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Electric factory 12/31


Tom Banjo

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Set 1

After midnight

C'est le vie

Shining star

Run for the roses

Strange man

Who was john

Let it rock

Set 2

Jack straw

Jackaroe

Bucket

Boss man

Box

Cassidy

Bird song

Deal

Set 3

Sugar mags

Scarlett

Fire

Unbroken

Other one

Drums

Space

Other one

Fantasy

UJB

Stella

GDTRFB

Sunshine day dream

Encore

Revolution

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Well balanced and lovely show from the look of it. No real cowboy tunes. I like the easy, happy rock n roll start. Sweet 2nd set - I love JackaRoe!! I haven't seen that as I recall by DSO. And a strong set in the 3rd with a rousing call for the new year in the encore. Nice ! I hope it was an delicious going down.

What were some of the stand out moments ?

Happy New Year ! Time for us to eat a mess of collards and black eyed peas. My patient brought me like 15 heads of the most beautiful collards you've ever seen. They are sweet to taste too ! I felt wealthy sharing them with family and friends. One time - because the house was sick- I left the bunch st the door, rang the doorbell and jumped in the car and left. Like Flo in the Progressive commercial

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Friday night was the rocker show. This was more laid back and more psychedelic vs big dancers. The dance songs weren't tge off beat funky versions. This was probably a good thing as I was on fumes while the gf was too sick to make this one. Slept on my 6am flight b4 takeoff and just woke up after arriving home at 9am. I think I'll probably pass on future new year runs. Seems like always on the run and late ending 2am shows killed my ability to sleep even more.

Note that the philly crowd was bigger, drunker, but also WAYYY more respectful of the music and quieted during ballads. By the end of both nights it was just 600 groovers who kept quiet and grooved down. That's when a shows the most fun. Everyone letting go. Only the hardcore left who are there for the music and not just an excuse to get messed up. But that being said The e factory was ridiculously sardined.

I still think a 4 show Miami run is what we all want for New Years but philly brought the band some funds. One of the biggest DSO crowds I've ever seen on Friday. Was happy for the band but not for dancing.

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2nd set night 1. Both sets night 2. We controlled our space. We danced hard and didn't have to worry too much about outsiders.

I met a nice young girl Candace. She was an outsider I guess but she danced like an insider. I introduced her to as many as I can.

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Ahhh Nye, 10 years in a row now. 4 of these shows, including this most recent, go down as some of my most meaningful show experiences. 2009 (Jeff's 1st NYE, Ram's Head), 2013 (Skip's 1st NYE, Long Island), 2015 (last year's 69 elective meltdown at Efactory) and this year. Last year's show was the ultimate show, kind of hard to top, but this year's was totally magical and different. Infinite ways to express it, many roads to Terrapin.

 

Words always fail to express the profundity of the actual experience. In the moments that comprise a show I experience so many thought/feelings that come from somewhere else, as if downloaded from the cosmic web. There are many times that I wish I could record my thoughts for later reflection...instead i attempt to travel in time/mind to make visceral that which has become memory. It will likely amount to nothing but what good is it to experience such clarity, wonder, and bliss without attempting to crystalize and share it?

 

Some shows are amazing dancing experiences from start to finish, without much or any difficulty, and that is wonderful when it happens. However, for many if not most of my deepest and most memorable shows, this is not the case. For me to tap into the deepest well of my own existence, of existence itself, often requires that I in some way lose myself. Though unpleasant in the moment, experiencing my deepest feelings of insecurity and suffering seem to be the gateways to my highest self, enabling the highest experience to emerge. I suppose it is contrast in life that makes things special, accentuates differences. Without the variety of thought/feelings/experiences we encounter life might seem rather dull, numb. The universe seems to be bonded by paradox; what is joy without sadness, movement without stillness? Naturally as humans we tend towards avoiding what we perceive to be unpleasant. This is natural, perhaps a facet of survival evolution. I don't go into a show hoping to have a hard time but it is the heroes journey that brings depth and growth into human life. I know many of you have experienced the pyschedelic heroes journey and can relate to what I'm saying here. 

 

I recall mostly enjoying the JGB set though my skin definitely began crawling sometime during Shining Star. Loved the vocals, who was the second female singer? Good stuff. It gets hard to express one's self through dance when one's self is dissolving...searchlight may cast but the forces are being torn loose from the axis. Feelings of disconnect in my body turn into sluggish, sticky thoughts in my head which  lead to me losing physical presence and bumping into you. Oops, sorry! How to hold on to presence while my whole world is melting away? Do I hold on for dear life to my sense of self or do I let go into an oblivion? I was thankful in some moments for those funny things that drunk/tired/other people could lean on...  Throughout this set I would find and lose the groove from moment to moment, dependent on many factors. It sure does help to be surrounded by friends during times like this, even if I'm totally unable to communicate or dance. I expect all of you to be accepting of these things and I will for you ;)

 

Setbreaks often accentuate any feelings of awkwardness that I might already be experiencing. It can illicit strange feelings of both wanting to music to start again and not being ready for it. Can't let go and can't hold on. Sometimes I try to close my eyes and reconnect to source but the energy in the room is too busy and intense. I know that I'll regain normalcy at some point but during the moment I am lost. Set 2 was difficult for me. Rick let me know that both of us danced much better on the 1st night through set 1 and 2...I have to agree. For some reason Box of Rain was particularly hard for me, evoking many past feelings and memories. Musically everything sounded great but I wasn't there to meet it.

