at the clock and it says 2:13, we think of things like Dark Stars. It's not like we try to memorize anything, it's just that we listen to this stuff and it stays with us and the dates, sometimes, are part of what sticks.

I actually admonish people at dso shows for using their cell phones to look up shows. I do it in a humorous way so they laugh, BUT, they put away their blackberry!

Cotter Michaels, our illustrious front of house sound engineer, used to call me every feb 13th to wish me happy 2/13! Some people............. :P

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They could be using them to tell the babysitter to stay late or the folks who didn't make the show to not wait up cuz with the monster {insert epic song here} it is gonna be a long, long night. In the best possible way.

Very true!

I don't want to give the wrong impression here either...it's not like I see someone who is looking at their phone and walk up to them...I'm talking about something happening like it did on Saturday night as I was talking to some friends of mine at halftime about the Morning Dew from Rotterdam, and how it had this existential feel to it (like much of that night) and how Garcia, as he was prone to do, seemed to be right there INSIDE that fucking moment as he ended that particular Dew by singing "I guess I don't matter....anyway..." And as I was talking to my friends about how heavy some of theses moments of that show were, some guy comes up to us with his blackberry out and starts telling us that I'm right and wants to show us the show because he's looked it up.

I told him it was cool and that we didn’t need to see and gently reminded him that he was breaking the unwritten rules by using technology in this manner (plus, it's taking all the fun away from it). I’m positive he thought I was a little strange but he seemed to understand the concept, as he stayed a bit and talked with us.

I just tell people this when they come up to me...which is surprisingly a lot.

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Very true!

I don't want to give the wrong impression here either...it's not like I see someone who is looking at their phone and walk up to them...I'm talking about something happening like it did on Saturday night as I was talking to some friends of mine at halftime about the Morning Dew from Rotterdam, and how it had this existential feel to it (like much of that night) and how Garcia, as he was prone to do, seemed to be right there INSIDE that fucking moment as he ended that particular Dew by singing "I guess I don't matter....anyway..." And as I was talking to my friends about how heavy some of theses moments of that show were, some guy comes up to us with his blackberry out and starts telling us that I'm right and wants to show us the show because he's looked it up.

I told him it was cool and that we didn

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I couldn't agree more. Kevin was playing a new Bass Guitar Last Nite. Does anybody know anything about it?

I'll post a picture of it later.

What a great time. THANK YOU DSO!!!!

Got to run a catch a flight. See you all down the road.

Peace

Kevin was playing a Jack Casady signature bass. It cracked me up because when I came into the show, I said that bass looks like the one Jack Casady used to play. I got up close and it had his signature where the tuning pegs are. Kevin kept shaking his fingers all night. I think it might have been a little different for him to play and was taxing his little finger muscles a bit. I was right by the subs and he was moving the floor.

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I proudly have not looked at a deadbase since being in college!

You are a sick man. So all this knowledge is just coming straight from your head? Amazing. Your like a Grateful Dead Super Hero.

I on the other hand, at my desk have a deadbase sitting in front of me most of the time. For the last 15 years all I thought I had was Deadbase Jr. I was thinking in November, I need the big Deadbase with JGB stuff and just more of the fun facts, etc. I'm out in the garage a day or two later and I look in a crate that has some old books, a yearbook, and Deadbase!!!! I had it all along. It was 15years old yet brand new.

The timing of it was trippy. I thought about it and it appeared. The whores, cocaine, and millions of dollars have yet to reveal themselves.

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You are a sick man. So all this knowledge is just coming straight from your head? Amazing. Your like a Grateful Dead Super Hero.

Ha!

What I didn't say when I was bragging is how I told Gary and Connie and Jon that there was going to be a Viola Lee encore on Sat night, because I had given 5/2/70 and 5/11/72 to someone a while ago and somehow my mind told me the encore from 5/2/70 was the encore to 5/11/72, even though Viola Lee was nowhere near the year 1972!

Sorry Gary and sorry Connie---hope I didn't get your hopes up. I wasn't talking shit...I honestly fucked that up!

BTW...nice call on the Casady bass Gary.

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