Grateful Dead: 03/28/1990, Nassau Veteran's Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York

Grateful Dead: 03/28/1990, Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale New York












Set list:
I. Cold Rain & Snow, New Minglewood Blues, Easy To Love You, High Time, Queen Jane Approximately, Loose Lucy, Cassidy, Deal

II. Foolish Heart, Looks Like Rain, Cumberland Blues, The Weight, Hey Pocky Way, Drums-> Space-> Other One Jam-> The Other One-> Wharf Rat-> Good Lovin'

Encore: Revolution

The Grateful Dead was at their absolute “post-coma” peak from the summer of 1989 through the summer of 1990. They had never been more popular, playing at consistently sold out venues and even selling out some huge arenas. Jerry Garcia was by all reports clean and sober, and his playing and singing hadn’t been as good since the late 70’s. The whole band, as always, fed off Garcia’s newfound energy and their playing reached levels not seen for over a decade. It’s no accident that this era of the Grateful Dead’s playing has been heavily mined by Grateful Dead Productions for official releases. These include:

Truckin’ Up To Buffalo (Rich Stadium, 7/4/89)
Downhill from Here (Alpine Valley Music Center, 7/17 & 7/19/1989)
Nightfall of Diamonds (Meadowlands Arena, 10/16/1989)
Grateful Dead – Terrapin Limited (Landover Capital Center, 3/15/1990)
Dozin’ At the Knick (Knickerbocker Arena, 3/24, 3/25, & 3/26/1990)
View from the Vault III (Shoreline Amphitheater, 6/16/1990)
View from the Vault I (Cardinal Stadium, 7/6/1990 & Three Rivers Stadium 7/8/1990)
Without A Net (tracks culled from the Fall 1989 and Spring 1990 tours)

In addition to these wonderful releases, this era of the Grateful Dead’s touring contains some of the most popular live recordings in circulation among traders, including the brilliant Warlocks shows from 10/8 &10/9/1989, Ontario Canada 3/22/1990, and the rightfully famous 3/29/1990, which featured the band’s first meeting with jazz saxophonist Branford Marsalis.

During this incredibly prolific year, the Dead revived or introduced a number of new songs, such as We Bid You Goodnight, Death Don’t Have No Mercy, Help On the Way-> Slipknot, Dark Star, Attics Of My Life, Loose Lucy, Black Throated Wind, Easy To Love You, Revolution, The Last Time, and Hey Jude.

For all these reasons, many Deadheads are distracted by the glitter and glamour of the recordings listed above, and the 3/28/1990 show at Nassau Coliseum is unfairly overlooked and unknown. This is a real shame, because those that give this show a good listen will find that it stands up next to any single one of the shows or recordings listed above. On to the review...

3/28/90 features one of the best first sets of the year. The first set of this show is all about Jerry. His song selection is what makes the set so unique and different. The set opens with a smoking Cold Rain and Snow, which always seems to portend a special night ahead. The jams are crisp and concise, with none of the fumbling or lost feeling that you sometimes hear when Jerry noodles around a tight arrangement like this. There’s nothing tentative about the harmony singing here, with Brent and Bob pitch perfect. Brent does a little noodling around the melody with his organ near the end of the song, adding a nice touch.

Next Bob sings New Minglewood Blues, highlighted by Jerry’s creative, fiery guitar soloing apparent from the very first break. Bob sings about “Island fillies looking good” and “tea right here in Long Island” to get the hometown crowd nice and fired up. The second break features a couple of measures of some smoking organ solos by Brent, but unfortunately before he gets really cooking he’s prematurely cut off by Bob’s attempts at some slide guitar soloing. On my recording his guitar is way down in the mix, barely audible over Jerry’s rhythm and the drums. Jerry takes over with some more lead and saves the jam from petering out.

Brent takes over singing lead with a pretty Easy To Love You. This was the third performance of this tune since it was revived two weeks earlier in Landover, MD. The arrangement is tight and Jerry plays some really nice licks behind Brent’s singing. This is pretty low on my list of favorite Brent tunes, but this is a nice version. A sweet tinkling piano solo, a tight guitar solo, and nice backup singing by Jerry are the highlights here.

