Chicago night 1

[Rude]

Winterland Arena, San Francisco, CA (11/9/73)

Promised Land

BE wiomen

Bobby McGee

They Love Each Other

BT wind

Don't Ease Me In

Mexicali

Row jimmy

Race is on

China Cat Sunflower(sick jam)

I Know You Rider

Playing in the Band

Here comes sunshine

Me and my uncle

To Lay Me Down

Big River

Mississippi Half-Step

Greatest Story Ever Told

Bertha

WRS Prelude

WRS Part 1

Let It Grow

Eyes of the World

China Doll

Around and Around

Goin' Down the Road Feeling Bad

Johnny B. Goode

Uncle John's Band

F: next time you see me w/ Kevin.

2nd edit. The serlist on dead.net and Carnegie Mellon are messed. Trying to fix this but at a bar with a nice IPA. So much for an easy copy paste

3rd edit: setlist fixed. Geeze.

FYI this show was badass. Started prompt at 8:00. Finished at 12:10. I was glued to the floor during the best Playin I've ever seen. 20 minutes of hard jam. No space noodling. This was a big Eaton show. His Gibson was cranked and during playin his eyes were closed 5 straight minutes in one of hardest psychedelic playins possible. The whole 2nd set was just mesmerizing. I was eye level with the band 30 feet from the stage and this was maybe the best sound and lights I've ever seen. That setlist is ridiculous.

Easily the show of my winter tour.

[Tea]

Ka-Pow!

That Nov run at the Winterland is my favorite run in one of the best years the GD ever had. Smooth and sweet as honey

I'm sure DSO gave it the treatment it deserved.

Have fun tonight Rude - make it count. Cross the 100 mile marker....

[Tom Banjo]

It's funny. Rude been raving about this show hard. Haven't had any other sources confirm his experience. Getting solids. Great show. But not best of tour or as rude told me last night best ever.

He effectively turned the knife enough that I did check in with other sources but cleveland was my show. Not everyone love dark star St Stephen the eleven lovelight but that could be the set and I would be ecstatic. Throw in man's world, sitting on top, death dont and a crazy gnarly alligator and I feel like the icing may have become the cake. So I have no way to compare the 2 but I know for me that the best shows for me have lots of pigpen.

My cup is still full and although missing the wrs eyes China doll does sting. Cleveland makes everything okay for me.

I would love to hear what anyone who made both shows had to say.

[Tom Banjo]

It's kind of incredible the subjectivity of one's experience and the struggle or lack of struggle to remain objective. For me, dance space, other dancers, talkers, energy level, length of drive, soreness, the songs being played, etc all have an impact on my expetience. It could've been the best playing in the band ever. But when presented with 25 min alligator or 25 min playing. I'm going alligator every time. The vic was apparently empty. Thursday night it's possible I guess but experience there before would make engaging harder always see lots of talking hipsters there. I'm pretty sure I'd take indy and the new spot in Columbus over chicago anytime although I'd lI've to do them all. Now obviously objectivity doesn't escape me completely and I do listen intently. Sometimes I'm surprised by what show took me there.

After jubilee, we were all raving about night 2. I had a buddy say he liked night 1 better. The musicianship and quality of delivery may have been equal each night. It's impossible for me to say. For me, night 2 earth shattering. Night 1 just fun although def a great performance by dso. Can't go wrong with a 76. They not even in same conversation. I think he thinks the opposite.

[John A]

One man's greatest show ever is another man's "well, at least they got that material out of the way tonight." You never know. Put it this way - serious Heads stopped seeing the Dead in the late 70s when Keith went into his decline and Jerry started using heroin more heavily. Other hardcore Heads never bothered with the Garcia Band. Again, you never know.

[Tea]

 Other hardcore Heads never bothered with the Garcia Band. .

[Rude]

And I said MC, this was the show of MY winter tour, not anyone else's. We were in a perfect sound spot. Plenty of room even though this wasn't a big dancer. This was a melter.

1. Setlist was a monster. No disputing that.

2. I had the perfect lights and sound spot. Dead center and eye level. This may have affected my dancing as i was mesmerized for long periods.

3. I wasn't in Cleveland so it's not in my list of great shows.

4. By 11 pm the place was a ghost town. It was like that Jul 3rd show there. Maybe a little more packed but was wide open if u wanted space. By the last song maybe 200 of us remained. I suck with estimations but it was sparse. Tonight expect a sellout. :/

[PoetryGirl]

So what does it rank in your top 58? That is the best question imho.

