Dead. Where Is Thy Sting?
Why did the Grateful Dead playing live sound so terrible at times and at other times so spectacular according to audience recollections? Was it the amplification set-up? Quality of drugs available? Whether the band was rested? The crowd vibe? The venue vibe? Did the Dead themselves have a handle on this?
I am not a true DeadHead though I treasure the Garcia/Grisman recordings. Lots of my friends are Heads.Their stories of following the Dead around are full of legend and calamity. They wouldn't have had it any other way. "Off" performances were just Part of Life. That's what they were looking for and preferred that it be unpredictable just like life.
That's the nature of improvised music. Oftentimes, different members of the audience found the same songs to be terrible or spectacular. Meanwhile, here's some audiophile-approved content regarding the Dead "sound": John Curl and the history of the Grateful Dead's "Wall of Sound" |
Perhaps I misunderstand what you mean but playing in time and in tune is not a matter of subjective interpretation. These factors can be measured. Whether one enjoys whatever is being played in tune and in time is subjective. The percentage of wholly improvised music in any given Dead show varied but a large percentage of each show was, aside from solos spots, not improvised. They were playing arrangements. The Dead could be as sloppy and out of tune while playing arrangements as venturing into "Space". Jazz musicians engage in copious improvisation. They rarely play out of tune/time.
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The Dead is not everyone’s cup of tea for sure. I think that there were a lot of factors that combined each night that could make it a killer show, a dud, or a mix. You have, generally, six musicians, each having their own day, a venue, and very importantly for the Dead, the crowd, all combined to make it happen. When it all came together, it was quite magical. I can still recall the first show I attended, the energy in that place was palpable, unlike anything I had experienced, and to clarify I only had a few beers that night. I have been to a lot of concerts, with plenty of average performances by great bands playing the same show they played in the last town. The difference is that the Dead took huge chances on stage, and sometimes it didn’t work. But when it did it gave credence to the saying, ‘there is nothing like a Grateful Dead show’. |
