Today in Grateful Dead History: November 23, 1973 – County Coliseum, El Paso, TX

Out in the West Texas town of El Paso, the Grateful Dead played this show on November 23, 1973.

They played El Paso at this show (like they did at 64 other shows in 1973).  But it’s nice to hear it tonight.

Most of the rest of the first set here is a standard 1973 Grateful Dead performance.  Thank God.  Nothing is borrowed, nothing in lent.  It’s just really good playing and really good tunes for the Texas crowd.

Until we get to the end of the first set, when the band unloads everything it has on Weather Report Suite.  Listen carefully, especially during the quieter parts in the prelude – this is perfect 1973 Dead, with Jerry, Phil and Bobby playing as one but also as three, the holy Dead trinity taking communion.

The second set bobs and weaves – you get more of that same type of interwoven musical magic during He’s Gone and Truckin’, but the climax of the whole thing is The Other One (these three songs are played in sequence tonight, and represent the heart of the matter).  The first fifteen minutes of this song, when the beat is still driving, the bass is still pounding and Jerry is still wailing, are a one-way ticket to the cosmos.  The last five minutes sounds like what happens when you get sucked out of the air lock. And out of that, a pitch perfect transition into Me and Bobby McGee.  I’m not always a fan of Bob dropping these types of songs right at the end of crucial jams, but it totally works tonight and transitions us all back to Earth for a nice and slow Eyes of the World that allows the band to show off more of its interstellar interplay.  The rest of the night is pure rock and roll.

This is the Grateful Dead in 1973.  Cherish it.

Listen here:  https://archive.org/details/gd1973-11-23.sbd.miller.112801.flac16

Today in Grateful Dead History: November 4, 1979 – Providence Civic Center, Providence, RI

The Grateful Dead’s fall 1979 tour of New England and the Mid-Atlantic states is a great journey – the introduction of Brent Mydland earlier in the year energized the band and they were performing with a focus and energy that simply did not exist in the hazy final days of the Keith and Donna era.  A few days before this performance in Providence the Dead played two of my favorite shows of the year at the Cape Cod Coliseum on 10/27/79 and 10/28/79 and the band’s killer energy and commitment to exploration carries through here almost a week later.

This show is also slightly historic as the second set leads off with the first ever performance of Alabama Getaway, a key rocker for the majority of the 1980’s.  This is a fully fleshed out version on day one, with Brent maybe playing a slightly larger role in the proceedings then he would in later years.  It’s followed, as it would be frequently in years to come, by an amped up Greatest Story Ever Told, which the band had just resurrected in 1979 after a four and a half year absence.

There are plenty of songs in this vein during the first set, too, like Big River which is wrapped in juicy Garcia guitar jangles and Althea which is clear, clean and crispy.  The set-ending Lost Sailor>St. of Circumstance>Deal triumvirate packs a punch, with classic runs during Deal.

The heart of the second set can be found during Estimated Prophet>He’s Gone.  Estimated Prophet starts off a little wobbly, but it builds as it goes, and the transition towards He’s Gone follows the typical path until the boys decide to riff a little bit on the guitar theme that usually comes at the end of the last verse of He’s Gone prior to the “nothing’s gonna bring him back” scatting.  I can’t recall hearing this riff used as the introduction to the song, and it’s great to hear Jerry, Brent and Bob all trade licks before launching into the proper song.  At the end of the tune, things become a little scattered and the boys turn the next eight minutes into a catch-all jam that lacks a central progression.  If there is one particularly notable thing about this jam, it’s the speed with which the guitarists and drummers play – there are a couple of points that pop up at random when the band goes into overdrive for twenty seconds before dialing things back again.  I’m not sure what they were trying to get at, but it is a very unique piece of Dead music.

The post-Drums/Space segment starts with a strong The Other One and a very powerful Wharf Rat.  Around and Around and the Us Blues encore are both really loud and proud rockers.  Which is really one of the major takeaways from this show – everyone is pouring their hearts into the playing.  The Dead are not taking the night off here in Providence.

Last but not least, I’m linking to a very good audience recording of this show, but it does take a song to get going, and there are a couple of minor patches throughout.  Don’t sweat it – when it gets lined up, this is one pure audience pull.

Listen here:  https://archive.org/details/gd1979-11-04.akgd200.friend.andrewf.101485.flac24

Today in Grateful Dead History: October 26, 1985 – Sun Dome, Tampa, FL

The Sun Dome, huh?  Florida definitely has the best venue names of any state in the union.

This show distinguishes itself, not because of the quality of the playing, but the verve with which the Dead perform the material.  Some 1985 shows start out moving very quickly (I’ll let you guess why) and peter out as they go, but tonight, the Dead stay fast-moving throughout, even during songs like He’s Gone that are not exactly barn burners.

