I really like this Furthur line-up quite a bit! They actually seem to have more energy than the "Dead" do. I hope that they continue this for a while, but the one thing that I dont particularly care for is the trading off of versus...I know that the "Dead" do it also, but I dont like that either...I wish that they would just let 1 guy sing the song from beginning to end by himself. Whether its Bob, John, or Phil, just let that 1 person sing it alone.

I've never liked it before but I thought it worked with Furthur.

I liked it on The Dead tour. It gives Bob a rest.

BOOO no trading versus.unless it was written to be that way.

Versus what?

I think it works well on some tunes, not so well on others. Having said that, get used to it because thats the way its gonna be. Weir loves the mic and simply will not turn it over to John for all Jer tunes. Although I thought Bob & Phil were very generous in Oakland giving JK many lead vocal duties over the three nite run. I expect he'll garner more vocal assignments as they go forward.

John isn't going to be around long enough to get too comfortable where he is. His current gig is sort of the equivalent of the lifetime minor leaguer getting called up to The Show at season's end. Before long he'll be back with his cover band and Phil and Bobby will be on to hte next thing.

Yeah, Id have to agree that we gotta get used to it because there's no way Bob is gonna let John sing that much. But with that being said, I STILL HATE IT! I wish that Bob would just chill a bit. I mean, I guess ya gotta let him sing a few Jerry tunes, but the Grateful Dead never really traded off versus (except for a couple of tunes), so it just doesnt sound right when these guys do it. To be more blunt...when Bob steps in to sing his part of a Jerry tune..it just sounds WAY too much like Ratdog, and I would think that Bob would be happy enough to sing all the Jerry tunes he wants with his own band, so that he doesnt have to sing Jerry tunes with this band. BUT, like I said...I dont think thats gonna happen.

I liked it on Maggie's Farm with the GD. The Weight kinda worked but that's sort of how the song was written.

It was a tad cheesy with Phil and Teresa on Peggy-O and mucho cheesy on Friend of the Devil with.

I liked it on Maggie's Farm with the GD. <<<

I hate it

The only Maggie's I ever bend an ear to is 11-14-87 Long Beach---Weir & Garcia traded verses back then--and on this night Weir BLEW THE WHOLE FIRST VERSE!. Twas classic. Good version too.

I can't stand all those later versions.

I despise verse trading on any tune---any band

Is the purpose of Furthur to duplicate what the GD did? I always liked the idea of reinterpreting the material. Vocals were never a strong point of the post GD bands, or even (dare I say it), uh never mind. Now to really stir things up. I just luved it when Joan Osborne sang Jerry tunes. Just imagine, Grateful Dead tunes being sung by someone who can actually sing.

I'm a Joaner Zunkie too... she was so great on Peggy-O, China Doll, etc... A solid lead female voice is so great with these tunes...

>>I can't stand all those later versions.

Yeah, I was talking about the '87 versions 10/3/87 in particular. Great show.

10/3/87 <<
that was the first one ---I think

Joan
Mr Charlie
Red Rocks
Nice

I dont care for the trading verses in Furthur or The Dead. OK in songs like Jack Straw and I Know You Rider, which are traditionally sung that way in Grateful Dead Land. When these current bands overdo the trading verses, it tends to turn too many songs into sing-a-long anthems which sometimes lose their edge. Terrapin comes to mind as an example. It would sound so much better if Bob & Phil just shut their out-of-tune pie holes and let better vocalists sing the Jerry songs (John K, Warren H).

Plain and simple! Bob should sing "HIS" songs, Phil should sing "HIS" songs, but PLEASE bury Wecome to the Dance :-[ .... John should sing the Jerry songs, and I guess just divvy up the Brent/Pig songs anyway. I totally agree that it sounds a bit "cheesey" when they do that sing along stuff! Like I said, Bob and Phil already have their own bands, there's no reason that they need to be trading off versus with this band or the Dead!

Uh, sounds like you just want this band to be a GD cover band. Heaven forbid they do anything new or different. I'm not sure that John has a strong enough voice to lay claim to all of Jerry's songs. Would it be OK if everyone joined in a sing a long version of Cumbya?

NO

Is John going to be around long enough for this to be a real concern?

New material has been needed for a while, but there will always be those who would rather listen to hte 6000th version of "Sugar Magnolia" than something new.

10/3/87 <<
that was the first one ---I think

Besides the three they did with Dylan, there was one before it at MSG 9/19/87

I was listening to a '79 show yesterday and Jerry kicked in some vocals in unexpected parts. It was like he couldn't help himself. Caught up in the moment I guess. I liked it. I don't recall the show date or the songs. That's all I got on this one. Thanks for your attention.

Hey Dave...This band plays 100% Grateful Dead songs. I think they are a cover band. What else would you call them.... As far as new material goes, they really dont need to be writing new songs at this point, their repertoire is so extensive, that all they need to do is keep mixing it up (they've done a pretty good job of that).. And John's voice is certainly strong enough to sing all the Jerry tunes!...He does it all the time with D.S.O. You might not like his voice, but thats another matter. Jerry didnt have a "strong" voice...a great voice that I love, but it certainly wasnt strong.

they are a cover band. If they treasured innovation as much as they claim, I would htink htey'd be trying to come up with new material. yes, I know "They never play a song the same way twice bla bla bla" (which isn't strictly true if you listen to or attend enough shows). But like I said, I doubt John will be around too long.

negative nancy stay home.

