jw harding

He didn't. Just two loosely related thoughts. Was listening to him sing And it Stoned Me this weekend. Real nice.

Sweet Thing is a great tune. Love Jerry singing Van.

It's fun to hate on bongo guy. I find him pretty easy to ignore. Superfluous but really doesn't detract from the music.

Love the song selection with Promise of the Real, they pull on the best stuff from throughout Neil's career.

$180 for super deluxe edition on Amazon. Like the forthcoming Dylan box, seems excessive for 6 cd's and a book. $75 seems more in the ballpark. But will be hard to pass up I suppose.

It is entertaining and worth a read. A lot of tales of all the amazing things he's done, famous people he's dealt with. Hard to tell what's real vs self-aggrandizing. But well written and good to get a semi-outsiders perspective on the Dead.

$160 for a 6 cd set seems excessive when you can get if for free. Basically would be paying that money for the book, box, pictures. Hard to justify.

That Playin is 18 minutes, pretty good, mellow, restrained. Not quite the monster that the 47 minute version from 5/21/74 is, which is pretty driving, adventurous, explosive throughout, despite the length. I really haven't spent enough time with Playin to separate different versions or standouts though. Overall enjoying this set as much as expected. The clarity of the instruments is amazing. On the downside, some of the tunes are slowed down too much. Bertha sounds like They Love Each other. Big RR Blues sounds like GDTRFB. Deal and Brown Eyed Women really suffer from the pace. It's like fo

The Birdsong from 6/22/73 is real purdy. Amazing clarity and tones from each instrument. Mellow bliss.

Has he been playing Border Song? That would be great to see. Saw him about a year ago, and still amazing live. I would say still worth seeing if the price isn't too steep for you.

dead.net sent out the confirmation. Looks like it will not be delivered til 9/11. Maybe that is the release date, dangit!

New box set out tomorrow, I think. Got my shipping confirmation.

Listen to live versions of Gotta Serve Somebody from the recently released Trouble No More box set for comparison. The jams, particularly the lead guitar, are essentially the same. So dark, bluesy, nasty.

Ever notice how similar Gotta Serve Somebody and West La Fadeaway are? Written around the same time, and likely when Jerry and Dylan were having a big influence on each other.

It actually was a pretty good show, and the Dylan sit in was solid. Senor, Oh Boy, and Around and Around I believe. There was some storm that caused stage problems and Moe's opening set got cancelled. Weird scene in Joliet. You could leave the venue and go back and forth from your car. Sit anywhere in the venue you wanted. Fun time, but it was a long day and people were trashed. The Boy in the Bubble from those rehearsals is great. No surprise Jerry remembered that lasers in the jungle verse. Must be Paul Simon writing about his ayahuasca experiences I'd guess.

The documentary bonus material seems a bit underwhelming for Deadhead obsessives.

Rosemont was the worst for Dead shows. It was like they unleashed the hounds on us. Maybe things have changed. Was recently at United Center for Radiohead, and when security saw me smoking, informed me it wasn't allowed and then left me alone. Beyond a sample size of just me, never heard of issues at United Center, heard of many issues at Rosemont.

Three shows in Rosemont sounds depressing. Too bad there isn't a better indoor venue in the Chicago area. I guess UIC is just a bit too small, United Center too big.

More discussion on twitter that I saw of people donating unused food and water to local food banks and other agencies than fans throwing tantrums. There were a few melts but most people seemed understandably bummed and accepting of the situation.

I don't think Dead Co do any non-GD era tunes. Not even any new covers. All previous Dead offshoots had some post-GD era tunes and covers. They aren't even playing anything off Bob's much beloved recent album Blue Mountain. So, don't hold your breath.

Certainly worth it to go back a second night to see I Saw Her Standing There. Also probably to see Hey Jude again too.

Interesting discussion. Mainly depends on the artist. I'm ok with McCartney playing the same setlist each tour with such a choreographed show. Wish he'd mix up the stories/jokes a bit. The Stones mix up their setlist a bit, but can't imagine seeing them more than once a tour, or once in the past 20 years for that matter. Other bands that market themselves as live bands should mix it up some. As for Malkamus, the guy just doesn't give a shit. If he doesn't care, why should I. Haven't seen him in 20 years either. Wasted talent.

Clank your chains, count your change, and try to walk the line.

Interesting comment on the setlist variation being similar to a jamband. With their recent increase in touring, I'm hoping that Radiohead is getting the importance of being a live band more so than they have in the past.

Yes. Great band and show. Too bad the same can't be said for much of their audience. Don't want to get into a sitting vs. standing debate, but if ever there was a band you should be standing and rocking out for much of the show, Radiohead is that band. A few slow songs, I get it. But if you are sitting during My Iron Lung, etc., get the fuck out.