Jerry takes back control of the set, and continues the eclectic song selection of this set with the first High Time in over a year. A perfect time to break it out…his voice had never been stronger, and this version hit every note perfectly. The bridge is sung as beautifully as I’ve ever heard it, and all through the song the plaintive and wavering quality in Jerry’s singing makes this version stand out as a highlight of the set. No lead break here and no need for one, really. It’s all about Jerry’s masterful control of the lyrics.

Bobby sings Dylan’s Queen Jane Approximately next, which I was always so glad to hear ever since they started playing this after their tour with Bob Dylan in 1987. I found this tune a lot more satisfying in this position than some of Weir’s other choices. There are more opportunities here for some creative Jerry noodling behind Bob’s singing, and he takes full advantage. I love his harmony singing in this song as well, he sounds perfect in the high harmony here. The first instrumental break is a moving jam by Garcia with some really unique interplay with Brent’s piano for a few measures.

To the delight of everyone involved, Jerry keeps things moving full force by pulling Loose Lucy out of his bag of tricks. This is the third time they played this great song since its revival in Landover MD on 3/14/90, and this version is sweet. The singing is really strong. Jerry really belts this out, and his jamming is raunchy and wonderful. Brent’s fills are perfect, not distracting in any way but add just the right amount to the mix. Jerry forgets to sing the “Bebop Baby” verse, but the jam in place of it is so fiery and smoking that it’s barely missed. This is one of my favorite first set tunes in the Dead’s repertoire.

Bob Weir’s Cassidy is next, with Brent harmonizing really nicely through the first two verses and bridge. The jam that follows “faring thee well now” never reaches the peak of weirdness that you’ll sometimes find in this song, but the result is a tight spacey jam that completely satisfies. Here’s a really interesting link I found featuring John Barlow writing about his experiences with Neal Cassady, and the origins of the lyrics of this song. Definitely check it out if you haven’t seen this:

http://www.litkicks.com/Topics/BarlowOnNeal.html

This set closes with a really above average Deal. Jerry’s leads are superb, and Brent plays his organ like his ass is on fire. It sounds like the drummers get really excited during the last jam in this song…someone is slamming really hard on their kit. At the end of the tune, after a fiery jam, everything gets quiet as Jerry nearly whispers the repeated lyrics over and over until exploding into the finale and ending the set.

Jerry opens the second set with Foolish Heart, a song I love wherever it appears in a set. The soundboard I have cuts a couple seconds off the beginning of the tune, and I haven’t seen any versions without this cut. This song explodes out of the bridge into a beautiful jam that never loses its cohesiveness, feels forced or floundering. It’s a perfect example of what I love about this show. As you’ll see from the song selection that follows, the best word you could use to describe this show is "deliberate." There are no wasted notes here. Every jam is tight, and the loose, spacey feel that is so much a part of the Grateful Dead is little evidenced tonight. It makes for a unique experience, and really shows off the sheer musicianship and talents of every player in this band.

Bob’s next song is Looks Like Rain, one of my favorites of his. Any song that affords Jerry the opportunity to noodle away behind Bobby’s singing is ok in my book (see El Paso for another good example of this) and there’s plenty of it here. There’s some cool thunder effects provided by the drummers near the end of the song. This version of Looks Like Rain was taken and recorded for the tour compilation released by the Dead, Without A Net.

Jerry keeps everyone on their toes with the second of only three Cumberland Blues’ in 1990. Bobby comes in early for the first verse and gets a laugh from the crowd. It doesn’t faze anyone though, because this song just smokes right along. Listen for some really imaginative soloing around 4:45 into the tune.

Next is the cool breakout of this show…the first appearance of The Weight. It rarely sounded this good, the harmonizing sweet and vocals in general very good. Even on my soundboard version of this show, you can hear the audience explode when they figure out what song the Dead are playing. They burst out even louder with pleasure when Phil takes his verse. There’s a little bit of confusion following the instrumental jam after Bobby’s verse. It seems like they didn’t have the arrangement perfectly down yet, and the jam is aborted. The song ends with a sweetly harmonized last verse. This song would generally be played as an encore in later shows, and seems a bit out of place here in the set, but from the perspective of a breakout it is really well done.

Brent gets to lead us into the drum solo by belting out a raging Hey Pocky Way. His organ solo really soars and you can tell he was ready to explode by the time he got set loose on this song. Jerry’s solo smokes as well. This is one of the best Brent tunes, full of energy and opportunity.