There are a couple of exceptions to this rule (there always are in Dead-land), and they happen to be some of the highlights.  Comes a Time is focused and emotionally taunt and Jerry’s Marlboro ravaged voice lends a hint of despair to the song.  Don’t Need Love is a forceful plea and demonstrates, once again, how even the most basic of Brent songs (in this case, a vamp with him saying the same thing over and over again) can captivate an audience.  The transition between Throwing Stones and Going Down the Road Feeling Bad also needs to be noted – this is an interesting and seemingly unintentional passage, likely born out of confusion, but it kinda works tonight.

The first set is just well done Dead: if you like any of these tunes, you’re going to like them here.  My favorites, by far, are Big River>Big Railroad Blues, but the rest are good too.  There’s really no first set jammer (like Bird Song or Let It Grow) here today, so just enjoy the shorter songs.  In all cases, the energy remains high.

This is not a massive 1985 show, but it’s not a boring one either.  If you just want some ’85 Grateful Dead, settle in and enjoy.

Listen here:  https://archive.org/details/gd1985-10-26.151828.senn441.lamarre.miller.clugston.flac2496

Today in Grateful Dead History: September 21, 1982 – Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

This is yet another booming Grateful Dead show from the fall of 1982 that sees the band rocking the world’s most famous arena until the rafters shake.

It starts out in exactly the same way as the September 15th show from the Capital Center did – with a Playin’ in the Band>Crazy Fingers combo.  And I think this MSG version is even better than that amazing effort, especially the Crazy Fingers, which is one tight little beast.  The difference between tonight and the 15th is that we don’t get the various Playin’ teases that the band threw in throughout the evening in Landover, so while these two songs are probably a bit better than the previous week’s attempt, the overall effect is not quite as impressive (but still really good).

The rest of the first set is just one great song after another – there are no clunkers at all at the Garden tonight.  Highlights are, once again, Big River, and West L.A. Fadeaway is a slow simmering Garcia stew.  Looks Like Rain is gloriously smaltzy (but pay attention to Jerry’s contributions in the background) and Loser cooks.  Of course, this is all a prelude to the pure spitting demon that is China Cat Sunflower>I Know You Rider.  This is not the longest version ever played, but every note is pitch perfect and the boys are playing quickly, but, importantly, in control.  This is not a runaway train – it’s more like an express train humming perfectly along.

The second set is equally good, but unfortunately, it doesn’t host the blow out jam that would push this show up to the next level.  The best the band can do is the admittedly amazing Estimated Prophet>He’s Gone, which is some next level stuff, especially during the end of Estimate Prophet, but beyond that, you get the feeling that the boys are just really out to rock and roll tonight, and, being a rock and roll band, how can you blame them?  All of the post-Drums songs, save the uptempo enough Black Peter, are full speed ahead rockers, and the Good Lovin’ is definitely one of the better ones from the post Pigpen era.

This is the sound of the Dead really blowing things out in early 80’s New York – a great Garden party in the middle of a classic run of shows.

Listen here:  https://archive.org/details/gd1982-09-21.mtx.seamons.97705.sbeok.flac16

Today in Grateful Dead History: June 10, 1984 – Cal Expo Amphitheater, Sacramento, CA

Grateful Dead soundboard recordings from the 80’s, especially the early to mid 80’s, usually sound thin and tinny.  Even the audience tapes suffer from a noticeable lack of bass.  But not today, ladies and gentlemen.  Today is Phil Lesh’s day in the bright sunshine of Sacramento, 1984, with the bass turned all the way up and the Grateful Dead in fine form.

The boys larded today’s show with plenty of tasty nuggets, starting with a beefy, nine-minute Feel Like a Stranger that immediately loses all of its swagger since it’s followed by They Love Each Other.  My Brother Esau and Bird Song anchor the first set, with Phil dropping huge bombs on Esau and everyone dialed in on the Bird Song.

The second set opens with crowd favorite China Cat Sunflower>I Know You Rider, and while one finds better versions in 1984, this one really rocks out during the transition. He’s Gone provides the big exploration of the second set, a gorgeous, melodic exploration that supersedes the band’s usual meanderings on this tune.  Then, out of nowhere, we’re right into Brent territory with Don’t Need Love.  I’m sure plenty of you out there hate this song, but Brent’s sincerity always captivates me.  Regardless, it makes for a strange transition after that great He’s Gone jam, and it’s even weirder when the song stops short at the end and Drums begins.

Post-Drums/Space is rock and roll time, with Truckin’>Throwing’ Stones>Not Fade Away – not a Jerry tune in sight.  He makes up for it with a kindly Brokedown Palace encore.

This performance is your fairly standard 1984 Dead show in front of a California crowd – pretty laid back (even the rockers aren’t full bore) but definitely inviting.

