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. Great Bertha earlier in the set, sure sounds to me like Phil is playing the bass line from Judy in Disguise, probably just me though.

 

Thanks for the earworm for the rest of the evening!!!!

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Trey interview in the January Guitar World shares this fun tidbit on FTW. Did you know FTW backwards is WTF?

 

The January 2015 issue of Guitar World magazine features an interview with Phish frontman Trey Anastasio. Anastasio also appears on the cover of the issue, which hits newsstands soon and is available for purchase here. Anastasio discusses many topics with journalist Alan Paul including the Fare Thee Well shows, the history and future of Phish and the recent changes to his guitar rig. Within Trey's chat with Alan, he shared a fascinating story about the "Attics Of My Life" that ended the final Fare Thee Well show with Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann as well as Jeff Chimenti and Bruce Hornsby on July 5 in Chicago.

Paul asked Anastasio what he learned about preparation from his time writing music for the 2011 Broadway musical Hands On A Hardbody. Trey said he learned a lot and detailed an anecdote from Fare Thee Well: "Here’s one that even Bobby [Weir] and Phil [Lesh] don’t know. The three of us sat down to discuss what to play and Phil said, 'All I know is, I want to end with ‘Attics of My Life.’ I’m like, 'Great, I’m crying already, but when are we gonna learn the harmonies?' Because that song modulates and it’s a capella three-part harmony! I offered to write a chart and they were like, 'That’s kind of geeky. We’ll figure it out.' We sat down at a piano and it was cool but I knew everyone would forget his parts and lo and behold, we tried it again and nobody was taking Jerry’s melody.

These guys don’t rehearse much because they don’t really hang out, so we had five days for five shows and never got to 'Attics.' Phil said 'We’ll sing it in soundcheck every day.' Soundchecks came and went, and we still didn’t know it. So I called [Trey collaborator] Jeff [Tanski] and said, 'I need an exact transcription of the album version.' I didn’t even tell the guys. I just handed a copy to Bruce: 'This is your part and this is my part. I’ll hit the highs and the other guys will fill in the notes.' I was reading off the chart because I wanted someone to sing the melody!" Anastasio and the band did a fine job with "Attics" which was the emotional high point of the entire run.

I watched the ppv on that show with one of my oldest dearest friends (and tour buddies) and my wife. About halfway through the tune I looked around and we were all singing together with tears in our eyes. Thank you, Trey. Thank you for caring that much, it means a lot to so many of us. 

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I am not completing panning the shows -- though it may appear that I am. I just wish it would have been better is all. Awkward is a apt word for the shows. After watching some of the web-casts everyone seemed tentative.

 

I got the web-cast feeds from a kind poster here -- definitely glad I have them.

Awkward as it was I still had the best time listening to night 1 from Santa Clara. That is the wettest dream set list they have ever done.

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I just can't imagine not giving a shit enough to rehearse for a few shows much less a 50% anniversary culmination event that was to be telecasted and the return of the 'Grateful Dead'.  I just wouldn't do it.  What audacity and such a big fuck you to the fans.  Alas, the fans made it good.  However, the more I hear about what actually went on the more I lean toward not liking the band and it's legacy.  It ends with a version of one of their most intricate songs but they don't even bother working on it?  Just absolutely ridiculous.  'I want to do attics, but not really rehearse it!'  Whatever!  I can't believe how much money I gave these guys and the money they are making on this DVD.  Pick up Casal's interlude music.  That's actually worth the money and and a worthy tribute.

 

Of course this is all my opinion, but man!

I disagree. I dig that they're so ambivalent about it. As far as 'honor their legacy' it could be argued that they did exactly that - I' thinking about many of Garcia's comments over the years ("I can dig totally falling apart in front of a big crowd"..."We always blow it at the big shows", etc.). 50 years ago they were playing Acid Tests - not exactly a professional enterprise there LOL! I actually kind of like the idea of totally winging it, and possibly sucking HARD (they didn't) in front of 70,000 people. Of course I didn't invest the money and emotion into going to the shows, so my opinion can be taken with a dollop of salt.  

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With Wharf Rat earlier in the set, a real ballad heavy show. Also MLB in that Playin. Great show!

The 12/2 Playin has the best freakout Phil ever had on tape. That whole meltdown is one of my very favorite things they ever did.

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I disagree. I dig that they're so ambivalent about it. As far as 'honor their legacy' it could be argued that they did exactly that - I' thinking about many of Garcia's comments over the years ("I can dig totally falling apart in front of a big crowd"..."We always blow it at the big shows", etc.). 50 years ago they were playing Acid Tests - not exactly a professional enterprise there LOL! I actually kind of like the idea of totally winging it, and possibly sucking HARD (they didn't) in front of 70,000 people. Of course I didn't invest the money and emotion into going to the shows, so my opinion can be taken with a dollop of salt.  

 

They certainly acted like they were pretty much just another 5 shows. Pretty typical two set Grateful Dead shows with Drums/Space, one encore. Could barely get a second encore out of them on the last night, and they couldn't squeeze GDTRFB in before NFA?

 

It's cool they decided to stick to doing what they normally do, but for the amount of money people were charged, the hype that went into it, and work that Trey put into it, the rest of the guys could have at least pretended to give a fuck. Trey obviously worked his ass off for this, hopefully he got paid a shit load, more than everyone else. 

 

I think they could have at least did something similar to what the Allmans did at their final show. An extra set, make sure to play all the classics. Instead, for several hundred dollars, people got a rose and Attics of My Life. 

