This was a wonderful thing to do for your friend, Robert Hunter was writing this to help Jerry , This whole “Without a Net” CD is such a beautiful time capsule of The Dead playing so creatively and connecting with their audiences... I was at the concerts that this CD was compiled from ,and always give this as a gift to turn people on to live Dead..
Michael Palmisano absolutely, I saw the Dead over 500 times from 1980 to the last show. I worked two jobs and took off three times a year for each spring,summer and fall tours and traveled all over the country watching these guys play like I had never heard anyone play. It was just mesmerizing.. I just loved seeing the intense musical interactions and polyrhythms... I sold bumper stickers and tye dye T-shirts in the parking lots and usually broke even every tour... Any questions you have I would be happy to help. I really love your videos and teaching style.🙏
As a recovering drug addict and alcoholic I can really identify with this.. it really resonates.. 2 months clean and your videos help me everyday man... Thankyou so much
josephhill1993 you can still enjoy the shows sober once this pandemic passes. I hit dead and co among others every chance i get. You can enjoy it more than you think Brother. Keep truckin.
I'm in 12 step group with a retired roadie for the band. It's a blast hearing about his time with them -- and how much his sobriety has made his life better. The Dead Head community has a much larger "sober contingent" than you might imagine. Stay strong my brother!!
27 years sober and have loved every day, even when the days sucked. Deadhead since 1969 (13 yrs old) and the best shows of my life have been since I got clean. Keep it up brother, you’ll love it.
I’m with the wife on a little beach getaway, on the porch, staring at the Gulf of Mexico, sipping a double brew of joe, grooving with you fellow music lovers
Your appreciation for Hunter as a lyricist can not be overstated. I have paraphrased Steely Dan’s Kid Charlemagne many times in describing the fortuitous meeting of Garcia and Hunter. Just by chance they crossed a diamond with a Pearl then they turned it on the world, and turned my world around.
This is an amazing act of lifting your friend up and creating a connection where he, ostensibly, has none while in rehab. You are a deep and caring human, and thank you for sharing that vulnerability with us. Music can heal. Humans can help other humans heal.
I've been into the jam scene for the last 10+ years and just within the last few months started listening to the dead. I can't even describe how they have changed my musical experience in the short time I've been listening. Magic is the only way to describe it .
Go To Heaven has actually aged surprisingly well. It wasn't generally considered their finest work at the time, it was most notable as being the first record with Brent on it, but decades later it fits more with what's going on in modern music than any of their other studio albums. Especially Feel Like a Stranger, while not at all capturing the energy it had in live shows, the studio version sounds like it would pretty much be a modern pop hit if you just added some 808 samples and made the bass sound a bit more like a synth and had whoever the teenage pop star of the month sing it. Lol!
Agree that live versions are superior but I would have to say that “Working Mans Dead,” to me is a stellar album where almost all of the tracks stand up anywhere. I will however say that “Uncle Johns Band” is a definite live jam
Thank you, man. This was a beautiful reminder of those great last lines in this song - "We're guilty of the same old things Thinking a lot about less and less And forgetting the love we bring"
I told Althea I was feeling lost Lacking in some direction Althea told me upon scrutiny That my back might need protection I told Althea that treachery Was tearing me limb from limb Althea told me, now cool down boy Settle back easy, Jim You may be Saturday's child all grown Moving with a pinch of grace You may be a clown in the burying ground Or just another pretty face You may be the fate of Ophelia Sleeping and perchance to dream Honest to the point of recklessness Self-centred to the extreme Ain't nobody messin' with you but you Your friends are getting most concerned Loose with the truth, maybe its your fire Baby I hope you don't get burned When the smoke has cleared, she said That's what she said to me You're gonna want a bed to lay your head And a little sympathy There are things you can replace And others you cannot The time has come to weigh those things This space is gettin' hot You know this space is gettin' hot I told Althea, I'm a roving sign That I was born to be a bachelor Althea told me, OK that's fine So now I'm trying to catch her Can't talk to you without talking to me We're guilty of the same old things Thinking a lot about less and less And forgetting the love we bring
And just 2 weeks later, the STUNNING 3-29-90 show with Branford Marsalis at Nassau Coliseum. You want to do a deep dive? Try this show. Thank you very much Michael. Great keys by Brent on this show.
Great snippet from Blair Jackson's book of interviews with the band members Goin Down the Road: A Grateful Dead Traveling Companion (1992): Blair Jackson: "What spaces does [Dylan] hit that Hunter doesn't?" Garcia: "I couldn't tell you precisely. You know that song called "Going, Going, Gone" on Planet Waves? And "Tough Mama" also on Planet Waves? Those are songs that I wear really well. When I sing them I feel like I might as well have written them. I relate to them that well. That rarely happens to me with Hunter's songs, but something else happens to me with Hunter's songs that I think is more special. And that's the thing of them coming from a world -- some kind of mythos or alternate universe that's got a lot of interesting stuff in it. And I feel like I'm in that world and of it somehow; or at least I know it when I see it, and I feel like I have something to say about it and I'm participating in it , but in a different sort of way. It's participating in the mythos."