Listen to the Phil bombs all day long right here:  https://archive.org/details/gd1984-06-10.148190.beyerm88.holbrook.flac2448

Today in Grateful Dead History: June 7, 1977 – Winterland Arena, San Francisco, CA

I don’t know how this show never crossed my radar before – it’s from a great year at a great venue and it features one of the all time Morning Dews of the era. 

That Dew comes towards the end of a second set that is particularly impressive in its breadth.  It starts with a 20 minute Scarlet Begonias>Fire on the Mountain>Good Lovin’ that is a great example of the 1977 versions of all three songs – tight playing, long jams and lots of energy.  After a really fine Candyman, we get a toasty Estimated Prophet>He’s Gone. Both of these songs are monster versions, but the jam at the end of the 14 minute He’s Gone is a particularly impressive one, with mountains of sound piled on top of one another towards the end.  After a brief departure into Drums, we then get a really random trio: Samson and Delilah>Terrapin Station>Morning Dew.  Samson is a monster, Terrapin is a little sloppy but doesn’t hog too much unnecessary time, and what can I say about the Dew?  It’s a peak 77 version, light in parts and really, really heavy in others, but amazing throughout.  And that’s not all – Around and Around ends the second set, but we get a two song encore: Uncle John’s Band and U.S. Blues.  While I think that most of the time live versions of Uncle John’s Band don’t hold up to the album version, this one is a powerful force.  The boys are doing anything intricate here, but what they are doing hits home.  Don’t skip it.

While most of the meat of this show comes during the second set, that doesn’t mean that the first set is lacking in moments (this is 1977, after all).  Peggy-O is a delightful attempt in a year full of great versions, and the set closing The Music Never Stopped is also a ripper.  The rest of the set is a leisurely, hometown affair filled with good tunes, but none are definitive versions.  If you don’t have the time, you can skip straight ahead to the second set fireworks.

1977 almost never disappoints, and sometimes, you find little diamonds hidden amongst the bigger gems.  This is one of those.

Listen to this awesome matrix recording here:  https://archive.org/details/gd1977-06-07.mtx.seamons.99001.sbeok.flac16

Today in Grateful Dead History: April 2, 1982 – Cameron Indoor Stadium, Duke University, Durham, NC

This is one of those shows that just glided by, not rocking the boat but playing nicely in the background of my day.

If anything stands out here, its the heart of the second set, He’s Gone>Truckin’>Drums>The Other One>Black Peter.  Please keep in mind that this is a relaxed Carolina night with the Grateful Dead, and Jerry is playing things especially delicate during He’s Gone.  Even Truckin‘ is more like Cruisin.  But the band is listening to one another during this run, and they are playing well together – it’s just that almost nothing crazy happens during communion.

You’ll get a clear sense of how this show plays out by listening to New Minglewood Blues, which opens the show.  The first thirty seconds of the song is just vamping, and its sounds like no one wants to commit to doing anything with the song before the band finally decides to actually play it.  Sugaree is probably the highlight of the first set, and it’s a good one, but don’t expect the cocaine Jerry version to cave your skull in here – we’re lounging in 1976 territory.

This chilled out experience is not a negative, but don’t expect the greatest night of your life, either.

Listen here:  https://archive.org/details/gd1982-04-02.nak700.wagner.miller.112822.flac16

Today in Grateful Dead History: February 17, 1973 – St. Paul Auditorium, St. Paul, MN

Today’s show may not get the attention that some of its cousins from the beginning of 1973 receive, and that’s probably because it lacks the BIG JAM that shows like 2/15/73 are famous for.  But you shouldn’t ignore this gem from St. Paul – it’s got several amazing segments of music and tons of shorter songs that are very well done.

The amazing bits are Bird Song and the Here Comes Sunshine>China Cat Sunflower>I Know You Rider combo, followed closely by a succinct yet thoroughly cosmic Playin’ in the Band.  In one of the best years for Bird Song, this one is lengthy, gorgeous and transportive.  While it may not have all of the heft of some of my favorite versions, it’s really close to their level.

The Sunshine>China>Rider is an amazing combination that the Dead should have used more.  They are so wrapped up in crushing the end of Here Comes Sunshine that they hit China Cat Sunflower a little too quickly, but they adjust rapidly and simply slay the transition and jam into I Know You Rider. 

Playin’ in the Band avoids some of the problems that arise when the Dead take this song out for a 20 minute walk.  This one, at around 15 minutes, is just exactly perfect for all sorts of sonic explorations without getting too empty or repetitive.

If you don’t have the close to three hours you’ll need to get through this show, you can hit these highlights and stop there.  But if you want to dip into some of the other great songs from this evening, you’re going to want to check out Box of Rain, Truckin’ and He’s Gone (which, like a lot of this recording, is marred by some serious sound issues – at least it’s not cut like a bunch of songs here, Stella Blue being just one example).

