NYS Music 20​17

Tag: Barton Hall

  • Cornell ’77 Revisited: Holy Grail of Grateful Dead Shows Makes Debut at The Cap; Larry Reichman Discusses New Photo Book

    5/8/77 – Grateful Dead’s most talked about and traded show from Barton Hall at Cornell University,  has been mastered from the Betty Board tapes and commercially released along with other May 1977 Dead shows. The hype, excitement, and anticipation over this release since its announcement earlier this year has been turned over into just as much appreciation for the release in its various formats.

    Monday, May 8, 2017 marked the 40th anniversary of the legendary Cornell Barton Hall show and in Tompkins County it was declared as “Grateful Dead Day” by way of proclamation. It was a particularly special day for the Big Red Deadheads out there with a special tribute concert by the Cornell Chimes, performing a handful of arrangements of Dead tunes. Rhino Entertainment, the Grateful Dead’s record label, hosted two special events with one at the State Theatre featuring Terrapin Flyer and a second at the Capitol Theatre where the newly released 5/8/77 show debuted in full concert sound for a rather fun listening party.

    grateful dead cornellThe Grateful Dead’s Barton Hall show gained notoriety in part from the fairly quick circulation of the soundboard recording of the show among traders, which itself is of good quality with some minor flaws. In comparison, the new official release is immaculate and among the best of quality mastered commercial Grateful Dead releases. Although there was no band on stage at the Capitol Theatre, hearing the freshly realesed 5/8/77 show through the Cap’s PA system in full concert sound captured the essence of being at a live show – so much so that folks were dancing around the floor.

    While revisiting 5/8/77 at the Cap reminiscers were treated to a montage of photos from the show itself, many unseen before, projected on the theatre walls. Those photos were taken by then Cornell freshman Larry Reichman who is working on releasing a complete book featuring many more images from Barton Hall that day from setup through the concert. He was there at the Cap to promote it (the black and white photos shown within the photos in this article are by Reichman). He is currently running a Kickstarter campaign which ends on May 24 and can be found here. NYS Music caught up with Reichman at the Cap to chat about the book and his Barton Hall experience in an interview that was also broadcast on WVBR-FM in Ithaca.

    Steve Malinski: Can you tell us about your background in photography?

    Larry Reichman: I got into black and white photography when I was a high school student down in New York and learned to develop negatives and prints the old fashioned way and when I got to Cornell, I started working for a newspaper and started taking photos of events on campus – most of the concerts they had on campus that year – and jumping ahead to this show I had gotten a pass from the Cornell Concert Commission to be in [Barton Hall] the whole day. So, I took photos of the setup and the whole show.

    SM: What prompted you to shoot the Barton Hall show?

    LR: Well, I was a big Dead fan so there was no way that I would not go to the show. I had a press pass for most of the shows that year and I could have done that, but a friend of mine was a volunteer for the Cornell Concert commission and suggested I talk to someone there. While I had no special arrangement with the Concert Commission, I gave them a few photos of the show which are also now part of the Cornell University Archives.

    SM: Can you take us through the course of your day at the Barton Hall show, and interesting things that you saw?

    LR: I didn’t really know what to expect. So I was just in the Hall and as you know, it’s a big empty hall. Not a barn, but a big open space. They had to literally build the stage and lighting. There were these super trooper spotlights going in. As things were loaded in I was just wandering around taking photos. Probably the most memorable moment was (since I had a lot of time to kill earlier in the day) while I was wandering around behind the stage I looked up and the band was about four feet above me on stage. Because I was kind of shy I didn’t say hi to the band but nodded to Jerry and was on my way. The show of course was memorable. I got to claim a spot right in front of the stage and shoot from there.

    SM: And you were only a freshman at Cornell doing all this?

    LR: I was, 18 years old. I had seen them a few times before that and it was awesome to hear that they were coming to Cornell and I didn’t have to go far to see them.

    SM: You’re working on a new photo book with many never before seen photos of the Barton Hall show, which you are raising funds for through Kickstarter. Can you tell us about the book?

    LR: Again, I was there the whole day for setup, soundcheck and the whole show. So what I’m putting together is a really good quality book, about 80-pages long. My goal is to have something special, a really good quality coffee table kind of book printed in the US. There will be three chapters. First chapter is the setup, and in fact the announcer of that show, Bob, is here tonight and I happen to have a photo of him in the book. Then the next chapters will be First Set and Second Set. First set, for the photo buffs out there, I shot with a 50mm lens, so it’s a bit more of a wide angle. For the second set I had a telephoto lens which allowed me to zoom in a bit more. Because of slower shutter speeds and other technical parameters it allowed me to capture some movement on stage. The book will have a variety of shots and won’t just be picture after picture. It will be an artistic layout.

    SM: And you’re running a Kickstarter to get this going?

    LR: Yes, the book is laid out and ready to go but I need help to print it. So I’m running a Kickstarter to raise the money for the printing. People can pledge to support it with various rewards, including a pre-order of the book and individual photos from the show.

