On May 8, 1977, the Grateful Dead performed Cornell University’s Barton Hall. For a large subset of music fans, this single concert ranks above any other show in rock history, and captured a monumental moment in a stellar spring tour. Like the band’s first officially released live recording, Barton Hall ‘77 may best explain why the Dead were one of the best performing bands in America.
In this, the inaugural issue of the Ithaca Post, we commemorate the legendary performance by making a trove of memorabilia available to fans, and future fans, of the show. What good is the internet anyway, if you can’t find photos of the Dead at Barton Hall on it?
Welcome. Come on in.
The Ithaca Post
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
what about “Boy with a fish” or “family knife” “hubcap” or even “Plastic Nebraska.” I love “the dead”, but there is fantastic music here – today.
Thanks
Plastic used to play regional jam-band festivals, and Boy with a Fish has a similar following today. Actually, the fluid guitar style of Jeb Puryear (and Sim Redmond in the following generation) often remind me of Jerry Garcia’s playing.
you are absolutely right, Jim, and I promise you that you’ll be seeing a lot of Boy with a Fish, Family Knife, Hubcap and many other bands, up here as soon as we can get them to start participating. We’ll keep you posted, but believe you me–The Ithaca Post is much more interested in live bands than dead ones.
Jeb and Sim are pretty much the same age, and Jeb is the more adventurous (Garciaesque) guitarist. I think of Sim as primarily a songwriter and arranger.
One reason I tolerate (and sometimes even enjoy) DtB and SRB jams is that they rarely entirely lose their focus as, frankly, the Dead often did. During one memorable night at Grassroots several years ago DtB even started mining territory oddly and dangerously close to the Velvet Underground. I’m not sure what combo of chemicals prompted that, but I haven’t heard the like since.
The last time I saw the Horseflies (at the Rongo a few months back) Judy H. and Richie S. cut lose with a feedback barrage that was pure heaven. It was a jam with momentum and a sense of danger. Again the ghost of VU.
I only saw the Dead once (~’87 in Providence) and they were kind of a drag that night. So it goes.