5 hour show? Do you believe this?

[Disembodied Spirit]

Whats up with the Grateful Dead? Why are/were they so popular? I don't see anything interesting about them and they sound like a cross between bluegrass and blues?

I know a giant fan and he thinks they are the best. I just don't get it.

 

 

It's something that has to be experienced and is about way more than just the music.

It's about chicks with BO and armpit hair.

Those broads rock!

(By rock, I mean they are very easy)

[EagleMoon]

Whats up with the Grateful Dead? Why are/were they so popular? I don't see anything interesting about them and they sound like a cross between bluegrass and blues?

I know a giant fan and he thinks they are the best. I just don't get it.

 

 

It's something that has to be experienced and is about way more than just the music.

It's about chicks with BO and armpit hair.

Those broads rock!

(By rock, I mean they are very easy)

 

And how would you know that? :D

[Blue J]

Whats up with the Grateful Dead? Why are/were they so popular? I don't see anything interesting about them and they sound like a cross between bluegrass and blues?

I know a giant fan and he thinks they are the best. I just don't get it.

 

 

It's something that has to be experienced and is about way more than just the music.

It's about chicks with BO and armpit hair.

Those broads rock!

(By rock, I mean they are very easy)

 

And how would you know that? :D

 

 

[EagleMoon]

Whats up with the Grateful Dead? Why are/were they so popular? I don't see anything interesting about them and they sound like a cross between bluegrass and blues?

I know a giant fan and he thinks they are the best. I just don't get it.

 

 

It's something that has to be experienced and is about way more than just the music.

It's about chicks with BO and armpit hair.

Those broads rock!

(By rock, I mean they are very easy)

 

And how would you know that? :D

 

 

 

I'll just say it. Ewwwwwww.

[librarian]

Of course not, but if they do - I need to get in shape or I'll be in trouble out there.

[MMCXII]

im surprised this thread is still going! Edited March 20, 2015 by MMCXII

[Disembodied Spirit]

im surprised this thread is still going!

And it just was about to fall to Page 2

[Jaminbenb]

Whats up with the Grateful Dead? Why are/were they so popular? I don't see anything interesting about them and they sound like a cross between bluegrass and blues?

I know a giant fan and he thinks they are the best. I just don't get it.

 

What I've learned is that the whole "Jam Band" thing is something to experience. They can play an entirely different set every night of a three month tour, and not think twice about it. I've been following Dave Matthews, Umphrey's McGee (which is a PROG Jam band) and Gov't Mule for a while, and every time I've seen these bands, (or downloaded their shows) it's a different show, and what they DO play the same, is different from time to time! The Dead did the same thing, and played a LOT of different stuff, some of their own, some of other bands, but they had their take, and to ME, it felt like they were playing for themselves, and just invited an audience to sit in with them.... It reminded me of a bunch of guys I used to jam with years back who would play ANYTHING that came to mind, interpreted it in our own way, and just enjoyed playing...while tossing back a few beers! (we were all in cruddy local Legion-club bands and got tired of playing Midnight Hour for 65 year olds) The Dead is an experience that you just HAVE to experience! I never saw the Dead live...but I saw Bobby Weir open for the Allmans, and he did like 75% Dead stuff..but that scene is something that's really cool to deal with!

[Jaminbenb]

And what sucked about the guys I mentioned in the post above...we never just said "let's do our own thing" and left that scene....We had some fun, and played some great stuff! (hell even my dad who thought that the BIG BANDS were the only decent music enjoyed listening to us play!) (we played in his basement because he had room, and a good load in/out area!)

[WorkingAllTheTime]

Whats up with the Grateful Dead? Why are/were they so popular? I don't see anything interesting about them and they sound like a cross between bluegrass and blues?

I know a giant fan and he thinks they are the best. I just don't get it.

