I respect the Grateful Dead's commitment, integrity and longevity. I do. I really do.
I understand and admire the loyalty of the massive cadre of Deadheads. I do. I really do.
I've attended perhaps a half dozen Dead concerts and at each one I admit to having felt certain feelings of elation wafting through me, elevating me to stratospheric levels of glee although I remain uncertain how much of that can be ascribed to the magic of the music.
Having conceded that much air space, I admit that I am not the biggest Deadhead to ever go down the road feeling glad after attending one of their interminable shows, the length of which I ascribe less to their generosity of spirit and more to their steadfast refusal to stop indulging in their meandering rinky-dinky doo jingle-jangle and try just a bit of self-restraint. If they had, I might remember a bit more about their shows than I do.
The truth is that I remember very little about any of those concerts for several reasons, none of which I am divulging in this public forum other than that some of it had to do with those interminable Phil Lesh bass solos that were always a good opportunity to grab a nap. (I mean, cripes! These guys went in circles without landing longer than anyone this side of Saint Coltrane, who at least knew what direction he was headed in).
Now, if we're talking about jam bands that could keep my attention hour after hour, I invoke The Allman Brothers. With their true feeling for the blues and willingness to bring down the inevitable BAM! when it was time to do so, those guys always gave me the proper jolt.
On several occasions, I was fortunate enough to remember being in attendance at two Dead shows at which they were joined by the Brothers, who gave those fiddlers and diddlers the necessary kick in the ass.
One of those was a searingly hot day at Dillon Stadium in Hartford, CT on July 16, 1972, when Jerry and crew were joined on stage by Dicky Betts, Berry Oakley and Johnny (Jaimo) Johanson, whom I understand has now taken up residence in nearby Bloomfield, a slice of the planet I know well. The other was at Watkins Glen the following summer where the two bands were joined by members of The Band.
Below is a link to an excerpt of the Dead/ABB jam in Hartford.
Beneath that is a link to a complete Dead show I also attended at Dillon stadium in July, 1974 (yes, I know you were there too, Mr. Jones).
The final link is to Mountain Jam at Watkins Glen which is here because I can be heard yelling, "Yipee" at the precise moment the Allmans woke me from the sleep of the Dead.
If you really do enjoy this sort of thing, let me know. As for me, I'll be listening to something with a Big Beat.
Enjoy!
Grateful Dead and The Allman Brothers
Mountain Jam Watkins Glen July 28, 1973
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