Here's the article I mentioned in the video. www.psaudio.com/blogs/copper/when-jerry-and-the-big-man-almost-busted-this-city-in-half?srsltid=AfmBOoq6tTBUbcQyT2WQNSL_1Gic9EvcZwDwx905Mvionc-zdwsf3Zfu ----- Otis Tour Dates ------- 08/25/24. -Peace Dale, Rhode Island. -Roots Hoot 08/27/24 - 08/30/24 -Big Indian, New York -with Todd Snider and Tim Easton 10/25/24 -Brown County Playhouse -Nashville, Indiana 03/05/25 -TivoliVredenburg -Utrecht, Netherlands 03/06/25 - Cultural Centre De Zeepziederij -Bree, Belgium 03/08/25 -Lutherse Kerk -Groningen, Netherlands ------ Details at otisgibbs.com ----------
Good article but I take exception with the comment that members of the dead didnt ''solo much''. GD devoted 20+ minutes to percussion interllude and all members of the band were notorious for always playing their own weave of rythm and ''solos''--- the heart of their rich and complex sound. Guessing the writer of the article didnt know/hear that.
@@mikeb8843 I agree with what you just said but I can also agree with the "didn't solo much" viewpoint re: the drum solos Mickey and Bill were playing as a team kinda understates it really ... always conscious of the other & responding to each other moment by moment when Garcia + Lesh took flight in tandem you could listen to what either was doing as beautiful high-energy solos if you chose to listen to just either but you could also marvel at the fit between the two so I haven't read the article, but maybe the article liked listening for the weaving. the band certainly all talk about how much they did it brings to mind a band I saw in the '80s in central CA I won't name the band becuz I'd hate to get it wrong & that was long ago & it don't matter anyway, but they had a huge rep around Santa Cruz so I went to see them live and each band member was great, & knew it, & each had a spotlight to shine in as they pumped out quality sounds but they were like 4 separate bubble wrapped simultaneous star showoffs each having their own private show with a lot of empty space between them & watching them in a medium-size club where I was close to the stage felt like the times I saw Blind Faith and The Band from nose bleed seats & the band each time was 4 inches tall and WAY WAY OVER THERE as if we were watching them thru a TV or something. EACH was SOLOing. I didn't see theDead much in '90s, but I never felt THAT at a Dead show
Best quote I ever heard about The Grateful Dead - “Other bands play the same show to a different crowd every night, the Dead play a different show to the same crowd every night”... :):)
I saw the Jerry Band with Clarence in Massachusetts it was a perfect concert on a perfect night. They played mission in the Rain so beautifully, not a dry eye to be seen. Thanks Otis
@@guacamolekid3899 there was more room for another instrument in the Jerry band, the dead were stepping on each other’s toes as it was. Clarence was a great player and his sound could go anywhere really, imho. The Jerry band was one of the great unheralded bands of the era to me.
As a local musician, I was so stoked to learn that the rock ‘n’ roll Hall of Fame would be in Cleveland! I was also lucky enough to work as a stage tech for the original rock ‘n’ roll Hall of Fame show at the old Cleveland municipal stadium, in 1995. One day while we were setting up the show, I come out of the trailer and somebody sitting on my golf cart. It was the big man! He was smoking a big fat cigar and smiling in the sunshine. “Hey, Big Man! What’s up?” He laughed. He and I had a good talk for about five minutes some of which I can’t repeat here, but he was a big man with a gentle soul. I was blessed to meet him, and I just thought I would share it.
Jerry Garcia was such a treasure. I've learned so much from him. He played Guitar,Banjo,and pedal steel guitar. He introduced me to Mississippi John Hurt and Elizabeth Cotten. I've studied his Banjo Material from Old & in the Way and guitar from Garcia & Grisman.
@@atravelerofbothtimespace4172 "so much etc". Exactly. I thoroughly loved what they did as The Grateful Dead but also my favorite Garcia work is what he did mid'70s with Merle Saunders + Phil & Friends did some awesome stuff. One show I saw them they opened with what seemed like 40 minutes of intense inventive jam before they did anything that sounded like a song to me. I love it. So my. favorite live music experience will always be the early '70s Kezar Show, first time I saw them outdoors in daylight, 3 great sets Waylon Jennings as opening band & theDead in top form all day but as you say, "So much in the dead universe other than the dead"
just picked up a copy of The Good Old Boys with Garcia, David Nelson, Frank Wakefield and others. Its a double album from '75. Definitely different than Old & in the Way, but great listening nonetheless. Frank Wakefield was a big influence on those guys. And i'm sure vice versa.
In regards to the Dead and Bruce's comment. I saw the Dead in "88 at Riverbend in Cincinnati and the whole vibe of the concert and the people struck a nerve with me. Positive vibes, good show and all I wanted to do was jump in my car and follow the caravan of the Deadheads to the next gig. I was hooked... Thanks again Otis.
I only saw Bruce once, during the second US tour promoting “Born in the USA”. Every song felt like an encore. They built to such a crescendo at the end of every song, it was a great show in Detroit. Love the music of both of these bands. Thank you Otis for sharing this.
I only saw him once too but in 2012. 3+ hours and it was absolutely incredible. Just a fantastic band with an all time great frontman who happens to have more great songs than he can fit into 3 hour setlist. It was like a religious experience.
Loved your video. I was an attorney that worked with the Dead from ‘83-‘95. I rarely missed a show. It was one of the most important times of my life & growth. I know those shows you referenced. ML&R, Joe PS. Remember there ain’t “no simple highway” between darkness & the dawn.
Another great segment Otis. Thanks. I read the book by Bruce Springsteen and being a Dead fan had to laugh at his first impressions because I got it. I've been to shows that seemed to slog along through improvisation seemly going nowhere until suddenly the fireworks went off and we knew they'd probably never played it just like this before and it was brilliant. Those are the moments Grateful Dead fans live for. We know the songs and understand the heights and depths of the lyrics. We understood they wouldn't play it the same way twice and were like people who go fishing and throw their line in the water to find out what's below the surface. We were people witnessing exploration in real time and more often than not rewarded and felt privileged to be present when they made a discovery and took all of us along. I can understand why The Big Man found the experience so rewarding.
I saw them around '86 for the first time and I had the same type of experience. Jerry seemed an out of shape dude in the most uninteresting clothes who played guitar well but could barely sing. The crowd cheered it seemed to me in an effort to keep them alive. I had heard a few of their classic hits on FM radio but of course they didn't play any of those. It was for me a concert that was tripping on nostalgia. Fast forward a few years later and a friend of mine makes me some tapes of 60's and 70's classic Dead albums. I hear the magic of their Pigpen days and their happier acid jams of the mid 60's. I hear American Beauty and Wake of the Flood and From A Mars Hotel and I start getting it. I saw them two more times and was glad I did. Jerry's love of Dylan dovetailed with mine. His guitar playing became a source of fascination. They were not a paint by numbers band. They were not playing by anyone's rules or expectations. They were a community and that was built on love of surprises and spontaneity. They weren't in any bag except their own. They weren't the best at what they did, they were the only ones who did what they did.
I never knew there was a second coming of "when the Big Man joined the band." This show is like comfort food, Otis. Every time! Be well and keep the faith.
I was at the Boca show, The band was called “Futhur” and Clemons came out and ripped it up with Bob Weir and Phil Lesh on lots of Dead Classics….he was an amazing player and the sold out crowd ate it up and the energy was electric!🔥🔥
I only got the chance to see the Dead once. It was Jerry’s last show before he died. It’s really special. Had the a wonderful time. The show was at soldiers field in Chicago.
Great stuff!! One of the best lines ever written, Sometimes it’s like someone took a knife, baby edgy and dull and cut a six inch valley through the middle of my skull… 🐿️😎🐿️
Great story... Nothing solos better than a sax. Thats my goal as a fumbling guitar player. A melodic sax like tone. Pure beauty! Nobody did these things better than Jerry and Clarence. Love it!
Im thankful that I was a Dead fan as a young guy. Around 1980 I became a fan and never looked back. Im also thankful that other peoples opinions of music no longer trigger me. Everybody likes something different and thats OK. I saw Bruce on the Born In The USA tour and had a great time. Nebraska is his very best I agree.
I offered Bruce a swig off a wineskin while he crowd surfing at a show back in '78. He put didn't take it so I turned it around and squirted him with wine (I was tripping balls). When he was done with the song he said, "I should change my shirt, somebody out there pissed on me!" He played great tight songs for two hours. It's the best concert I've seen in my 68 years. Did Jerry ever crowd surf? Did the Dead ever rock? No? Do they put me to sleep? Yes!
@@billg6166 Did BS ever play Radio City 4 nights...a rhetorical Q? Going Down Is My Fav. having survived 19 OD's Going "Downtown snorting the good shit..my oh my Your Either ON THE Bus Or You Ain't...Drink some Kool-Aid and Get back To Me...On The Lower E-Side of Bands..Big Man Played with the DEAD...Went great Even asking him if He Would Like To Join...A REAL Band and The Dead Never F....SOLD OUT...Only Shows dhat Is
Great Video, Love starting my day with Otis. I started seeing the Dead in 73' My Older Brother started in 71. It was way different back then. I remember what My Mom said back then "Every time that band comes to town you Boys lose your minds, You quit your jobs and then you disappear for months on end" My Mom was not wrong. Being a Dead fan is like knowing what the inside joke is, Some people get the joke, others do not
I was there, worked for their lighting company. Instantly loved the music, and was also attracted to the crowd vibe, and the parking lot circus ☮❤🎶 There will never be anything quite like it again. Love the new generations of Dead tribute bands, keeping the spirit alive 🔥
That happened to me with Hall & Oates. I cut my teeth on Allman Brothers, Outlaws, Beatles and the Stones. It was 30 years later that I began to appreciate the creativity and musicality of H&O😊
As a longtime fan of Bruce & the ESB...117 shows in 44 years, plus met my French wife at a show in Paris in 2012....THANK YOU for this video. Clarence was a sweet musical soul and an immense stage presence. I was not aware that he had played with the GD and Jerry. So, as usual, I learned something from your video! :)
Saw Dead and Co. at the sphere when John's finger was injured. It impacted the music, but the night was magical. The songs and the voices and the honesty. There is no way to explain the energy that happens in the crowd.
My wife and I saw Springsteen and the E Street Band in 1980 in St Paul, MN. To this day it was the best rock 'n' roll show I've seen. In the encore, he was stopping the band. boom. and telling a story.. and 1 2 3 4 back full speed into the song... At one point he climbed the PA and stood on top tearing his shirt off... "Somebody stop me!!! Before I hurt myself!!!" 1 2 3 4... and off they went again. This was at the end of a wild 3 hour concert. My wife was 8 months pregnant... and would have run away with him in a heart best :D It was the only time I saw them. I saw the Dead 8 times from 71 to 81 when they came to town. The first show at Northrup auditorium changed my life and a month later I was learning to play the bass.