You really can’t go wrong with any Grateful Dead show from 1973, and this one is in the top half, once you get over the sound problems.  Listen here:  https://archive.org/details/gd1973-02-17.sbd.ashley-field.32875.sbeok.flac16

Today in Grateful Dead History: September 11, 1990 – The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA

This show at the Spectrum, where many a classic Dead show took place, falls during that very brief six show period in 1990 when Vince Welnick was the only keyboard player for the Grateful Dead, and it’s an interesting study just to hear the ideas that Vince brought to the band before he was swept under by the storm surge of hurricane Hornsby.  When you listen to this show, please keep in mind that this was Vince’s fourth night playing with the Dead, and I think that he equates himself quite well, considering that he had to learn a ton of material in a very short time with (likely) very little support from his new band mates.  (If you’re at all interested in my “big take” on Vince, you can read it here).

The whole band, but especially Jerry Garcia, is playing very nicely tonight, and when Jerry plays well in the 90’s, you’re almost always going to have a good show.  I first noticed the crispness of Jerry’s runs during Queen Jane Approximately, but he’s really doing yeoman’s work on most of the songs.  I’m not a big fan of the Dead’s version of It’s All Over Now, but they do it up here tonight, and the set closing(?) Hell in a Bucket is a rocker.  In addition to Jerry’s playing, Phil is pretty high in the mix, and he’s asserting himself. 

After a slightly sloppy China Cat Sunflower>I Know You Rider start, the second set gets its best stretch of music with Looks Like Rain, He’s Gone> Spoonful.  I know that seems like an odd selection, but trust me, it’s really good, especially the jammed out portion on the back end of Spoonful and the mournful singing on He’s Gone, which is being performed for the first time since Brent’s death in July.  Coming out of Space, The Wheel is subtly nice as well.  All of this music sounds just as good as what the band was doing earlier in the year – if you have an ear for 1990 Grateful Dead, you’ll be perfectly content with this show.  Unfortunately, there’s not much doing after The Wheel, but that’s a song selection issue, not a problem with the playing.

These early September shows from 1990 are an interesting slice of Dead history.  I recommend listening with an open mind and letting the music play.

Listen here:  https://archive.org/details/gd1990-09-11.137116.mtx.dusborne.flac16

 

 

Today in Grateful Dead History: August 26, 1993 – Shoreline Amphitheater, Mountain View, CA

There are a couple of interesting moments buried in this otherwise average show from 1993 – He’s Gone is a good late-era example of the song and the Rain encore is probably the best version of this song that I’ve heard the Dead play (note – I didn’t say it was great).  Space, as usual in 1993, is probably the most dynamic part of the night – everyone is certainly committed to making a racket.

The other stuff suffers from the various miscues and lack of energy that usually plague Dead shows from 1993.  If I’ve said it once, I’ll say it 1,000 times – there is nothing “wrong” with this show if you haven’t listened to a lot of Grateful Dead music.  If you were there, you likely had fun.  It’s not nearly as depressing as a lot of the other ones to come.

This one is just pretty basic.  Especially the first set, which is short and not filled with tons of fan favorites, Bertha and Let It Grow excepted.  The commentators on the Archive appear to enjoy Wang Dang Doodle, and I guess, so far as that song goes, this version is OK.  But if we’re talking about Wang Dang Doodle, then the problems with this show should be self-evident.

Listen here:  https://archive.org/details/gd1993-08-26.schoeps.wklitz.94327.flac16

Today in Grateful Dead History: August 21, 1972 – Berkeley Community Theater, Berkeley, CA

I just want to get this out of the way first.  This is probably the best Friend of the Devil I’ve ever heard the Dead play.  This doesn’t make it the best one ever, but this is a really, really good one.

Ok.  Got a little ahead of myself there.

The Dead only played 7 shows in August, 1972, but they are all smokers, which is somewhat strange since the boys were missing Pigpen, who played his last show with the band in June (they didn’t know that it would be his last one, but the odds were not in his favor).  Yet because Pigpen wasn’t there, the band was forced in a different direction – a leaner sound, sure, but progressing into more country songs and, on the jams, losing the tether that Pigpen had provided (for better, most of the time) and launching into the ether more frequently.

This is pretty clear during Dark Star and Playin’ in the Band, which are tripping out beyond the bounds of what the Dead were doing in Europe a couple of months earlier and moving rapidly towards what these songs would turn into in 1973 – extra-long explorations of the upper limits of the atmosphere.  This Dark Star is a massive black hole, with ideas trying to escape and not always succeeding.  The most obvious example comes when Jerry (I’m almost 100% sure it’s Jerry) tries to steer the band into Morning Dew.  That idea doesn’t make it.  But the jamming continues on and on.  Playin’ is a little more controlled, but the energy and the experimentalism are both present there in spades.

