Welcome To Now

Let’s revisit our old ‘Today in Grateful Dead History’ series today with a look back to 45 years ago to the day! March 18th, 1967 – San Francisco, CA — The Winterland Ballroom — a young, acid-fueled, primal Grateful Dead take the stage and offer two sets of blues, jug, rock, folk, and traditional music. This show highlights the band’s divergent tastes during these formative years but also their ability to mend all these different styles together into a unique and cohesive style all their own.

3/18/67 Poster

The Grateful Dead
March 18th, 1967
Winterland
San Francisco, CA

Set 1: Me & My Uncle, Next Time You See Me, He Was A Friend Of Mine, Smokestack Lightning, Morning Dew, It Hurts Me Too, Beat It On Down The Line, Dancin’ In The Streets

Set 2: The Golden Road (to Unlimited Devotion), Cream Puff War, The Same Thing, Cold Rain & Snow, Viola Lee Blues, Death Don’t Have No Mercy

Stream via Archive.org

The Dead in March of 1967 (via Dead.net)

For more historical adventures into Deadheadland – check out the ‘Today in Grateful Dead History’ archives

32 year ago today, the Dead played one of their top shows of the fine year of 1978. April 15th, 1978 found the band playing a gig at William and Mary College in Virgina. While an unexpected venue for a monumental show, that is often how it goes on tour and certainly for the Dead who had a knack for blowing the big gigs while bringing the heat at the strangest of times.

Jerry in 78'

The show features the year’s only Morning Dew and what a ‘Dew it is! This is not to be missed, Jerry lays it all on the line with in a truly heart-wrenching show of emotion and beauty. The perfect complement to the rocking Not Fade Away that preceded it, this Dew is just about perfect. This Not Fade Away -> Morning Dew sequence is the exclamation point on this smoking show, a true gem of 78.

Egypt 1978

The Grateful Dead ~ 4/15/1978 ~ William and Mary College Hall   Williamsburg, VA

Set 1: Mississippi Half Step, Passenger, Friend Of The Devil, El Paso, Brown Eyed Women, Let It Grow, Deal

Set 2: Bertha-> Good Lovin’, Candyman, Sunrise-> Playin’ In The Band-> Drums-> Not Fade Away-> Morning Dew-> Around & Around,

Encore: One More Saturday Night

Stream Link (Live Music Archive)

Stream NFA->Dew here:

The early 70s were an interesting time  for the Grateful Dead – a period of massive songwriting, creative, and musical growth and at the same time an era of sadness over the loss of Pigpen and growing weariness due to building troubles of years on the road. The weight of these troubles would eventually lead to the band’s brief hiatus in the mid-seventies.

It never ceases to amaze me that the band onstage continued to build on each night’s performance, with unbridled abandon, regardless of what was going on in their world. This show from 1971 is a great example of this relentlessness. This is one of Keith’s first shows with the band, filling in for the ailing Pigpen. Despite some sound issues early on, this show is pure bliss from start to finish. Give it a go and see for yourself.

11/07/71
Harding Theater
San Francisco, CA

Set 1: Truckin’, Brown Eyed Women, Beat It On Down The Line, Hideaway, Sugaree, Jack Straw, Tennessee Jed, Cumberland Blues, El Paso, Big Railroad Blues, Comes A Time, Mexicali Blues, One More Saturday Night

Set 2: Ramble On Rose, Me And Bobby McGee, Loser, Sugar Magnolia, Dark Star-> Drums-> The Other One-> Me & My Uncle-> The Other One, Deal, Brokedown Palace, Playin’ In The Band, Casey Jones, Not Fade Away-> Goin’ Down The Road Feelin’ Bad-> Not Fade Away, E: Johnny B. Goode

Encore: Uncle John’s Band

SBD Stream Link

Later released as Dick’s Pick 32, this gem of a show comes from Alpine Valley in 1982. Although the show was officialy released, the Audience recording bootleg is still heavily circulated. It was pretty cool to see the band transition from Music Never Stopped>Sugaree>Music. ‘Big River’ is always a treat and it made me boogie in my chair. ‘CC Rider’ was hot with funky and folksy Bobby vocal stylings and playing. I really appreciate ‘Let it Grow’ as a set 1 closer as it leaves the crowd energized and hungry for more.