Good Morning, Thanks for that trip down memory lane. In I968 I was 18 and it was my 1st experience with the Dead & a sense of community. I still love to listen & relive the feeling. My best to you & yours. 😊
In the 90's I was hired to design and build a float for their Mardi Gras Show in Oakland Ca. We wove through the middle of the crowd, with Dead playing their hearts out.The energy was insane and absolutely electric. It was such a positive experience.
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First night of Mardi Gras 1990 in Oakland was the only show I ever got shut out of. I still remember the awful feeling of riding BART back to San Francisco, defeated.
I thought of Bruce the same way Bruce thought of the Dead and yes, I thought of them in that way too. Listened to Nebraska and it broke my heart, heard thre E Street Shuffle and it made me groove, read the lyrics to Ripple and felt the funk of Fire on the Mountain realized I had my guard up. Was lucky enough to see them both. Awesome shows that left me in awe of what I never thought I would like.
I wasn’t a Springsteen fan until Nebraska. It showed a side of him I had not seen and I realized there was a depth to his songwriting. I started listening to his older stuff and paying more attention to his lyrics and saw that same depth, just presented in a different way.
I remember an interview with Clarence's son where he talked about his father's love of the Dead. Hanging backstage with the Dead in the 80s offered Clarence a little more adventure than what he was used to with Bruce. Apparently, he liked the ample supply of mushrooms that were shared openly backstage. Also, Jerry is on record saying he thought Springsteen's writing was too culturally specific to the Jersy shore and boardwalk for him, and he found it hard to relate to sometimes, especially the earlier stuff. Definitely an interesting connection to explore, two disparate threads of American music for sure.
What a great upload, Otis. Thanks for this. I'm aware that in your community of singer/songwriters, the Dead elicits a range of responses from honest admiration to being seen as cliche', or overrated at least. I very much appreciate it when an artist such as yourself makes these open musings about "getting it" about the Dead. It's always been a road of discovery for me and others who've been followers of Jerry and the Dead since we were teenagers in the early 80's. No one knows it all, but there's always been some degree of one-upmanship about who's been to more live shows, and what venue, who has more tapes, etc. In retrospect it seems silly, because it was. We were young and driven by a passion for something that was close to our hearts for individual reasons, yet we all felt "as one" at these shows. Truly a different bonding feeling that you get as an audience member, compared to going to ANY other music show. And your passage from Springsteen's book happens to mention that feeling at those shows, whether the Dead was "on" that night or not. This patchouli panorama at the shows went down to your bones, like no other band or artist's scene ever could, imho. Now that the pace of this world has left that scene WAY behind by now, it's really a beautiful thing to see little flowers of genuine appreciation of the musicianship of this oft-misunderstood band pop up and open their beautiful thoughts and reactions like this.
glad to see that point about the "one upsmanship" & bragging rights I saw my first Dead show in June 1970, & went to a lot more, until early '90s it was weird during the '80s to have someone put me on a pedestal after asking the "1st show?" question. Like, Dude, I didn't play in the band. I just bought a $4 ticket & listened & danced. But seeing the Dead repeatedly was definitely a transforming experience for many & it seemed like more often for the better than for the worse.
@@oughtssought1198 Totally get it. For some people, seeing the band repeatedly completes their whole lives, and is all they seem to be able to talk about. I like what Jerry once said about the die-hards who toured with the band and seemed to have no other purpose in life, "If all you've got is the Dead, then you ain't got much."
@@wvvvrock1053 "all they listen to + all they seem to talk about" ... yes what made that extra-weird was Bill Graham and the Dead themselves made very interesting efforts to expose their audience to a wide variety of very diff bands + styles, from Waylon Jennings to Etta James to the Chinese National Orchestra to Ornette Colman to the Blues Brothers to Hamza Al Din (if I got that right -- the Egyptian drummer that played with them several times after they played the pyramids. the list of folk who played with them on stage is also varied, long, interesting. They made the effort to expand people's music horizons. Same with set break music.
@@oughtssought1198 It sounds very nice and lofty to think that the only way that we were "exposed" to the likes of Waylon, Etta, et al was because one out of 2800 shows had Etta James (you forgot to mention the excellent 70's group Tower Of Power, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Miles Davis, Kris Kristoferson, Branford Marsalis, Tom Petty, Bruce Hornsby, Jimmie Rodgers, Blind Willie Johnson, The Coasters, Chuck Berry, and the list goes on) in it, but the truth is that we were already somewhat enlightened and open-minded to begin with. Many of us were musicians from an early age and had already been exposed to many classical and jazz artists that Jerry and the boys' path swerved into occasionally over 30 years. Just like there was a world of experiences to be had outside the lot back in the 80's on tour with the Dead, there was lots of music out there besides our favorite band. Some of the followers had the Dead in the center of their universe, and saw their experiences as having been because of the Dead. The rest of us had a different perspective, even though we love the band just as much.
@@chriscummings7277 I wasn't trying to supply a comprehensive list, that would be way more work than my comment ambitions are volunteering for I. was just trying to name enpough to express how eclectic the range was so thanks for adding yr small % of additional others that were examples I was responding in a priorly friendly conversation that lacked lawyerly ambience to a comment about "some people" with one specific trait, not characterizing the entire universe of Grateful Dead followers, a far grander task beyond my vision I had many friends that fit that description re: ONLY listening to Grateful Dead or bands with Grateful Dead members ... my sister still only chooses Grateful Dead when she is picking what to listen to for just herself & the years she was on tour & Dead was most of what she & her partner talked about then. I knew at more than a dozen others like that. I knew far more who weren't like that. as for "lofty" ... do you have a mirror? I'd apologize to you for you feeling erased by the conversation we were having if that had been the case, but we were talking about a specific, smaller group not everyone in the Grateful Dead audience neighborhood, nor all tour folks which, as you say, was a much large topic we'd said nothing about, so please go on with filling in what we left out of that larger, more interesting, population you've started well & there is certainly a whole lot more you could have included so as not to leave anyone else feeling left out and don't forget to finish the list of folk the Dead exposed their audience to by having them on stage to play with, or as opening acts, or as set-break music you left some people out I'll climb down off your loft now. It's chilly up here.
French Canadian here: Lemieux - pronounced Le- mu- eww, like Pittsburg Penguins NHL legend Mario Lemieux. Love coffee time. Thanks for what you do, Otis.
I stumbled upon your video first thing this morning. Never seen you til now. Somehow your video really struck a chord with me. Thanks. What you said really meant something.
I had front row seats to see Bruce in 1979.....he was great....but The Big Man stole the show.....the guy was a giant in so many ways, he was 6'5 and he stepped on stage in a lime green 3 piece suit, silver cowboy boots and a great big white Stetson cowboy hat that made him look 10feet tall and he absolutely stole the show with a just a few powerful notes on his glistening sax !!!
Another beautiful video, Otis. Around 1985 or so, the SF Chronicle asked three Bay Area musicians the same question for their Sunday "Pink Section." The musicians were Jerry, Huey Lewis and someone whom i can no longer recall. The question was: "Who's your favorite live performer?" If my 72 year old memory serves, I believe that Huey answered Frank Sinatra. But I am absolutely certain that Gerry answered, "Bruce Springsteen. Lots of bands put on a good show, but Springsteen work his ass off to always put on a great show, and I admire that." As a fan of both bands, that made my Sunday!
Oh yes, I was at a few of those Jerry Garcia Band shows in September of 1989, with Clarence Clemons sitting in. Fantastic shows. Everything felt great. At the time, I was kind of seeing a woman who was deaf, and she wanted to go to one of the Great Woods shows with me. I was surprised, but I got her a ticket. We hung out on the lawn in the back, and she lay down on the grass and was digging the vibrations. There wasn't an official tapers section at these shows, but thankfully that didn't stop folks from taping, and I got my hands on those tapes soon afterward and listened to them a whole lot. Those shows were the only times I saw Clarence in concert.
I was lucky enough to see the Dead 14 times before Jerry passed. I have been a fan since the early 90’s, (I know I was very late to the party), but I never heard any of these stories. This is amazing.
Great stuff as always, Otis. I had to chuckle a little bit when I saw the Skyline Motel sign. In eighteen years as a dispatcher in the Indianapolis 911 Center, I probably took a at least a couple of hundred 911 calls from that place. Shootings, stabbings, prostitution, drug activity, you name it. That place was a smorgasbord of crime.
Thanks Otis. I love Springsteen material up to the river LP. Born in the USA was huge for him but not my cup Of tea. It did however send me on a singer songwriter journey that eventually introduced me to Steve Earl, Ray Kennedy and eventually to your music as well as to other newer artists like Vincent Neil Emerson and Josh Morningstar. Have a great weekend.
I think that sums it all up for many Springsteen fans... There was something he had up until the Nebraska LP... An ethereal quality that was an amalgamation of American music he channeled.
@@deweypug The Tunnel of Love album was actually very good as were some songs on Born in the USA. The River was an over-produced bloated 4 sided album that should have been a single album in my opinion. But it was the first 3 albums and the early tours that were magic, as it was seeing a young and hungry band, an American band, playing their “bar room music” that most of us all knew that someday would bring him to Olympian heights. What a ride he took us on for fifty years!
@@Machia52612 Most every critic has echoed similar complaints about ‘The River’. If we listen to it as an extension of Darkness on the edge of town, it bears its true character. It has staying power in ways his later albums could not.
I'm not a regular watcher of your videos but when I do, I always enjoy what you've done, as well as learn something new. I subscribed right off the bat when I first found your channel and like I said, have always enjoyed every video watched. Also like your easy-going manner. Will have to get Springsteen's book....you were a great natural advertisement for it. I was never a real Dead fan but a big Bruce fan, Dylan and continue to loveTom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Need to pick up his biography as well. Thank you Otis for doing what you do. Take good care ; )
I feel like Im in the minority of going thru HUGE Springsteen and Dead obsessions. But in general having an open mind (my Jerry influence....) to everything from Hank Sr to Bob Wills to Bill Evans to Bill Monroe to Grisman to Django. I digress.... I always thought they had a similar concert experience but most my Deadhead friends were like WTF? It was all good to me. Backstreets or Estimated Prophet or Jungleland or Terrapin Station or Rosalita or Might as Well. Its all gold.
I liked his book. And his description of the Dead applies to me too. I didn’t get them….but Friend of the Devil is my favorite song of there’s, and Touch of Gray, is a close second. Thanks for the video Otis.
