2022-12-31 - Capitol Theatre - Port Chester

[Tea]

Here it is:

 

Set 1: After Midnight ; Greatest Story Ever Told ; Ramble On Rose ; Keep On Growing ; Cumberland Blues ; Chimes of Freedom ; Box Of Rain > Throwing Stones > Scarlet Begonias > Fire On The Mountain 

Set 2: Dupree's Diamond Blues* ; Mountains Of The Moon* > Dark Star > Saint Stephen > William Tell bridge > The Eleven > drums** > space > New Years countdown > Viola Lee Blues > Going Down The Road Feeling Bad > Turn On Your Lovelight 

Encore: Oh! Darling > Love the One You're With 

* Jeff played acoustic guitar 
** w/ Johnny Markowski of New Riders of the Purple Sage 

Show Notes

Sold out. Jeff opened with an acoustic set

[izaacb]

Great show! Greatest Story rocked, nice Tighten Up jam in Dark Star, nutso Viola Lee. That opening acoustic set was a real treat as well.

 

Dire Wolf * 
Little Sadie * 
Rubin and Cherise * 
What a Wonderful World * 
Valerie ** 
Delia's Gone ** 
Midnight Moonlight *** 

* w/Rob K on congas, Rob B on piano 
** w/Lisa on harmonica, Rob B on piano 
*** w/Skip on bass, Rob K on congas, Rob B on piano, and Lisa harmony vocal

Edited January 1, 2023 by izaacb
Added full acoustic set

[Greg from Chestertown]

Got some ‘first time played’ in there? I’m guessing At least Delia’s gone, maybe wonderful world, Valerie.

[Mango]

I would not call that a tighten up jam, however i did think they were gonna go into it

[Mango]

wow, it really is dead around here (no pun intended)...so I'll say something.

 

I went to DSO New Years in Port Chester, NY.

 

The Cap is a highly acclaimed venue. In my experience, as someone who identifies as being a Deadhead and Dancer, is that the Venue is waaaaaay overrated. I don't even like it. Slanted GA floor? Really? And this is a venue run by Deadheads for Deadheads? Tear that floor out and put 2-3 flat tiers in. 

 

The first night I spent a fair amount of the show dancing in Garcia's. They have the soundboard feed playing at high volume and a nice, flat, wooden dance floor. Some gawkers come with the territory but we let em gawk. On NYE I stopped by Garcia's and the volume was way down. Other parts of night 1 i spent in the back, under the balcony. The 1st set closing of 1/2 Step>Franklins>TMNS was deeply excellent, definitely one of my highlights of the weekend. 2nd set was good, I especially enjoyed the rockers at the end and of course Skip killing it on the encore ( can't think of the name, a song by The Band). 

 

NYE was a different story. I was very excited to see Jeff play but was super bummed when I realized that DSO was only doing 2 sets. Been to almost every new years since 2005 and I can only think of a couple times that it wasn't 3 sets (2005 Higher ground comes to mind). The 1st set I was in my head and couldn't settle into a dance zone anywhere until Scarlet>Fire took hold. That was really good.

 

My friends convinced me to go way down front left for 2nd set. It was actually really fun, a bit tight but it was loud and we were IN IT. somebody said to me that this night was the loudest the sound has ever been at the CAP. I believe it as my head was ringing afterwards (also a common side effect after a 69 rager.....no resolution, ya know?).  Everything was going great until the ballon drop. PLEASE DO NOT DO THE BALLOONS AGAIN. FUCK THE BALLOONS. What a mess. I was swimming in balloons. I must have popped upwards of 100 and it did seemingly nothing. I had to retreat out of the pit and into the back but it felt weird there so I went back in. The Viola Lee that came out of the NYE countdown was, IMO, pretty weak by DSO standards. which is to say that I've come to expect them to climax into tearing a small hole in the space time continuum and then depositing us back on our feet. This one barely seemed to climax at all...I blame the chaos from the Balloons. FUCK THE BALLOONS. The remainder of the set was good, not great. Dupree's>the Eleven was utterly fantastic. Overall the night was good but I've had so many NYE's be 'best night ever' material and this one just didn't make it there. Maybe it was just me....who knows? 

 

Okay one more complaint. Oh Darlin>Love the One you're with has been done 3x as in Encore in the last 2 months. I saw it at Penn's Peak. It was so freakin cool that time. Then I saw that they did it in Long Island and I thought, 'hmmm, that's weird.'. now it feels totally played out. just my opinion, take it or leave it~

 

Thank you Dark Star Orchestra band and crew. You deliver the best product on the market and I will be back.

[John A]

Good extended take on the shows / venue, Mango - thanks.

 

I was just listening to a New Year's set 2 GD opener on Sirius XM in the car and I turned it off because even on the soundboard the balloons were brutal. As a former audience taper, you can imagine how I felt about them back in the day.  😠

 

I streamed the 12-30 show on my big TV / stereo. Sound, video, overall production, not to mention the band's playing, were all impeccable.

