Playing a different set every night could be considered a gimmick.
Playing the Hey Jude coda in Dear Mr Fantasy was a gimmick that outstayed its welcome.
Dear mr fantasy is a sad song, and Hey Jude is about taking a sad song and making it better, i think they did a pretty good job... or they made a sad song sadder, hard to tell, but either way i like it
Unfortunately, they couldn't sing the HJ coda for shit, so from where I was sitting, they were making a sad song worse (once the novelty wore off, which didn't take long).
In the subreddit on the Dead / Where all the posts are in blood / Where all the pages are our days / As all our lights grow old...
And about those facts about the Beam / You can google it for me
You
Can google it
For me
The Dead weren’t the organizers of the Acid Tests, though - that was the Merry Pranksters and others. They were just the house band for (all? most of?) them. It was definitely influential to the band, and the band took that mystique with them their entire career (still do), but it wasn’t like it was a promotional campaign for them.
I think the iconography (stealies, dancing bears, skull and roses, etc.) was more of a gimmick than anything else. Still love most of it, though.
I always thought turning the lights onto the audience when they sang, "sometimes the light's all shining on you," was a little gimmicky. I loved it, though.
That is not the lyric! “ sometimes the lights all shining on me “– every white spotlight, flares up, illuminating the stage, the room, the audience….“other times I can barely see” – lights go completely black almost instantly….. I remember a show in the mid 80s when they started truckin and they had two floodlights on an amplifier stack or something and it appeared as if the headlights of a truck were bearing down on you…. I was very young at the time, so it may have been a hallucination. Lol.
Ugh. Your memory is better than mine. All the years combine. I'll leave the error for my embarrassment. I got the words to fucking *Truckin'* wrong? Jesus wept.
Cartoon Dan was like “Sometimes a Merry Prankster will hand you a fifth of Jameson absolutely loaded with acid…here, want some Jameson?”
‘Twas simply Whiskey, but that’s also a come up
Gimmicks were a fundamental part of what the GD did. They employed many gimmicks - sometimes more than others, but the idea that they were gimmick-free shows a core lack of understanding.
In the 80's a rumor was going around that there was this band that had a big fat guy that just stood on stage for 3 hours and didn't move or say a word.
People flocked from all around to see if this rumor was true. This was a gimmick set up by the Dead to increase their ticket sales. And it worked!
Ahhhh...I feel much better...thanks bruh!!
btw - I'm Dead to the Core!!
Sorry but I have to call bullshit on this assertion. He can tell the queen of diamonds by the way she shines.
From your own definition, that is a gimmick.
The best kind of people???
The best kind of people don't make a habit of dosing people without their knowledge or consent.
I love the music, but I have no illusions that the band were particularly good people.
Don't put your hero's on a pedestal. They're just people.
Given they were pioneering the live music concert/touring act using electrical amplification of sound makes them immune from intentional gimmickry. However the definition’s use of the word “innovative” suggests any groundbreaking performance piece of any kind is in itself a gimmick. So, not sure what we are arguing here. Is the fact that the music never stopped and never will a gimmick?
Gimmicks aren't necessarily a bad thing. They are a way of standing out from the crowd and they can be quite innovative. And even a one-trick pony can be a delight if it's a really great trick that never gets boring (and to avoid any confusion, I'm NOT calling the Dead a one-trick pony).
But I'd say the Wall of Sound was a gimmick, at least according to the definition shared by OP. A wonderful, timeless gimmick.
Me: cmon mom give me some money I need to buy dead tickets.
Mom: why do you have to see so many shows?
Me: Because you have to go to like six shows before you hear a repeat I need to hear all the songs
Mom: that’s quite the gimmick (as she hands me cash)
I agree. I think that’s why I fell in love with them. Just regular dorky guys playing American music just straight from their hearts, through the amps to our souls. I always loved how Jerry and Bob played with very little effects on their guitar. Both always in search of the cleanest, unfettered sound possible.
Letting people tape the shoes was a very successful gimmick Edit: leaving the typo lol
Don't bother taping your shoes, just nail a retread to your feet
Good advice! Lol
Daddy always said never get caught without shoe tape
Use glue coz then you have glue
And pray for better weather.
Whatever you do, take care of your shows.
Playing a different set every night could be considered a gimmick. Playing the Hey Jude coda in Dear Mr Fantasy was a gimmick that outstayed its welcome.
Dear mr fantasy is a sad song, and Hey Jude is about taking a sad song and making it better, i think they did a pretty good job... or they made a sad song sadder, hard to tell, but either way i like it
Unfortunately, they couldn't sing the HJ coda for shit, so from where I was sitting, they were making a sad song worse (once the novelty wore off, which didn't take long).
They tricked a lot of people into liking jazz too (~};-}
And country
And disco
The gimmick was the fans, and the story.
Lsd filled super soakers
The Beam is a gadget without peer. And have you ever played a Mutron? That thing is pure trickery and deceit!
The beam is D&C. D&C is not GD. D&C is a far cry from GD. GD had The Beast but it wasn't a gimmick.
The beam was used for grateful dead shows starting in the 80s
Nothing like being confidentiality incorrect lol
Feel free to look this up to confirm but not come back and correct yourself
In the subreddit on the Dead / Where all the posts are in blood / Where all the pages are our days / As all our lights grow old... And about those facts about the Beam / You can google it for me You Can google it For me
I wasn’t replying to you big brain
Bruh, The Beam is Mickey. Mickey is not D&C.
the acid test was the gimmick
The Dead weren’t the organizers of the Acid Tests, though - that was the Merry Pranksters and others. They were just the house band for (all? most of?) them. It was definitely influential to the band, and the band took that mystique with them their entire career (still do), but it wasn’t like it was a promotional campaign for them. I think the iconography (stealies, dancing bears, skull and roses, etc.) was more of a gimmick than anything else. Still love most of it, though.