Yes! Love your idea on sending music and stressing the connection to your friend that you’re both listening to it together! The opposite of addiction is not sobriety, it’s connection.
Althea is wonderful, and so was your story. I hope your friend finds peace. My personal faves are Wharf Rat and Standing On The Moon. The former almost puts me in tears, the latter I sing to my kids. ☮️ ❤️ 💀
This is one of my favorite live versions. I am so glad you finally got around to doing a reaction to it and chose this version to do it. I was at this concert many years ago. Brought back so many memories!! Thanks for doing this for your friend and for us!!
There was a long time when this was my favorite song. Then again there was a time when Scarlet Begonias, Stella Blue, Loser, Eyes of the World, Uncle John’s Band, Bertha, Ripple................were my favorite songs.
My father was diagnosed with Parkinsons years ago and has lost the ability to play the guitar, he used to play Althea for me when I was young and this hearing Jerry at the end of his life play this song is really something special.
Michael, thanks so much for this one, and for having your friend in mind whilst sharing your and his story with us...thoughts/prayers with you both that he makes a complete recovery!
All time classic. I was on this tour, mind bending. I’m so happy that you picked this song out for your friend. I have lost many, I also have gained so many back from them picking up the pieces. Although I am not sober, I have marched out of that crazy life with a lot of awesome memories, friends, career, health and last but not least,The music that really did truly bring us all together. You should really dive deep into the documentary that just came out on prime video. That truly was How it was. Sadly wrecked him and All that came with it. It’s a tearjerker. You never realize that we are just human beings forgetting the love we bring.
FINALLLLLLLLLLLY omg and a VIDEO??? This is hands down the best Althea ever #NFA bro, I've been watching you for a minute now and seeing the complete transformation is bringing tears to my eyes, watching you listen @ 11:42 ...its everything I needed today. thank you
I love how genuine your reactions are Michael. Shakey Graves, Tedeschi Trucks, and now the Dead are what brought me here but it's your enthusiasm for the music that keeps me around.
Thank you! My favorite GD song & my favorite version(so far) Not everyone loves Without A Net, but it’s been on constant repeat for me since 92’. Amazing lyrics should speak to most of us. Again, thank you. It was a first time live view of the concert for me too
OMGoodness....Michael.... YOU ARE A LIGHT OF LOVE......I can not even begin to say how much I appreciate you picking this song to play...BUT you played it for your FRIEND..!!! That..My Brother (from a diff. mother), is LOVE. I watched & listened to this song, & it made me cry. I sent my energy to your friend in need w/love, & strength to conquer his demons. the date you posted this vid was 09/26/20..and I'm just now watching it 05/28/21. Energy is an amazing thing. it has no time frame, nor a limit to it's HEALING POWERS. God Bless You & Yours.. :-)
Thanks for choosing this one to do for us... Have loved this song for a long time... In fact, it's the name of one of our daughters... Thanks for continuing to provide us such great videos, and tips for playing better... Keep up spreading those much needed positive vibes, and playing... ✌✊🙏😎☕
On you spoken intro brought a tear to my eye and a smile to my face at the same time. Like you and your friend, I too, have been in that black hole. Like you I was able to get out, unscathed and happy. I’ve got friends that are still there, although I tend to keep my distance from them now, when it comes time for them to get out, I’ll be there. Truly love this song and this channel, one of my favorites in each category. Keep doing what you do, you teach and you have such a close personal story to every episode, it makes it so much better. Much love from Tulsa brother, to you and Ryan.
I was at this show - Phil’s 50th birthday in Landover MD. We only had tickets for the 14th, so 4 of us split up and roamed the lot hoping to score. Not many tickets were available because of the era, but moreso because of Phil’s birthday. I didn’t typically show up without tickets but we had to try because it just seemed like more than a typical show at the time, and we were driven insane by the fact that they busted Loose Lucy out of nowhere the night before. A friend got 4 tickets from a nice group of folks parked nearby after we were ready to give up - Terrapin blew us away, and the Revolution busted out as the encore!! Great days 😀😀😀
this was the song that got me into the dead full send. i realized how much i just love music and how it was totally possible to not compromise writing good lyrics with playing ability. loving what you do here.
Thank you for this story. Something about the Dead brings us all together. Watching you helps me to understand what that something is, just a little bit more.
Hey - fellow sober Marylander and recently converted deadhead here. This was a special video for me to watch - I really appreciated the story about your friend in recovery. I love your videos and the message and positivity you are putting out into the world with your channel. Keep it up!
I was at the March 15, 1990 show. I still have my handwritten set lists. And while the Althea was excellent, for me the Set II Terrapin was the highlight of the evening. Don't forget the March 14, 1990 show either (Stuck Inside of Mobile in Set I). Both nights were superb.
The Grateful Dead have been a source of joy, healing, inspiration and learning since I first saw them at Winterland in SF. When I need something to put me in a better place Althea has been my go to so many times. I feel like I know you and your buddy better just seeing you react and the impact it has had on your lives. Peace to you both.