 

What I've learned is that the whole "Jam Band" thing is something to experience. They can play an entirely different set every night of a three month tour, and not think twice about it. I've been following Dave Matthews, Umphrey's McGee (which is a PROG Jam band) and Gov't Mule for a while, and every time I've seen these bands, (or downloaded their shows) it's a different show, and what they DO play the same, is different from time to time! The Dead did the same thing, and played a LOT of different stuff, some of their own, some of other bands, but they had their take, and to ME, it felt like they were playing for themselves, and just invited an audience to sit in with them.... It reminded me of a bunch of guys I used to jam with years back who would play ANYTHING that came to mind, interpreted it in our own way, and just enjoyed playing...while tossing back a few beers! (we were all in cruddy local Legion-club bands and got tired of playing Midnight Hour for 65 year olds) The Dead is an experience that you just HAVE to experience! I never saw the Dead live...but I saw Bobby Weir open for the Allmans, and he did like 75% Dead stuff..but that scene is something that's really cool to deal with!

 

Therein lies the difference between the Dead and Rush, though. Rush is not a jam band. They are extremely technical and seem to want their shows to be perfect representations of their vision of the tour. They don't really allow for fluidity in their sets, let alone their songs (night-to-night). That's one reason why the notion of an extended stay in any city is not realistic.... it would be the same show night after night... and, no matter how much *we* might love the band, there's not enough interest for them to play a string of multiple nights save for the cities of the Bos-Wash Megalopolis, Chicago, and So/Norcal.

 

Also, with the idea of the 5 hour show... even if the band were up to doing it, most of the rental agreements for venues forbid it (or at a minimum require all sorts of riders). Springsteen still clocks in at 4 hours, but even those shows are a very touchy subject with venues, particularly in North America.

 

Ged's comment was pretty clearly tongue-in-cheek.

Edited March 21, 2015 by WorkingAllTheTime

[Blue J]

Whats up with the Grateful Dead? Why are/were they so popular? I don't see anything interesting about them and they sound like a cross between bluegrass and blues?

I know a giant fan and he thinks they are the best. I just don't get it.

 

What I've learned is that the whole "Jam Band" thing is something to experience. They can play an entirely different set every night of a three month tour, and not think twice about it. I've been following Dave Matthews, Umphrey's McGee (which is a PROG Jam band) and Gov't Mule for a while, and every time I've seen these bands, (or downloaded their shows) it's a different show, and what they DO play the same, is different from time to time! The Dead did the same thing, and played a LOT of different stuff, some of their own, some of other bands, but they had their take, and to ME, it felt like they were playing for themselves, and just invited an audience to sit in with them.... It reminded me of a bunch of guys I used to jam with years back who would play ANYTHING that came to mind, interpreted it in our own way, and just enjoyed playing...while tossing back a few beers! (we were all in cruddy local Legion-club bands and got tired of playing Midnight Hour for 65 year olds) The Dead is an experience that you just HAVE to experience! I never saw the Dead live...but I saw Bobby Weir open for the Allmans, and he did like 75% Dead stuff..but that scene is something that's really cool to deal with!

 

You're the Umphrey's fan! I remember you posting things about them a few times fairly recently. They are a band I've never checked out, but I may.

 

To your point above, though- I'm a veteran of about two dozen or so Grateful Dead shows, maybe ten Allman Brothers shows, and Black Crowes more than any other band, over the years- 49 shows. And I've never seen the same set performed twice, by any of those three. I do love a band that changes things up that much.

[Jaminbenb]

Whats up with the Grateful Dead? Why are/were they so popular? I don't see anything interesting about them and they sound like a cross between bluegrass and blues?

I know a giant fan and he thinks they are the best. I just don't get it.

 

What I've learned is that the whole "Jam Band" thing is something to experience. They can play an entirely different set every night of a three month tour, and not think twice about it. I've been following Dave Matthews, Umphrey's McGee (which is a PROG Jam band) and Gov't Mule for a while, and every time I've seen these bands, (or downloaded their shows) it's a different show, and what they DO play the same, is different from time to time! The Dead did the same thing, and played a LOT of different stuff, some of their own, some of other bands, but they had their take, and to ME, it felt like they were playing for themselves, and just invited an audience to sit in with them.... It reminded me of a bunch of guys I used to jam with years back who would play ANYTHING that came to mind, interpreted it in our own way, and just enjoyed playing...while tossing back a few beers! (we were all in cruddy local Legion-club bands and got tired of playing Midnight Hour for 65 year olds) The Dead is an experience that you just HAVE to experience! I never saw the Dead live...but I saw Bobby Weir open for the Allmans, and he did like 75% Dead stuff..but that scene is something that's really cool to deal with!