    Editors note: as of the publication of this article, the Kickstarter campaign has been fully funded.

    SM: You mentioned that you were also involved with WVBR back around that time as well?

    LR: Yeah, I signed up to volunteer there my first week at Cornell back in 1976. I was just really interested in all things music. I learned how to splice tape and make commercials. I had a show on the AM band which was literally broadcast through the AC electric system on the West Campus of Cornell. I’d go there on Saturday nights and spin records, played a lot of Dead. Then the next year I did a bit of engineering, particularly for the news shows. Also, the newspaper I was working for was downstairs in the building. I don’t recall the name but it was a weekly startup. I think that’s how I learned about the paper from going to WVBR and saw the paper downstairs. I decided to check it out and that’s where I developed all of these photos. It was all off-campus in Collegetown.

  • Book Review: Peter Conners’ ‘Cornell ’77’

    May 8 will mark 40 years since the Grateful Dead descended upon Ithaca and performed a concert that would go down as the most talked about show in the band’s 30-year history.

    Many people say it’s the greatest performance in the Dead’s storied history, and it’s easily the most documented show the band ever performed. In the new book, “Cornell ’77,” author Peter Conners dissects the famous and infamous concert at Barton Hall on the Cornell campus in a variety of ways, from culling excerpts of local media at the time, to finding and interviewing attendees of the show, to emailing with the living band members.

    The history of the Grateful Dead has been documented endlessly in print form, with full band documentaries, autobiographies, fan accounts and everything in between. But Conners’ book is the first time a single show has been viewed on such an in-depth level, and with good reason: May 8. 1977, is the most downloaded Grateful Dead concert ever, and has been streamed live more times than any other.

    Conners clearly spent his time in piecing together information for the book. He rounded up newspaper clippings from the time, both previewing and reviewing the show, located a few people who attended the concert and spoke on record, and even got some of the band members to give their input.

    The first chunk of the book gives a history lesson of sorts into the Dead up until that time, including a great deal about the famed Wall of Sound, and more importantly a lot of insight about the near breakup, which turned into a hiatus, in 1974.

    The most interesting parts are in the chapter titled “Cold Rain and Snow,” where Conners depicts a few fans’ experiences of the entire day, from traveling to the area, to getting in the show and how the fans viewed the music at the time. Fan Robert Wagner, who traveled from North Carolina to upstate New York, gives anecdotes about experiencing snow in the spring that catapult the reader back to 1977. This chapter easily is the book’s selling point.

    Something that has been documented ad-nauseam is listener reviews of the show. Conners did not attend the show — he was a Deadhead in his youth, however — but did give some of the better breakdowns of the songs performed that night that I have ever read. At times, Conners’ comparisons were a bit odd: he compared “U.S. Blues’” line about skinning a goat to a cat, which left me wondering what he meant; later, he compared “quaaludes running through the bloodstream” to the jam in “Supplication,” and I was, admittedly, a bit lost. But in the end, Conners ended up giving readers a completely unique review of the show, breaking each song down, while providing a little history and context for each one.

    While the premise of the book is initially intriguing, “Cornell ’77” does have its shortcomings. At times, the book appears to have not been edited very well, as it has a few glaring grammar problems.

    But my main issue with it, is that Connors seems to have pulled most of his information from other sources, while seemingly being unable get much information directly from the four living members of the band. Drummer Mickey Hart pours his heart out, as always, but outside of Planet Drum, the rest of the band is nearly absent outside of Conners taking quotes from past interviews conducted by others. That makes the book not feel fully authentic.

    If you’re a seasoned Deadhead, this book won’t provide you with much new information.

    But if you’re new to the Grateful Dead, this is a book I highly recommend checking out, as your eyes will be opened to an era of the Dead many think is the unquestioned leader in the handful of iterations of a rock and roll band beloved by its followers.

  • Celebrations Planned Across New York State on May 8 for Anniversary of Grateful Dead Show

    Next week on May 8, Grateful Dead fans around the world will mark the 40th anniversary of one of the most revered and traded shows in the band’s extensive history, that of 5/8/77 at Barton Hall at Cornell University. The show is a thing of legend for fans new and old, an oft listened to show that features numerous stand out versions of classic Dead songs. It has led to Tompkins Country Legislature announcing May 8 as ‘Grateful Dead Day’ and will also feature the release of a book covering the lore of the show, Cornell ’77: The Music, The Myth And The Magnificence Of The Grateful Dead’s Show At Barton Hall.

    may 8 grateful deadListen to the show below and check out the numerous events taking place across New York State to honor this milestone anniversary in Grateful Dead history.

    State Theatre of Ithaca

    Right in the town where the show was held, The State Theatre of Ithaca will hold….

