Vegas Bowl

[Tea]

5.11.77

Mr Charlie

Thanks Chuck

[Island Bro]

Damn,,,kickass way to open a tour!

[Rude]

One of my fav dead shows!!!!!!!

[TJed]

Gotta love it!

Hope all in attendance did.

[Tom Banjo]

This is the rocker rude wanted first night black mountain.

[Tom Banjo]

Jeff gave us an added bonus of massive guitar summoned from the spirits beyond during what couldbe been drums and space.

[Rude]

I got 2 may 77 "local" shows last year so I can't complain. Took lots of 1st timers to St. Louis and Nashville and u really can't ask for a better time for 1st timers than a may 77 show. 76-78 seems to just fit DSO perfectly....or maybe it just fits what I want in a show.

[chuckvegas]

The new Brooklyn Bowl is first class all the way. Great crowd; thanks to Santa Cruz and others for representing. So much room to dance - you all would have been in heaven. I know we were. On the way to Tinsel Town.

[gr8fulpair]

Fucky Luckers.

[Tom Banjo]

I will give a long winded review of this show soon. My review of Hollywood will be contained within as well. This was a dancers dream. Crazy space. Great sound. And a group of dancers with enough room to play nice.

[Tom Banjo]

As we all know, May 77 was a killer run of shows for the Grateful Dead.  Thus, anytime DSO blesses us with a May 77 set we should be overly grateful.  May 77, hell all of 77, seems to have an energy from the start to finish that can be missed in other eras of the dead.  It seems like they don't need anytime to find their groove and surprisingly, given that Vegas was the first gig of tour, DSO didn't seem to need any time to find their stride either.  For me, the Vegas show was a dancer's delight.  Everything that can be asked for from a show and although the music quality didn't take a hit, Los Angeles, although it definitely has been or could have been worse, reminded me of the dancer's struggle on most night's in venues too small for this band we love.  

 

I must admit my show experience is greatly determined by my ability to dance and express myself through movement.  If I feel restricted or heaven forbid claustrophobic it greatly hinders my ability to enjoy and appreciate the wonder and energy of these songs we love so much.  Therefore, whenever DSO plays Vegas, I try to pencil it in as a must go.  Vegas is not a hippie town or a Grateful Dead epicenter.  Dark Star rarely sells out their gigs in Vegas and consequently, the dancer's are left with a ton of space to move and groove.  Los Angeles, on the other hand, has a large Grateful Dead scene, I guess thats a given being a large city in California, but LA also brings with it more edginess and aggression than NorCal.  Same edginess can be found in Vegas but not on the dance floor.  For those of us who travel a bit and have gotten to know some members of this board, any trip to Vegas is special because you get to spend time with Chuck.  I would like to thank him for the kindness and generosity he extended towards Jenna and myself.  

 

Show opens Promised Land, TLEO, Big River.  Not the strongest of openers in my opinion but definitely a sign of good things to come.  With Lisa on stage and those openers, one can be positive that we are being treated to a late 70s most likely 77 gig.  Much to my delight my suspicions about Vegas are correct, the dance floor is wide open.  A few added bonus would be a group of for lack of a better term of Santa Cruz dancer's and the Brooklyn Bowl itself.  Those NorCal kid can really dance.  Tremendous body control.  They truly define the poetry of chaos.  An outsider might see the intensity of their dance as dangerous or reckless.  It can definitely be intimidating and sometimes frustrating in a tighter space.  However, the Brooklyn Bowl Vegas holds around 3000 as opposed to the 800 of the actual Brooklyn Bowl and has phenomenal sound all the way to the back.  In a looser space like this, more freaky dancer's are not only welcomed but encouraged for sure.  Looks like rain was beautifully delivered.  The set really picked up at Jack Straw.  Dark Stars take on JS is always high energy and sure to get the feet moving.  I was truly surprised at how well my legs responded following the 12 hour drive from Golden, Co to Las Vegas, NV, but I felt strong and more than capable of keeping up with the music.  Peggy-O is soul refreshing, El Paso true to the psychedelic Cowboy, and Deal seemed like a rocking closer.  Much to our delight, Dark Star kept playing delivering a raucous and intense LL>Supplication.  I love dancing to that segment of music.  High energy, full of expression, and psychedelic.  What more can you ask for.  Set closes Sugaree.  Jeff slays the final solo.  Break time.  Parking garage for a smoke.  I was already leaning towards May 77 at this point, but the first few tunes of the 2nd set would land me on the show.  

 

First set of the La show starts off well enough.  You really can't complain with a help > slip > franks opener.  Although the stage screamed 90s show at this point, this is always a strong way for DSO to start a show whether a 77 or 91 set list.  I would never really be able to hone in any closer to the show than post Brent as this is not a period of day I listen to frequently.  Go figure.  Dark Star would play a show from the my least favorite era of the dead on my birthday.  I would've gone 4/23/69 or something like that.  By the end of Franklin's, it was clear that we really would have to roll away the dew tonight and listen to the music play.  The place wasn't necessarily packed.  I've seen shows in LA in tighter crowds, but it definitely wasn't the same vibe as Vegas.  Walking Blues, Roses, and Dire Wolf would slow the show down enough and the dancer's would get packed into a tighter spot.  When the space gets tight, dancer's myself included become more territorial and in my opinion less creative and joyous.  The spin gets tighter and your arms stay closer to your body.  One is aware of the constant threat of knocking into someone or even worse losing your precious space.  Queen Jane and Tennessee did little to pick up the vibe or widen the space.  We definitely found a way to groove to music and could feel some of that positive love vibe that had been missing earlier on.  

