These sets aren’t getting any longer: JGB #21a at the Beverly Theatre, October 1, 1983

One of the things that I expect will become possible at some point is to get some relatively valid data on set times across the years. One of the reasons I try to be so precise with my timing notations is that I am going to want to train a machine to parse song, set and show timings from my listening notes. The data will still be noisy and need cleaning, but the basic idea is solid.

Case in point, two ca. 50 minute sets on October 1, 1983 in John Kahn’s old ‘hood. Nothing offensive, but we are definitely sliding down toward the Minelli Line of 45 minutes. We are on the road to Rock Bottom. It’ll be a pretty timeseries graph at some point. In my mind, this also connects to the fact that, as I only recently came to understand, this show, and the shows around it, were makeups for the shows canceled in August, a month which laid Jerry low more than once.

Deadbase said that the August shows were canceled because Jerry had an infected foot. I know from photographic evidence that he was suffering from edema a year later, and by this point edema, or sores, or goodness-knows-what could have been possible. But, heck, maybe he stubbed his toe or stepped on a tack while doing his calesthenics – what do I know? Anyway, him canceling August shows for health reasons definitely holds historical resonance, and then seeing the makeup gigs clocking in a little short — not the only time Beverly Hills would experience this — all feels narratively consistent.

A few other quickies while I have the table in front of me. First, some of those August dates are a little sketchy to me. The ads and listings and such were a little all over the map. Check ’em out at Jerrybase if you are so inclined. Second, same goes with 10/4/83. I am not sure about it. Third, more San Diego cancellations. That down was filthy with ’em in the Garciaverse. Fourth, Palomino Station in Riverside strikes me, prima facie, as a potentially interesting dive bar. I don’t know anything about it, but it screams downmarket to me. It ain’t the Beverly, of that I feel pretty confident.

Anyway, 10/1/83 listening notes: I like the atmospheric aud pull by Joe Pinedo, very ambient and showing off the ragged seams of the pause button and 45 minute tape sides. The show is probably a little below average for the period, or maybe average The Cats is peppy, the Catfish John is awesome, and in TWLWMYD Kemper does some syncopated splashing that resets my pulse. Kemper plays very well throughout. There’s no “Don’t Let Go” or “Rhapsody In Red”, which were pretty much necessary if not sufficient elements of a great ’83 Jerry Band show, and the whole thing just never really goes BOOM. But YMMV.

Listening note after the jump.

p.s. Blogger sucks

LN jg1983-10-01.jgb.all.aud-pinedo.31811.shn2flac

Jerry Garcia Band
Beverly Theatre
9404 Wilshire Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
October 1, 1983 (Saturday)
Pinedo MAC shnid-31811 shn2flac

–set I (7 tracks, 6 tunes, 49:52)–
s1t01. ambience [0:21]
s1t02. Cats Under The Stars [6:51] [0:02] %
s1t03. [0:35] Catfish John [9:41] % [0:03]
s1t04. [0:07] Valerie [6:57] %
s1t05. [0:21] That’s What Love Will Make You Do [7:59] %
s1t06. /Simple Twist Of Fate [11:#55] ->
s1t07. Run For // The Roses [4:#51] [0:07] %

–set II (6 tracks, 5 tunes, 43:46)–
s2t01. ambience [0:18]
s2t02. I’ll Take A Melody [14:13] [0:03] %
s2t03. [0:27] Harder They Come [10:50] [0:02] %
s2t04. /Gomorrah [#5:52] [0:04] %
s2t05. [0:07] The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down [9:25] ->
s2t06. Deal// [2:25#]

! ACT1: JERRY GARCIA BAND #21a
! lineup: Jerry Garcia – guitar, vocals;
! lineup: Melvin Seals – organ;
! lineup: John Kahn – bass;
! lineup: David Kemper – drums;
! lineup: DeeDee Dickerson – vocals;
! lineup: Jacklyn LaBranch – vocals.

JGMF:

! Recording: symbols: % = recording discontinuity; / = clipped song; // = cut song; … = fade in/out; # = truncated timing; [x:xx] = recorded event time. The recorded event time immediately after the song or item name is an attempt at getting the “real” time of the event. So, a timing of [x:xx] right after a song title is an attempt to say how long the song really was, as represented on this recording.

! Jerrybase: https://jerrybase.com/events/19831001-01

! map: https://goo.gl/maps/dw264TBqEL12

! JGBP: URL http://jerrygarciasbrokendownpalaces.blogspot.com/2011/09/beverly-theater-206-north-beverly-dr.html

! listing: LA Weekly, September 22-29, 1983, p. 80

! historical: ad from unidentified paper posted by Lou Carranza to Facebook indicates that this show was a makeup for canceled gig or gigs in August. That’s likely the case for all four shows in this window 9/30-10/3.

! seealso: Nick, “9/30/83: a long day, living in Reseda,” URL https://deadthinking.blogspot.com/2018/06/93083-long-day-living-in-reseda.html.

! R: field recordist: Joe Pinedo

! R: field recording gear: Sony 939 > Sony D6

! R: Transfer & CD mastering/shn conversion by Brian Mandel  gdplusmore @aol.com: 1st Gen Cassette Maxell  XLII 90 with Dolby B -> Nakamichi BX300 -> Macintosh -> Peak Bias -> JAM -> cdr -> eac -> mkw -> shntools. shn2flac jgmf 10/1/2020.

! R: solid rowdy aud pull with tons of room feel and crowd participation.

! P: s1t02 CUTS operating at a very peppy tempo!

! P: s1t03 CJ it almost sounded like he was hinting Deal before CJ emerged. I am listening on crappy speakers, so I am not sure. Great, enthusiastically, characteristically-1983 Catfish John! The tape sounds real nice – can’t hear John, but that’s generally no biggie by this point. The vocals sound nice, the drums pop. Pretty good taping spot, wherever he was.

! P: s1t05 TWLWMYD listen to Kemper in the 6-minute range. God, what a drummer. He drops some syncopated splashes that totally reset my pulse. Awesome.

! R: s1t06 STOF clips in

! P: s1t06 STOF Jerry completely flubs the lyrics in a number of different ways right out of the gate. JK feature 6:45ff. Jerry some nice soft fanning to signal his interest in stepping forward, which he does right at 8:45.

! R: s1t07 RFTR tape flip @ 1:57, things a little muffled at the top of the B-side, as happened with well-loved cassettes.

! R: s2t04 Gomorrah clips in

! R: s2t06 Deal cuts out on “since you poured the wine for me”.