I was at the show in Boca. Front and center. I saw a stool and a mic that was placed low to the ground and during that Futhur Tour the band had local musicians appear during their concerts and I knew from the start of the show that it had to be Clarance because I knew he had a home in Palm Beach, which is nearby. Lo and behold, Clarence came out at the beginning of the second set and played to red rooster and love light. I have pictures of that show. And sure enough Clarance sadly passed away a month or so later. Growing up in New Jersey being a huge Springsteen fan made this show even more special I’ll never forget it
To appreciate the Dead, it helps to strip off any ego. A young Springsteen had too much ego to "get" the Dead back then. That's not intended as a put down, it's just an observation. Jerry was a big fan of John Coltrane and had a saxophonist in his Legion of Mary and Reconstruction side bands. In later years, Branford Marsalis played with GD for a while; and Jerry collaborated with Ornette Coleman as well. The Etta James, Tower of Power horns NYE '82 set with GD is fantastic. In the 90s, Jerry started using a midi to produce trumpet and sax sounds from his guitar. When asked if he wished he had learned to play trumpet, Jerry responded "What do you mean? I *_am_* playing trumpet."
Enjoyed these stories a lot. I never saw the Dead. I saw Bob Weir and Rat Dog after Garcias death. That was interesting. I have several of the Dead’s compilations that someone in their circle recorded. Clarence Clemons was badass! The Big Man was a great musician. He played on an album some guys here in my town recorded. He happened to be nearby where they recorded and agreed to play on a track or two. Speaking of seeing the Dead. I heard basketball great Bill Walton was at 90 of their shows. That is unreal, but that was a typical Bill Walton story and probably typical of Dead fans. Much love to you., Otis!
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Thanks Otis. I saw the Dead @ Folsom Field, Boulder and Denver Coliseum (North side near the meat packing plants). Those shows were polar opposite venues. Seeing the Dead was more of an experience then a concert, very interesting/fascinating. Those were great shows, I saw them @ Denver sports arena in the late '80s they sounded drained of their energy. Those early '70s shows were sublime. I dig early Springsteen later stuff not so much.. The Big Man Clarence I love. Thanks brother, you're appreciated.
Hey man, I agree and I had the same experience Seeing Phish open for Carlos Santana in 92. I also didn't like Frank Zappa at 1st. The Dead didn't grow on me right away either. Hey btw I am the Philly guy who met you at the camp in the Catskills a few weeks ago, I was attending the other Guitar camp and you were at the Tom Snider camp. Great meeting you!
I attended multiple Dead shows in northern and Southern California between 1971 and 1974, a time when Hunter/ Garcia tunes were at their peak and Weir/ Barlow were coming into their own as well. Winterland in the City was their clubhouse and the New Years Eve shows there were beyond description. Started loving the Boss with Nebraska and stayed on the train through The Ghost of Tom Joad. Here’s to both of them and their respective runs of brilliance. Wasn’t that a time.
Watching from Land o' Lakes,wi.....,,,another great story from you,...,,,truth about an off night,,or show,...reality is just that,...tnx,,,pat& family..
Nice to hear about Bruce’s humility. I enjoyed this video. Back in the 70s when I got into listening to them we were an outsider group. Today, the Dead’s music has in some ways become the new American songbook.
Big man. The reason I picked up the tenor sax about 35 years ago in band, moving on to guitar and the foundation on piano from lessons in elementary school. Clarence is amazing - tone is uniquely him.
Otis! My man! I know you get that reference. Man I saw Bruce once in the 70s, once in the 80s,once in the 90s and once in the 2000s.!!! The experience lasts a lifetime. If there were a reel of my life, Bruce would be a musical vine stretching for the sun and bursting into a beautiful flower bro.
One of the guitarists I recently started playing with in a local band is a big Dead fan. We play a few Dead songs, and I have quickly learned to appreciate Jerry and Company. Back in the 80s, in high school, I didn't get the hype. They were a drugged-out hippie band from the '60s. I knew some songs because of MTV and radio airplay, but they never stuck with me. Springsteen, oddly, holds a place in my world. Loved hearing Clarence play, and Bruce's songs all felt honest. I haven't seen either in concert. Thanks, Otis 🙏🏻 Happy Saturday 🤍
I just started Born to Run last night… and I love the Dead. How serendipitous. Im 50 pages in and I think it’s as wonderful as his songwriting… honest about himself too
I always watch & listen to you Otis… and I love the Grateful Dead. Lots of awesome people played with them… not just The Big Man Clarence. But Hornsby.. also Branford too!! 🎶💜🎶
My brother really liked the Dead and I only really got into them in the last decade or so. I read “Dark Star” and found the jazz stuff fantastic. I appreciate the education, Otis. I learn so much from listening to your channel.
My life's experience (nearly 70 years) is that real good stuff is often too complex to easily digest and appreciate from an initial sampling. I nearly spit out my first mouthful of good French wine in repulsion...tasted like dirt! By the end of the bottle I started to develop an appreciation, and now, I cannot (afford to) get enough! Likewise, it took a few samplings of the Grateful Dead (beginning in around 1968) to develop my love and appreciation for what they did. My biggest revelatory turnaround (somewhat off topic) was with the band NRBQ. I had so many friends promoting their music to me and they sounded at first like some amusical, weird-for-the-sake-of weird baloney. Eventually it became clear to me that Terry Adams, Joey Spampinato, Steve Ferguson/Al Anderson and Tom Staley/Tom Ardolino were the finest, most articulate, creative combination of musicians in the entire history of rocknroll! Just goes to show ya: first impressions can be accurate, but many times, it's worth a second look!
Thanks Otis. Great insight all around. I love Bruce and Clarence too but never saw them live. I am a Deadhead at heart. Saw the Dead many times. I loved hearing this story about Clarence. Great stuff.
I wasn't there but Etta James & Tower of Power horns with the Dead at Oakland Coliseum NYE is one of my most treasured bootlegs. 1982 I believe. Thanks Otis
Yes! I “told” Otis while watching, I wasn’t there,but as Dead Head’s do, I had the tapes not long after it happened. There was one particular tune on that show with her, was it Love Light? It was just perfect I remember thinking. The whole band always seemed to enjoys sit in’s such as this, and Clarence, Bruuuuuuuce, and lets not leave off another POWERFUL sax, Branford Marsalis. But Jerry, especially seemed to light up…had a little more spring in his step. Another point, and I hope Otis reads comments on comments, but I think musicians (myself included) tend to “compete” for lack of a better word, the times I saw Bruuuuuuce play with the GD, I never got that,especially from Jerry. Again, it seemed to spark him. (My first show was 5/5/80, I was there before Touch of Grey,but missed Keith and Donna). The last time I saw GD was spring of ‘95. Charlotte NC. I caught the last two nights of a 3 night run. First night, Bruuuuce was there, Jerry was his old wonderful self. Strong! 2nd night, not to be mean, I love Jerry “more than words can tell”, but he was pitiful. They came out of space with Black Peter into This could be the last time. We cried in the lot that night after the show, the writing was on the wall. I didn’t go back for any of the summer shows….Thanks Otis for everything you do, all the behind the scenes stuff where I get to feel like an insider, the memories you rekindle. I hope one day we might meet, I can spin a yarn with the best of them, i feel certain we could find something to talk about for HOURS.
@@timlong9959 Great memories and yeah they did a great Love Light and a killer Hard 2 Handle as well if I recall. Towards '95 Jerry was pretty spent IMO. I had a chance to see him casually in Maui and you can just tell he was loving being off the road and being at peace for a spell. Those final tours with Bruce were amazing but also a heavy toll...lots of tour dates in major venues with no real breathing room for rest. As well, his demons were catching up to him. When Jerry died, I was living in SF at the time. A friend had invited me to Colorado for a spell, but like the day after I left it was announced of a major "free concert/gathering" in Golden Gate Park SF honoring Jerry. It was 1 block away from my house and we had a lot of Deadhead friends. I called back home only to discover that like 30 "heads" have descended on our pad with about a dozen random dogs there too, and they were making candles and shit in the kitchen...total hippie disaster. I told my GF at the time to "immediate grab all my guitars, stash 'em under the bed and LOCK THE ROOM!" :) Crazy daze for sure but I sure miss Jerry every day.
@@jessebflylike my parents remembering exactly where they were when they learned of the assassination of JFK, i remember every detail learning that Jerry passed. Heartbreaking on so many fronts. Got to ask, Jessebfly, are you a fly fisherman? As my google profile shows, my inner core is Grateful Dead (really music period), and trying to put something on the business end of a fly rod. If i could just incorporate a mandolin in that pic…lol. Nevertheless, nice to chat with you. Oh, hope your guitars stayed safe! Hippies, they mean well…God love them!
Great video Otis. I really appreciate your thoughts, breaking down both the Dead and the Boss. I hadn’t thought about the commonality of a James Brown show and a Bruce Springsteen show, but you’re exactly right. It took me a long while to warm up to Bruce, but I’m listening to a lot these days. I’m still working on the Dead, but I can sense that there’s something out there worth pursuing.
I didn't see the Clarence shows. But I was at 12/31/82 NYE. Opening was a Brazilian Samba group with the dancing girls and all. Next up, The Dinosaurs! John Cippolina, Berry "the Fish" Melton, Peter Albin, Spencer Dryden. After about 30-35 minutes of play. They introduced Country Joe McDonald, followed by Nicky Hopkins, Kathi McDonald, and Steven ? on sax. Etta came out for the final set of the night. Etta James, the Tower of Poweer horn section. You should have been there, we had a blast!
I saw the Dead over 100 plus shows. They could be the worst band in the land or The Best. There were shows that were sloppy and then they could light your hair on fire. You never knew, the Best nights was when the X factor appeared, the fans pushing the band, the band pushing it back. The Muse would be in the Air. Some nights it would be indescribable. Robert Hunter was once quoted that being at a Dead show was like seeing a glimpse of Eternity. Reach out your hand if your cup be empty If your cup is full may it be again Let it be known there is a fountain That was not made by the hands of men. Robert Hunter
I was there when Clarence played in the JGB and for the 89 New Years shows~ it was really energetic with Clarence along! We missed him when he moved into the big house!
Rare gift of expressing his thoughts, and ours, with so few words that say so much. Bruce is a conductor of audiences. He wants quiet, you can hear a pin drop. He says sing, the building shakes and everyone knows the words. Not a great singer, dancer, or particularly handsome. Decent guitar player. Yet Bruce is the greatest front man of all time. Seriously. Prove me wrong
@@musicofanatic I thought about James Brown as #1 but he didn't interact with the crowd so much. He also did not do long shows nor was he much of a song writer. SpringsteEn would certainly name dozens better than him
I never saw the Dead with Clarence. I did the the concert in 1988 where Bruce Hornsby joined the band onstage for the very first time (Buckeye Lake, OH). Playing the accordion on "Sugaree" and "Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again". I've seen the Neville Brothers sit in, Steve Miller and Norton Buffalo, and Jerry sit in with Sting's band on "Tea in the Sahara" when Sting opened shows for the Dead. The Neville Brothers were my favorite.
Thanks for the insights and stories about Clarence, Bruce and the Dead. If we ever get time machines, I think the sixties - seventies will be a faovrite destination.