 

And then other times setbreaks can do quite the opposite....ah the beauty of a three set show. A much needed social reprieve came in the form of conversation with a most dear friend and mentor. One of the many soul mates that I've reunited with through DSO. Thank you to this individual for being herself and helping me find mine. By the end of this setbreak I was open and ready to get shown the light, strange places already visited.

 

Set 3 was magic for me. On paper it doesn't quite look the same....funny how that works. My experience of this set was that every song flowed, musically and in meaning, perfectly into the next. I was reminded, once again, that within the music of the grateful dead is contained all knowledge, wisdom, and feeling. Every show is unique- even the same setlist played twice. Like an astrology or tarot reading, each show reveals a different angle of the truth. When I experience this music from a place of openness and receptivity I am rewarded with an understanding of the universe unobstructed by opinion. Somehow through the cohesion of musical instruments I experience a rich understanding of life, my purpose, and the interconnectedness of all that is. When this knowingness takes over self-expression and dance become a flowing joy. Challenges become opportunities and my normal preferences seem to lose their importance. Seeing other's self expression begins to bring me as much joy as my own and everything feels to be in wonderful balance. I am grateful for this jubilant celebration that we engage in.

 

Every song in the 3rd set revealed some deeper truth to me and felt connected to every other song, like a woven tapestry of music and words puzzled together perfectly. It was like, 'of course this song is next! duh!'. There was some real magic at many points, especially for me during the spaciest parts. Sound is a powerful tool and at some moments I felt a powerful connection to the totality of life. And then it felt like a beehive for a bit! Strange and wonderful.

 

And I say as we fly into our uncertain future.....Going down the road feeling Glad and you know it's gonna be Alright~

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That was beautiful Aaron, and so right on.

I let go of myself more than any time before I'm my entire life. It was cathartic. It was altering.

I also felt that the cohesion amongst friends through the dance was as strong as I have ever experienced. Rick once described attaining "ego death". I was there. Sharing that with all of you was beyond words. Sharing it with Sweet Annamarie was the best and closest thing I have ever experienced.

Love and all good things to all in 2017!

Dr. B

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Your the man Dr. B, thanks for being you and making me feel welcome, and your better half as well. I didn't know DSO did that Cassidy>Birdsong>Cassidy somewhat frequently but it was great to hear for the !st time! I thought it was something they may have cooked up on the spot , oh well. That whole 3rd was great UJB and GDTRFB are some favorites. Jeffs Stella was real nice too.

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We never mention a reprise unless the reprise has vocals. When space sounds like dark star but melts into Stella. We still just call it space. I got set list from Kyle. I would stick with its accurate. Playing will do that a lot. Playing into uncle John close with a few rifts from playing but no vocals. GD never mentioned those as reprises on their official releases.

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I do not want a four show Miami run not even in the least. I would love to do New Years at the peak. Crystal in Portland could be nice but seems we are moving away from that venue altogether. Maybe we could do a Bay Area norcal run that ends with the 31st at the Warfield. Dso is growing again. Bigger spaces may be needed. Although the 31st was not sold out. Plenty of space in there.

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The Run For the Roses was the highlight of the first set.

 

I felt the Hell in the Bucket had the crowd dancing as hard as as at any time during the night.  it was a good dance night - if this show had truly been off the hook start to finish, I may have been in a heap by the end.

 

Really hoped they'd do that Hey Jude Reprise (and was fooled into believing they were) after Mr Fantasy.  The UJB was killer though.  Jeff's really been slaying the vocals on Stella last few times I've heard it.

 

MC - I'm pretty sure the outsider's name was Candice?  If we're thinking of the same person?

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What a show!  Just a few thoughts..

 

1.  Fire was typically great.  In my opinion it's become one of Jeff's standout songs, and this one had something different about the jam/solo that I was really digging. 

 

2.  The DEAL was Out Of This World.

 

3.  When did Eaton grow a beard?  Whoa!

 

4.  Also worth mentioning were Bird Song, Stella, Space with the Drummers, and The Other One, especially the 2nd Other One.  Band played their hearts out for a long, long time this show.  Again, wow.

 

5.  Not to split hairs that've already been split, but, from what I'm reading, there was a Cassidy reprise w/out vocals after Bird Song and before Deal?  I guess I missed that.  My daughter and I were hitting the restroom and getting food right around then (to avoid the normal setbreak congestion).  I'd also add a "Jam" to start the 3rd set that sounded like a Dark Star jam with Lisa vocals akin to what she does at the end of Scarlet, which then went into the Countdown and Sugar Mag.  Wasn't the longest jam, but longer than and more of a actual jam than a tuning.

 

But who cares?! Hahaha.  More wonderful stuff that takes us into 2017, the 20th Anniversary year.  That is just amazing!!!  On the verge of *20*!

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I had a lot of fun. We had a great corner of friends to dance with. Musically I preferred the 30th. None of these shows are in my top 10 dso experiences but they can't all be top 10.

I was not a fan of the revolution closer. I'm not a Beatles fan. I could go without hearing that again. I'm glad it did it for you Brian.

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