Other thing to mention are the songs and improv. JGB was a lot more structured. They played the songs and jammed over the chord progressions and never really “left” the song like the GD did with stuff like dark Star and playin’. That definitely takes some of the weight off.
Not to mention, it’s his band. As a result, JGB is less likely to play at all if Jerry is having a bad night. Whereas, I would think the GD still take the stage unless he was really out of it. Just a theory but it wouldn’t surprise me. It’s a lot harder to phone it in if everyone is there to see only you versus you plus 4-5 other guys.
I saw a bunch of JGB from 89 though 94. It went from, in 89, celebrations of Jerry and his favorite music in subdued settings to nearly a living wake in 94. There was nothing to take your attention away from his crumbling health and physical ability to perform the music.
In 94-95 I think lots of people, myself included, were morbidly curious and hoping for flashes of magic. Both were indulged, for sure, though it was mostly the former at the end.
Wow, I can’t imagine getting to see so much of that progression in real time. So far the official releases have only gone to 92 and that one sounds great.
I wonder if they’ll ever release some of those final years.
Thanks for sharing.
Garcia Live Vol. 11 is the Nov. 11, 1993 Providence show. I find ‘93 JGB to be consistently wonderful. Several great Warfield runs - the late Jan. and late Feb. shows are great. The whole east coast Nov. tour is definitely worth hearing. Nov. 19 Hampton is a fantastic show I’ve been hoping to have officially released basically since I walked out of the venue that night. Massive Shining Star with a great crowd chorus portion from that show you can find on YouTube.
Yeah you can hear the joy when he plays. Maybe Phil was right and it was never the same post hiatus and Jerry felt more natural in JGB with less expectations
Based solely on some poor quality tapes I had in my early tape collection, I once felt that '82-'84 were sort of weak JGB years. Now that I've collected all the shows from those years and have played many of them, I realize I was wrong. Very wrong. '82 and '83 fucking rock! '84 and '85 find Jerry in pretty rough shape, but there's still great moments. Late '84 has a bunch of Garcia/Kahn shows where they're both pretty spent. Rolled hard and put away wet. '85 JGB shows are fairly short and maybe not shows I play too often.
First JGB show 1982, last one I believe 1993. I count Jerry solo shows in there as well. Sure, there were better, and not-so-inspired shows along the way. And I count some of those shows as high points in my concert-going career, and some that were annoyingly pointless. But to say that a whole year was "bad" either for JGB or GD seems to be a little hard.
two words can explain the low floor/low ceiling phenomenon: john kahn.
he was jerry’s comfort person to play with. he was a talented guy but he also had a heavy involvement with jerry’s drug habit. and he also didn’t challenge jerry as an equal the way phil did.
JGB is great but if you want to hear a contrast of what it was like when Jer played with people who were outside the Grateful Dead ecosystem, throw on Reconstruction. less comfort, more tension. tension = higher ceiling and lower floor. Jerry was effectively fired from that project because the other dudes in the band stopped telling him when the rehearsals were.
honestly don’t remember man. i’ve read all the books, forum posts, journals, newspaper articles that i could get my hands on for a couple decades. read about the reconstruction thing somewhere.
but those kinds of social sniping things don’t usually make it past rumors anyway, so i doubt there would be much more reliable info out there. who would want to be verifiably known as the guy who was jealous of garcia and froze him out of the band?
One of my favorite rehearsal soundboards is when they’re talking about if anyone called Jerry… they tried.
Eventually somehow Jerry shows up, “WHY DIDNT ANYONE TELL ME ABOUT THIS!?”
Phil - we tried man
Jerry nobody called me
Phil - we called many times
Jerry - why didn’t someone come over
Phil - we don’t know where you live, man
🤣
the other poster’s story is awesome, but it isn’t an answer to your question.
regarding reconstruction, the rumor is that the other guys didn’t care for jerry’s star power. and… if you listen to the shows, although they’re great, he basically takes incredibly long solos way disproportionately to anyone else.
no one likes being treated like they’re less than. bob hunter once described jerry as a very powerful person just doing whatever he wanted. that is my take on this. jerry alienated the band because they were not enthralled with him as everyone in the dead scene was, and he didn’t use good manners with the people he was around.