I remember when the big man died , I was sad, I would tell friends and customers he had passed but literally no one really knew who he was till I said you know Springsteen...then I would get a oh yeah. Anyway thanks Otis for sending me down the C.C rabbit hole, maybe I'll see you there.
I have never understood Grateful Dead music, but there’s no denying their popularity. Being open minded is the key and Bruce gets it. Here’s to the Big Man Clarence.
Otis, even during the 90s there were magic nights and moments of pure brilliance. Jerry gave us his all and having been there only during the late 80s until the end it was still very magical. I discovered them at the same time as the "frat boys as you called the Touch of Grey heads, but I didn't come from that world. Thing is the Grateful Dead always appealed to college kids and if you recall the hippies were mostly college educated middle and upper class folks. This was my first exposure to successful people and a lot of the frat boys learned how to behave at the shows and became better people for it. I know I did. Salut!
As a head with over 100 Jer shows under my belt, I respect Bruce for giving the nod to the boys even if it wasn't his cup of tea. Bruce is a slice of American just like the Boys are. Cheers.
I was there at the New Years Dead show in '88 when Clarence came out, and also the AIDS benefit in '89. Clarence had moved to Marin County not too long before that, iirc. But I had no idea he had sat in with the Garcia Band! So I'm off to find some recordings... thanks for the awesome video!
I'm 46 right now. ... Back in my younger years I attended my first Bob Dylan show in the summer of '97. Loved it. Got more tickets to various dates & on a couple I saw him play with Van Morrison (January '98) & Joni Mitchell (November '98). ... Again, loved the Dylan sets, but admittedly I was simply too young to have truly appreciated the Van Morrison & Joni Mitchell ones. ... Wish I could've seen those shows nowadays at this age. .... You know, with older/different eyes. Also, I'm the same way as Otis with my taste in Springsteen. Way prefer his acoustic based albums & shows. Heard him a lot with the E-Street Band in younger years though. My father was into him much in the same way as I am with Dylan & no headphones back then. That's what was playing & it was playing LOUD. .... And like a little snot I'd tell him it sucked,.. yet would sneak outta my room & listen intently around the living room doorway 😂🤣😂🤣. ... So yeah, not my favorite typa Springsteen, but do have a soft spot for it. Comforting in an odd way. Anyhow, thanks as always for the upload, Otis. ... Much enjoyed. Be well & best wishes out there 🎸
I'm 46 too. I saw Dylan in the winter or spring 95 or 96 in Philadelphia. I hopped on phish tour though, for the most part. I didn't think so at the time but the late 90'was a great time in music. Dylan never stopped touring, phish and ABB both hitting their peak. I loved Dylan but didn't really do a deep dive into him until '04 or '05 and when I did I was flabbergasted by how enormous his talent is. I prefer 65-76 Dylan, those two, and a half eras really, are by far the best of his career in my opinion
@@BrendanMcMahon-gx4rd I agree with 65 & 75/76 being peek Dylan. Nevertheless, his live music from 97 - 05 & 2018 - nowadays is what I listen to most. .... Tis without a doubt an acquired taste. Late nineties was pretty awesome. I saw Petty in 99 Las Vegas, Pearl Jam 98 Mansfield MA, & Phish 95 Mansfield MA to name a few. On that 95 Phish, it was my first real deal concert. Couldn't find the rented van we all took at the end of the show and hitched home to Hyannis with a buddy. ... The drummer sang Crackling Rosie. ... Saw em one more time in 2003 Worcester Ma. They kept tagging Wipeout during that one. Although both were a blast I didn't keep up with em through the years. ... Do know they just finished a summer tour, but don't listen type of deal.
@@BrendanMcMahon-gx4rd .... Just because it's awesome & kinda funny, I'll mention my first attended concert. In 1993 I had a good neighborhood friend. He lived with his mom & sister. He was a couple years older & his sister was a year younger than myself. Anyways, his mom worked her ass off to get em concert tickets at the Orpheum in Boston. ... But, when she purchased the tickets the performer was cool, and by the actual date of the show, he wasn't anymore. With that, my buddy absolutely refused to go. That's when I got a call from his mother. Twas a Sunday, early afternoon and she told me that her ungrateful son wouldn't go with his family to a concert that evening at the Orpheum Theatre in Boston. ... She asked if I'd go, & I asked who the act was? She said - Vanilla Ice & I said, hellz yeah 😂🤣😂🤣. It was what one would probably picture. ... Awesome, yet lame. ... The VIP killed 🤠 Anyhow, that was my first concert. ... 95 Phish was my first that I planned on attending & purchased tickets for. - 🤘
So many times I never got it until time had ticked a while. Don't have any Bruce albums but one of my favorite songs is Bruce and his band covering "My Rides Here" a Zevon tribute. Just finished reading Sound Man so much thanks to you Otis.
Can’t imagine not listening to Springsteen. A sunny evening, windows down and something like “Born to Run” or “Darkness on the Edge of Town” on the stereo and all is right with the world for while.
I saw them at Alpine Valley in '89. Bobby was with Rob Wasserman. Just the 2 of them. Crazy Throwing Stones! Then Jerry came out and Clarence sat in with Jerry's Band. It was awesome! I was never a huge fan of Bruce Springstein, so I didn't even know who Clarence Clemons was! It was the last time I saw the Jerry Garcia Band, and while I saw the Dead a few times after, including some rocking Knickerbocker Arena shows, Help Slip Franklin's Wang Dang Doodle! I'll never forget the aura of majesty I felt after Alpine. I rarely remember moments of shows, but I've been fortunate to catch some great ones, and afterward you realize that you caught something special! Thx for the memories!
I have always been country but in the early 80s, I worked at a college radio station that was mostly album oriented rock with specialty blocks. I did country. I never did get the Grateful Dead until someone played one of their unplugged records. I have to admit, the Grateful Dead just might be some of the best country music I ever heard. I played a lot of them on my country show along with selected tracks from the Stones, ZZ Top , Marshal Tucker and others. That stint at that college radio station really opened my eyes to the universe of music.
The San Francisco band music scene from 65 to 68 was a special time when music mixed with an ingredient unmarked by calculation or an analytic twist that did blend into something unique. The spark of that time has long been replaced, but its memory and meaning are not. ☮
At age 11 my picture taken by my father at the intersection of Haight-Ashbury on 7.20.1969 the day of Landing On The Moon....I am proud to say that years later after imbibing The "Cool Aid"...I Returned to....BOTH
@@MichaelTobin-m1d I have a fond memory of 1966 or 67 and in the Panhandle of Golden Gate Park when unannounced a flatbed truck pulled up with the Grateful Dead and played a set with then Ron McKernan, Pigpen on keyboards. The police came and shut it down and we who were enjoying it got into the street of both sides of the Panhandle and stopped all traffic in both sides and directions. A week later the Janis Joplin and The Big Brother Holding Company came and did the same. This time the police let it play on. ☮
Haha you mean MK-Ultra and agency honeypots? Of the small bit of the records that survived, it's noted that they ran a brothel on Haight-Ashbury known for dosing the Johns and monitoring them, or worse. Laurel Canyon, the Mansons, all strange products of psychological engineering adopted from the 3rd reich remnants. It aint all flowers and peace and love
@@criticman123 It hardly ever was, and what began as promise died after the January 14, 1967 Be In. Another expectation had smothered novelty, and The Man came in to keep it that way.
My High School BF and I were deeply into music of all kinds. but being born in 1966, came to much of the 60's sounds secondhand. We came across an old Bob Dylan album one day and were honor bound to listen to it. About three cuts in, my friend remarked; "You know, if you didn't know he was great, you might think he really sucks." 😂🤣😁
I was at the Boca show,couldn't believe the crowd. Couldn't get tix so ended up outside the venue at Misner park. Excellent show,smoking Loser and closed it with Beatles cover "and in the end the Love you bring is equal to the love you make "yes sir, good show!!
![Grateful Dead - The Grateful Dead Movie [HD Remaster] | 50th Anniversary Watch Party](/img/n.gif)
Here's the article I mentioned in the video.
www.psaudio.com/blogs/copper/when-jerry-and-the-big-man-almost-busted-this-city-in-half?srsltid=AfmBOoq6tTBUbcQyT2WQNSL_1Gic9EvcZwDwx905Mvionc-zdwsf3Zfu
----- Otis Tour Dates -------
08/25/24. -Peace Dale, Rhode Island. -Roots Hoot
08/27/24 - 08/30/24 -Big Indian, New York
-with Todd Snider and Tim Easton
10/25/24 -Brown County Playhouse -Nashville, Indiana
03/05/25 -TivoliVredenburg -Utrecht, Netherlands
03/06/25 - Cultural Centre De Zeepziederij -Bree, Belgium
03/08/25 -Lutherse Kerk -Groningen, Netherlands
------ Details at otisgibbs.com ----------
Good article but I take exception with the comment that members of the dead didnt ''solo much''. GD devoted 20+ minutes to percussion interllude and all members of the band were notorious for always playing their own weave of rythm and ''solos''--- the heart of their rich and complex sound. Guessing the writer of the article didnt know/hear that.
@@mikeb8843
I agree with what you just said
but
I can also agree with the "didn't solo much" viewpoint
re: the drum solos Mickey and Bill were playing as a team
kinda understates it really ... always conscious of the other
& responding to each other moment by moment
when Garcia + Lesh took flight in tandem you could listen to
what either was doing as beautiful high-energy solos if you chose to
listen to just either but you could also marvel at the fit between the two
so I haven't read the article, but maybe the article liked listening for
the weaving. the band certainly all talk about how much they did
it brings to mind a band I saw in the '80s in central CA
I won't name the band becuz I'd hate to get it wrong & that was long ago
& it don't matter anyway, but they had a huge rep around Santa Cruz so
I went to see them live and each band member was great, & knew it, &
each had a spotlight to shine in as they pumped out quality sounds but
they were like 4 separate bubble wrapped simultaneous star showoffs
each having their own private show with a lot of empty space between them
& watching them in a medium-size club where I was close to the stage
felt like the times I saw Blind Faith and The Band from nose bleed seats
& the band each time was 4 inches tall and WAY WAY OVER THERE as if
we were watching them thru a TV or something. EACH was SOLOing.
I didn't see theDead much in '90s, but I never felt THAT at a Dead show
As always, weapons grade Otis. Thanks for taking the time.
Mizner Park 04/06/2011 Boca Raton Furthur with Clarence Clemmins
Best quote I ever heard about The Grateful Dead - “Other bands play the same show to a different crowd every night, the Dead play a different show to the same crowd every night”... :):)
Dead Never Played the same show twice....Keep The Cool Aid Coming
That's a good quote. Hits it...
Never heard that quote before... It's perfect 🎶❤️🎶
This is fantastic. Gonna steal your quote right out your head.
