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Set 1:
China Cat Sunflower
I Know You Rider
It's All Over Now
Brown-Eyed Women
My Brother Esau
Big Railroad Blues
Cassidy
Loser
The Music Never Stopped

Set 2:
Sugaree
Playin' In The Band
China Doll
Drums
Truckin'
Black Peter
Sugar Magnolia

Encore:
U.S. Blues

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Comments:

Looking at the set list I cannot tell you much, but I always loved rolling out of Ventura to watch the waves roll in (but it was a dusty venue). Oh, I thought the Sugaree was good. Fond memories of Ventura shows!
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Yeah, the Ventura County Fair Rodeo Grounds venue had only a chunky baked dirt floor (though I didn't see any cow paddies. Just a little dancin' and twirlin' there with a mild breeze really kicked up the dust. Fortunately the beach and Pacific Ocean waves were just outside the entrance.
- (07/29/2012)

Ventura 83...the only thing missing was the Beach Boys to open. The scene was that SoCal perfect. Sugaree 2nd set opener?! Incredible, China/Rider 1st set opener...Esau before Bob "sold real estate to someone in LA." Shows were at the fairgrounds, bleachers on one side and everyone dancing on the dirt ground where they would parade livestock etc. Zero shade, But the Dead on the beach? For a head who lived in Minnesota it was the ideal Cali setting. It was heaven, or close enough to pretend. Waves and sunset after a mid afternoon show. YES.
- (09/09/2012)

I’m listening to my 4th show(hope to take this through every show I went to) and my first run of shows I saw. I think it’s the 1st time I’ve heard it since. No stories, just a review of the music many years later.

China Cat >> Rider to open does not disappoint. It gives me the feeling like ‘Whoa. this could be epic. It’s All Over Now has a great Brent solo.Jerry brings it up farther. Solid little number. False ending is pretty funny. Jerry’s voice sounds good so far, real strong in BEW, great version. I never understood why they shelved Esau. It’s my 2nd in as many shows. Big Railroad rocks hard. Cassidy is short but strong. Loser is reliably great. I’m listening to a really great AUD recording through earbuds and I have a fan blowing on me. The funny thing is that the wind is blowing into the mics, not the fan blowing on my earbuds. Bob butchers the lyrics of Music Never Stopped but the outro is epic. Another strong first set

Set 2 opens with a blistering Sugaree. I wish I could remember some of my early shows. But right now I’m as surprised as if I never was there. Playin’ comes next and is a wild psychedelic ride. 2nd song of the set! It moves around quite a lot until it devolves into a bit too quick (for me) China Doll. But Jerry’s solo is amazing. Proving that it was too quick, Jerry tries to sing “take up your china doll” at half time, confusing Bob and Brent, so the response is mostly not there. They survive it though and “Just a little nervous from the fall” comes back in at the pace of the song. The boys fall into a jam at the close of China where some eggs get seriously scrambled. It falls into Drums after only 3 songs, but I can honestly say that I’m not disappointed. 12 minutes is a bit long for me on Drums, but it grooved. I feel like Drums/Space is deeply personal. We can all agree when a particular song is incredible or a train-wreck. One person can think that a particular D//S sucks while another thinks it’s great. Drums was a sleeper. Space, however, is another story. The drummers stay on stage and it jams. Jerry teases Truckin’ a little too obviously, but then they regroup before plowing into it. Bob remembers all the words to Truckin’ and they hit the outro perfectly and predictably drop into Black Peter, masterfully played. Another super quick song follows, but at least it’s Sugar Mag and not a song that is supposed to be slow. This Mag is super-charged! Bob falls apart vocally during Sunshine Daydream. It’s like he wanted to sing all the words at the same time, but then they just TEAR IT UP. And… a “Let Phil sing” chant prior to US Blues.

On paper the post-D/S looks pretty walk-through, but they really tore it up. This has to be an A show (I’m going with Barton Hall being A++). Obviously under the radar. Well worth a listen all they way through.

- (07/11/2024)

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