Just calling it like I hear it or see it.

lets see how much "new material" you come come up with in your life when your sixty-four...

There are plenty of artists still coming up with good stuff well into hteir sixties. Mr. Dylan for example. In other art forms, artists have remined productive well into their eighties and ninetites.

I'm a writer and I ain't that far from 64 now and I'm still at it every day.

Ive heard the "new" Dylan...To each is own...but, if I go see him again, I"d rather not hear any of his "new" stuff.

cold iron bounds
summer days
tweedel dee


all really good tunes

Isaw hin a few months ago and over half his set list was "new" stuff and it was a great fucking show.

Any post GD band is to some extent a "cover band." Having said that, I liked what Phil did with his various friends, which is to bring a unique interpretation to familiar material. The majority of tunes Furtur is going to cover will be familiar. If they are able to bring a few new and different songs into the mix, IMHO this would not be a crime. The jam sequences also present an opportunity to bring something new to the table. An example of this would be the jam between Pride of C and Throwing Stones from 9/20.
One of the things that made the GD worth seeing again and again was an ability to find different interpretations to the music. This required improvisation and change. It didn't always work, but when it did... the X factor kicked in and memorable magical moments (sometimes) happened.
Hopefully, Furthur can be afforded the opportunity to approach the music in this fashion.
Now to the who sings what songs, discussion. Jerry did not have the greatest set of pipes ever. What was so impressive about his singing was his ability to express so much emotion and to sing so well with the pipes that he had. Neither Bob not Phil have comparable skills.
Since Jerry is no longer around, some feel that only John K should sing his songs. Some feel that the songs should not be sung by committee. Everyone has a right to feel how they feel. As for me, I don't mind when Phil sings Cold Rain and Snow. He is not Jerry, but he brings an interesting interpretation. Sometimes he even sings in tune.
The musicians themselves need to figure out who sings what and whether the committee approach should be an option. I think that it would be a mistake to have only John K cover the Jerry tunes. This seems to limit the options. With any luck, this band can find ways to sing Jerry tunes in the most interesting way they can come up with.
I understand the frustration when Bob sing speaks some of the material. Remember that sometime around 1969, there was a notion to through Bob out of the band. Some people say that even after being told to leave, he just kept hanging around. In the end things didn't work out so badly. My guess is that whoever sings the Jerry tunes, we will miss Jerry. Short of reincarnation, there is little to be done about this.

I like this one..............

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COqUjfrB8dI

John, in a Bee Gee's cover band, would it be alright to sing by committee?
Slight edit note. I am not sure how the word throw became through. There is danger in not having a proof reader!

I could care less what somebody does in a Bee Gee's cover band....Personally, I would prefer John to sing the Jerry songs ALONE! I dont like to say it but, Bob really ruined alot of the songs on the Dead/Furthur shows simply by his "style" of singing, its that, constipated William Shatner type of delivery that I have a problem with. Funny thing is, he wasnt always quite like that, but its gotten worst with age. I can deal with him singing a few Jerry tunes, as long as they all sing the songs SOLO! Its this..."you sing a verse, I sing a verse, you sing a verse, I sing a verse"..style that I HATE. Just chill out boys and let everybody sing their own songs. Bee Gee's?

The Bee Gee's came up as a reference to (Takamelody)'s youtube BeeGee's song contribution. Sorry 'bout that. Very little would bother me about how a Bee Gee's cover band or the Bee Gee's themselves choose to present their material. In terms of a group we both do listen to, there are lots of songs where the harmony parts are done by committee. In Jack Straw, Jerry took a small roll, though in early versions of the song, Mr Shatner sang the whole song. In any event John, your concerns have been duly noted. Whether the boys change anything based on your concerns, only time will tell.

I just hope this Furthur Tour includes AT LEAST three costume changes. One for the first set. One for the second. And one for the encore.

Its all cool Dave! We all have our own likes and dislikes. Im just airing out my personal opinon. All in all, Im BLOWN away with how well they sound most of the time. I dont mind the verse trading off on a few tunes, but they just do it too much! Im sure alot of people agree with me, and Im sure alot disagree. If the band changes their style, Im sure it wont be because of my concerns tho. P.S. Not sure what Whitman meant by "costume changes"

Costume changes to goalong with the precise choreography we expect from any Grateful Dead related performance (I hear Bob is polishing the moonwalk).

Dancing women to go along with the precise choreography. Sure there are pretty woman dancing in the audience, but if Bobs going to wear different costumes and moonwalk, pretty women with appropriate (tie died) outfits, will make for an unexpected change in Furthurs presentation!

>>P.S. Not sure what Whitman meant by "costume changes"

Hello??? Every heard of a little lady named Cher?

Hello??? Still dont know what the hell your talkin about. What does she have to do with anything

John, it's called humor (not great humor, but humor nonetheless). We were trying to be funny and a little sarcastic.

Do you htnk htey'll wear the makeup for the New Year's Eve shows?

I hope Cher sits in with the boys for a Gypsies Tramps & Thieves jam. maybe even a soulful duet with Bobby, and a CD release "Weir & Woman".

Your "humor" makes no sense. Its silly..... Whatever

Dare we h ope for "the Beat Goes On"? Maybe an all star jam with The Osmonds?

Beat Goes On . . . . .

would be classic

Lennon /MCcartney never before or since ==The Beatles should have covered the Osmonds!Maybe The Rutles would

I liked it when joan and bob/warren traded verses on some songs (peggy o).

otherwise no.