@@MichaelTobin-m1d Did you miss the point of the quote?"the Dead play a different show to the same crowd every night”
I saw the Jerry Band with Clarence in Massachusetts it was a perfect concert on a perfect night. They played mission in the Rain so beautifully, not a dry eye to be seen. Thanks Otis
I thought he fit in with the Jerry band better than he did with the Dead- but he still sounded good with the Dead.
@@guacamolekid3899 there was more room for another instrument in the Jerry band, the dead were stepping on each other’s toes as it was. Clarence was a great player and his sound could go anywhere really, imho. The Jerry band was one of the great unheralded bands of the era to me.
@@Hartlor_Tayley I totally agree! Jerry just knew how to give a song soul.
@@guacamolekid3899 thanks. and the Jerry band was tighter and more supportive. The Dead less so.
as i have gotten older, i have come to like the JGB even more than the dead.
As a local musician, I was so stoked to learn that the rock ‘n’ roll Hall of Fame would be in Cleveland! I was also lucky enough to work as a stage tech for the original rock ‘n’ roll Hall of Fame show at the old Cleveland municipal stadium, in 1995. One day while we were setting up the show, I come out of the trailer and somebody sitting on my golf cart. It was the big man! He was smoking a big fat cigar and smiling in the sunshine. “Hey, Big Man! What’s up?” He laughed. He and I had a good talk for about five minutes some of which I can’t repeat here, but he was a big man with a gentle soul. I was blessed to meet him, and I just thought I would share it.
Who do you mean by "the big man?" Jerry Garcia?
@@chicklets4ever51 That’s what I thought, too. Seems it was Clarence Clemons.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame should be in Memphis, if not Clarksdale.
Got my coffee, my comfy chair, my iPad and settling in for a calming dose of Otis.
Indeed 5:00 am Saturday morning..❤
drinkin' coffee spodee-otis
Jerry Garcia was such a treasure. I've learned so much from him. He played Guitar,Banjo,and pedal steel guitar. He introduced me to Mississippi John Hurt and Elizabeth Cotten. I've studied his Banjo Material from Old & in the Way and guitar from Garcia & Grisman.
Loved Old & In The Way!! soundtrack of my youth
He actually played 20 different instruments
Old n I'm the way ! So much in the dead universe other than the dead
@@atravelerofbothtimespace4172 "so much etc". Exactly.
I thoroughly loved what they did as The Grateful Dead but also
my favorite Garcia work is what he did mid'70s with Merle Saunders +
Phil & Friends did some awesome stuff. One show I saw them they
opened with what seemed like 40 minutes of intense inventive jam
before they did anything that sounded like a song to me. I love it.
So my. favorite live music experience will always be the early '70s
Kezar Show, first time I saw them outdoors in daylight, 3 great sets
Waylon Jennings as opening band & theDead in top form all day but
as you say, "So much in the dead universe other than the dead"
just picked up a copy of The Good Old Boys with Garcia, David Nelson, Frank Wakefield and others. Its a double album from '75. Definitely different than Old & in the Way, but great listening nonetheless. Frank Wakefield was a big influence on those guys. And i'm sure vice versa.
In regards to the Dead and Bruce's comment. I saw the Dead in "88 at Riverbend in Cincinnati and the whole vibe of the concert and the people struck a nerve with me. Positive vibes, good show and all I wanted to do was jump in my car and follow the caravan of the Deadheads to the next gig. I was hooked... Thanks again Otis.
NFA
I only saw Bruce once, during the second US tour promoting “Born in the USA”. Every song felt like an encore. They built to such a crescendo at the end of every song, it was a great show in Detroit. Love the music of both of these bands. Thank you Otis for sharing this.
I only saw him once too but in 2012. 3+ hours and it was absolutely incredible. Just a fantastic band with an all time great frontman who happens to have more great songs than he can fit into 3 hour setlist. It was like a religious experience.
Loved your video. I was an attorney that worked with the Dead from ‘83-‘95. I rarely missed a show. It was one of the most important times of my life & growth. I know those shows you referenced. ML&R, Joe
PS. Remember there ain’t “no simple highway” between darkness & the dawn.
Another great segment Otis. Thanks. I read the book by Bruce Springsteen and being a Dead fan had to laugh at his first impressions because I got it. I've been to shows that seemed to slog along through improvisation seemly going nowhere until suddenly the fireworks went off and we knew they'd probably never played it just like this before and it was brilliant. Those are the moments Grateful Dead fans live for. We know the songs and understand the heights and depths of the lyrics. We understood they wouldn't play it the same way twice and were like people who go fishing and throw their line in the water to find out what's below the surface. We were people witnessing exploration in real time and more often than not rewarded and felt privileged to be present when they made a discovery and took all of us along. I can understand why The Big Man found the experience so rewarding.
I saw them around '86 for the first time and I had the same type of experience. Jerry seemed an out of shape dude in the most uninteresting clothes who played guitar well but could barely sing. The crowd cheered it seemed to me in an effort to keep them alive. I had heard a few of their classic hits on FM radio but of course they didn't play any of those. It was for me a concert that was tripping on nostalgia.
Fast forward a few years later and a friend of mine makes me some tapes of 60's and 70's classic Dead albums. I hear the magic of their Pigpen days and their happier acid jams of the mid 60's. I hear American Beauty and Wake of the Flood and From A Mars Hotel and I start getting it. I saw them two more times and was glad I did. Jerry's love of Dylan dovetailed with mine. His guitar playing became a source of fascination. They were not a paint by numbers band. They were not playing by anyone's rules or expectations. They were a community and that was built on love of surprises and spontaneity. They weren't in any bag except their own. They weren't the best at what they did, they were the only ones who did what they did.
Well said
Glad you got it in the end 👍❤️
Wonder what's with the motel signage and his background!
I never knew there was a second coming of "when the Big Man joined the band."
This show is like comfort food, Otis. Every time! Be well and keep the faith.
"This show is like comfort food, Otis"
I'll second that emotion.
I was at the Boca show, The band was called “Futhur” and Clemons came out and ripped it up with Bob Weir and Phil Lesh on lots of Dead Classics….he was an amazing player and the sold out crowd ate it up and the energy was electric!🔥🔥
Keep your videos coming Otis. I enjoy them early Saturday mornings.
I only got the chance to see the Dead once. It was Jerry’s last show before he died. It’s really special. Had the a wonderful time. The show was at soldiers field in Chicago.
Springsteen's Live at Hammersmith Odeon Theater in London '75 is something special. Terrific energy...
The best live Bruce I've ever heard.
Absolutely amazing voice and music
Agreed! That "Lost in the Flood" is so good.
In the crowd that night was a young Joe Strummer
The reason why he sported a telecaster was because of Bruce
Also in the crowd were Bowie and Townsend
That recording " Springsteen at Hammersmith 75 " is in my opinion top 5 live recordings for sure.
Great stuff!! One of the best lines ever written, Sometimes it’s like someone took a knife, baby edgy and dull and cut a six inch valley through the middle of my skull… 🐿️😎🐿️
Great story... Nothing solos better than a sax. Thats my goal as a fumbling guitar player. A melodic sax like tone. Pure beauty! Nobody did these things better than Jerry and Clarence. Love it!
Sonny On " Waiting On A Friend" and Bobby On " Can't You Hear Me Knocking" Killing It ....WEOW....
Im thankful that I was a Dead fan as a young guy. Around 1980 I became a fan and never looked back.
Im also thankful that other peoples opinions of music no longer trigger me. Everybody likes something different and thats OK.
I saw Bruce on the Born In The USA tour and had a great time. Nebraska is his very best I agree.
My father said it Best..." Let Them Think What They Want"....Rock....Solid wisdom of the sage he was....
I offered Bruce a swig off a wineskin while he crowd surfing at a show back in '78. He put didn't take it so I turned it around and squirted him with wine (I was tripping balls). When he was done with the song he said, "I should change my shirt, somebody out there pissed on me!" He played great tight songs for two hours. It's the best concert I've seen in my 68 years. Did Jerry ever crowd surf? Did the Dead ever rock? No? Do they put me to sleep? Yes!
@@billg6166 Did BS ever play Radio City 4 nights...a rhetorical Q? Going Down Is My Fav. having survived 19 OD's Going "Downtown snorting the good shit..my oh my Your Either ON THE Bus Or You Ain't...Drink some Kool-Aid and Get back To Me...On The Lower E-Side of Bands..Big Man Played with the DEAD...Went great Even asking him if He Would Like To Join...A REAL Band and The Dead Never F....SOLD OUT...Only Shows dhat Is
Great Video, Love starting my day with Otis. I started seeing the Dead in 73' My Older Brother started in 71. It was way different back then. I remember what My Mom said back then "Every time that band comes to town you Boys lose your minds, You quit your jobs and then you disappear for months on end" My Mom was not wrong. Being a Dead fan is like knowing what the inside joke is, Some people get the joke, others do not
I was there, worked for their lighting company.
Instantly loved the music, and was also attracted to the crowd vibe, and the parking lot circus ☮❤🎶
There will never be anything quite like it again.
Love the new generations of Dead tribute bands, keeping the spirit alive 🔥
Great upload. Always good to hear other musicians' perspectives 🙏
Thanks for sharing these stories. Every video feels like a postcard from an old friend..
That happened to me with Hall & Oates. I cut my teeth on Allman Brothers, Outlaws, Beatles and the Stones. It was 30 years later that I began to appreciate the creativity and musicality of H&O😊
As a longtime fan of Bruce & the ESB...117 shows in 44 years, plus met my French wife at a show in Paris in 2012....THANK YOU for this video. Clarence was a sweet musical soul and an immense stage presence. I was not aware that he had played with the GD and Jerry. So, as usual, I learned something from your video! :)
Saw Dead and Co. at the sphere when John's finger was injured. It impacted the music, but the night was magical. The songs and the voices and the honesty. There is no way to explain the energy that happens in the crowd.
My wife and I saw Springsteen and the E Street Band in 1980 in St Paul, MN. To this day it was the best rock 'n' roll show I've seen. In the encore, he was stopping the band. boom. and telling a story.. and 1 2 3 4 back full speed into the song... At one point he climbed the PA and stood on top tearing his shirt off... "Somebody stop me!!! Before I hurt myself!!!" 1 2 3 4... and off they went again. This was at the end of a wild 3 hour concert. My wife was 8 months pregnant... and would have run away with him in a heart best :D
It was the only time I saw them. I saw the Dead 8 times from 71 to 81 when they came to town. The first show at Northrup auditorium changed my life and a month later I was learning to play the bass.
Good Morning, Thanks for that trip down memory lane. In I968 I was 18 and it was my 1st experience with the Dead & a sense of community. I still love to listen & relive the feeling. My best to you & yours. 😊
In the 90's I was hired to design and build a float for their Mardi Gras Show in Oakland Ca. We wove through the middle of the crowd, with Dead playing their hearts out.The energy was insane and absolutely electric. It was such a positive experience.