Drums is about ten minutes, not much to say about it. It doesn’t really take off like some of the drum breaks around this time period. About seven minutes after the band comes back on stage space morphs into what soon becomes a clear jam into The Other One. It’s a really smooth, funky transition, and a nice change from the explosive openings we usually hear for this song. There’s neat echo on Bob’s vocals adding a nice touch. Once Bob starts the vocals the song only has about another three minutes left in it, but they are a wild three minutes.

Other One segues sweetly and perfectly into the always moving Wharf Rat. Jerry’s vocals continue to highlight and be perfectly on the mark in this powerful rendition of this song.

Bobby closes the set with an upbeat Good Lovin’. Check out near the end of the first verse for two of the girliest squeals you have ever heard emanate from Bob Weir’s vocal chords. Verse two is handled robustly by Brent. Jerry’s first jam reminded me of the cool Good Lovin-> La Bamba-> Good Lovin’ sandwiches we heard a few times in 1987. The verse after the jam features some really cool interplay between Bob singing lead and Jerry joining Brent with the “ooh baby baby” response and then moving to the “got to have loving” line. Very nice.

The encore features the band’s final performance of the Beatles’ Revolution. I guess Jerry finally gave up on getting the words right; I don’t think there is a single version of this song done by the Dead that has correct lyrics. It’s a shame they didn’t bring this back once the band added teleprompters to the stage, because this song was a huge crowd pleaser. Once again, even on the soundboard, you can hear the crowd explode in joy at the first few notes of this tune. A great closer, muddled lyrics and all.

So that’s it…this is a great show and definitely a worthy addition to any Deadhead’s collection. Like I mentioned above, it is certainly unique with the absence of some truly psychedelic jamming. This show reminds me of the best of the shows we heard the Dead play in 1971, when the songs were frequently short and the playing extremely tight. This brings me to the point where I am tempted to post a link to this show where you can easily download a soundboard copy for yourself. But partly with respect for the band’s (or Bob Weir’s) expressed wish that soundboards not be distributed over certain websites and partly because I don’t want the websites that do continue to host these boards to get in any trouble, I've decided not to post these links. If my review has piqued your interest and you want to hear the show for yourself, get in touch with me through here or drop me an email (jobygoob@aol.com) and I’ll send you the link.

Happy Holidays to everyone!

Here's wishing everyone a happy and healthy holiday season.

I am extremely gratified by all the positive response I have received to my first couple of reviews. Thank you all for your support.

My next review should be up within the next few days, so please keep checking back.

Jerry Garcia Band, 08-29-1987, French's Camp at Eel River, Piercy California

Review: Jerry Garcia Band, 08-29-1987 French’s Camp on the Eel River, Piercy California

Set 1: Acoustic Set

Deep Elem Blues, I've Been All Around This World, Friend Of The Devil, Trouble In Mind, Little Sadie, Diamond Joe, Spike Driver Blues, Oh Babe It Ain't No Lie, I’m Troubled, Ripple

Set 2: Electric Set

How Sweet It Is, Forever Young, Get Out Of My Life Woman, Run For The Roses, And It Stoned Me, Sisters and Brothers, Deal

Set 3: Electric Set

The Harder They Come, I Shall Be Released, Think, Evangeline, Gomorrah, Let It Rock, Lucky Old Sun, Tangled Up In Blue


This is hands down one of the cleanest, best sounding soundboards I’ve ever heard of a Jerry Garcia Band show. As you may know, Jerry never authorized recording of any incarnation of the Jerry Garcia Band, so most recordings in circulation are stealth audience recordings. Soundboard patches were few and far between, so every one in current circulation is like gold to me. This one is absolutely perfect, with a pristine mix and gorgeous tone all the way through.

This show is a fantastic representation of the kinds of shows Jerry was playing during his run with the Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band, as well as this final lineup of the Jerry Garcia electric band. This particular show is unique in several ways. First, it is the premiere performance of the Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band. Second, it is the only time that Jerry played an acoustic set with JGAB as well as two full electric sets with his regular band. At all the shows after this one there was only one electric set following the acoustic set. Finally, the acoustic set contained the only known performance by this band of Friend of the Devil, and one of only two versions of Little Sadie.

A little about the site itself: French’s Camp at Eel River is a gorgeous site in Humboldt County, in Northern California. Now you probably are aware, Humboldt County is known for more than its gorgeous scenery. You have to imagine that this beautiful outdoor venue in the heart of the summer had some splendid aromas wafting through the air, and I’m not talking about the scent of fresh pine. Here’s an aerial shot of the campsite taken in 2003 during the annual reggae festival held there:















Nice place to see a show, huh?