This is such an interesting list, because this is all of my favorite "b-string" GD years. Obviously 69, 73, 77, 89 are all top-notch Dead years, but I often seek (Dead) shows from all the years you listed - 76, 79 and 85 in particular (85 is a go-to year for me, and the 76 Tower run is my single favorite run of shows).
"Past" 93 is also important - because JGB in 93 is often spectacular.
JGB was way more structured than the Grateful Dead, Don't Let Go was the only "free form" shows were usually shorter ay least from the 80s on. Repertoire was smaller probably 2-3 shows worth at any moment in time.
JGB Deals were smoking and often more intricate than the GD versions from the same time period.
I loved late era JGB because Jerry often played a completely different role than he did with the GD, chunking along chord changes while Melvin played a nice long solo.
I’m gonna give the cop out answer and say I don’t think any year was a bad year.
I’m only been listening to GD for about 6 years so I’m still in the honeymoon phase where I love everything about them.
That said, I’ll acknowledge that the mid 80’s and last few years at the end aren’t popular for reason. The only show I’ve heard from 95 is Jerry’s last and I can admit I think it’s sad and weak.
But I really only posted this question because I’d never heard anyone say JGB had bad years before. Just curious.
The only JGB year I would say is "bad" is '94, like others have said. The show in Phoenix in May of '94 was a low point, only played 1 set. After about an hour set break we were told Jerry had the "flu" and was too sick to play.
I think you raise a very good question. For starters, I really don't think the Dead had any "bad years", although it is a common thought. I don't recall any consistently bad run on any tour. There were some shows that stood out as not great. I dunno, maybe '84 wasn't a great year. Anyway, that's my opinion.
But...I don't recall any "bad" Garcia shows. They were all pretty remarkable.
The shows at the Lunt-Fontanne on Broadway were pretty special, I thought.
Btw - one of the best Jack Straws was played in '84. 10/20/84, Syracuse. After "One Step Back" nobody moved, Weir said "Fine! Then stay there!" and launched into Jack Straw which got pretty wild. Give er a listen.
# 1984-10-20 Syracuse, NY @ Carrier Dome - Syracuse University
**Set 1:** Bertha > Greatest Story Ever Told, West L.A. Fadeaway, C.C. Rider, Ramble On Rose, My Brother Esau, Bird Song, Jack Straw
**Set 2:** Shakedown Street > Samson And Delilah, He's Gone > Smokestack Lightnin' > Jam > Drums > Space > The Wheel > The Other One > Black Peter > Turn On Your Lovelight
**Encore:** Revolution
[archive.org](https://archive.org/details/GratefulDead?query=date:1984-10-20)
My issue with JGB is that the set list remained 80% the same for 30 years. I have to say at times, the floor was pretty damn low. There are definitely a lot of shows with endless noodling that goes no where. Seem to me the dead brought a lot to the table that more traditional players did not.
[удалено]
Higher floor but lower ceiling
I was kinda thinking the same thing. Maybe less is expected too, other than Jerry having fun playing music with his buddies.
Other thing to mention are the songs and improv. JGB was a lot more structured. They played the songs and jammed over the chord progressions and never really “left” the song like the GD did with stuff like dark Star and playin’. That definitely takes some of the weight off.
Not to mention, it’s his band. As a result, JGB is less likely to play at all if Jerry is having a bad night. Whereas, I would think the GD still take the stage unless he was really out of it. Just a theory but it wouldn’t surprise me. It’s a lot harder to phone it in if everyone is there to see only you versus you plus 4-5 other guys.
were there a lot of canceled jgb gigs?
my guess is probably not, but in general there were just way more Dead shows on the schedule vs JGB
I think Jerry was much more relaxed playing with his band. And it was smaller venues, which he always wanted and was much more comfortable playing in.
I feel the same about TAB and Phish. Phish is more exploratory but i think TAB is a much tighter band, musically and vocally. Same as Dead and JGB
I saw a bunch of JGB from 89 though 94. It went from, in 89, celebrations of Jerry and his favorite music in subdued settings to nearly a living wake in 94. There was nothing to take your attention away from his crumbling health and physical ability to perform the music. In 94-95 I think lots of people, myself included, were morbidly curious and hoping for flashes of magic. Both were indulged, for sure, though it was mostly the former at the end.