Feel free to rank overall experience and show set list.

[GoingBackTo Where....]

Hmm.......one mans trash is another's treasure?

Not sure if the DSO nightly playing is so subjective. Actually, I know this music, the history, the shows, less than many if not most of you all. I will never claim my GD knowledge.

However, I will claim to know music quality!! My ears and my body definetly will tell me, and so many others around me, how good the music is being played!!!!

Subjectives for others include set list, pre party, dance space, and current company.

My ability to judge the sound is not based on any of the above. Though they all impact my overall time, the music is core, and I can easily tell if they are on or if they are having fun!!!

Self absorbed perhaps, but any one of you on these forums, and most at shows(normal people there for something much different than myself) can tell how good the band is playing by my own movements!!!

I honestly and truly really consider myself a dance conduit, as much as I consider DSO a GD conduit. 2nd night Jubilee last year was the hardest I have ever danced.....IN MY LIFE!!!!!!

I saw a show in the beginning of my "back on the bus"!! It was in Delaware (Wilmington) 2012/2013 maybe. I had all the space in the world upstairs. It was a VIP sort of thing (Herdy was actually still on the boards). Sorry DSO, but that show lacked so much musical brilliance, that yes I danced, but I also text someone after Uncle Johns, that I think I witnessed a late 95 show that reminded me of sad end of GD. Maybe a person who does not feel this music would say the show was the best they ever seen, but I truly believe this music is beyond Art. Art is subjective, as I think the Mona Lisa is awful, but its placement in the Louve would make you think it actually has brilliance!!

GD is distinguishably beyond that subjectivity. DSO does channel the music, but when they are on, they fucking blow the roof off.

When they are normal, they make us happy, and its still a good time, a great time, and nuggets can be taking from different tunes.

They have been off----once or twice in my experience, but its so noticeable, that those who feel the music easily agree!!!

Starting to turn this into a Rainy Day Ramble, but my conclusion is that: This music is easily measured, in my opinion!!! We all have listened to these same songs, different versions, over decades. We know whats hot, and whats not!!! We all love the band, and support their generosity in giving us this music again, but when you have that many band members making the music, and it takes each one to be on to make it sizzle, its difficult for each individual to always be on, every night. When DSO members are all on key, energized, and in sync, its absolutely mind blowing.

Yes......art is subjective, but the production of it is very objective-----and I don't care how much pre party!!!

AND WHO THE FUCK WOULD OF NEVER GOT INTO JERRY BAND? THEIR LOSS!!!!!!

[Island Bro]

You guys are gettin fantastic shows out there with mucho to be grateful for. Been over 5 months since my last show so I would be able to get off hard on a spring '95 show. In a few weeks I'll get a dose (hopefully didn't just jinx myself into receiving a '95 show!

[Rude]

Late 73 is some of my fav dead too. That impacts it for sure plus look at the setlist. Look at those ballads. To lay me down and china doll in set 2 wow. Plus they went over curfew by a full 10+ minutes. The literally didn't get the recreation even finished til 5 minutes after midnight then pull a filler with Kevin on top. 2nd longest DSO show I've seen after that monster 74 setlist in Lexington that went 5 minutes longer.

I love the 69s. I danced insanely hard at jubilee night 2 and melted out at the 3-2-69 July 2nd in Chicago. I was reflecting and that show I was in the exact same spot. I remember saying I think that was one of the craziest shows I've ever seen. I think it's the sound. It was so loud and pure. But then again I was told by people not there that it wasn't that great b/c of their embedded reporters. I'm guessing if 3-2-69 doesn't blow your mind then this show won't either. This show wasn't dancy IMO. This show was melty. During her comes sunshine and playin I just stared. No dance. Just melt. And it was lovely. I realized you don't have to always throw down with a dance to get the most out of a show. Guessing tonight will be a dancy show but without the space to let go. Oh well I'll make it work. My cup runneth over. I'm on a full blown binge. On the way up the GF decides to get online and book Milwaukee tix and she actually bought them herself. I'm in bizarro world as well. Assuming no car wreck on the way up this will be 11 of the last 12. I don't regret missing Cleveland. My knees are still feeling the previous shows and I think I'll need 2 weeks rest when it's all over. And the nice thing is that I was blown away last night. So whether I have bad taste in dead or not, it's irrelevant. And really just the fact that a fall 73 with that ridiculous set list is even questioned as one of the best shows of the tour makes me wonder about others ;p. I loved it and it goes in my memory to pull out when needed. Experiences > Things is so right on.