On to the review:

The Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band featured JGB regulars John Kahn on bass and David Kemper on drums. Rounding out the group were Jerry’s old friends David Nelson on rhythm guitar and Sandy Rothman on mandolin and dobro. Both Nelson and Rothman were longtime associates of Garcia, from as far back as one of Garcia’s earliest live bluegrass bands, the Black Mountain Boys. Several recordings of the Black Mountain Boys are known to circulate amongst traders from various dates around early 1964. David Nelson later helped form the New Riders of the Purple Sage, who frequently toured with the Grateful Dead in the early 1970’s and for a time featured Garcia sitting in on pedal steel guitar and banjo. Garcia also appears on three of the New Riders early studio albums. There’s a lot of history in the Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band, and you can tell by how tight this band played on their very first live performance.

The acoustic set starts off with a peppy, rousing version of Deep Elem Blues. This song was probably made most famous by its version on the GD album Reckoning, but one of the earliest incarnations I’ve heard is from as far back as 1965, and this version is reminiscent of those early days. Upbeat soloing from Garcia and Rothman, and clear, crisp vocals mark the beginning of this great set. Next is the traditional classic, I’ve Been All Around This World, another highlight of the early 80’s acoustic Dead sets. Jerry’s picking here somehow seems both melancholy and upbeat, no mean feat, but perfectly suited to the themes of loss and redemption inherent in this song. From here we hear the only known performance of Friend of the Devil by this incarnation of the JGB. It’s fairly similar to many of the slower, more sedate versions of this song we’ve all heard the Dead, JGB, and Garcia/Grisman perform. Nelson’s backup guitar is a real nice addition though, he’s more studied in the bluegrass style than Bobby Weir ever was, and you can really hear the difference here if you listen. A superior, melodic Jerry guitar solo helps this version stand out from many of the others. Next, Trouble In Mind showcases Jerry’s bluesy chops, and features some great singing by Garcia. Little Sadie marks another return to an old classic of Garcia’s, played only four times by the Dead but a number of times during his solo acoustic shows in the early and mid 80’s and his duets with John Kahn from the same era. This version is solid and enjoyable, with some nice backup jamming from Sandy Rothman on the mandolin. David Nelson takes over on vocals for an upbeat version of Tex Logan’s Diamond Joe. Tex Logan was an accomplished fiddle player and played in a number of bands throughout the 1970’s, notably the New Lost City Ramblers. Next Jerry takes back vocal duties for a bluesy jam of Mississippi John Hurt’s delta blues classic Spike Driver Blues. Up next is a really nice version of Elizabeth Cotton’s Oh Babe it Ain’t No Lie, featuring some really interesting guitar work by David Nelson here. There’s a cool story about the origins of this song at the following site: http://www3.clearlight.com/~acsa/introjs.htm?/~acsa/songfile/OHBABEIT.HTM

The band picks things up again and features some unique vocal harmonies in this version of I’m Troubled. The set closes with a nice version of Ripple. Any time Jerry sings this song you can’t help but feel good and sway back and forth in time to the simple, hypnotic melody. Nelson and Rothman’s backup guitar and mandolin add a lot to this sweet version. This fantastic acoustic set is a true precursor to the classic performances this band will go on to display at the famous series of Lunt-Fontanne shows on Broadway in New York City later in 1987. This set in itself stands on its own as a classic.

Next the Jerry Garcia Band takes the stage for two full electric sets. This version of the JGB is the same band he would continue to play with until his death, consisting of John Kahn on bass, David Kemper on Drums, Melvin Seals on electric organ, and Gloria Jones and Jackie LaBranch on backing vocals. The sound quality on the recording I have takes a small hit during the electric set, I don’t know if it’s the mix or what, it just seemed to me the acoustic set sounded a lot crisper and clearer. The quality is still A+, just not the A+++ of the first set.