    The event at The State Theatre of Ithaca will feature a special set of acoustic Grateful Dead music performed by Ithaca’s own tribute band, “Terrapin Station”, an official listening party of the 1977 release on the State Theatre’s brand new state-of-the-art sound system, a unique silent auction and a variety of special guests and speakers. In addition to the live music and Grateful Dead celebrations, Cornell University Press and author Peter Conners will also be in attendance chatting to fans about their new book “Cornell 77: The Music, The Myth and The Magnificence of The Grateful Dead’s Concert at Barton Hall”. Signed copies will also be available for purchase at this event.

    Dark Hollow at The Range in Ithaca

    Central New York’s Dark Hollow will perform the 1977 Barton Hall show at Cornell on May 8 for the 40th-anniversary celebration at The Range in Ithaca. Dark Hollow is one of the premier Grateful Dead bands in the Upstate NY area and will be joined by Rick Redington & the Luv, who seamlessly introduce the best aspects of country and folk into a variety of genres.

    Cornell Chimemasters

    In honor of the 40th anniversary, the Cornell Chimes will perform 4 songs from the Grateful Dead repertoire from 6 – 6:30pm on May 8. Fans are encouraged to bring blankets and spread out on the lawn around the tower. At 5:45pm, Dan Klein from the Tompkins County Legislature will read a proclamation declaring May 8, 2017 “Grateful Dead Day in Tompkins County.”Author Peter Conners will be available to sign copies of his new book from Cornell University Press Cornell ’77: The Music, The Myth, and the Magnificence of the Grateful Dead’s Concert at Barton Hall at the Cornell Store from 5:45-6:30pm

    The Cornell Chimes have been the heartbeat of Cornell’s campus life for more than a century, marking the hours and chiming concerts. The original set of nine bells first rang out at the university’s opening ceremonies October 7, 1868. Over time the chime has been recast and expanded to 21 bells; it continues to ring daily concerts, making it one of the largest and most frequently played chimes in the world. This marks the first time The Cornell Chimes will perform works by the Grateful Dead

    The Hollow Bar and Kitchen

    In Albany, Gratefully Yours will recreate the 5/8/77 show at The Hollow Bar and Kitchen with an all-star lineup of Albany musicians including Alex Mazur (Keyboards, Vocals), Adam Czolowski (Guitar, Vocals), Tom Pirozzi (Bass), Rob Schiff (Guitar, Vocals), Jeff Prescott (Drums) and Jessica Barlow (Vocals)

    Rhino Entertainment and The Capitol Theatre Present: 5/8/77 Revisited – A Grateful Dead Dance Party

    Part of the legacy of the Barton Hall performance is the quality of the recording that has circulated, and on May 8, The Capitol Theatre will host a listening party of the just-released “official” recording. The new recording will sound impeccably good through The Cap’s state-of-the art sound system and the new recording will be available for purchase at the event. Rhino Records will be on hand, giving away free stickers, patches, notebooks, and music releases as well. Also in attendance will be Larry Reichman, the “official” photographer of Cornell University on 5/8/77, who will be presenting never-before-seen images from this concert that we’ll be projecting on the walls of the Cap. He will also be promoting his upcoming book that will contain them. Tickets to this performance cost only $6.50 in advance – the original price of tickets for the Barton Hall performance in 1977.

  • Grateful Dead Announce Official Release of Legendary Cornell ’77 Show

    One of the Grateful Dead‘s most revered shows is finally seeing the light of day in an official release this spring to mark the show’s 40th anniversary.

    The band played its first of three shows (1977, 1980, and 1981) on May 7, 1977, booked by the Cornell Concert Commission after some troubles with booking live acts in the years prior. May ’77 wasn’t first live Cornell campus appearance from the Grateful Dead family however. The Jerry Garcia Band had performed at Cornell’s Bailey Hall less than two years prior on 10-27-1975. The May 1977 lineup for the Grateful Dead included the core of Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann, as well as Donna and Keith Godcheaux.

    Photo: dead.net

    The official release, in the form of a 5-LP box set and CD, will contain the entire Cornell ’77 show mastered from the Betty board tapes. Not only will this Barton Hall show be released, included in another 11-CD box set (May ’77: Get Shown The Light) will be 5/5/77 at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in New Haven, CT, 5/7 at Boston Garden, and 5/9 at Buffalo Memorial Auditorium.

    Cornell ’77 Poster designed by Cornell alumnus Jay Maybrey

    Many sources of the Barton Hall show have been circulated over the years, including unofficial soundboards (heard over on archive.org) which are of decent quality, though with some flaws inherent to the taping and matrix mixing process. Rolling Stone gave a sneak preview of “Morning Dew” from the upcoming release and after listening to the bootlegs of Barton Hall, the release promises to be a fantastic treat for Deadheads.

    The various release formats for the Cornell ’77 show and the other May 1977 shows debut on May 5 and pre-orders for it are available now over at dead.net. Only limited quantities of the 5-LP vinyl box set of the Cornell ’77 show are available.

    Peter Conners, author of “Growing Up Dead” and other works on the Grateful Dead is working on a book titled “Cornell ’77,” chronicling the Dead’s appearance at Cornell set to be published by Cornell University Press.

Built in Breakdance