You witnessed the best version of this song. I pretty much hear Jerry’s solo in my head 24/7. It’s embedded in my soul now. Wish I was alive at the time I would’ve been to every damn show! Thank God for KZfaq I guess 😂 happy belated! I’m sure that was one hell of a 21st birthday!

He was so much more, and so much less in a way. He was one of the best ever, but he made himself just one of 6-9 lead musicians. Even his solos are part of the song, part of the band. It's really something else. I got into him via his stuff with Grisman and it's nuts that he's got the same role with the Dead as he did with David. It's actually weird to hear live JGB because he DOES play like the lead more of the time.

From pain to strength.

Hopefully, you're feeling better 🌈

Hope your well friend

Beautiful comment brother.

No argument. Is the best straight out.

Yep I love the early 80s..

Agreed

His solos on Peggy O are usually some of my favorites. Always beautiful.

Agreed

Brings tears to my eyes.

Couldn't agree more. Absolutely sublime solo. I have listened to hundreds, perhaps thousands of Jerry's solos, and so far, can only come up with one better; his solo from The Maker from Shining Star. STUNNING.

Elegiac. I always try to step back and remind myself that Jerry routinely took ancient folk songs, electrified them in huge amphitheaters, and played these deeply melancholic and beautiful leads over them. At a distance, it's a really weird position for a 'dance band' to be in, and yet, it's perfect.

Addiction is not a problem if a) the supply never runs out and b) you can keep to a steady level and not overdo it.

Arguably his best solo ever. I have watched hundreds, perhaps thousands. The only other one I have found that competes is herekzfaq.info/get/bejne/d7B8i81q0LaogGQ.html

Much much worse 85'-86' Was there, just looked horrible. Literally like he could fall out at any moment. Which we all know he did. In 83'-84' he was completely strung out no question, but, IMO, arguably his best ballads for vocals and phrasing ever. 87', 89' and 90' were the best the entire band ever played. Again IMO 🌹⚡️

Dorito addiction?

@@darylfitz4189 If you don’t know you shouldn’t even be on this page

yeah some of his work on Loser gets me too. You can literally feel it.

That's why we love him..

I used to walk around that area in the early 2000's when I had free time from a work trip as well as Golden Gate park, kind of imagining what things were like during the Dead days when they either lived there or frequented the city and Fillmore area. By the time I was there, it was a weird mix of yuppie and leftover hippie. Was cool to grab a quality dime bag before things became legalized. At least I got 3 Dead shows under my belt from 93-95. I became more of a Deadhead once Jerry died and my collection grew. Thank God for KZfaq, Sirius Grateful Dead Channel, and Dead tune apps. So much accessibility. ✌️

Also walked around Haight Ashbury of course.

@@robertherrera912 I lived in the Haight-Ashbury in 1974 while I was a student at S.F. State. We had an American Flag for curtains in the old Victorian house we rented on Grove street. I recall going to a rather infamous "coffee shop" known as the Blue Unicorn at that time. Boy those were the days alright! I'm a 5th generation San Franciscan and I suppose I left my heart there when I left some 30 years ago. Maybe some day I will return, I do not know. Great times and great memories indeed and yes, it was grand! Take care Robert

Beautiful analogy but still sad. I wish he could have had some more years of joy in playing his guitar.

@@seanegan3296 We all do and Jerry said it himself in an interview. He lamented the part of him that had a "fuck you man" attitude when it came to his own well being. And yet that pain and sorrow is part of the beauty that came through his music. There has never been a more soulful player & singer imho. ⚘

I heard from family he *had* to play a show just about every night.

Were you his personal therapist or something? How do you know all this?

@@robertsousa9550 🤣🤣🤣

Wow, I resonate with this comment. When ever I tripped I was in some alternate universe in the woods or at college spring weekends - mostly in the mountain woods. I never wanted to trip at show because I would have missed the show.

