My favorite China Cat Sunflower/I Know You Rider of all time was performed on December 1st, 1979 at the Stanley Theatre in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The rest of the show was pretty awesome, too.
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BooMan
Martin Longman a contributing editor at the Washington Monthly. He is also the founder of Booman Tribune and Progress Pond. He has a degree in philosophy from Western Michigan University.
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What about favorite C>R that you actually saw live? Mine was Hampton ’88. I believe you were in attendance Booman. Guacamole!
I was there all three nights but I don’t really remember the China/Rider from those shows. What I remember is losing the sun roof off my car at 70 mph in the rain on 95 South because Kim decided to mess with the loose hinge. And Blake seriously having sex with a stranger on my hotel room bathroom floor despite my adamant protests that he get the fuck out. And Dan injured himself badly somehow. And, of course, guacamole. And Matt Clinton starting the infamous “We Need Phil” chant after the “We Want Phil” chant resulted in him quoting the Stones, “You can’t always get what you want.” Which resulted in a Tom Thumb’s Blues, I believe.
My top five China Cat/Ridersare:
5/26/72 London (Pigpen’s last full show, the last of Europe 72 and my favorite show)
10/19/73 Oklahoma City, OK
11/9/73 Winterland
12/6/73 Cleveland
6/26/74, Providence RI
Bonus shout out for my favorite China Cat–>Eleven from 5/24/69 Everglades, FL; before they coupled it with I Know You Rider
Although I’m fairly fanatical about the dead, I never saw them, and as a result am a 68-77 snob about the whole thing.
After 1977 it was definitely hit or miss.
Best China-Rider I ever saw was on the same tour: 10-31-1979, Halloween night at Nassau Coliseum. That night was craz-eee – everybody in the entire place had on facepaint and/or costumes and the band had to do at least 2 take-a-step-back’s during the 1st set. Bob told the joke “What’s the difference between a duck?/One of its legs is the same” and I had told that same joke earlier that day. The China-Rider opener parted the waters for a real meltdown show. Recommended. See archive.org.