First night of Mardi Gras 1990 in Oakland was the only show I ever got shut out of. I still remember the awful feeling of riding BART back to San Francisco, defeated.
There is NOTHING like a Grateful Dead concert
Radio City I Just melted into those red velvet seats...Cherished Memories
Ain’t dat da truth !
There are 2 music styles in popular music - Grateful Dead style
And then, everyone else
Hey Now!⚡⚡🌹🌹☮️💀
Tell me you never saw Pink Floyd live...🤣
I thought of Bruce the same way Bruce thought of the Dead and yes, I thought of them in that way too. Listened to Nebraska and it broke my heart, heard thre E Street Shuffle and it made me groove, read the lyrics to Ripple and felt the funk of Fire on the Mountain realized I had my guard up. Was lucky enough to see them both. Awesome shows that left me in awe of what I never thought I would like.
I wasn’t a Springsteen fan until Nebraska. It showed a side of him I had not seen and I realized there was a depth to his songwriting. I started listening to his older stuff and paying more attention to his lyrics and saw that same depth, just presented in a different way.
yea, I'm not big on Bruce, but I love the Nebraska album
Wonderful stories. I grew up with Springsteen and only recently have begun to appreciate the Dead.
I remember an interview with Clarence's son where he talked about his father's love of the Dead. Hanging backstage with the Dead in the 80s offered Clarence a little more adventure than what he was used to with Bruce. Apparently, he liked the ample supply of mushrooms that were shared openly backstage. Also, Jerry is on record saying he thought Springsteen's writing was too culturally specific to the Jersy shore and boardwalk for him, and he found it hard to relate to sometimes, especially the earlier stuff. Definitely an interesting connection to explore, two disparate threads of American music for sure.
What a great upload, Otis. Thanks for this.
I'm aware that in your community of singer/songwriters, the Dead elicits a range of responses from honest admiration to being seen as cliche', or overrated at least. I very much appreciate it when an artist such as yourself makes these open musings about "getting it" about the Dead.
It's always been a road of discovery for me and others who've been followers of Jerry and the Dead since we were teenagers in the early 80's. No one knows it all, but there's always been some degree of one-upmanship about who's been to more live shows, and what venue, who has more tapes, etc.
In retrospect it seems silly, because it was. We were young and driven by a passion for something that was close to our hearts for individual reasons, yet we all felt "as one" at these shows. Truly a different bonding feeling that you get as an audience member, compared to going to ANY other music show. And your passage from Springsteen's book happens to mention that feeling at those shows, whether the Dead was "on" that night or not. This patchouli panorama at the shows went down to your bones, like no other band or artist's scene ever could, imho.
Now that the pace of this world has left that scene WAY behind by now, it's really a beautiful thing to see little flowers of genuine appreciation of the musicianship of this oft-misunderstood band pop up and open their beautiful thoughts and reactions like this.
glad to see that point about the "one upsmanship" & bragging rights
I saw my first Dead show in June 1970, & went to a lot more, until early '90s
it was weird during the '80s to have someone put me on a pedestal after
asking the "1st show?" question.
Like, Dude, I didn't play in the band. I just bought a $4 ticket & listened & danced.
But seeing the Dead repeatedly was definitely a transforming experience for many
& it seemed like more often for the better than for the worse.
@@oughtssought1198 Totally get it. For some people, seeing the band repeatedly completes their whole lives, and is all they seem to be able to talk about.
I like what Jerry once said about the die-hards who toured with the band and seemed to have no other purpose in life, "If all you've got is the Dead, then you ain't got much."
@@wvvvrock1053 "all they listen to + all they seem to talk about" ... yes
what made that extra-weird was Bill Graham and the Dead themselves
made very interesting efforts to expose their audience to a wide variety
of very diff bands + styles, from Waylon Jennings to Etta James to the
Chinese National Orchestra to Ornette Colman to the Blues Brothers to
Hamza Al Din (if I got that right -- the Egyptian drummer that played with
them several times after they played the pyramids. the list of folk who
played with them on stage is also varied, long, interesting. They made the
effort to expand people's music horizons. Same with set break music.
@@oughtssought1198 It sounds very nice and lofty to think that the only way that we were "exposed" to the likes of Waylon, Etta, et al was because one out of 2800 shows had Etta James (you forgot to mention the excellent 70's group Tower Of Power, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Miles Davis, Kris Kristoferson, Branford Marsalis, Tom Petty, Bruce Hornsby, Jimmie Rodgers, Blind Willie Johnson, The Coasters, Chuck Berry, and the list goes on) in it, but the truth is that we were already somewhat enlightened and open-minded to begin with. Many of us were musicians from an early age and had already been exposed to many classical and jazz artists that Jerry and the boys' path swerved into occasionally over 30 years.
Just like there was a world of experiences to be had outside the lot back in the 80's on tour with the Dead, there was lots of music out there besides our favorite band. Some of the followers had the Dead in the center of their universe, and saw their experiences as having been because of the Dead. The rest of us had a different perspective, even though we love the band just as much.
@@chriscummings7277 I wasn't trying to supply a comprehensive list,
that would be way more work than my comment ambitions are volunteering for
I. was just trying to name enpough to express how eclectic the range was so
thanks for adding yr small % of additional others that were examples
I was responding in a priorly friendly conversation that lacked lawyerly ambience
to a comment about "some people" with one specific trait, not characterizing the
entire universe of Grateful Dead followers, a far grander task beyond my vision
I had many friends that fit that description re: ONLY listening to Grateful Dead or
bands with Grateful Dead members ... my sister still only chooses Grateful Dead
when she is picking what to listen to for just herself & the years she was on tour
& Dead was most of what she & her partner talked about then.
I knew at more than a dozen others like that. I knew far more who weren't like that.
as for "lofty" ... do you have a mirror?
I'd apologize to you for you feeling erased by the conversation we were having
if that had been the case, but we were talking about a specific, smaller group
not everyone in the Grateful Dead audience neighborhood, nor all tour folks
which, as you say, was a much large topic we'd said nothing about, so please
go on with filling in what we left out of that larger, more interesting, population
you've started well & there is certainly a whole lot more you could have included
so as not to leave anyone else feeling left out
and don't forget to finish the list of folk the Dead exposed their audience to by
having them on stage to play with, or as opening acts, or as set-break music
you left some people out
I'll climb down off your loft now. It's chilly up here.
Right on! I always loved Bruce and, similarly, never got the Dead. It is interesting to hear his perspective and relate it to my own.
The Only Dead Hits Were A " Freak" of their Nature....while others "Nature" Was A Freak for his Hits
Great story Otis. Thanks man!
French Canadian here: Lemieux - pronounced Le- mu- eww, like Pittsburg Penguins NHL legend Mario Lemieux. Love coffee time. Thanks for what you do, Otis.
Lol,, I basically wrote the exact same comment before I seen yours
When I heard his pronunciation, my first thought was, well Otis isn't a hockey fan.
Big Penquins fan
Love Clarence the Big Man, and we love you Otis ! Great video.
I stumbled upon your video first thing this morning. Never seen you til now. Somehow your video really struck a chord with me. Thanks. What you said really meant something.
I had front row seats to see Bruce in 1979.....he was great....but The Big Man stole the show.....the guy was a giant in so many ways, he was 6'5 and he stepped on stage in a lime green 3 piece suit, silver cowboy boots and a great big white Stetson cowboy hat that made him look 10feet tall and he absolutely stole the show with a just a few powerful notes on his glistening sax !!!
Another beautiful video, Otis. Around 1985 or so, the SF Chronicle asked three Bay Area musicians the same question for their Sunday "Pink Section." The musicians were Jerry, Huey Lewis and someone whom i can no longer recall. The question was: "Who's your favorite live performer?" If my 72 year old memory serves, I believe that Huey answered Frank Sinatra. But I am absolutely certain that Gerry answered, "Bruce Springsteen. Lots of bands put on a good show, but Springsteen work his ass off to always put on a great show, and I admire that." As a fan of both bands, that made my Sunday!
Oh yes, I was at a few of those Jerry Garcia Band shows in September of 1989, with Clarence Clemons sitting in. Fantastic shows. Everything felt great. At the time, I was kind of seeing a woman who was deaf, and she wanted to go to one of the Great Woods shows with me. I was surprised, but I got her a ticket. We hung out on the lawn in the back, and she lay down on the grass and was digging the vibrations. There wasn't an official tapers section at these shows, but thankfully that didn't stop folks from taping, and I got my hands on those tapes soon afterward and listened to them a whole lot. Those shows were the only times I saw Clarence in concert.
I was lucky enough to see the Dead 14 times before Jerry passed. I have been a fan since the early 90’s, (I know I was very late to the party), but I never heard any of these stories. This is amazing.
Funny, I saw Springsteen 14 times.
Great stuff as always, Otis.
I had to chuckle a little bit when I saw the Skyline Motel sign. In eighteen years as a dispatcher in the Indianapolis 911 Center, I probably took a at least a couple of hundred 911 calls from that place. Shootings, stabbings, prostitution, drug activity, you name it. That place was a smorgasbord of crime.
Thanks Otis.
I love Springsteen material up to the river LP. Born in the USA was huge for him but not my cup
Of tea. It did however send me on a singer songwriter journey that eventually introduced me to Steve Earl, Ray Kennedy and eventually to your music as well as to other newer artists like Vincent Neil Emerson and Josh Morningstar. Have a great weekend.
I think that sums it all up for many Springsteen fans... There was something he had up until the Nebraska LP... An ethereal quality that was an amalgamation of American music he channeled.
@@deweypug
The Tunnel of Love album was actually very good as were some songs on Born in the USA. The River was an over-produced bloated 4 sided album that should have been a single album in my opinion. But it was the first 3 albums and the early tours that were magic, as it was seeing a young and hungry band, an American band, playing their “bar room music” that most of us all knew that someday would bring him to Olympian heights. What a ride he took us on for fifty years!
@@Machia52612 Most every critic has echoed similar complaints about ‘The River’. If we listen to it as an extension of Darkness on the edge of town, it bears its true character. It has staying power in ways his later albums could not.
I'm not a regular watcher of your videos
but when I do, I always enjoy what you've done, as well as learn something new. I subscribed right off the bat when I first found your channel
and like I said, have always enjoyed
every video watched. Also like your easy-going manner. Will have to get
Springsteen's book....you were a great natural advertisement for it. I was never a real Dead fan but a big Bruce fan, Dylan and continue to loveTom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Need to pick up his biography as well. Thank you Otis for doing what you do. Take good care ; )
Love this…wasn’t aware the big man’s last appearance was w/ the Dead family, warms my heart a lot 🎷🌹
I feel like Im in the minority of going thru HUGE Springsteen and Dead obsessions. But in general having an open mind (my Jerry influence....) to everything from Hank Sr to Bob Wills to Bill Evans to Bill Monroe to Grisman to Django. I digress....