I loved tripping at Dead Shows for my first couple of tours, it was like the music was an engine driving a carnival ride of communal spiritual experiences wrapped up in a neat four-hour bow leaving the afterglow for the parking lot philosophers conference. Eventually after I surrendered that right of passage I came to believe the music was best savored abstemiously in its sacred, natural and evolving state. I would continue to attend shows till the music sadly did stop relishing each and every subtle nuanced variation within the ever evolving harmonic intensifications and crescendos to this very day. Most of my friends followed a similar path. Speaking strictly for me the second act without the first act has to abate somewhat from the full unique cultural phenomena that were the Grateful Dead....

​@@fs8820 I was just worried I would wander off and get lost and miss the show.. that happened to my cuz Shayne quite a bit, he would usually just give his ticket to someone I felt should see the show. I miss him dearly.

Jerry was a natural high. Nicely put.

@@44elisdad very good

1:59 very well said.. 💯 agree!

Yes! Brent sounds great on this.

It's true. He can play on thr same three notes in the most melodic way for like a minute. Genius.

Aye pul, its called the Bonnie Lass of Fyvie... also known as ither names. A ttaditional Scottosh Folk song.

Also, that solo took me to space to visit some old loved ones! Unreal

Thank you for this wonderful info! To me, this song has something of a Romeo and Juliette theme that I always loved.

I disagree about the last stanza. The whole thing is told by one of the Captain's soldiers, not the Captain himself, and I would say that the last stanza is the bitterness of the soldier at his Captain's rejection because of his station in life, and who then goes off to war only to lose his life on foreign soil. The Captain's dead, it's his narrating soldier who (in our version) threatens to burn the cities down if he's back. The other point here is that they're mercenaries or foreign soldiers, not locals.

@@Sinsteel they may be right as it was a poem they read...I agree Jerry changed the poem- he added a lot of depth to the characters and the song 💜

Up r

It definitely contributed to his super crisp and articulated sound during this era that's for sure.

He looks like Death himself. :(

uh, it's an old folk song from the British Isles...

@@fredlyr1 well, originally it's a Scottish folk song yes, but this is specifically an Americanised version of it that developed over time in America.

Sweet!!

Dickey Betts (Allman Brothers) is the same way. Exceptional feel

*Pete Davidson looks like Mackey hart

He thumbs it and the pick in his palm for the solo

I have always thought the majority of it was how much fast on-the-spot thinking he did while he was playing, plus he was a faster player when you consider he was improvising 90% of the time. Can't be stable if you don't know what exactly you're gonna play next. Add on the fact that drugs cloud the neural pathway between the brain and fingers, plus extended heroin use and diabetes, and I think you have your answer. Diabetes and extended heroin use do eat away at the nerves, and it's well documented that by fall of 94 Jerry was having a hard time feeling his pick, and he was experiencing a lot of pain from playing due to neuropathy and carpal tunnel. He still maintained a very good amount of control right till the end though, but I think it hurt him to do so, and that's really why 94 and 95 are so bad. If you have really bad hand pain and you try to play even slightly fast, it's pretty easy to sound like 95 jerry. Add congestive heart failure, emphysema and a bad heroin addiction on top of all that and it's a wonder he sounded as great as he did, that's how special he was. When those chronic issues were more dormant though... he was absolutely still there. Jack straw from 9/17/94 tells you all you need to know. It seemed to flare up as each tour progressed, and after some rest before the next tour he would sound like himself again.

@@jgilmour9123 Appreciate your thoughts. I saw a video recently that had snippets from the So Many Roads book that talked about him not being able to feel his pick and other heartbreaking things. Been meaning to read the book ever since. I’ll check out that Jack Straw. I listened to the Palace 94 for the first time in many years and thought he sounded pretty good all in all. Cheers man!

@illuminotmereloaded6896 Cheers! It is definitely heartbreaking, and I wish it hadn't gone down the way it did. Still, I think there's good listening in every era of the dead👍

That's Bravado,my guy...gets that extra sweetness on them Vinci strings jerry loved...shame the dont sell em anymore.

Well,I've used heroin all my life,I still only look half my age,ppl think im in my mid 20's still,my profile pic I'm in my late 30s...I guess prison did preserve me a good bit...but yes,drugs are bad,for sure avoid em!!!