[snoot]

Originally Posted by slipkid

I guess if you were "there" I can understand.

It's always the best way to travel, and judge. I'm certain some shows were better than others, as were certain eras versus others. Jerry Garcia was quite a character, once you looked past his multitude of excesses (ouch). I still mostly remember Bob Weir from his Easy To Slip hit from the late 70's. I once heard an extended jam of it, which was quite nice to boot. I just never was anything close to a deadhead, even if I did like a number of the band's better known tunes. Some were true classics, Truckin' probably leading the way.

In the summer of '73 the Dead played a show at R.F.K stadium (with the ABB) that lasted five and a half hours (that's just the Dead's portion)!

They were legendary for their extended (if not exhaustive, or excessive lol) performances. Not all ran that long of course, but I bet a few lasted even longer! You can't say they didn't give their fans their due, and then some!

A general rule is I'll take a Who or ABB, or Tull (I have seen all three) show any day of the week over the Dead.

You mention The Who, ABB and JT live, three great acts from the early '70's. Another guy who could flat out rock from that era was Alvin Lee, whether with or without his band Ten Years After. Damn if he didn't always put on a great live show. I can recall one tour he did just after his TYA days were over, a rock n roll revival of sorts. That was classic, even if he didn't turn to the guitar pyrotechnics for which he was so long associated. You can glimpse that concert with Alvin Lee & Company - In Flight [Live] (1974). Compare it with TYA - Recorded Live [in Europe] from the previous year (1973) to appreciate the ground that guy could so effortlessly cover.

It's just sometimes I get in that mood, and those are the period(s) that I listed before that I can enjoy. Oh, and as long as I don't intermingle with the fans too much. They get on my nerves.

Ain't it the truth, even though most deadheads were/are pretty mellow folks, and most mean well. But as for getting in the right mood, I suppose a lot of our appreciation for music at any given time comes down to the mood we're actually in, or how long it's been since we last visited that specific ground. Ever notice how much better food tastes when you're really hungry? Ca-ching!