GarciaLive Vol. 8: November 23rd, 1991 - Bradley Center

Hey Now!GarciaLive Volume Eight: November 23, 1991 is the latest (and IMHO) one of the best live Jerry releases in this series so far (and I own them all).The Jerry Garcia Band spent the month of November in 1991 primarily on the East Coast with the short 14 show tour concluding in the middle of the US. This show from Milwaukee, Wisconsin was the second to last show of the tour, and it was one of the finest in both song selection and overall energy. All of Jerry's leads are played superbly and with precision, and high octane energy that you rarely (OK, sporadically) heard during this period. His solos on Money Honey alone make this show a must have. Add a band that is tight, seasoned, and on their mark throughout the show, well, once again, you get the picture, buy this show because you will not regret it.Melvin Seals complements this band so well on keys and his solo's on this show shine through as much as Jerry's. John Kahn's bass and the perfect beat-keeping of drummer David Kemper provide a wonderful rhythm section that Jerry loved backing him, which always allowed him the freedom to open up his solo's in a format and fashion that wasn't always defined when he was out with the Grateful Dead. Add in the beautiful background harmony and vocals of both Jacklyn LeBranch and Gloria Jones, the JGB was on it's game this evening, and I for one am very glad that the Garcia Family Estate released this show.I was fortunate enough to catch 2 of the 14 shows on this tour (Worcester, MA 10 days earlier, and Providence, RI the same week as this release) and Jerry was ON throughout this outing, which (as most of you JGB fans can testify) wasn't always the case.The entire first set of this Bradley Center show is strong, tight, and full of energy with a very strong 'Cats Under the Stars' opener and a few Dead staples thrown in (They Love Each Other, Deal) to allow Jerry to stretch out and display his prowess and chops on lead guitar. Sure, Jerry's voice has the usual "I just smoked 2 packs of Camels" strain that is unfortunately present more often than not during the 1990's, but he remembers all the words to the songs and sings them with conviction throughout. I also LOVE the way Jerry ends 'Lay Down Sally', it kind of takes you by surprise and leaves a smile on my face every time! Other first set highlights are 'The Night they Drove Old Dixie Down' (superb and soulful!) and a personal favorite of mine, Reuben and Cherise.The second set is strong as well, with IMHO one of the best versions of 'Shining Star' I have ever heard them play. John Khan's bass is hypnotic. The set opens with the 5th and final version of Van Morrison's 'Bright Side of the Road' a song that debuted on the second show of this short JGB tour and would never be played again after this show (which is another great reason to pick up this CD!). A cover of Bruce Cockburn's 'Waiting for a Miracle' which never disappoints follows, and we're off and running once again, with Jerry and the band delivering a very entertaining and well-played second set. Personally, I think the energy level drops at the end of the show a little bit during 'Ain't No Bread in the Bread Box' and 'Lucky Old Sun', leaving 'Tangled Up In Blue' the final celebration for the night (albeit a bit slower tempo than I like to see the JGB play it) but overall the show is well worth buying because it is a Jerry fan's delight from start to finish. No encore at this show (c'mon Jer!) which was par for the course at times when seeing Jerry solo, but this show is definitely a gem from that mini tour and one that every Jerry head should add to their collection.Enjoy!

Good quality show and everyone shows up to play and render / conjure a good time. “Reuben and Cherise” is the standout here for my ears. You’ll find your own of course.

Bright Side of the Road really blew my mind. Jerry personified!IMHO, the 11/9/1991 (2 weeks earlier) of the Pure Jerry series (#7) is also great but this one takes the blue ribbon for his enthusiasm alone. (I can imagine his beaming smile looking down as I listen.) The Pure Jerrys are now too expensive to get ahold of an entire set of 9, no problem; this one will do you solid. (At least for this track.)As far as the rest of this excellent CD set, as usual with Jerry, NOT A SINGLE non-awesome track.This series of Jerry performances is really excellent due to the superb quality of the recordings.I have all 8 in the series, you should too. No brag, because they are all affordable (for now).This series can still be purchased w/o breaking your bank. (I have the 1st 8 of the Pure Jerry series; I missed #9 at the time. The cheapest I now see it for, USED, is $219.00.So get the entire series, you snooze, you lose.

I love, love, love this recording. While I am partial to Jerry Garcia Band (and Legion of Mary) recordings from 1975-78, this is my go-to album that captures late 1980s/early 1990s Jerry Garcia Band (this album along with the 10/31/1987 recording) sound. Incredible audio quality - you feel like Melvin Seals' organ is right in front of you. Love the setlist, as well. Jerry is playing in peak performance on this one; again, I gravitate toward the 1975-78 era but this album is right up there with the very best of Jerry Garcia Band's recordings. I recommend this album for longtime Jerry Garcia Band fans and for people looking to get introduced to Jerry Garcia Band.

This is a stellar show & easily one of my faves in the series!

One of the best Jerry Band setlists I've seen. This entire show makes me happy. It has one of my favorite versions of TLEO (including GD) and the Waiting for a Miracle is outstanding. It's all pretty great. Vol 10 might be slightly better overall, but this is the one I listen to most often. I think the super fun setlist makes it my favorite of the entire series.

Good condition, great tunes

It's hard to say that any JGB show was "best". I suppose some were better than others and some not so much, but as a rule, they were always amazing. This show of this incredible band at their very best. I especially enjoyed Lay Down Sally! This album is extremely we'll produced and does this spectacular show justice. If you like Jerry at all, you're going to love this!