[Mango]

It's completely subjective

[jj3down]

Nice. '73 They Love Each Other's are so groovy. One of my favorite years

[Tom Banjo]

No one said chicago 69 this summer wasn't that great. They just didn't place it on the level of jubilee night 2. Not all the 69s I've seen were on that level. I've even stated I thought cleveland came up short. Your an embedded reporter too. Always mention to others your rave reviews too.

[Tom Banjo]

I think like 80 percent of the dso shows I see are great. All but a few have been better than good but a few nights really stand out. Rams head 5/19. Driggs Idaho. Jubilee night 2. My first 69 in munhall. The first jamaica trip. Who knows how they get to that status.

I thought cinCy and Columbus were great shows. Indy better than good. Cleveland was something else for me.

[Tom Banjo]

Last fall it was the early style one drummer in Ashland that stands out more than the grass valley 69, great show too.

[Tom Banjo]

There was Hilton head, SC

2 night may of been fist night but 1970 recetreation at the capitol.

[Tom Banjo]

Top 5 definitely 10 to 15 shows deep

[Mojo Hand]

This is an interesting topic. I don't post much but follow daily. Many recent posts are very perplexing to me.

How could anyone else "confirm his experience"? It is his experience alone. Are there levels of expertise that allows one to critique another's enjoyment of a show, or rate the dancers at the show? Is there anything in life as subjective as one's taste in music or art. If one guy says it was one of his favorite shows of all-time, what does it matter what the consensus or others may say. This is Grateful Dead music. As they perform it differently every night.....so our experience of the entire thing differs from person to person and night to night.

I have been around this scene long enough to know the hierarchy. How many shows have you seen? How many tapes do you have? I have also been around long enough to know that there is almost no correlation between those factors and one's ability to allow this music to penetrate their inner core. I have been to shows with tour-heads who are all about stats and will never gain a true experience of the music. I have been to shows with casual fans or first-timers who just love to dance and allowed the music to move them more than most any "hardcore deadhead".

It's not about the setlist.....it's about how the music made you feel that night. Some nights you got it, and some nights you don't.

I saw most of my shows between 1988 and 1995. I saw some transcendental shows in the beginning and some complete duds by the end. One night stands out as the best night of my life. Burgettstown PA - 6/23/92. Good setlist (despite Corrina and Long way to go home). When I listen back, the playing was not spectacular or noteworthy by any means. But there was something in the water for me and my friends that night. I have read others' reviews of that night. It is considered a below average night. But no one could ever take from my experience of the evening as it happened and my opinion that it is my all-time favorite show. Sometimes it's not the list or how they play it. Sometimes, it's how you are feeling also.

As a side note. I always find it interesting how the '69 stuff gets so many raves on these boards. Early Dead never resonated with me that much. I like their songwriting and their performance style a lot better as they tightened-up a little into the early and mid-seventies. But that's just me. Songs like Death Don't Have No Mercy, Alligator, Mountains of the Moon, super long Lovelights, Golden Road, etc.....they just don't do it for me. Whenever I go into a DSO show, I always look at the stage set-up hoping it doesn't point to the sixties. I haven't seen a 60's show yet....but I will keep an open mind and body for sure.

[Tom Banjo]

Confirms his experience is poor wording. Shared his experience would be better put.

I've seen a lot of these. Over 450 dso shows and over 600 combined gd related shows but I don't believe that it anyway makes my opinion carry more weight. It appears ne being a tour head may make my opinion carry less weight with you. No worries. Believe me I don't associate with anyone that doesn't feel this music in the very depths of their soul.

Have you read everything. Most said if was subjective. Mentioned different factors that go into ones connection. Smoking show at toads one time. My first he was a friend of mine. I had a killer headache and couldn't escape the talkers. Connection was rough but objectively I know the music smoked.

Dso more often than not hits it out the park. We all have our favorite eras. I will agree that there still lies some objectivity in it. Certain shows. Many that I listed. It didn't matter if they played the Era you wanted or the songs you most want to hear. Driggs was not my set list. Still sits in my top 5 securely.

