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

Tag: 10/9/76

I Can’t Complain

This was the Day on the Green in ’76–well, one of the two days–and Garcia looks skinny, and though you can’t see it in this picture Bobby is wearing either jodhpurs or puttees. Some form of non-trouser pant.

But this is what Roger Daltrey looked like:

“What’s the matter, Weir? You’ve been pouting all day?”

“Well, Jer: you know how I’m usually the best-looking guy in the room?”

“Sure.”

“You see Daltrey?”

“Healthy specimen.”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

“It’s just two shows, Weir. Next week you’ll be competing with Billy and Phil again.”

“I guess.”

“Aw. C’mon, buddy. He ain’t that great.”

“Y’think?”

“I’m not generally one to look at another guy’s crotch, but where’s his potato salad?”

“I see none.”

“Like a Ken doll.”

“You always know what to say, Garcia.”

“You’re my guy, Bob.”

“Can I take my shirt off for our set, too?”

“I will whip you to death with my guitar cord if you remove your shirt, Bob.”

“Okay.”

“We’re not that kind of group.”

“We could be.”

“No, we couldn’t. Besides, if you take your shirt off, Billy’ll take his off.”

“That’s no good for anyone.”

“No.”

American, Pastoral

jerry bobby flowers dotg 76

The pustules bloomed early that season, and the farmer had to hire extra scythes for the cull.

Foggy morning, and fog is just a cloud that couldn’t hack it; it tortured the scythes and turned them around and fed them panic by the spoonful.  When the biggest one started to cry, the dirt turned on them. Roots wrapped round their ankles: spiky fenchurch, and leafy whistleweed, and hairy alabaga.

And when the sun had finished rising, there was no sound except the sallybugs called the faithful to prayer. The throated ivy eyed the farmhouse and the barn.

“Jer?”

“Yeah, Bob?”

“What did we take?”

“Drugs.”

“Ah.”

Intro And Transitions

As previously reported–

Did you really just use the word “reported” to describe a semi-antisemitic allusion in an imagined conversation?

–the Dead Or What’s Left Of ‘Em have themselves a shiny new Jew; it’s Irving Azoff, and the Dead continue their streak of doing business with the Most Powerful and/or Feared Jew in the Music Biz. Bill Graham in the 60’s and 70’s, Clive Davis in the 80’s, and now good ol’ Uncle Irv. Read about him here.

AND

Inspired by Lost Live Dead’s new post about the Days on the Green, TotD has cued up 10/9/76, the second set of which can be heard here:

Friend Of A Friend Of The Devil

bobby jerry bill graham jpb 76

“Hey, Bobby,” Garcia said under his breath.

“I don’t wanna talk about it, man.”

“The hat’s cool and all…but, you know: the hat’s not all there is to the matter, is it?””

“I am not even looking at you. Please shut up.”

Bobby doodled on his guitar.

“I feel like I should ask him which side he served in Mr. Lincoln’s infernal war.”

“Listen, he’s my friend. Leave it alone. Your friends are terrible, too.

Park Life

band dotg 76

Another shot from the great ’76 Day on the Green show(s) the Dead did with The Who. Both the Saturday and Sunday shows are available on Dick’s Picks 33 and if you haven’t heard the ass-blasting Help>Slip>Samson>Slip>Franklin’s, then go get your mother’s sewing kit, stitch up your butt, and eat cheese. Eat it. Eat the cheese.

Why?

Two solid ’76 shows from our boys (and Mrs. Donna Jean, looking rather fetching above, but how did the British section of the afternoon go ? Blue-blooded Cardinal Steveb2973 reports on the British portion of the afternoon’s entertainment:

I went to the Sunday show. I remember a lot of Townshend’s famous windmill (and Weir doing a rather feeble imitation during the Dead’s set).

Also, Daltrey swinging his mic at the end of what seemed like an impossibly long cord, then catching it in time for the next verse. That must have been a lot of strain on the cord, because the crew had to replace the mic in mid-song once.

And at the climax of “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” Townshend, who had gone off the stage, coming back on with a long, almost baseball-style slide to accompany Daltrey’s scream.

I mentioned “Johnny B. Goode” earlier. Keith Moon introduced it by saying that Bill Graham had offered them another $100 to play an encore.

Bill later charged the band back the hundred, plus 10% for restocking and another 10% just to see if they’d notice.