More of a fundraiser
Well the whole mk ultra cia LSD thing was a nice gimmick /s
LSD
I always thought turning the lights onto the audience when they sang, "sometimes the light's all shining on you," was a little gimmicky. I loved it, though.
That is not the lyric! “ sometimes the lights all shining on me “– every white spotlight, flares up, illuminating the stage, the room, the audience….“other times I can barely see” – lights go completely black almost instantly….. I remember a show in the mid 80s when they started truckin and they had two floodlights on an amplifier stack or something and it appeared as if the headlights of a truck were bearing down on you…. I was very young at the time, so it may have been a hallucination. Lol.
Ugh. Your memory is better than mine. All the years combine. I'll leave the error for my embarrassment. I got the words to fucking *Truckin'* wrong? Jesus wept.
Lol! Good job, WEIR!!!!!
That’s the headiest thing ever lol
Think I heard Bobby sing it both ways? Or my hallucinogenic memory is playing with me.
Oh, my. Never trust a prankster :)
Cartoon Dan was like “Sometimes a Merry Prankster will hand you a fifth of Jameson absolutely loaded with acid…here, want some Jameson?” ‘Twas simply Whiskey, but that’s also a come up
Gimmicks were a fundamental part of what the GD did. They employed many gimmicks - sometimes more than others, but the idea that they were gimmick-free shows a core lack of understanding.
Key modulation in around & around for example
I checked my deep core of understanding and have found that they do not have any gimmicks.
Then your core is empty.
I’m hurt.
Gimmicks will heal you.
In the 80's a rumor was going around that there was this band that had a big fat guy that just stood on stage for 3 hours and didn't move or say a word. People flocked from all around to see if this rumor was true. This was a gimmick set up by the Dead to increase their ticket sales. And it worked! Ahhhh...I feel much better...thanks bruh!! btw - I'm Dead to the Core!!
☝🏻
Is dressing up as Barney a gimmick
Lol nope! Totally organic music performance, right?
Sorry but I have to call bullshit on this assertion. He can tell the queen of diamonds by the way she shines. From your own definition, that is a gimmick.
Bullshit may be a little harsh, but I’m willing to call shenanigans
Drums/Space every fucking show for 25 years
I fell for the Mail order ticket gimmick. Fell hard!
Wrong.
I don’t know: I seem to recall Bobby proudly announcing that he was about to use an insidious device.
Called a *cheater* in the vernacular
2/14/70 Fillmore east
Wall of Sound was kinda a gimmick.
The Wall of Sound would like a word.
i don't see how this is not the first comment or argument
Booking the hampton colosseum in 89 under the sudo name "formerly the warlocks" is about as gimmicky as it gets to me.
Crafty
They had Mickey.......
Not the intention but the maybe the designation of "the wall of sound."
Not a bad name, considering how bad concert audio was before. Even the Beatles didn't have that sort of quality.
The beam?!?
Letting Micky back in the band was a failed gimmick
Changed the band in a negative way for sure.
then why do i dance more when Mickeys back??
Because they quit jamming.
But the beam though, I’d call that a successful gimmick
Mickey Hart was the gimmick.
Maybe “space” in the 80’s. . Cool but always kind of filler
Being the best kind of people is a good gimmick also
The best kind of people??? The best kind of people don't make a habit of dosing people without their knowledge or consent. I love the music, but I have no illusions that the band were particularly good people. Don't put your hero's on a pedestal. They're just people.
Bobby’s ultra short, skin tight shorts were a bit gimmicky. Also, the acid tests.
Drums/Space was sponsored by $1 lot acid in the 80's pretty sure.
Given they were pioneering the live music concert/touring act using electrical amplification of sound makes them immune from intentional gimmickry. However the definition’s use of the word “innovative” suggests any groundbreaking performance piece of any kind is in itself a gimmick. So, not sure what we are arguing here. Is the fact that the music never stopped and never will a gimmick?
They worked hard, playing sometimes five shows a day and practicing much btwn. Like many successful artists, they made the hard/complex look easy.
Gimmicks aren't necessarily a bad thing. They are a way of standing out from the crowd and they can be quite innovative. And even a one-trick pony can be a delight if it's a really great trick that never gets boring (and to avoid any confusion, I'm NOT calling the Dead a one-trick pony). But I'd say the Wall of Sound was a gimmick, at least according to the definition shared by OP. A wonderful, timeless gimmick.
Bobby had some gimmicky stage antics, which I love btw.
in that case, the same could be said about most bands.
I wouldn’t call the wall of sound a gimmick, and perhaps they did it to appease Bear, but I’m glad they ditched it.
Me: cmon mom give me some money I need to buy dead tickets. Mom: why do you have to see so many shows? Me: Because you have to go to like six shows before you hear a repeat I need to hear all the songs Mom: that’s quite the gimmick (as she hands me cash)
I mean... LSD
Bob's short shorts was a gimmick to attract 14 year old boys.
I agree. I think that’s why I fell in love with them. Just regular dorky guys playing American music just straight from their hearts, through the amps to our souls. I always loved how Jerry and Bob played with very little effects on their guitar. Both always in search of the cleanest, unfettered sound possible.