Yea man. Spot on. Your commentary almost brought a tear to my eye. I’m a huge Dead fan and I’m 19 months sober. Thank you for this video. Sending your friend my love and support. My life is much better on this side. I know his can be too 🙏🏻.
What a nice, genuine,selfless act of kinder and love for your brother from another mother. That was AMAZING. Damn man not only are you a phenomenal musician ( im a member of guitar gate!) you are also a helluva stand up man. Love, peace and gratitude for your inspiration and sharing your talents with us
Such a great song, and such a great reminder of how music transcends... Thanks for your eclectic tastes btw. You literally have opened thousand of minds to different music, and, well, the importance of keeping an open mind.
I was just listening to this song after losing my little brother recently to a tragic accident when i stumbled upon your video. I hear the lyrics in a new light, it made me think of his destructive behavior and my own in the past and some friends who are struggling with addiction and pain in their past came to mind. I can really see where Hunter was coming from in a new perspective. Thanks for your post!
One of the best lyrics of this song imo is… Ain’t Nobody messin’ with you, but you Your friends are getting most concerned Loose with the truth, maybe it’s your fire Baby I hope you don’t get burned 🔥 🔥 🔥 … Robert Hunter just slayin it.
Love your sentiment at the end of the vid. There was a sticker that was popular in the lot back in the 90’s. It simply read “be kind”. I think that pretty much sums up the Grateful Dead scene. And I frickin’ love Althea too man, great vid.
What a wonderful sentiment & gesture. This is truly what makes the world go around. Thank you for the content, and the story that goes with it. Much love.🙂
Dude, this the first video of yours I've ever watched and I knew within...2 mins..that I love you! I wish the best of luck to your friend, I know that road, it's a bumpy ride brother. But in you, I know he has a REAL friend left...most of us didn't at that point. As for Althea, this was my favorite version,til 12/27/89 was introduced to my ears. ...I fucking really enjoyed this video, keep it up homie.
It's hard to believe it's been 25 years since Garcia died. I worked at Court TV at the time and we were knee deep in editing the O.J. trial wrap series called Trial Story. We had a special kind of computer network called BASYS and it was connected to A.P. and U.P.I. newswire services. It was an ugly text only system with orange lettering on a black screen. It was so '80's in it's technology but it was the system that TV newsrooms used to write scripts, log video, create show rundowns and read the news flashes. I was editing and a fellow deadhead colleague ran into my edit room and said he just read a news flash that Jerry Garcia died. I jumped up and we ran back to his BASYS computer and read the wire. The posting was literally only 2 minutes old. I went back into my room and began to call friends to tell them the sad news and nobody believed me since none of the news networks had picked up the story yet to report on it. I had a couple friends call me back an hour or so later saying I was full of shit and they had been watching CNN and Headline News since I first called them and they haven't said a word about Jerry dying so I must be lying. They accused me of playing a cruel joke on them and I've been wasting their time. That night when I went home, I saw that there were 25+ messages on my answering machine. Some of my friends were crying on the messages saying that they just didn't want to believe it when I had called them earlier. That it just couldn't be true. But sadly it was.
Michael, thank you so much for this. I have never listend to Grateful Dead before, and now I can't stop listening to them. I hope everything goes well for your friend. Take care
Mine too. The “Without a Net” version of Althea is spectacular! My first Dead show, as a matter of fact, was the following night at Cap. Center. If I’m not mistaken the Bird Song from my 1st, is the version on Without a Net. I personally wish though, that they’d included the version of Black Throated Wind, brought back after a hiatus on 3/16/90, on the CD because it’s absolute perfection IMO. Imagine if, in preparation for releasing a Dead show for sale from their vast catalog, they were able to put in the same level of production time, to isolate every single track in the mix, with the same attention to detail given to each one, such as we hear on the “Without a Net” release. How many more thousands of people would, upon hearing said live productions, instantaneously be turned into new fans of the band? It’s just a thought.
You really do get the GD. It's great to see your discovery happening on your YT channel, thanks for sharing. These songs become part of your life. The lyrics apply in multitudes of circumstances, and Garcia's melodic sense makes them permanent, yet open to interpretation. It began with me in the very early 1980s when I was a college kid. By the mid 1990s, over 100 GD concerts later, I played electric bass in bands that occasionally covered some tasty Grateful Dead, and then became bassist in a band that played mostly GD. Althea was a favorite of mine, and made many a set list around the Pacific Northwest in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
As someone in recovery who’s been in many rehabs using whatever source of music I could to get me through, I can tell you this is very touching. Thanks as always
"self centered to the extreme" is an actual line in the 12x12, a companion to the Big Book of AA....written by Bill Wilson in 1953, always wondered if Hunter had read that and poached it :). And I went to Towson State back in the day and plenty of Cap Center and Merriweather shows...cheers, Bro!