 

If Vegas was a dancer's dream, LA was much more of a turf war.  Just so you guys know when a talented dancer steps on your feet more than once.  We know its intentional.  Just saying.  Instead of feeling the love for one another we have generated through this music, you could feel more envy and animosity in the air.  I must confess even I felt it.  One girl who had clearly over ingested decides to stop and space out in an area occupied by the dancers.  She stands flat foot and holds her hands in the air vibrating them in and out to the music slowly and deliberately.  She seemed almost unaware of where she was.  She frustrated me.  I wanted my space back, but at no point did I push, shove, hair lash, or step on her toes.  I find those behaviors childish.  Its much worse when I know its intentional and not an accident like from a drunk, which we all know pisses everyone off.  Enough with the aside.  Let's get back to the Vegas dream and relish in the fact I got to see DSO for my birthday and the overall experience was pleasing. 

 

Set opens Samson.  Wow.  The energy is through the roof as the dancer's break into a furious whirl in a metaphorical attempt to tear this whole building down.  As Dark Star goes into the 2nd set Browneyed Women, I start to have a feeling the show is 5/11/77.  I would never say I was 100%, but felt good that I was fairly confident that I knew the gig before it was over.  Estimated bleeds psychedelia.  Then Dark Star breaks into a continuous set of music that would lead to consistently high energy dancing.  The joyous playful Scarlet is once again followed by the ever powerful Fire.  Good lovin is a welcomed favorite with space like tonight.  I would definitely consider it to be a dance song regardless of who's take on it - GD or otherwise.   Not to mention love was very present in the dance tonight.  The communal energy was fantastic.  Smiles and laughter shared by all.  UJB would be very fitting as tonight it would seem we were all kind and as I well know, we all have the capacity for kindness as well as it opposite.  The Jeff solo may have been the highlight of the show.  It was brilliant to listen to him play and express himself without the constraints of a song or other musicians.  He truly is a masterful guitar player.  Wharf Rat and Brokedown powerful and somber with a playful Mr. Charlie to close the show.  This was a tremendous performance by Dark Star and a great dance experience.  It's tough to get a dance experience of this quality indoors with Dark Star.  

 

Second Set LA opens with a very psychedelic take on Victim and then an always beautiful and poignant take on Crazy Fingers.  Gone are the days... Tonight I would decide and set sail towards the Grand Canyon not sleeping until I had taken the Canyon in and made it to a hotel in Durango.  Playing full of danceable energy as we carved out a space amongst the dancers.  You can always feel the tension in the air with a group of dancers that want and could give more of themselves tonight.  Terrapin beautiful.  Some nights you rise and some nights you fall but almost any night with Dark Star is a like a trip to Terrapin.  Drums and Space were a reprieve for me and I must admit I was very unfamiliar with That Would be Something.  I don't listen to 90s Dead and I am by no means a huge Beatles aficionado.  The set closes strong and the frustration of the night disappear as I finally lose myself to the music.  China Doll drips with emotion and the crowd can feel the sadness in the song writer's tone.  Then Dark Star as the dead did on many night pull you out of this somber trance and drop into Throwing Stones NFA as the kids dance and shake their bones and shake the blues.  I always leave a Dark Star show with my spirit uplifted and thankful for being able to share in the experience with so many friends on any given night. 

 

After these two shows, I am strongly reminded of the differences between the East Coast and West Coast dance scene and why on some nights in some venues I prefer one and some nights in other venues I prefer the other.  In Vegas, it was awesome to have so many people wanting to freak out with you.  We had so much space nobody felt constrained.  LA was different.  Less dancer's would've allowed for more dancing from the dancer's.  We get to do this despite the crowds at places like the Capitol Theatre, but the West Coast brings out so many expressive dancers that when in a tight space it becomes real difficult for anyone to express themselves.  The set lists definitely affected my experience.  I would have to say I definitely preferred the 77, but I truly believe the biggest reason the Vegas experience surpassed the LA experience for me was my ability to express myself in dance.  Thats not to say LA wasn't a great time and I hope nobody takes from review that I had a poor time.  They are just two different experiences.  It's just more fun when you have room to dance.

[chuckvegas]

What he said.

[Rude]

Nice review. I never really thought about it b4 but I think u hit the nail on the head about if there is too much slow in a row, people pack together too much. A show that stays fast does really give u more room to dance. I try to keep my elbows flailing throughout to preserve my space lol. Not trying to hit anyone but people need to know that 18 inches of space to my left isn't big enough for you to slip into.