Jerry Garcia Band
The Stone
San Francisco, CA
Saturday, October 18, 1986

--Set I (6 tracks, 33:58)--
s1t01. //Think [#3:52] [0:12]
s1t02. And It Stoned Me [5:25] [0:30]
s1t03. Run For The Roses [5:21] [0:02] ->
s1t04. Let It Rock [4:49] [0:59]
s1t05. Forever Young [6:24] ->
s1t06. Deal [6:19] [0:04] %

--Set II (6 tracks, 47:16)--
s2t01. Harder They Come [10:28] [0:06]
s2t02. Knockin' On Heaven's Door [9:35] [0:12]
s2t03. Dear Prudence [9:46] [0:17]
s2t04. That Lucky Old Sun (Just Rolls Around Heaven All Day) [6:25] ->
s2t05. Gomorrah [6:02] ->
s2t06. Tangled Up In Blue// [4:22#]

Lineup:
Jerry Garcia - el-g, vocals;
John Kahn - el-bass;
Melvin Seals - keyboards;
David Kemper - drums;
Gloria Jones - backing vocals;
Jaclyn LaBranch - backing vocals.

Specs:
MSC > 1C > 1DAT (16bit/48kHz) > Panasonic SV-3700 playback > Pyle Pro cables > WaveTerminal 2496 > Wavelab v5.0.1a record (16/48 wav) > CDWave v1.9.8 (tracking) > Traders Little Helper v2.4.1 (FLAC encoding, level 8) > foobar2000 v0.9.6.8 (tagging).

JGMF Notes:
! Recording: symbols: % = recording discontinuity; / = clipped song; // = cut song; ... = fade in/out; # = truncated timing; [ ] = 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.
! TJS: http://www.thejerrysite.com/shows/show/1816.
! db: http://db.etree.org/shn/21300 (John Corley audience recording). No soundboard source in circulation as of 4/10/2011.
! R: Nice soundboard recording from a period in which there are very few. At some point this should be patched with the Corly aud tape, which could supply the missing ~90 seconds at the start of Think and the missing ~5 minutes at the end of Tangled Up In Blue.
! P: Overall, this is a pretty workaday first set and a pretty nice second set. A first set comprised of six 5-6 minute songs, clocking in around 36 minutes total, feels pretty cursory. It provides a kind of hit-and-run tightness which is merely interesting. To be fair, the man was at death's door 14 weeks prior to this, and we know that he had to develop his chops and his stamina progressively. Third show out, he's not quite there yet. The second set strikes me as still very short (under an hour), but better than set I. I will forever lament the emergence of "That Lucky Old Sun" into the Garcia Band's repertoire, but it's their band and they get to play what they like, so I'll leave it at that.
! R: s1t01 Think enters in progress.
! R: s1t01 Think static @ 2:42
! setlist: Public JGB debut of "And It Stoned Me" (s1t02). Second public JGB performance of "Forever Young", after the Triumphant Return show (debuted on October 4, 1986). Third public JGB performance of "Lucky Old Sun" (October 4 and 5, 1986). 
! R: Guitar is very low in the mix. s1t02 And It Stoned Me level adjustments @ ca. 2:42.
! P: s1t04 Let It Rock takes a while to settle in, with Kemper and Jerry not quite on the same page. It ends up being played at a very fast tempo, Garcia really on the seat of his pants with the lyrics; kind of makes it interesting. This may be the peppiest JGB LIR ever.
! P: s1t05 Forever Young Jerry has a hard time staying in key. He hits the high notes in the chorus OK, he's just changing key during the verses, trying to find the right spot.
! P: s2t01 Harder They Come Jerry sounds refreshed, invigorated. It could just be that they hit the pocket of HTC and it's in a good range for his voice. You can hear him re-learning how to sing onstage here in October 1986, two weeks to the day and only the third show back. Gone was harsh croakiness of '85 GD ... after the coma, he changed his singing style to better accommodate his vocal limitations. This was also probably a needle's eye through which song material had to pass, with Jerry figuring out what he could and couldn't do, if if he could, how. A lot to learn, and it took a little while. I have always thought that's partly why his guitar playing was relatively unadventurous from late '86 through most of '87. I think he was focusing on re-learning how to sing, and letting the process of relearning how to play happen more organically. The vocal constraint was the one that required more attention ... the guitar playing was just fine. Anyway, to the point, this HTC is very tight and very sweet sounding, which really comes through on the nice board tape, on which only the bass is still too faint. Kemper is really hitting, really swinging on HTC, a super tight pocket. Melvin is just filling some sweet licks back behind, the ladies' harmonies are spot-on, everything sounds well-rehearsed. Jerry gives a little extra "What I say, now what I say" toward the end, and it finishes strong. Excellent @@ version of HTC.
! P: s2t02 Knockin' On Heaven's Door is also just fantastic. This song was always better with the JGB than with the Dead, with Melvin's organ just being so spot-on, the beautiful raised tempo parts like the one about 6 minutes in here ... wonderful. 
! P: Kemper does a little march thing about 3 minutes into Dear Prudence that's pretty sweet.
! P: s2t04 Lucky Old Sun has never been a favorite of mine. But this one is interesting for at least two reasons. First, the sbd tape allows you to really hear what's happening. Second, it's an interesting early version ... more uptempo than later ones.
! R: s2t04 Lucky Old Sun there's some weird, low-tone vibration happening from time to time. Sounds a little like a very low helicopter rotor.
! R: s2t06 TUIB cuts out, maybe a few minutes missing.

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