Dead. Where Is Thy Sting?

@stuartk - my favorite years for them would have to be '77-'78. And to tell you the truth, I don't think I've ever heard 'Ladies and Gentlemen' or most of the other official live stuff except for Dicks Picks and all of the annual packages...

My favorite of those packages is '30 Trips Around the Sun', which has one show from every year from 1965 (Pig's and Jerry's voices sounded very different at the beginning before they found their own style, and you can hear 'em do 'Cosmic Cowboy' and other songs never to be heard again!) to 1995, and the shows they picked were real 'on' nights, one and all... 

Of all the post-Jerry Grateful Dead bands, the one I like the most is Dark Star Orchestra; they are incredible and at this point they've played WAAAAY more shows than the boys ever did. Phil said that GD music was its own genre; I agree and to me, DSO is the most traditional GD sound, including the vocals; their Lisa is a stunning singer; so much more powerful (and in tune) than Donna ever was. 

It was IMO all downhill after they moved to solid state n ditched the 4 x MC240’powered PA….. just kidding…

low tide could also explain the show variability…. My sample not sufficient to draw a causation conclusion…

i

@larsman 

 I’m aware of "30 Trips" but have never heard it. I’ll have to check if its on Spotify.

Ditto DSO. All I know is that they replicate entire shows. 

I saw the Dead in ’77 and ’78, both times at UCSB. That was a long time ago but I recall preferring the ’77 show even through sound in the gym was not great. 

@stuartk - yes, DSO still usually choose a GD night in history and do that setlist and the general style they were doing that year; sometimes people in the audience figure out which it is, as they don't tell until after the show. They'll also do the same lineup; if it was during the time Micky wasn't there, they'll only have one drummer, and their keyboardist is very versatile, doing Keith and Brent. But other times it's 'band's choice' and they'll put together their own setlist. Close your eyes and you're at a GD show, and I've seen many a DSO show that was better than many a GD show. Hard to listen to a recording and tell which one it is. Rob, who plays and sings the Weir parts (and also looks a lot like him), was also responsible for getting a lot of those rare 'Betty Boards' found and released, and Weir has played with them on several occasions. They regularly sell out 3000 capacity venues, often multiple nights. 

+1 for DSO. If you get a chance to see them it is well worth it. Like the Dead they will have their off nights, or play show that is not a favorite, but on balance they are very good. I did not get on the bus until ‘81, so they have given me the opportunity to hear some of the great shows from the 70’s. Phil showed up to play with them when we saw them at the Fillmore in SF, quite a treat.