Musings on the Most Ridiculous Band I Can't Stop Listening To

An Open Letter To A Dude In 1979

Dear Dude On The Dusborne Matrix Of 11/30/79 During Drums.

Stop yelling “sit down.” You are more annoying to me than the people standing up are to you. Stop that right now in 1979.

Sincerely,
Thoughts on the Dead

p.s. Great show, and besides for the bros being all bro about things, it is a treat for two reasons. First of all: the Dead perform their music well. (Sometimes they did not, so this fact should be mentioned. The Dead always meant to play well–I’m not accusing them of malfeasance–but once in a while, they did not achieve strong bone. It happens. Stanley Theater in ’79? Strong bone.) Second: the first set’s the first set, no real weirdness, but then the second set is the most front-loaded one I’ve ever seen.

Look at this bullshit:

Set 2:
Scarlet Begonias
Fire On The Mountain
Passenger
Terrapin Station
Playin’ In The Band
Drums
Lost Sailor
Saint Of Circumstance
Wharf Rat
Good Lovin’

That is a top-heavy list; if it wasn’t buttressed within the pull quote, it would topple.

Whatever: go listen to the Grateful Dead; turn it up loud, too.

3 Comments

  1. mrcompletely

    11.29 is great too with a super long Eyes

    strangely, and unusually, they played almost that exact same setlist again a few days later! 12.3.79 uptown theater swaps in Samson for Passenger and Truckin’ for GL

  2. PaulCHebert

    A 15-minute First Set Dancing in the Streets in 1979 strikes me as…weird.

    • Thoughts On The Dead

      It’s a great one.

      But, yeah: it’s just an oddly-arranged evening.

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