 

Therein lies the difference between the Dead and Rush, though. Rush is not a jam band. They are extremely technical and seem to want their shows to be perfect representations of their vision of the tour. They don't really allow for fluidity in their sets, let alone their songs (night-to-night). That's one reason why the notion of an extended stay in any city is not realistic.... it would be the same show night after night... and, no matter how much *we* might love the band, there's not enough interest for them to play a string of multiple nights save for the cities of the Bos-Wash Megalopolis, Chicago, and So/Norcal.

 

Also, with the idea of the 5 hour show... even if the band were up to doing it, most of the rental agreements for venues forbid it (or at a minimum require all sorts of riders). Springsteen still clocks in at 4 hours, but even those shows are a very touchy subject with venues, particularly in North America.

 

Ged's comment was pretty clearly tongue-in-cheek.

 

True regarding the difference between Rush and the Dead...but when a band like Dream Theater who has some pretty technical things going on in their show, can go out and play a mostly different show every night you can see that it CAN be done! (and don't get me wrong..I'm not KNOCKING them for not being versatile like that, because it's sure saved me from feeling like I need to take an entire week of vacation, and follow them around JUST to try to hear _______ played one night because they're doing it occasionally!)

[Jaminbenb]

Whats up with the Grateful Dead? Why are/were they so popular? I don't see anything interesting about them and they sound like a cross between bluegrass and blues?

I know a giant fan and he thinks they are the best. I just don't get it.

 

What I've learned is that the whole "Jam Band" thing is something to experience. They can play an entirely different set every night of a three month tour, and not think twice about it. I've been following Dave Matthews, Umphrey's McGee (which is a PROG Jam band) and Gov't Mule for a while, and every time I've seen these bands, (or downloaded their shows) it's a different show, and what they DO play the same, is different from time to time! The Dead did the same thing, and played a LOT of different stuff, some of their own, some of other bands, but they had their take, and to ME, it felt like they were playing for themselves, and just invited an audience to sit in with them.... It reminded me of a bunch of guys I used to jam with years back who would play ANYTHING that came to mind, interpreted it in our own way, and just enjoyed playing...while tossing back a few beers! (we were all in cruddy local Legion-club bands and got tired of playing Midnight Hour for 65 year olds) The Dead is an experience that you just HAVE to experience! I never saw the Dead live...but I saw Bobby Weir open for the Allmans, and he did like 75% Dead stuff..but that scene is something that's really cool to deal with!

 

You're the Umphrey's fan! I remember you posting things about them a few times fairly recently. They are a band I've never checked out, but I may.

 

To your point above, though- I'm a veteran of about two dozen or so Grateful Dead shows, maybe ten Allman Brothers shows, and Black Crowes more than any other band, over the years- 49 shows. And I've never seen the same set performed twice, by any of those three. I do love a band that changes things up that much.

 

Yeah, I heard a few things of theirs, then I saw them open for Dave Matthews once and was hooked...although I haven't been able to go see them live since...but I've downloaded a Shatner-load of stuff!

 

I always seemed to get screwed when the Dead was local or semi-local...when they toured a lot in the summers I was involved in drum and bugle corps and always busy...then as they got older and toured a little less, I just wasn't able to go see them..then when Jerry died, that ended it for the most part...(and I just haven't been able to go see and Further shows, etc....) The Bob Weir Allmans thing was just a lucky night in Hershey so it killed two birds with one stone. The only time I ever saw the Black Crowes was opening for DMB a few years back...and a few songs when they did a Further Festival tour in Hershey...I was up at the Hotel Hershey for dinner with some friends, and we hung out on their back patio for a little while having drinks, and you could hear them down below at the stadium! Kind of a cool thing!

 

The only band I've seen more than Rush is DMB, but he came to Hershey every year for a long time...now he keeps skipping it, but I never saw anything CLOSE to the same show twice!