Just found this video.I saw them at the Spectrum,years ago(1973,maybe),and,listening to these solos,brought back some memories of that show.What a guitarist(not to mention the band).💛🧡💜
Love you for going down the road of the Dead. Appreciate your videos and wish you well and I hope you continue to explore the Dead because they're extraordinary in the realm of improv and musicianship.
"Honest to the point of recklessness" ❤️ That my my 3rd Dead show! I've seen over 125 shows, all when Jerry was alive & Althea is still my favorite Dead tune! ❤️💯☮️
I’m from NoVa. Starting going to shows in ‘79. Saw every show in MD, VA, and some in PA till Jerry passed. This was one of my favorites (nothing will ever beat Charlottesville for me)
My first dead show was in May of 1980 at the Nassua Collesium. Amazing Althea that night! In the Dead Documentary Al Franken tells of his favorite Althea ever, it was at that same show!
This tune has been mesmerising me for the past week or so...the words are wrought from fully lived experience - and it just seems to be a moment of crystalline clarity. THe music is so cruisy and yet so intruiging...Bobby amazing, Phil solid and creative, Jerry flowing like water with those gorgeous phrases. You laid it down hard core here Michael - fantastic.
Jesus. I didn't know of you or your channel, but this brought a tear to my eye. There's some good people and friends out there. Thanks for being there for your friend man. And for sharing your story!
The synchronicities and the magic of this music always amazes me. Wherever you are in your life there is something for you.. constantly evolving and changing over the years. There is just nothing else like it.
Dude, I loved this video. It too play guitar for almost 30 years, I love your reactions when the song is played I do the same thing! And i just can't help air guitar each solo with my left hand. Especially while driving. Sitting at a stoplight volume cranked I always get looks. Althea is my favorite song period. I thought I heard every single version, this was so good it'll be in my top 5 at least.
This was a wonderful thing to do for your friend, Robert Hunter was writing this to help Jerry , This whole “Without a Net” CD is such a beautiful time capsule of The Dead playing so creatively and connecting with their audiences... I was at the concerts that this CD was compiled from ,and always give this as a gift to turn people on to live Dead..
Right, Hunter wrote this about trying and failing to talk Jerry about his heroine use. Beautiful stuff.
Really?!? This was hunter trying to help jerry? We really are meant to all be here together.
Michael Palmisano absolutely, I saw the Dead over 500 times from 1980 to the last show. I worked two jobs and took off three times a year for each spring,summer and fall tours and traveled all over the country watching these guys play like I had never heard anyone play. It was just mesmerizing.. I just loved seeing the intense musical interactions and polyrhythms... I sold bumper stickers and tye dye T-shirts in the parking lots and usually broke even every tour... Any questions you have I would be happy to help. I really love your videos and teaching style.🙏
Michael Palmisano Yep. Friends helping friends. 🍻🙏🏽🎸
Can you please please do Teenesse by Eric Steckel Live July 15. I would love to see your reaction. He's a amazing 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
"Ain't nobody messin' with you but you." How often is that just a cold hard fact?
What a sobering lyric. Hunter writes like none other, such a genius
Constantly.
Jackstraw 81 🎖🍻
@@Guitargate YES!
that's my favorite line from Althea, too - - true for me, that's for sure
As a recovering drug addict and alcoholic I can really identify with this.. it really resonates.. 2 months clean and your videos help me everyday man... Thankyou so much
Keep it up. It gets better and better.
Haden McLean thanks brother, everyday is a victory
josephhill1993 you can still enjoy the shows sober once this pandemic passes. I hit dead and co among others every chance i get. You can enjoy it more than you think Brother. Keep truckin.
I'm in 12 step group with a retired roadie for the band. It's a blast hearing about his time with them -- and how much his sobriety has made his life better. The Dead Head community has a much larger "sober contingent" than you might imagine. Stay strong my brother!!
27 years sober and have loved every day, even when the days sucked. Deadhead since 1969 (13 yrs old) and the best shows of my life have been since I got clean. Keep it up brother, you’ll love it.
althea + a cup of coffee = great start to the morning
literally doing the same thing
Read this mid sip
Truer words were never spoken
I’m with the wife on a little beach getaway, on the porch, staring at the Gulf of Mexico, sipping a double brew of joe, grooving with you fellow music lovers
"just a cup of cold coffee..."
Dude, you are killing it! The story telling, the intros, the song selection, the riffs, the theory. Love it!
Thank you sir!!
Facts
You give me hope man thank you so much for being a positive role model for me
Your appreciation for Hunter as a lyricist can not be overstated. I have paraphrased Steely Dan’s Kid Charlemagne many times in describing the fortuitous meeting of Garcia and Hunter. Just by chance they crossed a diamond with a Pearl then they turned it on the world, and turned my world around.
Outstanding.
This is an amazing act of lifting your friend up and creating a connection where he, ostensibly, has none while in rehab. You are a deep and caring human, and thank you for sharing that vulnerability with us. Music can heal. Humans can help other humans heal.