I always thought they had a similar concert experience but most my Deadhead friends were like WTF? It was all good to me. Backstreets or Estimated Prophet or Jungleland or Terrapin Station or Rosalita or Might as Well. Its all gold.
I liked his book. And his description of the Dead applies to me too. I didn’t get them….but Friend of the Devil is my favorite song of there’s, and Touch of Gray, is a close second. Thanks for the video Otis.
Thanks Otis! A new great story to start the day. 🙂
I was at the show in Boca. Front and center. I saw a stool and a mic that was placed low to the ground and during that Futhur Tour the band had local musicians appear during their concerts and I knew from the start of the show that it had to be Clarance because I knew he had a home in Palm Beach, which is nearby. Lo and behold, Clarence came out at the beginning of the second set and played to red rooster and love light. I have pictures of that show. And sure enough Clarance sadly passed away a month or so later. Growing up in New Jersey being a huge Springsteen fan made this show even more special I’ll never forget it
To appreciate the Dead, it helps to strip off any ego. A young Springsteen had too much ego to "get" the Dead back then. That's not intended as a put down, it's just an observation.
Jerry was a big fan of John Coltrane and had a saxophonist in his Legion of Mary and Reconstruction side bands. In later years, Branford Marsalis played with GD for a while; and Jerry collaborated with Ornette Coleman as well. The Etta James, Tower of Power horns NYE '82 set with GD is fantastic.
In the 90s, Jerry started using a midi to produce trumpet and sax sounds from his guitar. When asked if he wished he had learned to play trumpet, Jerry responded "What do you mean? I *_am_* playing trumpet."
I dont know how he would have an ego when he didnt even had a record deal then , he shure has an ego formany years though 😜
Actually Jerry started using midi in the '80's.
Great hearing those stories about the Dead and Clarence. Fun stuff.
Enjoyed these stories a lot. I never saw the Dead. I saw Bob Weir and Rat Dog after Garcias death. That was interesting. I have several of the Dead’s compilations that someone in their circle recorded. Clarence Clemons was badass! The Big Man was a great musician. He played on an album some guys here in my town recorded. He happened to be nearby where they recorded and agreed to play on a track or two. Speaking of seeing the Dead. I heard basketball great Bill Walton was at 90 of their shows. That is unreal, but that was a typical Bill Walton story and probably typical of Dead fans. Much love to you., Otis!
Bill went to a lot more shows than 90, he did hundreds !
@@SkelatorRevisited You’re right! Walton went to 869 shows!!
Went to Rat Dog at the Henry J Kaiser in Oakland
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Thanks Otis. I saw the Dead @ Folsom Field, Boulder and Denver Coliseum (North side near the meat packing plants). Those shows were polar opposite venues. Seeing the Dead was more of an experience then a concert, very interesting/fascinating. Those were great shows, I saw them @ Denver sports arena in the late '80s they sounded drained of their energy. Those early '70s shows were sublime. I dig early Springsteen later stuff not so much.. The Big Man Clarence I love. Thanks brother, you're appreciated.
Hey man, I agree and I had the same experience Seeing Phish open for Carlos Santana in 92. I also didn't like Frank Zappa at 1st. The Dead didn't grow on me right away either. Hey btw I am the Philly guy who met you at the camp in the Catskills a few weeks ago, I was attending the other Guitar camp and you were at the Tom Snider camp. Great meeting you!
I attended multiple Dead shows in northern and Southern California between 1971 and 1974, a time when Hunter/ Garcia tunes were at their peak and Weir/ Barlow were coming into their own as well. Winterland in the City was their clubhouse and the New Years Eve shows there were beyond description. Started loving the Boss with Nebraska and stayed on the train through The Ghost of Tom Joad. Here’s to both of them and their respective runs of brilliance. Wasn’t that a time.
Watching from Land o' Lakes,wi.....,,,another great story from you,...,,,truth about an off night,,or show,...reality is just that,...tnx,,,pat& family..
Nice to hear about Bruce’s humility. I enjoyed this video. Back in the 70s when I got into listening to them we were an outsider group. Today, the Dead’s music has in some ways become the new American songbook.
I'm with Bruce---I never "got it" for decades, and then one night I heard a live "Dark Star" that blew me away before I knew it was the Dead.
Big man. The reason I picked up the tenor sax about 35 years ago in band, moving on to guitar and the foundation on piano from lessons in elementary school. Clarence is amazing - tone is uniquely him.
❤Love this Otis ! Thanks sir 😊
Otis! My man! I know you get that reference. Man I saw Bruce once in the 70s, once in the 80s,once in the 90s and once in the 2000s.!!! The experience lasts a lifetime. If there were a reel of my life, Bruce would be a musical vine stretching for the sun and bursting into a beautiful flower bro.
One of the guitarists I recently started playing with in a local band is a big Dead fan. We play a few Dead songs, and I have quickly learned to appreciate Jerry and Company. Back in the 80s, in high school, I didn't get the hype. They were a drugged-out hippie band from the '60s. I knew some songs because of MTV and radio airplay, but they never stuck with me.
Springsteen, oddly, holds a place in my world. Loved hearing Clarence play, and Bruce's songs all felt honest.
I haven't seen either in concert.
Thanks, Otis 🙏🏻
Happy Saturday 🤍
I just started Born to Run last night… and I love the Dead. How serendipitous.
Im 50 pages in and I think it’s as wonderful as his songwriting… honest about himself too
I always watch & listen to you Otis… and I love the Grateful Dead. Lots of awesome people played with them… not just The Big Man Clarence. But Hornsby.. also Branford too!! 🎶💜🎶
My brother really liked the Dead and I only really got into them in the last decade or so. I read “Dark Star” and found the jazz stuff fantastic. I appreciate the education, Otis. I learn so much from listening to your channel.
My life's experience (nearly 70 years) is that real good stuff is often too complex to easily digest and appreciate from an initial sampling. I nearly spit out my first mouthful of good French wine in repulsion...tasted like dirt! By the end of the bottle I started to develop an appreciation, and now, I cannot (afford to) get enough! Likewise, it took a few samplings of the Grateful Dead (beginning in around 1968) to develop my love and appreciation for what they did. My biggest revelatory turnaround (somewhat off topic) was with the band NRBQ. I had so many friends promoting their music to me and they sounded at first like some amusical, weird-for-the-sake-of weird baloney. Eventually it became clear to me that Terry Adams, Joey Spampinato, Steve Ferguson/Al Anderson and Tom Staley/Tom Ardolino were the finest, most articulate, creative combination of musicians in the entire history of rocknroll! Just goes to show ya: first impressions can be accurate, but many times, it's worth a second look!
Thanks Otis. Great insight all around. I love Bruce and Clarence too but never saw them live. I am a Deadhead at heart. Saw the Dead many times. I loved hearing this story about Clarence. Great stuff.
My favorite Springsteen album is Wild Innocent E Street Shuffle
And the live Hammersmith Video is stellar. Band is ON POINT
Kitty's back in town!!
I wasn't there but Etta James & Tower of Power horns with the Dead at Oakland Coliseum NYE is one of my most treasured bootlegs. 1982 I believe. Thanks Otis
Yeah that is a remarkable show. I still remember the first time I found that show on TH-cam and just smiling so big listening it.
Yes! I “told” Otis while watching, I wasn’t there,but as Dead Head’s do, I had the tapes not long after it happened. There was one particular tune on that show with her, was it Love Light? It was just perfect I remember thinking. The whole band always seemed to enjoys sit in’s such as this, and Clarence, Bruuuuuuuce, and lets not leave off another POWERFUL sax, Branford Marsalis. But Jerry, especially seemed to light up…had a little more spring in his step. Another point, and I hope Otis reads comments on comments, but I think musicians (myself included) tend to “compete” for lack of a better word, the times I saw Bruuuuuuce play with the GD, I never got that,especially from Jerry. Again, it seemed to spark him. (My first show was 5/5/80, I was there before Touch of Grey,but missed Keith and Donna). The last time I saw GD was spring of ‘95. Charlotte NC. I caught the last two nights of a 3 night run. First night, Bruuuuce was there, Jerry was his old wonderful self. Strong! 2nd night, not to be mean, I love Jerry “more than words can tell”, but he was pitiful. They came out of space with Black Peter into This could be the last time. We cried in the lot that night after the show, the writing was on the wall. I didn’t go back for any of the summer shows….Thanks Otis for everything you do, all the behind the scenes stuff where I get to feel like an insider, the memories you rekindle. I hope one day we might meet, I can spin a yarn with the best of them, i feel certain we could find something to talk about for HOURS.
@@timlong9959 Great memories and yeah they did a great Love Light and a killer Hard 2 Handle as well if I recall. Towards '95 Jerry was pretty spent IMO. I had a chance to see him casually in Maui and you can just tell he was loving being off the road and being at peace for a spell. Those final tours with Bruce were amazing but also a heavy toll...lots of tour dates in major venues with no real breathing room for rest. As well, his demons were catching up to him. When Jerry died, I was living in SF at the time. A friend had invited me to Colorado for a spell, but like the day after I left it was announced of a major "free concert/gathering" in Golden Gate Park SF honoring Jerry. It was 1 block away from my house and we had a lot of Deadhead friends. I called back home only to discover that like 30 "heads" have descended on our pad with about a dozen random dogs there too, and they were making candles and shit in the kitchen...total hippie disaster. I told my GF at the time to "immediate grab all my guitars, stash 'em under the bed and LOCK THE ROOM!" :) Crazy daze for sure but I sure miss Jerry every day.
@@jessebflylike my parents remembering exactly where they were when they learned of the assassination of JFK, i remember every detail learning that Jerry passed. Heartbreaking on so many fronts. Got to ask, Jessebfly, are you a fly fisherman? As my google profile shows, my inner core is Grateful Dead (really music period), and trying to put something on the business end of a fly rod. If i could just incorporate a mandolin in that pic…lol. Nevertheless, nice to chat with you. Oh, hope your guitars stayed safe! Hippies, they mean well…God love them!
@@timlong9959 we're kindred spirits my friend. Love fly fishing too and also play the mando! lol.. Be well
Great video Otis. I really appreciate your thoughts, breaking down both the Dead and the Boss. I hadn’t thought about the commonality of a James Brown show and a Bruce Springsteen show, but you’re exactly right. It took me a long while to warm up to Bruce, but I’m listening to a lot these days. I’m still working on the Dead, but I can sense that there’s something out there worth pursuing.
I didn't see the Clarence shows. But I was at 12/31/82 NYE. Opening was a Brazilian Samba group with the dancing girls and all. Next up, The Dinosaurs! John Cippolina, Berry "the Fish" Melton, Peter Albin, Spencer Dryden. After about 30-35 minutes of play. They introduced Country Joe McDonald, followed by Nicky Hopkins, Kathi McDonald, and Steven ? on sax. Etta came out for the final set of the night. Etta James, the Tower of Poweer horn section. You should have been there, we had a blast!
