Grateful DeadGrateful Dead Live at Capitol Theater on 1971-02-18 (February 18, 1971)

This audio is available in streaming format

Collection: GratefulDead
Band/Artist: Grateful Dead
Date: February 18, 1971 (check for other copies)
Venue: Capitol Theater
Location: Port Chester, NY

Source: Soundboard (remastered)
Lineage: SBD > Dolby A Reel > Dolby A decode > DAT > Sound Forge NR > CD-R > SHN
Transferred by: Leigh Orf
Keywords: Live concert

Description

Bertha*, Truckin', It Hurts Me Too, Loser*, Greatest Story Ever Told* > Johnny B. Goode*, Mama Tried, Hard To Handle, Dark Star > Wharf Rat* > Dark Star > Me & My Uncle Casey Jones, Playin' In The Band, Me And Bobby McGee, Candyman, Big Boss Man, Sugar Magnolia, Saint Stephen > Not Fade Away > Goin' Down The Road Feelin' Bad > Not Fade Away > Uncle John's Band

Individual Files

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Downloaded 38,206 times Average Rating:

Reviewer: danaburger144231 - - May 13, 2008
Subject: beautiful beautiful

The guitar sings inside my soul in this jam. loveee it!

Reviewer: darkstar2239 - - May 6, 2008
Subject: You can get this show!

Great show and it can be yours. By listening to the show, you have it in your Internet explorer temporary files folder. Right click the internet icon. Click on internet properties, then settings under browsing history. Then click on View Files. There it is! Now drag it to a new folder to be burned to disc or directly to your IPOD and you have it forever. This is for XP. Other OS may need to search a bit.

Reviewer: Miss Divine - - April 18, 2008
Subject: So many firsts!

Wow!
A really important show and in such good quality too. Too many highpoints to mention individually, but the Dark Star > Wharf Rat > Dark Star is now my all-time fave sequence.

I have agree that this run at the Capitol Theater should get it's own boxset...it's a vital part of the Grateful Dead's evolution.

Reviewer: JustinMusic - - February 25, 2008
Subject: OMG!

This show is one of the best early dead shows I have ever seen. Enjoy this.

Reviewer: MilesASU - - January 15, 2008
Subject: very nice

This show had a lot of good firsts and with many firsts for songs, you expect them to be a little scratchy but especially the Bertha, you feel the note by note precision these guys throw in. Also, I was doing some reading up and wasn't this a first for Playin in the Band?

Reviewer: st. heathen - - September 11, 2007
Subject: beautiful jam

a much better, more fully realized, version of this jam is found (during Dark Star) on the 5-24-70 show.

Reviewer: chinacatsnflwr5 - - June 27, 2007
Subject: don't understand

i don't understand why any one would give this show any less than 5 stars. the sound quality is near perfect and the perfomace IS perect. i mean the Darkstar>Warf Rat>Darrkstar segment is awsome. and i really like the mama tried

Reviewer: SavannahDeadHead - - November 5, 2006
Subject: Help

The entire '71 run from the Capitol Theater deserves a box set of its own. This show is just dripping with energy and the "firsts" make 2-18-1971 yet another reason this show is an essential part of any collection. You can also stream a really nice version of this show at nugs.net

Reviewer: JerryInaPouch - - September 4, 2006
Subject: great show!~

Just an FYI: This show has the first live playing of "Loser" - and also, you can download this entire show from here:

http://www.gdlive.com/dead/710218/

(Thank God we're not "dead" yet) hehe,..

Reviewer: rollandfin - - July 7, 2006
Subject: Good Stuff

Essential listening, Agree with all comments about DS>wharf>DS>Uncle , it is truely magical, it's not something commercial, nothing you are gona hear on the radio anytime soon, it will never be the hit single, It's deeper and more complicated, Even the break btw DS and Me and my uncle is great, who knew that was were they were going,

very good Bertha for sure, with the uptempo, it's good all year really, but check out 5/9/77 that will kick you silly.

email me at fieldhouse11277@hotmail.com

Reviewer: amichels - - June 24, 2006
Subject: That jam is beautiful

Amazing! Download the show just for that if you have to.