Correct. Thank you my friend :)
I've been into the jam scene for the last 10+ years and just within the last few months started listening to the dead. I can't even describe how they have changed my musical experience in the short time I've been listening. Magic is the only way to describe it .
Althea is one of a handful of GD songs where the studio version holds up as well as any live version.
Live versions are definitely still superior, but totally hear ya on it.
Go To Heaven has actually aged surprisingly well. It wasn't generally considered their finest work at the time, it was most notable as being the first record with Brent on it, but decades later it fits more with what's going on in modern music than any of their other studio albums.
Especially Feel Like a Stranger, while not at all capturing the energy it had in live shows, the studio version sounds like it would pretty much be a modern pop hit if you just added some 808 samples and made the bass sound a bit more like a synth and had whoever the teenage pop star of the month sing it. Lol!
Touch of grey and Althea are the only studio versions that have a chance to stand up to them love
Interesting point.
Agree that live versions are superior but I would have to say that “Working Mans Dead,” to me is a stellar album where almost all of the tracks stand up anywhere. I will however say that “Uncle Johns Band” is a definite live jam
Drinking my coffee, sees a Greatful Dead video, and now the mood is set for the weekend.
Thank you, man. This was a beautiful reminder of those great last lines in this song -
"We're guilty of the same old things
Thinking a lot about less and less
And forgetting the love we bring"
I told Althea I was feeling lost
Lacking in some direction
Althea told me upon scrutiny
That my back might need protection
I told Althea that treachery
Was tearing me limb from limb
Althea told me, now cool down boy
Settle back easy, Jim
You may be Saturday's child all grown
Moving with a pinch of grace
You may be a clown in the burying ground
Or just another pretty face
You may be the fate of Ophelia
Sleeping and perchance to dream
Honest to the point of recklessness
Self-centred to the extreme
Ain't nobody messin' with you but you
Your friends are getting most concerned
Loose with the truth, maybe its your fire
Baby I hope you don't get burned
When the smoke has cleared, she said
That's what she said to me
You're gonna want a bed to lay your head
And a little sympathy
There are things you can replace
And others you cannot
The time has come to weigh those things
This space is gettin' hot
You know this space is gettin' hot
I told Althea, I'm a roving sign
That I was born to be a bachelor
Althea told me, OK that's fine
So now I'm trying to catch her
Can't talk to you without talking to me
We're guilty of the same old things
Thinking a lot about less and less
And forgetting the love we bring
Just a Great Song of many that Robert Hunter Wrote … An American Treasure, No Doubt!! God Bless !!
This version literally played on the Sirius XM station the minute you released this...
The magic is real!
Dude. No way. I believe it.
Great story and great song, thank you for saying your gonna do a deep dive later on.
Yup. 100%. Felt like just playing through this time. Seemed right.
It's crazy how much joy I get from watching someone else enjoy the Dead
And just 2 weeks later, the STUNNING 3-29-90 show with Branford Marsalis at Nassau Coliseum. You want to do a deep dive? Try this show. Thank you very much Michael.
Great keys by Brent on this show.
That’s the one to do for the deep dive?!? Oh man I thought I had a plan..
@@Guitargate A real deep-dive would be Cryptical>TOO>Cryptical from 1968.
Michael Palmisano Dont do the one with Branford, he’s great and all but the song is diffrent with him and less jerry to leave space for Branford.
@@gratefulvideo yeah, some primal Dead would be a whole other world here....
Great snippet from Blair Jackson's book of interviews with the band members Goin Down the Road: A Grateful Dead Traveling Companion (1992): Blair Jackson: "What spaces does [Dylan] hit that Hunter doesn't?" Garcia: "I couldn't tell you precisely. You know that song called "Going, Going, Gone" on Planet Waves? And "Tough Mama" also on Planet Waves? Those are songs that I wear really well. When I sing them I feel like I might as well have written them. I relate to them that well. That rarely happens to me with Hunter's songs, but something else happens to me with Hunter's songs that I think is more special. And that's the thing of them coming from a world -- some kind of mythos or alternate universe that's got a lot of interesting stuff in it. And I feel like I'm in that world and of it somehow; or at least I know it when I see it, and I feel like I have something to say about it and I'm participating in it , but in a different sort of way. It's participating in the mythos."
Hey I'm a Sag too! I was born Dec 8th,. 1980 - the day John Lennon was shot in the same hospital. Roosevelt hospital in NYC...
Yes! Love your idea on sending music and stressing the connection to your friend that you’re both listening to it together! The opposite of addiction is not sobriety, it’s connection.
This night was Phil's 50 birthday show. Every Phil B-day shows were super hot. I got to see his 60 B-day show. Wow what a fun time.
Althea is wonderful, and so was your story. I hope your friend finds peace.
My personal faves are Wharf Rat and Standing On The Moon. The former almost puts me in tears, the latter I sing to my kids.
☮️ ❤️ 💀
Great ones as well.
"Standing On The Moon" puts me in a puddle as well........such a powerful song! "Black Muddy River" can do it too. Well, hell, a bunch of them can!