 

But I think the issue was not really ambivalence, rather animosity between Phil and one or more of the rest of the group. They couldn't put that shit aside for two weekends to pull off something special.

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Phil's distanced himself from the others at least  since he split off from The Other Ones to do P & F ('98 or '99?). There was talk of GD boardroom squabbles over how to use/not use the vaulted material, too. 

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Lot of rumblings about Phil and wife being control freaks. Story after the last Dead tour of the wife demanding some money from Billy and Mickey for her belief that she was owed in some type of management capacity, and them not paying up.

 

But Phil has always been hard headed, and combined with his financial independence and brushes with death, he doesn't appear interested in compromising in any way. Think the other guys still party pretty hard too, which Phil is not down with. 

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Phil's distanced himself from the others at least  since he split off from The Other Ones to do P & F ('98 or '99?). There was talk of GD boardroom squabbles over how to use/not use the vaulted material, too. 

Yes, and over Jerry's guitars, which Phil felt should be given to those Jerry identified in his will (Doug Irwin, the maker), vs. the other guys who felt they were Grateful Dead property. 

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I disagree. I dig that they're so ambivalent about it. As far as 'honor their legacy' it could be argued that they did exactly that - I' thinking about many of Garcia's comments over the years ("I can dig totally falling apart in front of a big crowd"..."We always blow it at the big shows", etc.). 50 years ago they were playing Acid Tests - not exactly a professional enterprise there LOL! I actually kind of like the idea of totally winging it, and possibly sucking HARD (they didn't) in front of 70,000 people. Of course I didn't invest the money and emotion into going to the shows, so my opinion can be taken with a dollop of salt.  

 

You make an excellent point.  It was a super fun time and they really did in Dead style.  Moments of brilliance. Kind of like the last 3 years of the Jerry years.  And the FTW run was definitely better than much of the latter day stuff.  I appreciate your post.  As a die hard fan sometimes I get so damn reactionary!  

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They certainly acted like they were pretty much just another 5 shows. Pretty typical two set Grateful Dead shows with Drums/Space, one encore. Could barely get a second encore out of them on the last night, and they couldn't squeeze GDTRFB in before NFA?

 

It's cool they decided to stick to doing what they normally do, but for the amount of money people were charged, the hype that went into it, and work that Trey put into it, the rest of the guys could have at least pretended to give a fuck. Trey obviously worked his ass off for this, hopefully he got paid a shit load, more than everyone else. 

 

I think they could have at least did something similar to what the Allmans did at their final show. An extra set, make sure to play all the classics. Instead, for several hundred dollars, people got a rose and Attics of My Life. 

 

But I think the issue was not really ambivalence, rather animosity between Phil and one or more of the rest of the group. They couldn't put that shit aside for two weekends to pull off something special.

 

ABB was a well oiled machine that played with precision.  Good every time.  I can see why the core 4 want to do things on their own.  All of our/my/their attempts to 'carry on' or 'recapture' GD were well intentioned but essentially impossible.

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tis the season again -- officially starts when I put the below on the tree - a gift from my sister back in 97.

 

$T2eC16J,!zoE9s5nd0ZDBR6ZCQDyhQ~~60_35.J

 

I'd love to have an x-mas tree that was all Dead and Star Wars.

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Can't believe they interviewed the guys from DSO for this.

Why? Rob Eaton was pretty heavily entrenched in the taping scene in the 70s/80s and the others are all hard-core fans, as well. Sam Cutler posted on fb the other day his love for DSO and noted that they've now played more shows than the GD did (apropos of nothing, but still..).

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Yeah - and at the end of the day the DSO's members are fans/deadheads. Throughout the book they interview other deadheads to get their perspective -- not only the DSO folks.

 

I am up to about 91 ---- great book, thus far.

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Why? Rob Eaton was pretty heavily entrenched in the taping scene in the 70s/80s and the others are all hard-core fans, as well. Sam Cutler posted on fb the other day his love for DSO and noted that they've now played more shows than the GD did (apropos of nothing, but still..)

 

I read Gans interviewed the DSO guys so he could keep the focus on the music, but in that article the drummer is discussing second hand info he's heard about the band drinking at shows in the 90's. Maybe they, and other heads, offer something more significant in other parts of the book, but hasn't it all been said before, or couldn't Gans and Jackson filled in those details themselves? Also read quote from Gans that heads will get nothing new out of the book, so again, just not sure what the point is. And I'm really not interested in what the guys from DSO have to say, regardless of what anyone else's opinion is. Seems like another chance to cash in on the 50th.

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This video really brought back memories...good bad perplexed etc....I didn't see them past 93, but the lot scene in 94 seems pretty similar...

 

Overall it brought on a nostalgia or yearning to see this...really interesting....maybe a yearning for my youth? for different times? for jerry being alive? who knows....

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCUP6bP17fg

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I thought I read in a post in this thread someone had a pick for best Other One of 1973.  I could be losing my memory, but if it was on this thread, I cannot find the post.  Can anyone steer me in the right direction for best Other One of '73?

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I thought I read in a post in this thread someone had a pick for best Other One of 1973.  I could be losing my memory, but if it was on this thread, I cannot find the post.  Can anyone steer me in the right direction for best Other One of '73?

11/14/73 San Diego Sports Arena  --- Might not be the "best" but is a great 2nd set.

Truckin > The Other One > Big River > The Other One > Eyes > The Other One > Wharf Rat ......

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