The jam out of Wharf Rat into Dark Star is so good. It has an old '65 Early Morning Rain ring to it.

Beautiful...

Reviewer: cliff449 - - June 23, 2006
Subject: Moved to tears

When Dave Gans played the "beautiful jam" section while interviewing Phil Lesh, the latter gentleman was literally moved to tears. This show has that great section, some notable "firsts," and good sound quality for a '71 show. And if anybody knows where I can get a copy, please e-mail cliff449@hotmail.com. Thanks archive.org and thanks to the men of the Grateful Dead for this music.

Reviewer: jeromejohngarcia - - May 19, 2006
Subject: Download

This is a very great show! Why no Download possible?

Reviewer: kamala - - May 2, 2006
Subject: "Beautiful Jam"

The transitional jam between Wharf Rat & Dark Star was featured on the "So Many Roads" box set (the one with the five, different colored, steal your face cd's). Respectively titled "Beautiful Jam", this one couldn't be sweeter. I've loved this jam for years, but always, to my great disappointment, the track fades out just as you hear the first 6 notes of Dark Star, leaving it up to your imagination to fill in the literally endless void of what I know now that they so beautifully melt into (not to mention it's origin). Ecstatic to find this one. Well worth the download for this jam alone. show 4 1/2 stars. great sound.

Reviewer: ripplenstlh20 - - September 27, 2005
Subject: Historical

So many first played live songs. This one is a great quality recording as well. This is the best Bertha I have ever heard (just an opinion) and it is their first played as well. The two vocals come together so well in a way that only the dead can do. This is probably my favorite show when it comes down to it. I don't ever post but people have to know about this one. Thats just how good it is. Download it and check it out and most importantly... enjoy!

Reviewer: jklem27 - - March 29, 2005
Subject: WOW!! many-first ever played.

outstanding!! Also, noted I believe this contains first ever played of the following; Bertha, Wharf Rat, Greatest Story, Johnny B. Goode, Loser and Playin'!! As we all know, these all stayed in the rotation for good! What an historic must have show for all.

jk

Reviewer: Sammo - - December 28, 2004
Subject: Tasty Dark Star

Very tasty Dark Star jams. If you like this DS I recommend getting the one from 9-19-70, the day after Jimi died. It beats the 2-18-71 DS hands down.

Reviewer: treadstone - - December 22, 2004
Subject: Inferior Version

After listening to this version, side-by-side, with the original (NO Noise Reduction) version... The original is the winner, hands down. This version is clearly inferior. It sounds like there are pillows in front of my speakers when I listen to this Noise Reduced version. Go with the original DAT version WITHOUT noise reduction. Unless you are going to make .mp3's that is...

Reviewer: dms - - December 22, 2004
Subject: NR

I still like the version without noise reduction better.

Reviewer: Fitz1 - - December 13, 2004
Subject: Three Cheers for Dark Star!!!!

IMHO second only to 2-27-69. I wish it was longer. The second lead is breathtaking!!! Amazing. Just gorgeous guitar work & one of the best reasons to love and cherish this gift. Thanks and congrats to the archives!!!

Reviewer: WharfRatDude - - November 5, 2004
Subject: Dark Star

This Dark Star is like a mini Live Dead version. The DS theme is strong throughout and great reaches into outer space. The Wharf Rat in between is a sweet and bouncy one.

Reviewer: DeadDave - - September 18, 2004
Subject: Sid Weiss?

I don't know what Sid is talking about. This version does NOT sound like a tunnel.

The other version has a high pitch squeal throughout.

Great show...I love the short versions of songs. 5 first-timers in this show. Some good humor too.