Outside of these large pieces, several shorter songs shine, including the aforementioned Friend of the Devil.  China Cat Sunflower>I Know You Rider is lightning in a bottle, and He’s Gone feels like it’s riding the knife’s edge.  But you’re not going wrong with any of the songs tonight, because it’s August, 1972, and this version of the Dead ain’t doing no wrong.

Listen here:  https://archive.org/details/gd1972-08-21.139581.sbd.miller.sirmick.fixed.flac16

Today in Grateful Dead History: August 16, 1980 – Mississippi River Festival, Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, IL

If you are one of those people who looks down his or her nose at audience recordings (maybe because you’ve only listened to muddy ones, like yesterday’s show, for instance), then hopefully today’s show will help to change you mind.  From the very first notes on this tape, you know that Joani Walker found the sweet spot.

The band is not far behind her.  The Dead are in fine form here today, especially in the first set, with great versions of They Love Each Other, Althea and Looks Like Rain.  Deal closes the set out with gusto.

The second set opens with C.C. Rider, a true set-opening rarity – this is the only time the band started a set with this song.  So, in honor of this momentous occasion, I give you someone else singing this song:

The king took a slightly different approach.

From there, we’ve got an energetic China Cat Sunflower>I Know You Rider and a great early 80’s Estimated Prophet.  For me, the second set highlight is He’s Gone.  This was the first show that the Dead played after the death of their former keyboard player Keith Godchaux, so maybe I’m reading sentimentality into places it doesn’t belong, but the first part of this song is truly dour until Jerry pours out a gorgeous solo and the band lifts off from there into the gorgeous ending.  Post-Drums, The Other One rears up and launches us into the stratosphere for about five minutes before we crash smack into an ineffectual Black Peter.  As if to make up for the loss of momentum, Sugar Magnolia gets an extra amped-up performance.  Maybe a little too-amped up?  Nah!

This recording should be a good gateway to all thing AUD.  If nothing else, it’s a pretty decent Dead show, too.

Listen here:  https://archive.org/details/gd1980-08-16.SonyECM250.walker-scotton.miller.88959.sbeok.flac16

 

Today in Grateful Dead History: August 6, 1974 – Roosevelt Stadium, Jersey City, NJ

This show is one of my favorite Grateful Dead concerts of all time, and I’ve had a copy of it for nearly as long as I’ve been seriously listening to the Dead.  This show is a wonderful example of everything that the 1974 version of the Grateful Dead were good at – incredibly dynamic, seemingly coordinated, lines of musical thought all playing simultaneously through the world’s greatest sound system, some of the best examples of stop-on-a-dime and jazz swing drumming that Bill Kreutzmann could lay down, near-perfect, attention catching versions of the newer, shorter songs, and simply massive, unique performances of Eyes of the World, Playin’ in the Band (which sandwiches Scarlet Begonias in all its bouncy 1974 glory) and this insanity:  Sugar Magnolia>He’s Gone>Truckin’>The Other One>Goin’ Down The Road Feelin’ Bad>Sunshine Daydream.

I could go on.

One of the coolest things about this Matrix recording is that it is a huge upgrade from my Mp3 download of the soundboard recording.  In fact, a large part of my copy is patched with the AUD, which is much better than the soundboard anyway.  But this Matrix makes everything work perfectly.  You’re going to hear all of Phil’s runs (including the massive bombs that overload the system at the end of He’s Gone).  You’re going to get the strange yet amazing sound effects during Seastones (did I mention that’s here, too?)  You’re going to hear exactly what Keith is doing, instead of having him buried in a muddy mix.  This is the good stuff.

There is literally something for everyone here.  If you like the short stuff, check out some of the less-famous tunes, like Loose Lucy and Black Peter.  For more familiar songs, Jack Straw is a monster tonight.  And if you don’t want to experience the full-on psychedelic explosion that precedes Goin’ Down the Road Feeling Bad (but you should), you can cherry pick it out – it’s a good one, too (just check out what Phil and Bobby are doing as Jerry trills away 2/3 of the way through).

I’ve got to warn you about the three “jams” of the night.  None of them are going to be what you expect.  Eyes of the World stretches for almost 20 minutes, and there are some very sparse passages mixed in with the usual fire and brimstone.  The Playin’>Scarlet>Playin’ may be one the best Playin’ in the Bands ever done, with just massive guitar work and a level of coordination and intensity that is unmatched in the Dead canon.  The explosive, near-Feedback level of sheer spaciness during The Other One is free-jazz, pure and simple.  There is nothing like this show.  And it goes for basically four hours.  Fireworks are involved.  Seriously.

I’m actually underselling this.  if you have any interest in Grateful Dead shows from 1974, you have to get this one.  Now.

