SHARING THE SHOWS
On September 3, 1977, about nine months before I was born, the Grateful Dead played a show in Englishtown, New Jersey which became a legend among Deadheads. I heard Johnny Mac and Pete talk about their experiences a few times, but I didn’t completely understand why it was such a big deal.
For Days Between (August 1 – August 9, the days between Jerry Garcia’s birthday and the date of his passing), I saw a group called the Englishtown Project was performing, and upon reading their description, I learned about why that show was big. In addition to the Dead, New Riders of the Purple Sage and the Marshall Tucker Band performed sets that night, and this band, in tribute to that show, would play songs from all three groups. Of course, I listened to all four sets (two from the Dead, one from NRPS and Marshall Tucker) because I’m a huge nerd who likes to do research. I was under the impression the band only played songs from that night until Pete informed me when certain songs weren’t played. According to him, the songs from the show they played were “Samson and Delilah” (my new favorite), “Bertha,” “Good Lovin,” Halfstep,” “They Love Each Other” (my least favorite, but I DUG the fast, rockin’ version), and “Friend of the Devil” (which I cross-referenced, and I’m impressed that you knew all those by heart, Pete). There was also “The Music Never Stopped,” which they JAMMED out on hard. Other tunes include “Scarlet Begonias –> Fire on the Mountain,” “Cosmic Charlie,” and a sweet “Ramble on Rose” encore. I had never really listened to NRPS or Marshall Tucker, but I got a good education these past few days. Songs played included “You Never Can Tell” (the singer even referred to the scene from Pulp Fiction where John Travolta and Uma Thurman boogie out to it), “Groupie,” and “Truck Drivin’ Man.” The only songs I know by Marshall Tucker are “Heard it in a Love Song” and “Can’t You See,” the latter of which they nailed. Now, the environment. This was my second time at the Hamilton (the first being the other night for Born Cross-Eyed). It’s a small, intimate venue with a tiny dance floor and reserved seating above it. While I danced, I was apparently in the way of some dude trying to enjoy it from his seat; such dude motioned for me to move. My first reaction was “WTF! It’s a Dead show! People dance here!” But I figured there was no sense in making a fuss, so I just found a different spot. Pete and I danced on the floor during the second set. More history: apparently, the Hamilton used to be a Borders Books. I used to hang out in the Borders in Ramsey, New Jersey when I lived in the New York metro area. I get depressed when bookstores close down (damn Amazon, of which I am an enabler), but it is a nice venue. Plus, I do prefer to support the independent bookstores. This is my last show of the summer before I go back into academeland (I just made up a word), and I’ve felt like one giant id, just going to show after show, dancing up a storm and enjoying domestic travel. But the nine months I work tirelessly helps to fund these shows, so I do have to be grateful.
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May 2024
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