How Sweet It Is was always a great, rousing opener to any JGB show, and this one is peppy and full of energy. Great solos and flawless vocals help this version stand out from the many others. Jerry’s fine vocals throughout this show are one of the prime reasons this show is so good. Bob Dylan’s Forever Young is next, and is of anthemic proportions. Jerry’s solo work is heartbreakingly beautiful here. Things pick right up again with a one-two punch of Get Out Of My Life Woman, and Run For the Roses. Roses is notable again for the fine vocal work and none of the lyrical flubs that were somewhat common due to the difficult pacing of this song. Van Morrison’s And It Stoned Me comes next, and it’s another great version. When Jerry didn’t sound good, this tune could really drag a set down, but not this time. Here he sings with real emotion and you can feel it in his unique guitar work as well. An average Sisters & Brothers comes next, which segues right in to a rousing, smoking Deal to end the second set.

Set three opens up on a high, energetic note with an eleven minute Harder They Come. Melvin always came alive during this tune, and this version is no exception. I Shall Be Released is next in the set, and with all the power and pathos that comes with this version of the song, it would have been better suited to closer to the end of the set. The soloing is just gorgeous here, and you can feel the resignation tinged with hope come out of every note played. Jerry had such an incredible instinct for how long to hang on to a note, and it really show during this song. A nice bluesy jam comes next with Think and the energy of the set picks up again during Evangeline. Next comes one of my favorite JGB tunes, Gomorrah. I do prefer the Keith and Donna versions of this tune, however, even though this one is really, really nice. Another of my favorites comes next, Let It Rock, but unfortunately Jerry starts to sound a bit tired here. His guitar certainly didn’t suffer any, but his voice starts to waver a bit, and he starts to have some of the first problems of the day remembering lyrics here. Hey, I’ll cut him some slack, it’s been a monster, epic day of music. Lucky Old Sun showcases Melvin Seals’ fine organ work, but the set really drags to a halt here. Not one of my favorites. Things pick right back up again, however, with a fantastic version of Bob Dylan’s Tangled Up In Blue. What a pleasure it always is to hear Jerry sing Tangled. You can tell in every line and every jam how much he loves this song.

All in all this is a classic show. The acoustic set alone makes it a sure-fire download, and followed by two solid electric sets, this one is definitely a keeper in my book.

Just to get things started..."Formerly the Warlocks" 10/9/1989 Hampton Coliseum, Hampton Va

I think, just to get things going, I'll post a copy of a review I wrote for the Live Music Archive of one of my favorite Dead shows I had the good fortune to attend back in 1989. This show was probably the pinnacle of my live concert experiences...nothing I've seen since then has equalled the total rush, the amazing thrill of that outstanding second set. Check the bottom of the review for some links where you can download and/or stream the show over the internet.

Setlist:

I. Feel Like A Stranger, Built To Last, Little Red Rooster, Ramble On Rose, We Can Run But We Can't Hide, Jack A Roe, Memphis Blues, Row Jimmy, The Music Never Stopped

II. Playin' In The Band-> Uncle John's Band-> Playin' In The Band Reprise, Dark Star-> Drums-> Jam-> Death Don't Have No Mercy-> Dear Mr. Fantasy-> Hey Jude Reprise-> Throwing Stones-> Good Lovin'

E: Attics Of My Life

Review: "Hey man, you got your Attics!"

I was one of the lucky few thousands that was at this monster show, and along with the birth of my baby girl, it is the memory that I will cherish most of all for the rest of my life. I have certainly never been to any live concert that comes close to equaling the experience.

It was the fall semester of my junior year at Penn State in 1989, and my buddy Mike and I heard about the "stealth" Warlocks shows from the daughter of a woman that lived in State College who used to date Rob Wasserman and was friendly with Bob Weir. We immediately agreed that there was obviously no option other than scraping together every dime we could and heading down to Hampton for the shows.

We got to the 10/8 show at around five o clock that afternoon, and no tickets were to be found. They had sold out, and though we tried as hard as we could, nobody kicked us any down in the lot. We missed 10/8. I was bummin', coming all the way down with no tix for either show was starting to seem like a big mistake. But later that night we spied a trailer set up at the far end of the parking lot outside the venue, with about fifty or so Heads lined up outside it. It turned out they were selling tickets for the 10/9 show. Both Mike and I scored tix and our outlooks suddenly changed mightily. Those lime green beauties with the "Warlocks" in gold embossed lettering were a joy to behold.

While the show was on that first night, I remember coming upon a pretty young thing hanging by a fountain right outside the Coliseum. We could hear the faint strains of Help->Slip echoing from inside the venue, and she was in tears that she couldn't get inside the show that night. I comforted her by saying that we were both going in tomorrow night, and that was going to be the big show anyway. I had no idea how prophetic my words were.