Listen:  https://archive.org/details/gd1974-08-06.126356.mtx.dusborne.flac16

Today in Grateful Dead History: July 29, 1974 – Capital Center, Landover, MD

The four shows that the Grateful Dead played on July 31st and August 4th, 5th and 6th are some of the best that they played in all of 1974, so I was assuming that this slightly shorter affair in the D.C. area would be a warm up for those beauties.  And in some regards, that assumption was borne out by the music tonight.  The short tunes here aren’t exactly toss-offs, but there are some lyrical miscues and the music, while still up to the high standards of 1974, is relatively unfocused and pretty laid-back (check out the pacing on Sugar Magnolia and Casey Jones).  One interesting note – check out the placement of Peggy-O almost at the end of the show.  This is not a location where you’ll find this song very often, especially not post-1974.

But then there are the longer tunes, or, more accurately, the two long suites, and these pairings are as good as anything the Dead are going to give you in this era.  They feature that only-in-1974 instrument separation that can sometimes sound out of sync.  Not tonight.  Here, the band is weaving a tapestry of sound, and each individual element both stands on its own and gels perfectly into the greater picture.  If you focus on the individuals, the lines they are playing will blow your mind.  If you sit back and let the sound wash over you, you’ll be transported away by the scope of the compositions being played live on stage.

As I mentioned, there are two longer suites tonight (not including Seastones).  Weather Report Suite, in full, closes the first set and it is a captivating 19 minute ride.  You’ll probably think it’s not going much of anywhere when you start, but, like a toboggan running downhill, by the time we’re into Let It Grow, Jerry is completely in charge, diving in and out with staccato solos that beautifully compliment Phil and Bobby.  Behind it all, Keith does the jazz piano thing he does so well during this song in 1974.  This is one of the good ones.

The second set opens with the second suite:  He’s Gone>Truckin’>Nobody’s Fault But Mine>The Other One (with a Spanish Jam and other things tossed in for good measure).  I don’t always write in Nobody’s Fault as a separate song because it’s often just a jam theme, but tonight, Jerry’s singing it, so into the mix it goes.  You should pay attention to the ending jam of He’s Gone into Truckin’, and the excellent back and forth dynamics between everyone during The Other One, but, really, the whole sequence is superb.

If you don’t have time for a full 1974 Grateful Dead concert, start with Weather Report Suite and keep going for as long as you can.  That’s the meat of this great night in D.C., and just the start of a week and a half of killer Grateful Dead shows.

Listen here:  https://archive.org/details/gd1974-07-29.mtx.seamons.108281.flac24

Today in Grateful Dead History: June 10, 1973 – RFK Stadium, Washington, DC

This show is one of the longest Grateful Dead shows I can recall hearing – two massive Grateful Dead sets and then a third set with members of the Allman Brothers that stretches for another hour.  And it’s captured in an very high quality audience recording that surpasses the soundboard, as you’ll hear when the patches come in.

The first set is the less exploratory, at least up until the stunningly good Playin’ in the Band that closes it out.  I don’t want to take anything away from the pretty good Bird Song or the show-opening Morning Dew, but there are definitely better versions of these songs from June – August 1973 and the “short tunes” are better at yesterday’s colossus of a warm up show.  But that Playin’ in the Band has all of the goods and them some – when the band unloads midway through, it sounds like a train jumped the tracks and catapulted itself straight to the moon.

But that’s just the band flexing their muscles – the really strange stuff comes in the second set, but not before an Eyes of the World that keeps building and getting better as it goes and a high quality Here Comes Sunshine that rivals the other really good versions being played during these months.  Those appetizers lead us right into one of the most bizarre Phil Lesh driven Dark Stars that you are ever going to hear.  A good four or five minutes of this song is almost entirely bass, and there are some soaring passages of pure electronic noise that almost get us into Seastones territory.  This is not a Dark Star for everyone, but if you like your Dark Stars really really dank, then this is a great one for you.  And desert after all of that electronic chaos is a gorgeous He’s Gone that pulses with a just-hidden energy that circulates around the stadium.

As for the final set with Dickey Betts and Butch Trucks, well, it’s the band’s first performance of It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train To Cry, which is noteworthy.  It’s also the first, of two, performances of That’s All Right.  You’ll need to stay put for one of the fastest Dead versions of Johnny B. Goode you’re ever going to hear.  Unfortunately, it takes the players a while to get in tune with one another, and the real Allman Brothers contributions come during the middle portion of the set.  Even there, they are pretty muted.  You know it’s Dickey, but he’s not contributing a ton.    Se la vie – the Dead brought enough for everyone tonight.