@@tommathews3964 Absolutely! I can't play those two without having to wipe my cheeks.
This is one of my favorite live versions. I am so glad you finally got around to doing a reaction to it and chose this version to do it. I was at this concert many years ago. Brought back so many memories!! Thanks for doing this for your friend and for us!!
Michael, you're such a genuine man. Thanks for sharing your stories and your soul with us. Keep up the great work brother.
Thank you my friend :)
Great story, great video. subscribed last night and requested an Althea. Really cool!
My daughter is named Althea Grace. She'll be 5 next week. Thanks for posting and sharing an awesome story!
There was a long time when this was my favorite song. Then again there was a time when Scarlet Begonias, Stella Blue, Loser, Eyes of the World, Uncle John’s Band, Bertha, Ripple................were my favorite songs.
Couldn't click like quick enough. This is one of my two favorite Althea ever. Great job!!!
Love Brent on this tune. Those fills are perfect!
Missing him a lot these days
My father was diagnosed with Parkinsons years ago and has lost the ability to play the guitar, he used to play Althea for me when I was young and this hearing Jerry at the end of his life play this song is really something special.
Michael, thanks so much for this one, and for having your friend in mind whilst sharing your and his story with us...thoughts/prayers with you both that he makes a complete recovery!
These recordings are true pearls. Thanks for sharing, Mike!
All time classic. I was on this tour, mind bending. I’m so happy that you picked this song out for your friend. I have lost many, I also have gained so many back from them picking up the pieces. Although I am not sober, I have marched out of that crazy life with a lot of awesome memories, friends, career, health and last but not least,The music that really did truly bring us all together. You should really dive deep into the documentary that just came out on prime video. That truly was How it was. Sadly wrecked him and All that came with it. It’s a tearjerker. You never realize that we are just human beings forgetting the love we bring.
Love this channel! And I love your pokey, poppy, staccato Althea playing dude!
FINALLLLLLLLLLLY
omg and a VIDEO??? This is hands down the best Althea ever #NFA
bro, I've been watching you for a minute now and seeing the complete transformation is bringing tears to my eyes, watching you listen @ 11:42 ...its everything I needed today. thank you
This is such great stuff. I love your energy!!!!!! Deadhead in Florida here. Keep up the great work. Love it
I found the best video on UA-cam. This is it. Thank you so much for sharing
I love how genuine your reactions are Michael. Shakey Graves, Tedeschi Trucks, and now the Dead are what brought me here but it's your enthusiasm for the music that keeps me around.
Thank you! My favorite GD song & my favorite version(so far) Not everyone loves Without A Net, but it’s been on constant repeat for me since 92’. Amazing lyrics should speak to most of us. Again, thank you. It was a first time live view of the concert for me too
I’m so happy you’re taking this journey, I wish I found you earlier to take if with you.
God speed and keep on truckin brother.
OMGoodness....Michael.... YOU ARE A LIGHT OF LOVE......I can not even begin to say how much I appreciate you picking this song to play...BUT you played it for your FRIEND..!!! That..My Brother (from a diff. mother), is LOVE. I watched & listened to this song, & it made me cry. I sent my energy to your friend in need w/love, & strength to conquer his demons. the date you posted this vid was 09/26/20..and I'm just now watching it 05/28/21. Energy is an amazing thing. it has no time frame, nor a limit to it's HEALING POWERS. God Bless You & Yours.. :-)
Thanks for choosing this one to do for us... Have loved this song for a long time... In fact, it's the name of one of our daughters... Thanks for continuing to provide us such great videos, and tips for playing better... Keep up spreading those much needed positive vibes, and playing... ✌✊🙏😎☕
On you spoken intro brought a tear to my eye and a smile to my face at the same time. Like you and your friend, I too, have been in that black hole. Like you I was able to get out, unscathed and happy. I’ve got friends that are still there, although I tend to keep my distance from them now, when it comes time for them to get out, I’ll be there.
Truly love this song and this channel, one of my favorites in each category. Keep doing what you do, you teach and you have such a close personal story to every episode, it makes it so much better. Much love from Tulsa brother, to you and Ryan.
I was at this show - Phil’s 50th birthday in Landover MD. We only had tickets for the 14th, so 4 of us split up and roamed the lot hoping to score. Not many tickets were available because of the era, but moreso because of Phil’s birthday. I didn’t typically show up without tickets but we had to try because it just seemed like more than a typical show at the time, and we were driven insane by the fact that they busted Loose Lucy out of nowhere the night before. A friend got 4 tickets from a nice group of folks parked nearby after we were ready to give up - Terrapin blew us away, and the Revolution busted out as the encore!! Great days 😀😀😀
Love this song, such a good vibe. Thanks for the post.
this was the song that got me into the dead full send. i realized how much i just love music and how it was totally possible to not compromise writing good lyrics with playing ability. loving what you do here.
Thank you for this story. Something about the Dead brings us all together. Watching you helps me to understand what that something is, just a little bit more.
