I’ve always loved the idea of sharing shows with some connection to each other. An obvious and easy connection are shows within the same time period – a year, or a tour, or a run of shows at the same venue. But I really love trying to find slightly more obscure, or at least different connections.
Mainly I get bored throwing up random shows and I like to find ways to make this blog interesting (at least to me anyway).
Trouble is all of that takes time and a little research.
I have a terrible memory. Unlike some folks in this hobby, I don’t have an immediate recollection of who played bass guitar for Bob Dylan in the fall of 1982. I don’t even know if he played a show in the fall of 1982. I don’t know what Neil Young was doing in the spring of 2001, or if Van Morrison was at the top of his game (or the bottom of it) in 1994.
I’m probably most knowledgeable with the Grateful Dead and even then I can only speak in generalities. I know about the tour of Europe in 1972 and the Wall of Sound in 1973 but I can’t tell you which shows are best.
That’s just the way my dumb brain works (or rather how it doesn’t work.) That means I have to do a little thinking and a little research to find some connective tissue for shows I might want to post. Then I have to actually try to find recordings of those shows.
All of this takes time which is why I’ve talked about this idea fairly often, but very rarely actually done anything about it.
I’ve been feeling antsy lately so I thought I’d give this a go. Obviously, I did Bob Dylan’s Fastbreak Tour yesterday. I’m working on a short tour Jerry Garcia did in 1994 right now.
I’d definitely love to hear any of your suggestions. It can be a time period or a bunch of shows from throughout an artist’s career at the same venue, or anything really. I’m just trying to mix it up a bit.
themidnightcafe.org 