Listen to the audience recording here:  https://archive.org/details/gd1973-06-10.fob.barry.90351.flac16

Today in Grateful Dead History: April 16, 1984 – Community War Memorial Auditorium, Rochester, NY

Time is quite short tonight, so here is the two paragraph skinny: Shakedown Street is a great way to open this show from sunny Rochester, and the Grateful Dead make the most of it by throwing down a massive jam near the end of the tune that just might be the best thing about this entire show.  And it happens during the first fifteen minutes of music.  The rest of the first set is a basic 1984 first set without a ton of highlights.

Interestingly enough, the second set has two Jerry ballads, Ship of Fools and Stella Blue, that sandwich the other good part of the evening – the concluding five minutes of He’s Gone and the end of Space that transitions into a short The Other One.  (I’m ignoring Far From Me, the song that actually follows Ship of Fools).  This is good playing by a band that is definitely more tuned out than turned on tonight.  But, in 1984, the Grateful Dead are still more than capable of throwing down aces when they want to, and there’s enough here tonight to making listening worth it.  And remember, Keep Your Day Job (encore).

Listen to this pretty nice audience recording here:  https://archive.org/details/gd84-04-16.neumann.1298.sbeok.shnf

Today in Grateful Dead History: April 12, 1989 – Rosemont Horizon, Rosemont, IL

It’s not too often, especially in the late 80’s, that you get a first set that you can listen to straight through without thinking, yeah, that’s the song that would have been playing while I ran to the bathroom.  Although the playing during the first set of tonight’s show at the Rosemont Horizon is nothing to write home about (it’s not bad, either – just straight ahead good ol’ Grateful Dead music), the song selection is pretty amazing, with not a clunker on the list (depending on how you feel about Minglewood).    So good on ya, Grateful Dead, for busting out the “hits”, as they were.  And thanks for finishing on a high note, with a pretty slick Let It Grow, a highlight, if not the highlight, of the evening.

Speaking of the hits, the Dead start the second set with Touch of Grey, which gets the butts out of the seats.  Truckin’ keeps em in the air before the blues bring things back to earth with a Smokestack Lightning>Spoonful>Smokestack Lightning montage.  This is an unusual sequence that the Dead never duplicated.  There was one Smokestack>Spoonful back in 1984, but it never returned to Smokestack again like the boys do tonight.  Pigpen would be proud.  (And the fans understand that they’re getting something unusual – you can hear the cheers when Bobby brings the stack back).

He’s Gone follows, and you can tell that the band wants to go somewhere, but they can’t decide on a destination.  So, Drums/Space.  And then a sweet I Will Take You Home, one of my favorite Brent songs, followed by an almost-too-slick sounding All Along The Watchtower and a Wharf Rat that stands as the post-Drums highlight.  No one seems really into it by the time Turn on Your Lovelight rolls around.

This show definitely loses momentum as it goes, but you’ll want to check out the Truckin>Smokestack sequence, if nothing else.

Listen here:  https://archive.org/details/gd1989-04-12.sbd.walker-scotton.miller.83768.sbeok.flac16

Today in Grateful Dead History: March 5, 1992 – Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA

I’m back from vacation – I hope you heard some good stuff while I was gone.

Last year I wrote about the Grateful Dead’s March 6, 1992 performance in Hampton. The problems with, and highlights of, tonight’s show are almost exactly the same as that show, so you should probably read that post for a more thorough explanation of the band’s mechanics during this era.

If you’re disinclined to read two posts about 1992 Grateful Dead music, here is the short version of my critique of these shows: two pianos, one of which is Vince Welnick laying down lots of thick synthesizer chords + Jerry Garcia’s reckless use of midi sound effects + lost momentum post-Drums = a pretty average recorded experience.  If you want more details, please refer to 3/6/92.

The band doesn’t exactly stink up the place tonight, despite my lack of enthusiasm, but it’s not a great show either.  The show opens with Help on the Way>Slipknot!>Franklin’s Tower, but it’s an exceptionally slow performance, almost like the band is trying really hard not to mess up by playing things very carefully.  They succeed, although I’d argue that a careful Grateful Dead is almost not the Grateful Dead at all.  Jack-A-Roe is a mess of overplaying pianos – this song works so much better when it’s either acoustic (see the 1980 acoustic/electric shows) or with Brent, who knows to stay out of the way and let Jerry carry things.  (Keith did this too, but most of his under-playing was probably chemically related).  Phil gets off a good autobiographical line about starting off on Heineken before hitting the harder stuff in Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues, but when Phil substituting lyrics in Bob Dylan covers is my first set highlight, you know there’s not much to talk about here.

The second set starts with another slow performance of a song that should be faster, in this case, Eyes of the World.  Any goodwill the band generates by playing this tune in the opening slot is ruined by doing Way to Go Home next.  The highlight of the night is the next sequence, Estimated Prophet>He’s Gone.  Again, there’s not a ton here, but the muddy sound and conflicting instruments don’t create so many problems with these tunes.  Post Drums, nothing much happens, although the intro into The Wheel is tasty and must have been really cool to hear live.

