333mike review of 5/8/07 Ithaca State Theatre

[Guest 333mike]

Prankster Set:

Dark Star

Ripple

Set 1:

Minglewood

Loser

El Paso

They Love Each Other

Jack Straw

Deal

Lazy Lightning>

Supplication

Brown Eyed Women

Mama Tried

Row Jimmy

Dancin in the Streets

Set 2:

Scarlet>

Fire on the Mountain

Estimated

St. Stephen>

Not Fade Away>

St. Stephen>

Morning Dew

Encore: Saturday Night

Filler: Terrapin> Good Lovin

We all knew that this had the makings of a very special event. The Barton Hall show of 5/8/77 is well recognized as being the defining pinnacle of what the Grateful Dead could do when they were "on". Not here to get into a discussion of the magnitude of that show, well because there is no sense of preaching to the choir. We ALL know.

Where do I start? Well, let's say that tons of people flew in from all parts of the country to be at this show. I was with heads who came from Miami, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Denver and of course Minneapolis (me). I met people from Tennessee, Florida, Delaware, Oregon, California, Nevada, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Connecticut, New York City to name just a few. Ithaca played host to visitors from 20 different states who came because of what could happen. I saw and met those who came to see DSO for the first time hoping to catch the magic that happened 30 years ago. We all knew that this could be "The Show", and it was.

What made this show the best I have ever witnessed will be shared with you as it unfolded, as it happened through my eyes, ears and heart.

As I walked to the venue to check it out four hours before "go time" I had already heard through the grapevine that the show was "SOLD OUT". I was happy for DSO because a packed house of 1,600+ eager fans was well deserved, they play show after show covering hundreds of thousand of miles per year working/playing their asses off. I walked through the Ithaca Commons to see that every store had posted signs in the front windows and these signs were tie-dyed and read " Ithaca is Grateful". I have never seen that before....... this whole town was behind this event..... as I got closer to the The State Theater, hundreds of fans were already gathered, TV crews were filming from the local affiliates, and people were milling around with the proverbial finger in the air hoping for a "miracle". This was just like the old days. This was a show. The sidewalk art was happening, people drawing murals, bubble blowing machines, roving guitar players singing, drum circles and the like. This was all downtown mind you!!! We had collectively turned this town into one of our own. It felt familiar, it felt joyous, it felt like home. The grin that had infected me was contagious, this whole town was buzzing.

I got in for 5pm sound check and had learned that the sold out show made it possible for the band to spend more money by adding to the already impressive stack of PA speakers, and by adding more lights. The soundboard was busy with Cameron doing his thing and with no less than 6 or 7 other "professionals" hooking up wires and video equipment for recording the show ( I believe that it was a 5 camera shoot) As I looked at the theater it reminded me of the Warfield. I had a large balcony and lots and lots of seats every where. I noticed a of banner that read "10,050 days since the last upstate New York Darkstar" The theater was plastered with posters of Grateful Dead lyrics from 20 different songs. I am telling you this was fucking awesome. Even a poster from the original Barton Hall show in 1977 adorned the top of the stairs with a review from the newspaper in a little "shrine". Everyone was psyched.

We walked to dinner and the whole town was full of heads, ate in a nice sidewalk cafe ( I know this is not a restaurant review) discussed among many other things what would be the best spot in the show, Prescott argued for first row balcony, which I might admit was a good spot since there is nobody in front of you, great sound and a clear view of the band, however, I fancied the seats front stage left about 5 rows back for good clear sound from the PA. After being convinced (never argue against Prescott, many hotel managers have been talked out of thousands of dollars, women of their children, cops of their badges......the man is gentle, sensible, factual, irresistible and mesmerizing charismatic) actually I surrendered, we walked back toward the show, where upon returning to the venue with the traffic jam and lines down the city block rounding the corner I realized that I would get neither spot because I was at the end of a humongous line. Thanks to New York Steve who was 4th in line I took the opportunity to introduce myself and he let me cut in line. Thanks NY Steve!!!

As we waited for the show to start I met lots of stoic old heads that were at the 5/8/77 show and had not seen DSO and/or stop doing Dead shows in the 80's. They were there, albeit a little skeptical, to be apart of the magic they hoped would revisit after a 30 year absence. The place filled up to capacity and the cheers, screams and whistles of anticipation began to fill the theater. It started getting really crazy. The executive director of the theater got onstage and addressed the crowd and talked about the magic of the 5/8/77 show and how he was grateful to be a part of this event and one could see the satisfaction and gratitude for the opportunity to be a part of an event that was about to happen. He then introduced the mayor. She came out to huge cheers where she read a proclamation that read

Proclamation from the Mayor of the City of Ithaca

Whereas, the Grateful Dead have been recognized by many highly credible organizations, individuals and entities including the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as significantly important and integral to the musical and social fabric of our contemporary culture, and

Whereas, on May 8th, 1977 the Grateful Dead performed in Barton Hall on the campus of Cornell University in the city of Ithaca New York, a concert that is widely acknowledged and regarded as a defining and transcendent occasion and example of the art of contemporary musical improvisation, collaboration, musicianship, and performance, and

Whereas, many tens of thousands of individuals who were not in attendance that night in Barton Hall, have become knowledgeable & familiar with the extraordinary nature of the performance on May 8th 1977 through the trading and sharing of recordings of the show, and

Whereas, the cultural identity and perceptions of Ithaca as a community, have been informed and bolstered by the widespread acknowledgment of the magic of May 8th, 1977, and

Whereas, it has been said many times by many people that,

[arm]

Great review! Can't wait to read the rest - -even though I was there.

Got to meet Prescott, Blythala, JackJones, ChuckVegas. Wonderful to put some faces to names...or names to faces. You guys really added to my evening.

Hard to describe the feeling that was in the air throughout Ithaca all day and in the theater all night. The band seemed extremely jazzed. As I posted elsewhere, that was the best concert I have ever attended.

Does THANK YOU cover it? No, but it's all I can muster at the moment. I'm back in Chicago and still frazzled from lack of sleep, lack of energy, lack of lack. This is why I love music and why I love this music.

I'm played out and grateful.

[recentlyconverted]

Hell ya, 333mike back with the reviews. From the neatness I'm assuming it was only the atmosphere you Tasted last night. Maybe tonight we'll read one of your electric versions.

Seeing the pictures posted combined with your review .... not many nicer things than springtime in the northeast and headin to the show, it's enough to make me miss home.

[chuckvegas]

What 333, arm, and RConverted said - this show played us all, band and crowd, to a fare-thee-well. Never have I seen the likes...the crowd pre-show before the doors opened did indeed look like a "show," and it just built and built and built. Mikey, can't wait to see what ya say about the Scarlet>fire and the Dew...