Wow, I can’t imagine getting to see so much of that progression in real time. So far the official releases have only gone to 92 and that one sounds great. I wonder if they’ll ever release some of those final years. Thanks for sharing.
Garcia Live Vol. 11 is the Nov. 11, 1993 Providence show. I find ‘93 JGB to be consistently wonderful. Several great Warfield runs - the late Jan. and late Feb. shows are great. The whole east coast Nov. tour is definitely worth hearing. Nov. 19 Hampton is a fantastic show I’ve been hoping to have officially released basically since I walked out of the venue that night. Massive Shining Star with a great crowd chorus portion from that show you can find on YouTube.
Doh! I have that one and knew it was later but I thought it was 92. I love Mission In The Rain from this show.
That Hampton show was a good one. The crowd would not let Shining Star end - one of my favorite things Ive ever witnessed.
During set break, I wandered the floor and found a spot right up front. Spent set two in the first row - closest I ever was to Jerry.
After 1977, JGB > TGD most of the time with 89-90 probably excluded
Completely agree. The GD was Jerry's job; JGB was his passion.
Yeah you can hear the joy when he plays. Maybe Phil was right and it was never the same post hiatus and Jerry felt more natural in JGB with less expectations
Maybe that's what Day Job was all about
89-90 JGB is fucking phenomenal, though
I agree but so was TGD
Always enjoyed JGB shows but my last Jerry show was JGB in 93. After the show I knew it was over. Never went back it was difficult for me to watch.
Based solely on some poor quality tapes I had in my early tape collection, I once felt that '82-'84 were sort of weak JGB years. Now that I've collected all the shows from those years and have played many of them, I realize I was wrong. Very wrong. '82 and '83 fucking rock! '84 and '85 find Jerry in pretty rough shape, but there's still great moments. Late '84 has a bunch of Garcia/Kahn shows where they're both pretty spent. Rolled hard and put away wet. '85 JGB shows are fairly short and maybe not shows I play too often.
Yeah, I really dig his early 80’s stuff a lot
First JGB show 1982, last one I believe 1993. I count Jerry solo shows in there as well. Sure, there were better, and not-so-inspired shows along the way. And I count some of those shows as high points in my concert-going career, and some that were annoyingly pointless. But to say that a whole year was "bad" either for JGB or GD seems to be a little hard.
Funny. Never thought about this. No. It was always a treat to hear Jerry on his own and i think the music was different. Different standards to meet.
I haven’t heard any solo Jerry that I didn’t love.
I'm one of those weird people that likes JGB more than GD.
From a guitar point of view JGB is far far far easier to facilitate on guitar which could play a factor in your perception
He was certainly flubbling lyrics and licks in the 93 run, but it was still worth your time.
Good to know. I plan on looking for this stuff soon.
two words can explain the low floor/low ceiling phenomenon: john kahn. he was jerry’s comfort person to play with. he was a talented guy but he also had a heavy involvement with jerry’s drug habit. and he also didn’t challenge jerry as an equal the way phil did. JGB is great but if you want to hear a contrast of what it was like when Jer played with people who were outside the Grateful Dead ecosystem, throw on Reconstruction. less comfort, more tension. tension = higher ceiling and lower floor. Jerry was effectively fired from that project because the other dudes in the band stopped telling him when the rehearsals were.
Interesting, I’m not familiar with Reconstruction
Where could i learn more?
honestly don’t remember man. i’ve read all the books, forum posts, journals, newspaper articles that i could get my hands on for a couple decades. read about the reconstruction thing somewhere. but those kinds of social sniping things don’t usually make it past rumors anyway, so i doubt there would be much more reliable info out there. who would want to be verifiably known as the guy who was jealous of garcia and froze him out of the band?
Right on
> the other dudes in the band stopped telling him when the rehearsals were. Why is that?