Listen here – just don’t expect tons of fireworks:  https://archive.org/details/gd1992-03-05.140253.sbd.miller.flac2496

Today in Grateful Dead History: February 18, 1985 – Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center, Oakland, CA

Welcome to the Grateful Dead’s first show of 1985 and the band’s first night out since Jerry Garcia was busted smoking crack in a BMW in Golden Gate Park with a briefcase full of drugs.  This little hiccup didn’t do much to slow down the Grateful Dead (although it should have, if they were paying the correct degree of attention), and tonight’s show, while as ragged as any other from the era, is not glaringly bad, especially for the first show of the year.

I shouldn’t have to say this every time I write about a 1985 show, but, just so you know, the first set is short.  The band seems into it, opening with Iko Iko, but Bob slows things down in a hurry with C.C. Rider and the pace never seems to pick up again from there, even though Jerry tries his hardest with Dire Wolf.  I’ve got to warn you – the boys are chugging along on China Cat Sunflower when this recording diverts into Day Job, which is a flaw with the post, not the band.  (I’m still linking to this source because it is clearly the best AUD of the night.  If you want to hear I Know You Rider, switch to one of the other sources and then come back here for the second set).

Speaking of, this is a fairly straightforward 1985 second set, with the band sounding relatively disinterested, even while playing a 13 minute version of He’s Gone and an 11 minute Eyes of the World.  HOWEVER, there is one cool surprise – Brent smoking Baby What You Want Me To Do.  The Dead played this song with members of Jefferson Airplane once waaay back in 1969, and then Etta James sang a slightly different version with the boys and Tower of Power on New Years Eve, 1982 (if you haven’t heard those shows, you should), but this is a true rarity and the first time the Dead played Baby What You Want Me To Do without guests.  I’m not going to claim that, musically, there is much going on here, but it does highlight the fact that Brent was the only member of the Grateful Dead who could really sing – he torches this one.  Further proof that he should have been singing all of Bobby’s 1980’s blues covers.

1985 is going to have a lot of ups and downs.  This show is a pretty good barometer for the year.

Listen here:  https://archive.org/details/gd1985-02-18.112038.beyer-senn.daweez.d5scott.flac16/d3t03.flac

Today in Grateful Dead History: January 24, 1993 – Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, CA

The Grateful Dead lurched to a start in 1993 with three Chinese New Year shows on January 24, 25 and 26 and then three “Carnival” shows in late February.  All of these took place at home in the Oakland Arena, where the Dead had closed out their 1992 schedule with five shows towards the end of December.  So everyone was well-rested and ready to play tonight, which shows in this energetic outing.

Like many a 1993 show, this one starts off with a short first set – in this case, it lasts about 50 minutes.  You can tell that the band is itching to go when they open with a spritely Jack Straw>Sugaree combination, followed by a typical Walkin’ Blues.  Jerry hits the right rote notes during Loser and Bob doesn’t get too mixed up singing Queen Jane Approximately.  The band ends the first set with some modal vamping on Bird Song.  All is good until three-quarters of the way through when everyone gets tied up in each other and things briefly fall apart.  Eventually the ship is righted and it sails on to the finish.  And that’s your six song first set.

The second set doesn’t really stretch out too much, but the pre-Drums portion, Playin’ In The Band>Crazy Fingers, Samson & Delilah and He’s Gone, is all good 1993 Dead.  A couple of things to note.  One, midi mess and problematic Bob Weir guitar tones rear their ugly heads throughout Playin’ and He’s Gone, especially the latter.  This would be a very good version of He’s Gone were it not for these noises, which tend to overshadow the subtlety of what the rest of the band is attempting.  Since at this point the boys were doing a lot of their own volume control on stage, I’m blaming no one but Bob Weir.  Second, despite the shrieks and strange tones, there’s still a lot of good playing here, especially on the tail end of He’s Gone and on the outro of Crazy Fingers, which is short but sweet.

My unexpected highlight of the evening is Black Peter.  It doesn’t start off with anything special, but the last couple minutes are huge.  Vince Welnick is the driving force here, playing loudly over everyone else, to great effect.  I think that hearing this song on the audience recording is much better than on the soundboard, where it sounds a lot more disjointed than it actually was in the hall.  Please don’t sleep on the encore Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door, which is highlighted by a sparkly Jerry Garcia solo.

For a first show of the year, and especially when that year is 1993, this show is pretty on the ball throughout.  I listened to the audience copy, which is not as good as some, but certainly better than others:  https://archive.org/details/gd1993-01-24.116031.NeumannKMF4.daweez.d5scott.flac16