Jam – 2012-04-03 – Carroll’s

05 Apr 2012 2 Comments

by deadstein in Jams Tags: , , , , , , , ,

It being April 3, 2012 and there being no true great show to select as a setlist for the night, I decided to create a great show based on a made up 1977 set list.  This was good because doing actual shows and or selecting targeted random song has lead us to repeated songs or unbalanced sets with respect to singing duties.  At the end of the previous jam Lee commented that it would be good to do a 77 show, so I crafted this setlist with that in mind.

This was the 4th week that Lee has been drumming with us so I know I wanted to play some songs we haven’t done yet.  I forwarded the set list to everyone along with a Dropbox folder filled with MP3s.  This was the proverbial crib sheets for anyone that wanted to take advantage of it.  I know I took advantage of it  and practiced quite a bit leading up to this jam.  Substantial preparation has mixed results in the short run, but has tremendous result for the long term.  I was therefore concerned that I would choke with so much going on in my mind, but I think I did pretty well.  One of the techniques I used at home while practicing was using my Epiphone Les Paul as opposed to my 79 Strat which I was intending to use at the jam.  I’m more comfortable with my Strat so working out lots of new and improved notes and patterns at home, I had hope that when I got to the jam, my Strat would make it all seem easier.  In the same way, I also intentionally used a wimpy pick and marginal amp tones while practicing which meant using the real things during a jam would feel so much better.  I think I thought about this way too much, but it worked and my feel was comfortable for much of the night.

It was a very long set list, laid out like a menu at a Brazilian Rodizio restaurant, nothing but meat and lots of it, so we had to get going right away if we had any hope of completing it.  We started right at 8pm, but Alan wasn’t there yet, so we were a 5-man band for the Halfstep, Cassidy opener and Alan joined us for the end of the Loser.  His proclaimed favorite song.  By 8:20 we were really under way.

Our guests for the night showed up shortly thereafter including Fleetwood Mac (Stevie and Lindsey) and Meg Ryan.  Accompanying them was someone new to Deadstein, Pete.  Finally, just as we began our 30 minute closer to the 1st set, Catherine with violin in bow, I mean tow, jumped into the pool.  We tried to hastily mic her violin at the end of the first set, but that was wrought with peril.  For the second set, she used a direct input into one of the spare Fender Twins and was able to play in a comfortable mode with us for the entire second set.

Getting back to the first set we did some good stuff.   I think the clicking between Scoot and Lee really synched in during the Big River, could have been one of Deadstein’s best feeling Big Rivers. The Help Slip Franklins was also pretty epic for us.  Speaking of epic, the closing sandwich of the Playing, Uncle Johns, Terrapin, Uncle Johns Playing was huge.  While it was filled with blemishes all over, it was quite a fun ride.

The fun didn’t end because the second set continued with the grass-fed Kobe beef that we enjoyed during the entire first set.  It started with a big Scarlet Fire then we relaxed a bit with the Passenger, Tennessee Jed before plunging head first into our Stephen Eyes Drums Stephen combo.  Unfortunately, Rich’s MP3 recorder ran out of battery power and we didn’t record from the Saint Stephen to the end.  Following the St.Stephen, we rolled into a Wheel and was forced to skip the planned Comes a Time and ended the jam with a Sugar Magnolia.  It was a few minutes late, but we all landed on our feet happy to have been there.

To hear what we did, go to the MP3 links below:

http://www.deadstein.com/audio/04-03-12/

For next week, we are playing on April 11.  This will be the 30th anniversary of my first show at Nassau Coliseum (4-11-82), which I happened to go with on that Easter Sunday with Stagger Lee.  I therefore look forward to special jam next week as I celebrate my own personal Deadheadism in commemoration of that show.  It will once again be time Freak Out.