Hey - fellow sober Marylander and recently converted deadhead here. This was a special video for me to watch - I really appreciated the story about your friend in recovery. I love your videos and the message and positivity you are putting out into the world with your channel. Keep it up!
Too good. Thanks for the moment and reminder. One of my all time faves and also another sag haha.
I was at the March 15, 1990 show. I still have my handwritten set lists. And while the Althea was excellent, for me the Set II Terrapin was the highlight of the evening. Don't forget the March 14, 1990 show either (Stuck Inside of Mobile in Set I). Both nights were superb.
The Grateful Dead have been a source of joy, healing, inspiration and learning since I first saw them at Winterland in SF. When I need something to put me in a better place Althea has been my go to so many times. I feel like I know you and your buddy better just seeing you react and the impact it has had on your lives. Peace to you both.
Yea man. Spot on. Your commentary almost brought a tear to my eye. I’m a huge Dead fan and I’m 19 months sober. Thank you for this video. Sending your friend my love and support. My life is much better on this side. I know his can be too 🙏🏻.
What a nice, genuine,selfless act of kinder and love for your brother from another mother. That was AMAZING. Damn man not only are you a phenomenal musician ( im a member of guitar gate!) you are also a helluva stand up man. Love, peace and gratitude for your inspiration and sharing your talents with us
Such a great song, and such a great reminder of how music transcends... Thanks for your eclectic tastes btw. You literally have opened thousand of minds to different music, and, well, the importance of keeping an open mind.
That’s it!!
I was just listening to this song after losing my little brother recently to a tragic accident when i stumbled upon your video. I hear the lyrics in a new light, it made me think of his destructive behavior and my own in the past and some friends who are struggling with addiction and pain in their past came to mind. I can really see where Hunter was coming from in a new perspective. Thanks for your post!
One of the best lyrics of this song imo is…
Ain’t Nobody messin’ with you, but you
Your friends are getting most concerned
Loose with the truth, maybe it’s your fire
Baby I hope you don’t get burned 🔥 🔥 🔥
… Robert Hunter just slayin it.
Love your sentiment at the end of the vid. There was a sticker that was popular in the lot back in the 90’s. It simply read “be kind”. I think that pretty much sums up the Grateful Dead scene. And I frickin’ love Althea too man, great vid.
Keep em coming michael we need videos like this. Althea has always been a favorite
I've been here about a year, this has been fun to watch. Althea also speaks to me. Keep it up!
What a wonderful sentiment & gesture. This is truly what makes the world go around. Thank you for the content, and the story that goes with it. Much love.🙂
Favorite version of my all time favorite Dead song. It flows yet hits so hard at the same time. It's amazing music.
I’ve always loved Bobby’s slide work on this recording.
Dude, this the first video of yours I've ever watched and I knew within...2 mins..that I love you! I wish the best of luck to your friend, I know that road, it's a bumpy ride brother. But in you, I know he has a REAL friend left...most of us didn't at that point. As for Althea, this was my favorite version,til 12/27/89 was introduced to my ears.
...I fucking really enjoyed this video, keep it up homie.
Thanks so much!
Thank you for doing this song! I was waiting for it, requested it and Boom! You deliver!
Keep it groovin' my brother, glad to see your channel doing so well!
It's hard to believe it's been 25 years since Garcia died.
I worked at Court TV at the time and we were knee deep in editing the O.J. trial wrap series called Trial Story.
We had a special kind of computer network called BASYS and it was connected to A.P. and U.P.I. newswire services.
It was an ugly text only system with orange lettering on a black screen. It was so '80's in it's technology but it was the system that TV newsrooms used to write scripts, log video, create show rundowns and read the news flashes.
I was editing and a fellow deadhead colleague ran into my edit room and said he just read a news flash that Jerry Garcia died.
I jumped up and we ran back to his BASYS computer and read the wire. The posting was literally only 2 minutes old.
I went back into my room and began to call friends to tell them the sad news and nobody believed me since none of the news networks had picked up the story yet to report on it. I had a couple friends call me back an hour or so later saying I was full of shit and they had been watching CNN and Headline News since I first called them and they haven't said a word about Jerry dying so I must be lying. They accused me of playing a cruel joke on them and I've been wasting their time.
That night when I went home, I saw that there were 25+ messages on my answering machine. Some of my friends were crying on the messages saying that they just didn't want to believe it when I had called them earlier. That it just couldn't be true. But sadly it was.
Michael, thank you so much for this. I have never listend to Grateful Dead before, and now I can't stop listening to them. I hope everything goes well for your friend. Take care
Great tone, as always! One of the only instructors I watch now! Keep it up!
Thank you!
Michael Palmisano do a rig rundown!