I saw the Dead over 100 plus shows. They could be the worst band in the land or The Best. There were shows that were sloppy and then they could light your hair on fire. You never knew, the Best nights was when the X factor appeared, the fans pushing the band, the band pushing it back. The Muse would be in the Air. Some nights it would be indescribable. Robert Hunter was once quoted that being at a Dead show was like seeing a glimpse of Eternity.
Reach out your hand if your cup be empty
If your cup is full may it be again
Let it be known there is a fountain
That was not made by the hands of men.
Robert Hunter
Saw Clarence at a small show in Cape May, NJ in the early 90's. I loved his single, "I Wanna Be Your Hero". It was a great show.
This is the Rock n Roll storytelling I so damn desperate for. Good job, man.😎🎸🎸🎸🎸.
I was there when Clarence played in the JGB and for the 89 New Years shows~ it was really energetic with Clarence along! We missed him when he moved into the big house!
Keep the recs of live tracks of Springsteen coming. I love the version of "Because the Night" from his 1978 tour.
If i live for a year, not that there is anything undoing me specially, but for this year i am going to be listening to these shows. Thanks
Rare gift of expressing his thoughts, and ours, with so few words that say so much. Bruce is a conductor of audiences. He wants quiet, you can hear a pin drop. He says sing, the building shakes and everyone knows the words. Not a great singer, dancer, or particularly handsome. Decent guitar player. Yet Bruce is the greatest front man of all time. Seriously. Prove me wrong
Okay...James Brown. Dunno how to "prove" it to you...maybe ask Springstein? James Brown.
@@musicofanatic I thought about James Brown as #1 but he didn't interact with the crowd so much. He also did not do long shows nor was he much of a song writer. SpringsteEn would certainly name dozens better than him
@@timfarrell5659 You are defining the criteria by which "greatest front man of all time" is defined. It's all yours, I'm out...
I never saw the Dead with Clarence. I did the the concert in 1988 where Bruce Hornsby joined the band onstage for the very first time (Buckeye Lake, OH). Playing the accordion on "Sugaree" and "Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again". I've seen the Neville Brothers sit in, Steve Miller and Norton Buffalo, and Jerry sit in with Sting's band on "Tea in the Sahara" when Sting opened shows for the Dead. The Neville Brothers were my favorite.
Thanks for the insights and stories about Clarence, Bruce and the Dead. If we ever get time machines, I think the sixties - seventies will be a faovrite destination.
Otis, if you haven’t , you should check out Aiofe O’Donovan doing the Nebraska album. Really special.
I remember when the big man died , I was sad, I would tell friends and customers he had passed but literally no one really knew who he was till I said you know Springsteen...then I would get a oh yeah. Anyway thanks Otis for sending me down the C.C rabbit hole, maybe I'll see you there.
I love that his nephew replaced him in the band. Seemed fitting.
Thanks Otis!
Good catch and great awareness from Bruce.
I have never understood Grateful Dead music, but there’s no denying their popularity. Being open minded is the key and Bruce gets it. Here’s to the Big Man Clarence.
Your either " On The Bus" or ya all ain't
I had never heard of CC with the dead ! Wow! Thank you. I hope they release this stuff.
Thank you, great stories! Never knew Clarence played w/ Ringo or his last gig was w/ Bob & Phil.
Otis, even during the 90s there were magic nights and moments of pure brilliance. Jerry gave us his all and having been there only during the late 80s until the end it was still very magical. I discovered them at the same time as the "frat boys as you called the Touch of Grey heads, but I didn't come from that world. Thing is the Grateful Dead always appealed to college kids and if you recall the hippies were mostly college educated middle and upper class folks. This was my first exposure to successful people and a lot of the frat boys learned how to behave at the shows and became better people for it. I know I did.
Salut!
As a head with over 100 Jer shows under my belt, I respect Bruce for giving the nod to the boys even if it wasn't his cup of tea. Bruce is a slice of American just like the Boys are. Cheers.
I was there at the New Years Dead show in '88 when Clarence came out, and also the AIDS benefit in '89. Clarence had moved to Marin County not too long before that, iirc. But I had no idea he had sat in with the Garcia Band! So I'm off to find some recordings... thanks for the awesome video!
I'm 46 right now. ... Back in my younger years I attended my first Bob Dylan show in the summer of '97. Loved it. Got more tickets to various dates & on a couple I saw him play with Van Morrison (January '98) & Joni Mitchell (November '98). ... Again, loved the Dylan sets, but admittedly I was simply too young to have truly appreciated the Van Morrison & Joni Mitchell ones. ... Wish I could've seen those shows nowadays at this age. .... You know, with older/different eyes.
Also, I'm the same way as Otis with my taste in Springsteen. Way prefer his acoustic based albums & shows.
Heard him a lot with the E-Street Band in younger years though. My father was into him much in the same way as I am with Dylan & no headphones back then. That's what was playing & it was playing LOUD. .... And like a little snot I'd tell him it sucked,.. yet would sneak outta my room & listen intently around the living room doorway 😂🤣😂🤣. ... So yeah, not my favorite typa Springsteen, but do have a soft spot for it. Comforting in an odd way.
Anyhow, thanks as always for the upload, Otis. ... Much enjoyed.
Be well & best wishes out there 🎸
I'm 46 too. I saw Dylan in the winter or spring 95 or 96 in Philadelphia. I hopped on phish tour though, for the most part. I didn't think so at the time but the late 90'was a great time in music. Dylan never stopped touring, phish and ABB both hitting their peak. I loved Dylan but didn't really do a deep dive into him until '04 or '05 and when I did I was flabbergasted by how enormous his talent is. I prefer 65-76 Dylan, those two, and a half eras really, are by far the best of his career in my opinion
@@BrendanMcMahon-gx4rd I agree with 65 & 75/76 being peek Dylan. Nevertheless, his live music from 97 - 05 & 2018 - nowadays is what I listen to most. .... Tis without a doubt an acquired taste.
Late nineties was pretty awesome. I saw Petty in 99 Las Vegas, Pearl Jam 98 Mansfield MA, & Phish 95 Mansfield MA to name a few.
On that 95 Phish, it was my first real deal concert. Couldn't find the rented van we all took at the end of the show and hitched home to Hyannis with a buddy. ... The drummer sang Crackling Rosie. ... Saw em one more time in 2003 Worcester Ma. They kept tagging Wipeout during that one. Although both were a blast I didn't keep up with em through the years. ... Do know they just finished a summer tour, but don't listen type of deal.
@@BrendanMcMahon-gx4rd .... Just because it's awesome & kinda funny, I'll mention my first attended concert.
In 1993 I had a good neighborhood friend. He lived with his mom & sister. He was a couple years older & his sister was a year younger than myself.
Anyways, his mom worked her ass off to get em concert tickets at the Orpheum in Boston. ... But, when she purchased the tickets the performer was cool, and by the actual date of the show, he wasn't anymore. With that, my buddy absolutely refused to go.
That's when I got a call from his mother. Twas a Sunday, early afternoon and she told me that her ungrateful son wouldn't go with his family to a concert that evening at the Orpheum Theatre in Boston. ... She asked if I'd go, & I asked who the act was? She said - Vanilla Ice & I said, hellz yeah 😂🤣😂🤣.
It was what one would probably picture. ... Awesome, yet lame. ... The VIP killed 🤠
Anyhow, that was my first concert. ... 95 Phish was my first that I planned on attending & purchased tickets for.
- 🤘
So many times I never got it until time had ticked a while. Don't have any Bruce albums but one of my favorite songs is Bruce and his band covering "My Rides Here" a Zevon tribute. Just finished reading Sound Man so much thanks to you Otis.
Can’t imagine not listening to Springsteen. A sunny evening, windows down and something like “Born to Run” or “Darkness on the Edge of Town” on the stereo and all is right with the world for while.
I saw them at Alpine Valley in '89. Bobby was with Rob Wasserman. Just the 2 of them. Crazy Throwing Stones! Then Jerry came out and Clarence sat in with Jerry's Band. It was awesome! I was never a huge fan of Bruce Springstein, so I didn't even know who Clarence Clemons was! It was the last time I saw the Jerry Garcia Band, and while I saw the Dead a few times after, including some rocking Knickerbocker Arena shows, Help Slip Franklin's Wang Dang Doodle! I'll never forget the aura of majesty I felt after Alpine. I rarely remember moments of shows, but I've been fortunate to catch some great ones, and afterward you realize that you caught something special! Thx for the memories!
I have always been country but in the early 80s, I worked at a college radio station that was mostly album oriented rock with specialty blocks. I did country. I never did get the Grateful Dead until someone played one of their unplugged records. I have to admit, the Grateful Dead just might be some of the best country music I ever heard. I played a lot of them on my country show along with selected tracks from the Stones, ZZ Top , Marshal Tucker and others. That stint at that college radio station really opened my eyes to the universe of music.
The San Francisco band music scene from 65 to 68 was a special time when music mixed with an ingredient unmarked by calculation or an analytic twist that did blend into something unique. The spark of that time has long been replaced, but its memory and meaning are not. ☮
At age 11 my picture taken by my father at the intersection of Haight-Ashbury on 7.20.1969 the day of Landing On The Moon....I am proud to say that years later after imbibing The "Cool Aid"...I Returned to....BOTH
@@MichaelTobin-m1d
I have a fond memory of 1966 or 67 and in the Panhandle of Golden Gate Park when unannounced a flatbed truck pulled up with the Grateful Dead and played a set with then Ron McKernan, Pigpen on keyboards. The police came and shut it down and we who were enjoying it got into the street of both sides of the Panhandle and stopped all traffic in both sides and directions. A week later the Janis Joplin and The Big Brother Holding Company came and did the same. This time the police let it play on. ☮
Haha you mean MK-Ultra and agency honeypots? Of the small bit of the records that survived, it's noted that they ran a brothel on Haight-Ashbury known for dosing the Johns and monitoring them, or worse. Laurel Canyon, the Mansons, all strange products of psychological engineering adopted from the 3rd reich remnants. It aint all flowers and peace and love
@@criticman123
It hardly ever was, and what began as promise died after the January 14, 1967 Be In.
Another expectation had smothered novelty, and The Man came in to keep it that way.
My High School BF and I were deeply into music of all kinds. but being born in 1966, came to much of the 60's sounds secondhand. We came across an old Bob Dylan album one day and were honor bound to listen to it. About three cuts in, my friend remarked; "You know, if you didn't know he was great, you might think he really sucks." 😂🤣😁
I was at the Boca show,couldn't believe the crowd. Couldn't get tix so ended up outside the venue at Misner park. Excellent show,smoking Loser and closed it with Beatles cover "and in the end the Love you bring is equal to the love you make "yes sir, good show!!