 

Funny to read your rant about the repeated encore tandem, because once I'd realized the 12-30 show was almost assuredly a mid to late '78 recreation, I'm thinking shit like, "ok, now it's going to Samson, Estimated, or Playin' and anything else will be a shocker."  As well as "Wharf Rat, Stella, or Black Peter - what else is possible?" And it's bothering me!  Point being, how fucking spoiled are we to have such gripes? 😉

[Greg from Chestertown]

I prefer the balloons outside the venue. 

[chuckvegas]

Well said in every regard, Mango.

 

I feel about that motherfucking hill at the Jubilee like you do about the balloons. But that’s just my take, too.

[Rude]

On 1/4/2023 at 8:54 AM, chuckvegas said:

Well said in every regard, Mango.

 

I feel about that motherfucking hill at the Jubilee like you do about the balloons. But that’s just my take, too.

the hill only sucks if you are packing gear up and down. The climb sans gear is just a bit of healthy leg burn and cardio if you walk it briskly. It pays dividends the following week. 

On 1/3/2023 at 8:02 PM, Greg from Chestertown said:

I prefer the balloons outside the venue. 

That will get you an Eaton show ban. He hates those fuckers but mostly because they are gang members pulling money from the scene, but then again I’ve had some Grateful gangstas steal shit from my tent so there are scumbags all around. 

[chuckvegas]

That hill has sucked from day one. Morning, noon, and night it sucks. It sucks when it is hot and dry. It sucks when it is wet and chilly. It sucks when it is covered with morning dew (pun or literally). It sucks even more, if such a thing is possible, when people pitch tents on it and stakes and ropes make it an obstacle course.

 

In my world it has sucked, sucks now, and will continue to suck. For cardio I dance. Or at least flail.
 

But I fully respect your position and admire your generous spirit.

[Brian NJ]

Thanks Mango for truth!

As a patron the cap has history and that's about all. About 10 years ago I blew my knee out on that slanted floor and had most of the summer into the fall booked. Tickets, hotels flights and hobble danced best I could. Even had to dance on 1 leg next to the wall at Napa...

Fuck slant floor venues, they are a hazard to anyone that does more than bop to the music!

[Ammagamalin Crew]

Okay then it's agreed to move NYE back to Indianapolis with the huge FLAT, carpeted ballroom floor?

[Rude]

22 hours ago, chuckvegas said:

That hill has sucked from day one. Morning, noon, and night it sucks. It sucks when it is hot and dry. It sucks when it is wet and chilly. It sucks when it is covered with morning dew (pun or literally). It sucks even more, if such a thing is possible, when people pitch tents on it and stakes and ropes make it an obstacle course.

 

In my world it has sucked, sucks now, and will continue to suck. For cardio I dance. Or at least flail.
 

But I fully respect your position and admire your generous spirit.

i walked that hill in 1994 when everyone had to hold hands in a big chain as it was a mud slick. But we walked the steep way to the ridge where the clothing vendors are. It was a surreal sight seeing all these lines of people holding hands in a chain and as people slipped the chain would move side to side but held. The curious part is how did the chain start. We are talking at least a 20 degree slope up to a 30 degree at points and it was slick clay after the monster thunderstorm that came through. To climb you had to have your foot flat and lean back a bit and use the person in front to keep you from falling back. 

5 hours ago, Ammagamalin Crew said:

Okay then it's agreed to move NYE back to Indianapolis with the huge FLAT, carpeted ballroom floor?

the problem with that is Hyryder does New Years shows in Indy and those fans are ultra loyal and you couldn’t fill the joint up splitting the crowd. But a 6-7 hour combo show of both bands in a 3k capacity venue would be a hoot but you’d need a team doctor there to handle all the peeps falling out. I’ve never tried to dance for 6 hours. Guessing it would be hard. 

6 hours ago, Brian NJ said:

Thanks Mango for truth!

It's a patron the cap has history and that's about all. About 10 years ago I blew my knee out on that slanted floor and had most of the summer into the fall booked. Tickets, hotels flights and hobble danced best I could. Even had to dance on 1 leg next to the wall at Napa...

Fuck slant floor venues, they are a hazard to anyone that does more than bop to the music!

also when drinks roll down hill it becomes super slippery and dangerous. The Riverside in Milwaukee has that issue. They sell draft beers and someone 20 rows back spills a beer and it rolls all the way down to the floor section. It’s a menace. People there jokingly referred to it as the Riverslide or slip and slide theater. 

[DesertDead]

On 1/5/2023 at 11:15 AM, chuckvegas said:

That hill has sucked from day one. Morning, noon, and night it sucks. It sucks when it is hot and dry. It sucks when it is wet and chilly. It sucks when it is covered with morning dew (pun or literally). It sucks even more, if such a thing is possible, when people pitch tents on it and stakes and ropes make it an obstacle course.

 

In my world it has sucked, sucks now, and will continue to suck. For cardio I dance. Or at least flail.
 

But I fully respect your position and admire your generous spirit.

this reads like an homage to green eggs and ham hahaha