Some Jerry for a Cold Winter, err, umm, I mean Fall Night

nd so another day in central Alaska comes to an end.

Almost. Got some tunes to play first.

Was stoked for a run today... until I saw the temperature.

Holy semi-deep freeze, Batman.

It's actually not that bad... it's not wicked cold but it's still darn cold. That's gonna be the same every day, pretty much, between now and... well, I don't wanna think about it.

At noon today it was 3 below. Snow started falling when it got dark around 5. It's been lightly snowing all evening and all night now. Makin' me feel like Christmastime again. Hey, only like 38 days away... so according to the TV commercials, yeah, it's already Christmastime... but that's another rant for another day.

No run. No hike. It got up to a whopping 2 degrees (-17° C) -- where it's at right now. I thought about getting dressed to run and hopping in my truck to go try out the indoor track at the University. Nah. I've got to do it... just not thrilled about the hassle. But I've got to do it.

In any case, how about enough of this rambling so I can play some music, eh? I've been stoopidly purposely putting off more Jerry for awhile so I could raise my Dead show number up above Jerry stuff. Dumb, huh? Time to start gettin' ol' Jer back in the mix. So much great stuff to look forward to! Legion of Mary, Reconstruction, Old and In The Way, Garcia-Saunders, Garcia-Grisman, Garcia-Kahn, Garcia-Weir, JGB, Jerry Acoustic Band, etc! A lot to dive into and with Ratdog and Phil and Robert Hunter and some Mickey and "The Dead" and TOO and more etc, there's a never-ending supply to explore and share.

Ready? Onward...

Jerry Garcia Band -- 11/7/81
McDonough Arena, Georgetown University
Washington, D.C.

1st Set
Sugaree, Catfish John,
That's What Love Will Make You Do,
Sitting In Limbo, Let It Rock, Midnight Moonlight

Set 2
I Second That Emotion,
Russian Lullaby, Valerie, Don't Let Go,
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down -»
Dear Prudence -» Tangled Up In Blue

I find it increasingly difficult to write a review of a show when the recording is not a soundboard. I probably could do it... but the crowd noise is a barrier that needs to be overcome. Right now I'm listening to this show again for the second time in a few days... and it's great to groove to but not the easiest to really enjoy. But that's most definitely not because the music is bad... not at all. It's because of the Audience recording vs. Soundboard thing. Just not easy to be so analytical. Ya know, that might be a good thing. I can just listen and dig it without feeling the desire to critique between half and the entire performance. Just groove, man!

Jerry's playin' a nice show on this night in our nation's useless capital. He's not on fire with his guitar work but still lighting up this small arena on the campus of Georgetown U. He's certainly got the Deadheads into it. Other than the few people talkin' talkin' talkin' away at times, the crowd is so lovin' it.

Sugaree to open -- definitely a crowd pleaser! Let It Rock -- another one... could Chuck Berry ever play it this good? This is so sweet!!! I Second That Emotion got Set 2 off to a ten minute dance-fest. Excellent all the way, with Jerry, at times, bringin' everything up a notch or twelve with his guitar. Valerie, here in the Fall of '81, was making one of its earliest appearances... and not bad, either. And now that I think about it, here deep in the second set, the sound seems a whole lot better than at the beginning of the show. Dixie Down, is... wow, very nice! For some reason the crowd here is so attentive, more, it seems, than for most of the show. And then Prudence has really got 'em now. Originally done by some band called... who was it? The Beatles? Well, whoever they were there's no way they ever beat this! Mmmm! I love the way Kahn is workin' this on bass. A little different than later years. Very cool. Unfortunately the show came to end with Tangled Up In Blue cutting off wayyy before its proper conclusion. Track length is listed at 6:52 but only the first few minutes are there before the disappointing cut. Ahhh well, gotta shake it off and just try to reflect on what was. And what was before that was a pretty nice show. Absolutely worth a listen... most stuff usually is. It's when the sound quality's so bad that something can be written off as a waste of time and this is definitely on the opposite end of that. Good stuff that made my night! Thanks, Jerry!

Source: AUD>Cassette>CDR>SHN
Taper: unknown but still a big thanks!
Sound Quality: Crisp sound but with a bunch of crowd noise...
and unfortunately some minor chattering near the mics.
Basically: Good for '81. Eh, I don't mind it.
Seems distant at first but I got used to it/it got better.

Listen to it online: where? Probably nowhere.
But you can download it right here

1st Set -» JGB 11/7/81
·
JGB 11/7/81 -» Set 2