Jerry Garcia Band
June 16 - 18, 1982

Music Mountain, South Fallsburg, NY
6-16-1982 
Set 1 
How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)
Catfish John
That's What Love Will Make You Do
Valerie
Let It Rock >
Deal

Set 2
(I'm A) Road Runner
Love In The Afternoon
Don't Let Go
Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
Run For The Roses

Veterans Memorial Coliseum, New Haven, CT
6-17-1982 

Sugaree
I Second That Emotion
They Love Each Other
Knockin' On Heaven's Door
Valerie
I'll Take A Melody
Sitting In Limbo
Tangled Up In Blue

Encore 
Man Smart, Women Smarter
Deal 

Bobby & the Midnites opened and Weir and other Midnite members played on the encore.

Cape Cod Coliseum, South Yarmouth, MA
6-18-1982 

How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)
Valerie
Dear Prudence
Mississippi Moon
Don't Let Go
Simple Twist Of Fate
Run For The Roses

Encore 
They Love Each Other

Review 
Ah, have I been waiting to get around to these: today was evidently the Intended Day, as I managed to spin all three shows in their entirety. I've long been told that 1982 was a peak year for Jerry's other band, so I've wanted to hear what I missed (my first JGB show not being until the following year).

6/16/82: I couldn't decide if it was AUD or SBD; low bass suggests AUD but the sound is sharp & clear as SBDs rarely are. In fact, all three nights are very clear -- a pleasure to hear. The first set proves to be almost identical to my inaugural show 9 months later -- except that the opening songs seem to be warmups, not events in themselves. Three songs in, though, they hit strong on 'Thats What Love Will Make You Do'. The remainder of the set doesn't match up to this, but we hear quite respectable versions of 'Valerie', 'Let it Rock', and a VERY fast 'Deal'. If you want to hold this up as an example of how 'Deal' isn't necessarily improved by the end jam, I won't argue.

Set two opens with 'Road Runner', which I hadn't heard Jerry do before; a fun start. Sadly, no momentum is gained; they coast through a very long & merely competent 'Love in the Afternoon', then try a 'Don't Let Go' which doesn't really go anywhere [and at very great length]. Somehow 'Dixie Down' is an energy INCREASE; 'Roses' is merely faster.

This is all very surprising, as 6/16/82 is one of the most highly-recommended & circulated JGB sets around. How about the next two nights?

6/17: The first set blasts off with a long 'Sugaree' and never lets up. There's almost no point going into specifics because the band is clearly ON, making even potential snorers full of emotion & mood [TLEO, Heaven's Door]. 'Valerie' closes the set with more fire than the entire previous night.

Set two comes out more gently with a wonderfully warm 'I'll Take a Melody' and strong 'Sitting in Limbo'. Then they rip out the doors with a new land-speed record 'Tangled Up in Blue' that's almost too fast for Jerry to solo over -- not that he doesn't anyway! This could have been hard to follow, except that they had a special guest: a certain Robert Weir. This audience sure got its money's worth that night! :-)

6/18: a very dry SBD, and the keyboards are too upfront at first, thought the mix then smooths out. What have we got? A standard 'How Sweet' which ends up very good, and a strangely placed but strong 'Valerie'. So far, so good; what next? 'Dear Prudence'?! This placement is soon to prove unrewarding; Jerry gives it such lackluster vocal support that it sounds like a rehearsal -- and then proceeds into a tedious 'jam' that it manages to drop a couple more notches. I finally skipped the last minute [!], to an understandably slow but much more convincing 'Mississippi Moon'. Like 6/16's 'Let it Rock', it's not going to make you forget the fine version on SHINING STAR, but still very nice (if a bit strange for set-closer).

Can set two take us back to set one's strong start? Yup -- this time, 'Don't Let Go' goes a LOT more places, with a lot more vigor, and in less time. Highly recommended! They cool down with a 'Simple Twist' & bass solo without being boring, and let it end with an indifferent though fine 'Roses'. Clearly, there is no energy left for encore, yet they oblige with a slow [yet phat & phunky] TLEO.

I sense a fine Just Jerry compilation could be made of all this: all of 6-17 plus a disc or two from the best of the other nights. Good stuff, y'all!
Ramble On Joe ©