A.M. N.H. J.G.B.

I'm in a really bad spot. Very bad. Horrible. Right now, this is the worst thing that has ever happened to me this whole morning since I got back last night from hangin', puttin' away pitchers, and shootin' some stick. Considering I just woke up, it's the only thing that's happened to me this morning so I'd hafta say all is truly well then. Not like my house is on fire or nuttin'. My dog's happy. I'm a little tired and craving ice cream and/or Reese's Peanut Butter cups... but what else is new?

Last night I was out wayyyy too late and I wanna post this show in the first half of the day. Why? That's classified. Bears-Packers game is on at 9 a.m. ... not that the Bears are heading to the Playoffs but Da Bearz are my favorite team and why would anyone not want to watch Brett Favre?! (He's sooooo dreamy... nooooo, that's not what I think, that's what the girls think. Me, I like watching a future Hall of Fame QB who's one of the best ever! No (American) football fan should pass on that opportunity!) And then after the game I need a nap. And then tonight I need to run. So this morning is when it NEEDS to go up. If it doesn't then I just might as well give up on life as we know it. Okay, the consequences would not have to come to that... a wee bit of an exageration. But I really want it up this morning...

so in order to post this show before the game, I had to wake up at 6:30 after so little sleep (that's what's so horrible.) It's just not my style to la di da di da post a show (or an album) and leave it at that. For many mp3 bloggers that's perfectly fine, that's what they do... but not me, yo, especially considering that this blog isn't strictly devoted to posting albums and shows in mp3 form... and also especially when I put up GD & stuff. And while I may have listened to this show already a couple days ago, me likes to give another listen when I write (type) it up. Okay? Okay. Capisce? Bueno.

Coffee's made so here we go, alright?!

Jerry Garcia Band -- 8/13/84
Club Casino Ballroom
Hampton Beach, New Hampshire
·
1st Set
Cats Under The Stars,
Knockin' On Heaven's Door,
I Second That Emotion, Mississippi Moon,
Tangled Up In Blue
·
2nd Set
Sugaree, Run For The Roses,
Get Out Of My Life Woman,
Midnight Moonlight
·
Encore
Rhapsody In Red

Something Jerry never did in the later years -- an East Coast Summer Tour. This show happened in midst of one such tour in '84. Nine shows plus one in Chicago if I remember correctly; and nowhere did he play more than 1 night in a row except New Hampshire and East Setauket, Long Island, New York (but for some reason not in consecutive nights for the latter.)

Here he is on the beautiful New Hampshire Seacoast, at what is certainly one of the most historic venues in all of New England. This is night number two and the last time Jerry would play here... in the same music hall that's giving me shivers before I can even type it... in the same hall that Bob played that horrible night of 8/9/95.

From the Casino Ballroom website:
"One summer evening in 1995 soon became an unforgettable night when Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead performed with his band Ratdog on the eve of Jerry Garcia's death. Thousands of Garcia fans and numerous television crews surrounded the building, mirroring, in an instant, the fateful Jethro Tull concert some 15 years prior. However, with the new management in place, event security on tight duty and the new approach to customer service, the night went off without a hitch and has proven to be one of the most revered shows in the Casino Ballroom's history."

Enough with the sadness, on with the JGB...

Cats is a decent way to start the show, fairly standard and good but not even close to what'll come. Knockin' rolls along nicely until Jerry really starts gettin' into it, so much so that the crowd knows it, feels it, and oh so loves. They are truly alive for the first time on this August evening. The sound of the Aud recording here is simply delectable, for want of describing the sound of a show as I never have before. Jerry almost seems lost in the song but lost in only a good way. Knockin' would be the saddest song in the world 11 years later with Ratdog in this very room ... but here it's just downright fun!

I Second That Emotion continues with more great Jerry. Melvin is helping light the way right behind him. The energy is just so perfect here to get them kids to dance and shake their bones, I tell ya what! Nothin' left to do but smile, smile, smile!!!

The pace shifts gears with Mississippi Moon. Not a note out of place! But it's Tangled to close the set that brings this show back to Overdrive! Heaven on Earth on this night was located in none other than the Granite State with the salty sea air just outside the Casino's doors. While the ocean rests in the night, Jerry does the opposite and gets so completely into this great Dylan tune that he has seemingly made his own. The crowd acknowledges yet another high point of the set and everything is just amazing. But it gets better! When the tune could have shut down and it would have been Half Time, what happens? Still more to come, over 7 more minutes of Pure Jerry ripping through such a sweet jam, just blazing through it! John Kahn on bass must've really felt the magic too 'cause he starts really cranking it out, as well, right alongside the fire that was Garcia. Holy freakin' cow!!!

There's just about no better way in the world to spend a little over an hour of my time. When that comes to an end, I'm tellin' ya, Press Stop and just bask in it awhile before going on to Set 2.

The second set rolls right along starting with such a sweet Sugaree. Ohhhh! ... I don't even want to try to describe it. It's meticulous and long and so appreciated by the New England crowd. Run For The Roses gives nothing but more of the same. Not quite as long as the Set 2 opener, but perfectly played.

Unfortunately some crap is on the horizon, sort of. With the beginning of Get Out Of My Life, the sound quality takes a minor nosedive -- it gets slightly muddy and/or a little bit distant sounding. Prior to this point it was mostly clear without any annoyance at all. It's doesn't get terribly bad but still a little letdown. If it had been an A/A+ Aud to this point, here it's more like B+. A shame but what are ya gonna do?

For no good reason, it seems like that one song is the only one when the recording is less than desirable, at least to my ears. Thankfully it's not as long as most of the rest and when it's over, for whatever reason, the sound returns to normal. Midnight Moonlight closes the brief set and things get kicked back up a couple notches. Only 4 songs were played, like 15 minutes less than Set 1, but solid and well worth every cent, I'm sure!

Lastly, the encore did its part to let no one leave just happy but with a super-huge smile splashed across their face. Rhapsody In Red mayhaps could have been been a bit on the disappointing side if the band was done and gone in no time at all. Instead they take what could very easily be a rather quick 6 minute encore and turn it into more than double that. Mmmm! Whew, if the Dead maybe closed the 1st Set with this... wow! But nope, never so... so we give thanks to Jerry for tremendous JGB shows like this one. Beautiful stuff here. When it wasn't gorgeous it was flat out smokin' hot and that makes me one happy camper! (And proud to have been born in New Hampshire!!)

taper & lineage: unknown

Sound Quality: excellent for the most part.
anyone who doesn't dig Auds too much should give this a try,
you might find it pretty listenable. I sure do!

Download it Here
JGB 8/13/84 - 1st Set 2nd Set - 8/13/84 JGB