The Grateful Dead's 1985 East Coast fall tour produced a few shows that remain as key entries in their three-decade touring canon. Dick's Picks, Vol. 21 contains one such performance. Documented at the Richmond Coliseum on November 1, 1985, this show remains a favorite from the mid-'80s among Deadheads in the know. In addition, these three discs also include well over half an hour of material from the Community War Memorial in Rochester, NY, on September 2, 1980. Why just this fragment? According to vault keeper David Lemieux, "All we had in the vault of that show is what we are releasing here." One of the main reasons this performance ranks so highly is an above-average song selection. For instance, "Stagger Lee," "Comes a Time," and a cover of Dylan's "She Belongs to Me" are all 1985 revivals. While some material stayed out of the rotation longer than others, the influx and overall diversion from routine make more common fodder -- such as "Me and My Uncle," "Big River," or "Jack Straw" -- considerably more palatable. There are also some unpredictable moments. The most notable occurs during the second set as "Lost Sailor" and "Saint of Circumstance" -- which are usually played together -- are done separately. This show happens to be the sole occurrence in which both songs are performed, but not sequentially. An unusually animated Bob Weir demonstrates his attributes and support to the aural athletics taking place during a rare cover of "Gloria." The nearly 40 minutes of music from September 2, 1980, was added because it contains some amazing music, and because there was a significant amount of time available on the third disc after the "feature presentation." The brilliant and economical idea to incorporate these otherwise useless fragments of music is solved -- proving once again that necessity can still be the mother of invention.

Definitely sounds intriguing. I've still got to finish up the last disc from the ATL/FL series...I got sidetracked and didnt get through it all (see the phish thread).

I don't think I've ever heard a version of "Cold Rain and Snow" that I really liked.

I don't know if I'll that far, but the song never seems to reach a critical peak. If it was an action potential, threshold is rarely exceeded.

Weird, one of my faves.

Still on #29/6 for now. In Toronto for the rest of the week. My cousin's playing in a band called Mars Hotel covering all Dead on Saturday at the El Mocambo. My whole family is going to be present, with doobs. Here's the setlist. I'll record it if anyone's interested

Set One

Bertha
Jackstraw
Sugaree
Scarlet Begonieas >
Franklin's Tower >
Eyes of the World
Ramble on Rose
Mississippi Half Step
Loose Lucy
Goin' Down the Road Feeling Bad

Set Two

Me and My Uncle
New Minglewood Blues
Black Peter
Brown Eyed Women
Dark Star >
Other One >
Drumz >
Other One >
Dark Star
Bird Song
Mr. Charlie
Turn on Your Love Light

Encore

Brokedown Palace

I'm with Gar, I like Cold Rain & Snow very much, maybe for not needing it to cross any sort of threshold.

Strange, I'm at a point where I shudder at the obligation of putting on another show, but once it's on I'm usually all-in, never looking back. Let's admit, this is an experiment in Dead Head-ism, and the unsavoury appetites of the daily listener.

Still on #29/6 for now. In Toronto for the rest of the week. My cousin's playing in a band called Mars Hotel covering all Dead on Saturday at the El Mocambo. My whole family is going to be present, with doobs. Here's the setlist. I'll record it if anyone's interested

That's the funniest thing I've heard in a while...why now?

This is a psychological experiment, make no mistake. It's of the late 60's unethical variety too, which makes it affectively challenging and stressful. A university board would have prevented this from taking place.

Seriously though, it is an interesting exercise from a cognitive perspective. Every single morning, listening to variations of a similar batch of songs, hearing things you've never noticed before and having strong affective reactions to others.



You're almost certainly going to fracture during this show.

Add Samson and Delilah to the ash heap of songs. Terrible.

I am still on the 77 set, but this Brown Eyed Woman is JAMMIN

Really digging this string of covers, Gimme Some Lovin'>She Belongs to Me>Gloria plus Iko Iko!