We couldn't afford a hotel room, so we partied in the streets all night long. As soon as they allowed cars back in the lot, around 8am or so, we pulled in and I sat myself down at the front of the line that had already started to form at the yellow police tape about 100 yards away from the Coliseums entrance. This was a general admission show and I wanted prime position on the floor. The ten or so hours before they let us in the venue flew by, and my perserverence paid off. I wound up in the best spot I could imagine when they let us in: right in front of the stage, smack dab in the middle of Jerry and Bob.

When the band took the stage, the boys were clearly in a fantastic mood. Phil was all smiles, pointing, laughing, and waving at people in the crowd. The first set smoked, but was not exactly mind blowing. Other than the phenominal Stranger ("long, long, crazy, crazy tour," classic Brent!) the Row Jimmy and Jack A Roe, there weren't really any songs that I was completely stoked to see. It certainly didn't give us any indication as to the history making set that was to come.

In between sets a mop topped Deadhead with a spiral bound notebook and pen in hand came by, interviewing folks and asking them what they thought was going to be played in the second set. I had heard about a week before that the band had been soundchecking Attics out west, and I had a strong feeling that this was going to be the breakout. When I told him my prediction, I remember getting a strange look of disbelief as he moved on. I also remember there was someone up in the lighting catwalks high above the stage with a laser pointer, and he had it right on my chest in between sets. I grinned and waved at him and he moved it along to others around me.

The boys came out for set two and we were blown away early. Playin was funky and amazing, the Uncle John's perfect with sweet harmonies slipping quickly into psychedelic scary jamming back into the Playin reprise. When those opening notes of Dark Star thundered out, I started jumping up and down like a pogo stick. I literally jumped out of my shoes. My buddy Mike had his hands on my shoulders behind me, and if he hadn't held me down I probably would have shot right out the roof of the arena like a rocket ship. Drums and Space were perfectly appropriate, and the Death Don't brought down the explosive energy in a haunting and profound manner. Fantasy->Jude, Throwin Stones, Good Lovin' brought us back to the standard set closers of this era with nice energy and a crowd pleasing finish. The encore was as beautiful an experience as I think I've ever had. I can't find the words to express what a moment it was for me. It's such a gorgeous, meaningful song, Hunter/Garcia at their poetic, melodic best. And the boys nailed it tonight.

After the show, everyone was stunned and drained. As the crowd was letting out of the arena, I saw the guy that took my prediction in between sets, and he pointed at me saying, "Hey man, you got your Attics!" I grinned back at him ear to ear. I sure had.

Stream a soundboard of this show: http://www.archive.org/audio/etree-details-db.php?id=16033

Download an audience recording of this show: http://www.archive.org/audio/etree-details-db.php?id=16257

Welcome to Jobygoob's Retro Reviews!

Hey now everyone, so glad you made it!

Welcome to Retro Reviews. I am pretty new to the world of blogging, so bear with me as I plow my way through the one and zeroes. My plan is to use this site to share some reviews of the live music I have obtained over the years. I'm a huge Grateful Dead fan, and the live Dead in my collection outnumbers everything else by about twenty to one. The reviews here will reflect this, so you'll find more reviews of Dead shows here than anything else. Over time, I plan to share some of my thoughts on the various Neil Young, Bob Dylan, CSNY, Jerry Garcia Band, and Garcia/Grisman live recordings in my collection as well. I got this idea when I stumbled across a terriffic site run by Jonathan Laughlin. Check it out here: http://jonathanlaughlin.com/df/



A little about myself: My name is Joby. I'm a 36 year old, married father of one beautiful little 18 month old girl named Riley Sylvia, whose picture you should see on the right if I did this correctly ;) We all live in the Manayunk section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I grew up in and around Philadelphia, and before I started travelling long distances to see the Dead, most of my concert experiences were here in Philly.

I'm a social worker at a large hospital in central Philadelphia. I've worked for about fifteen years now with adults and children that have developmental disabilities. I'm also an amateur musician, although I haven't played in a band for a few years now.

Anyway, that should do for now. Hopefully over time you'll get to know me a little better and I'll get to know some of you. I should be posting my first review within a couple of days. I really hope that this blog can add something in some small way to the vast online community of Deadheads and live music lovers. Like I said, I am new to this so please feel free to get in touch with me and post any comments, ideas, or suggestions you might have.