This version of this song is what hooked me on the dead 30 years ago
My favorite version of Althea live. Spring 1990 was a magical time for the Dead. ✌️
Mine too. The “Without a Net” version of Althea is spectacular! My first Dead show, as a matter of fact, was the following night at Cap. Center. If I’m not mistaken the Bird Song from my 1st, is the version on Without a Net. I personally wish though, that they’d included the version of Black Throated Wind, brought back after a hiatus on 3/16/90, on the CD because it’s absolute perfection IMO. Imagine if, in preparation for releasing a Dead show for sale from their vast catalog, they were able to put in the same level of production time, to isolate every single track in the mix, with the same attention to detail given to each one, such as we hear on the “Without a Net” release. How many more thousands of people would, upon hearing said live productions, instantaneously be turned into new fans of the band? It’s just a thought.
You really do get the GD. It's great to see your discovery happening on your YT channel, thanks for sharing. These songs become part of your life. The lyrics apply in multitudes of circumstances, and Garcia's melodic sense makes them permanent, yet open to interpretation. It began with me in the very early 1980s when I was a college kid. By the mid 1990s, over 100 GD concerts later, I played electric bass in bands that occasionally covered some tasty Grateful Dead, and then became bassist in a band that played mostly GD. Althea was a favorite of mine, and made many a set list around the Pacific Northwest in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
As someone in recovery who’s been in many rehabs using whatever source of music I could to get me through, I can tell you this is very touching. Thanks as always
"self centered to the extreme" is an actual line in the 12x12, a companion to the Big Book of AA....written by Bill Wilson in 1953, always wondered if Hunter had read that and poached it :). And I went to Towson State back in the day and plenty of Cap Center and Merriweather shows...cheers, Bro!
Thanks for doing Jerry again. I hope your friend recovers and is free soon. You are good friend to do all that for him. Have a great weekend 😊
I love that you did this version. My fav. Without a Net is one of my favorites albums. Love me some Jerry and Brent
My Dead Introduction and Still My All Time Favorite. Thank You Michael. I requested this song when you did your first GD video. THIS is THE VERSION!
YES!
Phil's 50th b'day! Graham riding on his shoulders during the revolution encore. Great three day run at the CAP!
one of my favorites .. and just as I was thinking you had abandoned the Dead! such an uplifting song but with wistful words ...
This was Phil’s 50th Birthday.
What a great version of Althea.
Thanks for posting this.
🤙🏽💕✌🏽
A loving and wonderful gesture to your friend. It's like you jumped down in the hole with him and brought some music for the journey out. One Love
This; Eyes of the World, Boston 06/09/76 or 06/11/76. The interplay between Jerry and Phil..
Awesome! I’ve been waiting for your reaction to this for a long time. Now we need that Cornell morning dew! Thanks Mike!
Just found this video.I saw them at the Spectrum,years ago(1973,maybe),and,listening to these solos,brought back some memories of that show.What a guitarist(not to mention the band).💛🧡💜
Great stuff, Michael. Thanks.
Love you for going down the road of the Dead. Appreciate your videos and wish you well and I hope you continue to explore the Dead because they're extraordinary in the realm of improv and musicianship.
That was such a beautiful intro, that I wish I could like this video 10 times. Right on.
Love, love, love this video!
"Honest to the point of recklessness" ❤️ That my my 3rd Dead show!
I've seen over 125 shows, all when Jerry was alive & Althea is still my favorite Dead tune! ❤️💯☮️
Such a heartfelt video and truly a song for he ages. Blessing to you and your friend Michael.
Just saw this! Thanks! Hope you are both doing well. Cheers!
So beautiful a display of love and gratitude
Grateful dead is a band that's on a level of it's own. Jerry's voice is so distinct. Great song.
I’m from NoVa. Starting going to shows in ‘79. Saw every show in MD, VA, and some in PA till Jerry passed. This was one of my favorites (nothing will ever beat Charlottesville for me)
My first dead show was in May of 1980 at the Nassua Collesium. Amazing Althea that night! In the Dead Documentary Al Franken tells of his favorite Althea ever, it was at that same show!
Yesss! 🙌
This tune has been mesmerising me for the past week or so...the words are wrought from fully lived experience - and it just seems to be a moment of crystalline clarity. THe music is so cruisy and yet so intruiging...Bobby amazing, Phil solid and creative, Jerry flowing like water with those gorgeous phrases. You laid it down hard core here Michael - fantastic.
Jesus. I didn't know of you or your channel, but this brought a tear to my eye. There's some good people and friends out there. Thanks for being there for your friend man. And for sharing your story!
This is so great MP, your a real inspiration. TY! and HBD JG! 💀🌹 #daysbetween
Thanks for sharing your heart, we all should share in whatever way we can heartily
The synchronicities and the magic of this music always amazes me. Wherever you are in your life there is something for you.. constantly evolving and changing over the years. There is just nothing else like it.
Dude, I loved this video. It too play guitar for almost 30 years, I love your reactions when the song is played I do the same thing! And i just can't help air guitar each solo with my left hand. Especially while driving. Sitting at a stoplight volume cranked I always get looks.
Althea is my favorite song period. I thought I heard every single version, this was so good it'll be in my top 5 at least.
Been watching since the start.
1st time commenting.
Somehow I find myself loving your content.
Favorite one yet.
Much love from Dickson, Tennessee.
Instant like, I've been waiting for this one! 👌