Reviewer: sid weiss - - August 30, 2004
Subject: great sets,,not a great recording

almost in tunnel

Reviewer: one_hoop - - July 23, 2004
Subject: confused by track numbering

This show fits on 2 80-min discs:
SET ONE
d1
01. Bertha (7:13) *
02. Truckin' (11:03)
03. It Hurts Me Too (7:42)
04. Loser (8:21) *
05. Greatest Story Ever Told (3:45) * >
06. Johnny B. Goode (3:39) *
07. Mama Tried (3:29)
08. Hard To Handle (8:01)
09. Dark Star > (7:03)
10. Wharf Rat * > (7:21)
11. Dark Star > (7:14)
12. Me And My Uncle (4:04)

SET TWO
d2
01. [Lucky Lager Dance Time] (2:39)
02. Casey Jones (6:10)
03. Playing In The Band (5:09)
04. Me And Bobby McGee (6:06)
05. Candyman (9:46)
06. Big Boss Man (5:40)
07. Sugar Magnolia (8:29)
08. St. Stephen > (5:57)
09. Not Fade Away > (4:33)
10. Goin' Down The Road Feeling Bad > (5:01)
11. Not Fade Away (3:59)
12. Uncle John's Band (6:44)

Reviewer: dr. flashback - - July 9, 2004
Subject: Top Ten!!

I wish LAMA had 2/19, because I think it tops this one both in playing and song selection. But that's a small difference when it comes to all these fine fine Capitol shows. This one is memorable for many reasons - the debuts of many classics, including Wharf Rat, Playin and Loser. You might say this show, Mickey's last until 1975-76 tours, is the rebirth of the Dead's new incarnation of their 70's sound.As with all these Capitol shows, there are some ooops moments,which is why they were not used for the live album.But the flaws are easily overlooked. The Dark Star will take your breath away. Short, but like a Japanese haiku, it says all it needs to say! In the Dark Star museum, this one is in the main gallery. The St. Stephen to end jams are inspired and a good example of why many old die hard Deadheads say 1971 is their favorite year. A must have for 1971!
Dr. Flashback ;-)

Reviewer: Ox Fall Down - - July 3, 2004
Subject: First night for Loser.

Garcia sings, "everybody's laughing and drinking that wine," instead of ,"everybody's bragging..." And he omits the "sweet" from the second "sweet Susie."

Great first Bertha. Unpolished but energetic. Decent, not great 1st Dark Star (of the night), excellent Wharf Rat and brilliant 2nd Dark Star. Really articulate guitar work from JG. Start at 1:15 for his solo.

Mix gets 4.5 stars, sound gets 4, setlist gets 5. This is very close to 5 stars on a strict scale.

Reviewer: jeeves - - June 24, 2004
Subject: oh my ...

god what a show. The dead from 69-71 was something to behold. Hats off to archive.org. great work folks!

Reviewer: raintheory - - June 8, 2004
Subject: Wharf Rat>Dark Star

One of my fav. jams... Wharf Rat>Dark Star

Notes

* first performance.

The original reels of the Port Chester run of '71 were audibly tainted due to a cable problem. The result is a tone which hovers around 8000 Hz with an amplitude of about +20 dB above the noise floor. This translate to a very annoying pitch, especially during quiet sections, which is in the old-tv-tube or lousy-hard-disk or maybe even the-sound-you-hear-after-you-slam-your-head-against-a-concrete-wall class of 'whine'. Because this interference is 'monochromatic' it's easy to get rid of if you have the processing power and a quick FFT algorithm. I used the filter-shaping capabilities of the Sonic Foundry Noise Reduction Plugin to tailor a very narrow notch filter which attenuated the interference without affecting the rest of the signal. And it's all done in the digital domain. Huzzah!

As a side note, I actually ended up crafting many filters to process these shows. The frequency of the interference actually drifted anywhere from 7700 to 8100 Hz during a given show. This was probalby due to a slightly wandering reel speed. It made my work harder but when I tried a much wider filter I started to be able to hear the attenuation in the music. The filters generally go like this (see info file for diagram).

The end result is no more annoying whine!

I also removed some of the nasty mic feedback in the 2/18/71 Bertha using this type of filter.