Sorry if some of the wording is confusing. We all take what we need and leave the rest. I know Rude digs this music and in glad chicago worked out well for him. I hope the next show I see is the best one ever for me. Never felt the need to type in my opinion or for me because as a the writer or speaker I know I only speak for myself.

[Tom Banjo]

I most connected with 76 through 78 shows when I discovered archive.org. however and I think this might explain the rave reviews, many like myself that are really into this music and the dso community have a special affinity for pigpen as a singer and shownan, the rawness of Jerry's vocals and playing.. St Stephen dark star the eleven Cryptical Other one are some of the song I connect with most. They are generally rare after pigpen.

[Tom Banjo]

If you notice it's the same 10 people raving. The 80s and late 70s definitely connect more with casual I do my local shows fan of dso. You know those with a connection so strong they only need to dance a few times a year.

[rr2324]

Interesting reading the reviews of the last couple shows. First time poster here, and first (and only) time seeing them was the recent Cleveland show. Was a pretty late-comer to the Dead , even though I'm old enough that I could have seen a Jerry show, but only really started digging them 8 or so years ago. So my live experiences are limited to a local cover band (not bad, not thrilling), Dead and Company this past November and the DSO show. My personal taste leans towards the 73-78 Keith and Donna era. Though I find something to enjoy from just about every year. But never really did get the appeal of Pigpen. Have skipped many a 20-minute Lovelight when listening to shows.

All that said, it's pretty obvious that if I were to choose a setlist from the show here or the 1st Chicago show...I'd have gone for that 1973 set! BUT....I thought the Cleveland show was exceptional and dug the hell out of it. Sure wasn't thinking "if only they did an era I liked more..." Even heard a couple songs I never heard before. Maybe the Chicago show would've blown me away even more, who knows! That 1969-era is definitely ripe for improv and jamming, a mediocre band could've made that setlist sound dreadful. Sure didn't sound bad that night though!! Hopefully next time I can catch a show with a different era being played and really compare.

[Rude]

I'm definitely not ragging Cleveland. If I was there it would most likely have been my fav. But if I had to rank my last 9, that 73 musically was my fav followed by Louisville and Raleigh. Raleigh was so great in part just b/c we had a really great spot to groove and it was a great show too. Cincy was easily the most dancy set 2 with zero ballads. Last night I was 2 tiers up and eye level 20 feet in front of the SBD and the sound was great. I left to dance in these massive open areas to stage left and the sound sucked. Old PA. But dead center it was crystal and loud and the light show was my fav this tour. It wasn't easy to dance to the whole show not b/c space as it was wide open so I stared a lot and soaked in that pure sound. In Indy we danced hard and that was a blast feeding off MC and we threw down on carpet. All my experiences are great and it's really tough to rank these. I never thought an 80s show would be one of my favs and it was. Most of us on the Carolina run dug that Raleigh late 80s the best but we also were grooving with buddies near the PA so who's to say. I was drained in Columbus and thar definitely took s little away. I didn't show it on the dance floor as I couldn't let MC see me fade away, but it definitely had an effect on my enjoyment.

On another note I was next to this 20yr old kid last night. 1st DSO but had seen dead and co. Told him he was in for a ride. Explained the 1 drummer with Donna mic and no organ meant likely 73-74. He had zero cash. He was dying of thirst and they refused to give him water for free. No water fountains or cold water in bathroom. I tossed him 2 bucks to get 2 waters. What kind of place will refuse water to people about to pass out dancing for 4 hours. But he was like this was the best show he had ever heard and was completely blown away. He's like u mean they will start at 8? No 1 hour delay? Play til midnight?? He was enhanced pretty good and that playin and here comes sunshine were the best things his ears had heard. He had no money for tonight but said he'd never miss them again. I contemplated buying him a ticket for tonight as he was a really nice guy, but need wallet recovery myself.

[Tom Banjo]

Dance ratings/rankings inside joke. It's all for fun. Those I connect with easiest in this community are dancers. Those here that fit that bill or get around know what I mean by that.

Sun and rude can inspire you with their movement. ChuckVegas and mango too. Maybe rude can better explain. When we met, I wouldn't have called him a dancer. He moved but not like what I'm talking about. He now moves like crazy. It's not so much skill at that point but pouring every ounce of energy from inside your soul into feeling the music rattle through your bones.