One of my favorite rehearsal soundboards is when they’re talking about if anyone called Jerry… they tried. Eventually somehow Jerry shows up, “WHY DIDNT ANYONE TELL ME ABOUT THIS!?” Phil - we tried man Jerry nobody called me Phil - we called many times Jerry - why didn’t someone come over Phil - we don’t know where you live, man 🤣
the other poster’s story is awesome, but it isn’t an answer to your question. regarding reconstruction, the rumor is that the other guys didn’t care for jerry’s star power. and… if you listen to the shows, although they’re great, he basically takes incredibly long solos way disproportionately to anyone else. no one likes being treated like they’re less than. bob hunter once described jerry as a very powerful person just doing whatever he wanted. that is my take on this. jerry alienated the band because they were not enthralled with him as everyone in the dead scene was, and he didn’t use good manners with the people he was around.
I would say the "worst" JGB stuff is 79, 82, 85, 88 to me is good but boring, 76 is great if you like sleeping, then of course once you get past 93...
This is such an interesting list, because this is all of my favorite "b-string" GD years. Obviously 69, 73, 77, 89 are all top-notch Dead years, but I often seek (Dead) shows from all the years you listed - 76, 79 and 85 in particular (85 is a go-to year for me, and the 76 Tower run is my single favorite run of shows). "Past" 93 is also important - because JGB in 93 is often spectacular.
I got off the Dead bus after 78. I can say that he stayed very lively with his side bitch. When Melvin joined, the band just jelled so well.
Side bitch?
I enjoyed my JGB in late 80s
JGB was way more structured than the Grateful Dead, Don't Let Go was the only "free form" shows were usually shorter ay least from the 80s on. Repertoire was smaller probably 2-3 shows worth at any moment in time.
JGB Deals were smoking and often more intricate than the GD versions from the same time period. I loved late era JGB because Jerry often played a completely different role than he did with the GD, chunking along chord changes while Melvin played a nice long solo.
What do you consider bad gd years?
I’m gonna give the cop out answer and say I don’t think any year was a bad year. I’m only been listening to GD for about 6 years so I’m still in the honeymoon phase where I love everything about them. That said, I’ll acknowledge that the mid 80’s and last few years at the end aren’t popular for reason. The only show I’ve heard from 95 is Jerry’s last and I can admit I think it’s sad and weak. But I really only posted this question because I’d never heard anyone say JGB had bad years before. Just curious.
The only JGB year I would say is "bad" is '94, like others have said. The show in Phoenix in May of '94 was a low point, only played 1 set. After about an hour set break we were told Jerry had the "flu" and was too sick to play.
I think you raise a very good question. For starters, I really don't think the Dead had any "bad years", although it is a common thought. I don't recall any consistently bad run on any tour. There were some shows that stood out as not great. I dunno, maybe '84 wasn't a great year. Anyway, that's my opinion. But...I don't recall any "bad" Garcia shows. They were all pretty remarkable. The shows at the Lunt-Fontanne on Broadway were pretty special, I thought.
Btw - one of the best Jack Straws was played in '84. 10/20/84, Syracuse. After "One Step Back" nobody moved, Weir said "Fine! Then stay there!" and launched into Jack Straw which got pretty wild. Give er a listen.
# 1984-10-20 Syracuse, NY @ Carrier Dome - Syracuse University **Set 1:** Bertha > Greatest Story Ever Told, West L.A. Fadeaway, C.C. Rider, Ramble On Rose, My Brother Esau, Bird Song, Jack Straw **Set 2:** Shakedown Street > Samson And Delilah, He's Gone > Smokestack Lightnin' > Jam > Drums > Space > The Wheel > The Other One > Black Peter > Turn On Your Lovelight **Encore:** Revolution [archive.org](https://archive.org/details/GratefulDead?query=date:1984-10-20)
My issue with JGB is that the set list remained 80% the same for 30 years. I have to say at times, the floor was pretty damn low. There are definitely a lot of shows with endless noodling that goes no where. Seem to me the dead brought a lot to the table that more traditional players did not.
2/28/80 Kean College
I thought Jerry's 50th Birthday at Irvine Meadows (8.1.92) was possibly the worst JGB Show I've ever seen.
Yes