China/Rider picked up right where ‘Let it Grow’ left off to start off set 2; ‘Woman R Smarter’ brought the house down and was paired up nicely with a ‘Ship of Fools’ that cooled the crew down. The band then launches into outer space with a Playin’>Drums>Space>Wheel>Playin’ (Reprise) sequence – the journey was interesting, to say the least. Finally, Jerry brings things back down to earth with a tasteful yet moving ‘Morning Dew’. Going out on a high note, ‘Saturday Night’ raged to close out set 2 and ‘U.S. Blues’ topped everything off nicely.

The Grateful Dead ~ 08/07/82 ~ Alpine Valley Music Theater ~ East Troy, WI

Set 1
The Music Never Stopped ->
Sugaree ->
The Music Never Stopped
Me And My Uncle ->
Big River
It Must Have Been The Roses
C C Rider
Ramble On Rose
Beat It On Down The Line ->
OnThe Road Again
Althea
Let It Grow

Set 2
China Cat Sunflower ->
I Know You Rider ->
Man Smart, Woman Smarter
Ship Of Fools
Playing In The Band ->
Drums ->
Space ->
The Wheel ->
Playing In The Band ->
Morning Dew ->
One More Saturday Night

Encore
U.S. Blues

Stream Link

Download Link

This post comes courtesy of resident G-Dead expert Sauce, good looks!

Summertime, The Grateful Dead, one of the country’s most anticipated summer outdoor summer music venues- what more could you want. Fresh off the trail of a fantastic Alpine Valley run, this Deer Creek show really cooks. The interplay between Brent and Jerry on the opening Bertha is indicative of the show’s style and the style of the band in the late 80’s. This show really cooks from cover to cover and is a great listen for a mid-summer’s day, as much now as it was 20 years ago to the day.

The Brent Stare

The Grateful Dead
7/15/89
Noblesville, IN
Deer Creek Music Center

Set 1
Bertha
Greatest Story Ever Told
Candyman
Walkin’ Blues
Peggy-O
Queen Jane Approximately
We Can Run
Bird Song

Set 2
Foolish Heart ->
Victim Or The Crime ->
Crazy Fingers ->
Truckin’ ->
Smokestack Lightnin’ ->
Jam ->
Drums ->
Space ->
China Doll ->
All Along The Watchtower ->
Stella Blue
Sugar Magnolia

Encore
Brokedown Palace

SBD Stream

AUD Download

A Midsummer Night's Dead

It’s that time again to dust off the ol’ Grateful Dead history books. Class, please turn your books to 19 years ago for a mid-summer’s meltdown at the University of Oregon in 1990. Only 1 month before Brent Mydland’s death, this was one of the keyboardist’s final shows with the band and his playing still comes through crisp and clear. Jerry’s voice may be a bit strained during the show but his playing is on point and this show really has some great moments – it’ll crawl up and down your sleeve and leave a smile on your face when it’s over, enjoy!

The Dead - Summer 1990

The Grateful Dead
6/24/1990
Autzen Stadium at the Univ. of Oregon
Eugene, OR

Set 1: Help On The Way-> Slipknot!-> Franklin’s Tower, When I Paint My Masterpiece, Loose Lucy, A Little Light, Picasso Moon, Candyman, Let It Grow

Set 2: Foolish Heart, Women Are Smarter, Standing On the Moon, Box Of Rain*, Estimated Prophet-> He’s Gone-> Drums-> Jam-> The Other One-> Wharf Rat-> Sugar Magnolia,

Encore: Brokedown Palace

Stream the SBD here

Download an AUD recording here

It’s been a while since we dusted off our ‘this day in GD history’ textbooks, so let’s get to it! This day in GD history finds the Dead in Portland, Oregon in 1974. Play close attention to Keith’s keyboard work – still new to the band, he’s playing crisp, clear, and like he’s got something to prove. Donna’s also letting it all hang out, even if she’s definitely not as polished as in 76/77. Bobby’s growling, Phil’s bombing, and Jerry’s in the zone, what more could you want? Stream the sound board recording here.

The Grateful Dead
5/19/74
Portland Memorial Coliseum
Portland,OR

Set 1: Mississippi Half Step, Mexicali Blues, Big Railroad Blues, Black Throated Wind, Scarlet Begonias, Beat It On Down The Line, Loose Lucy, Money Money, China Cat Sunflower-> I Know You Rider

Set  2: Promised Land, Bertha-> Greatest Story Ever Told, Weather Report Suite Prelude-> Weather Report Suite Part 1-> Let It Grow-> Wharf Rat, Big River, Peggy-O, Truckin’-> Mind Left Body Jam-> Not Fade Away-> Goin’ Down The Road Feelin’ Bad-> One More Saturday Night

Encore: U.S. Blues

Stream link

Today in Grateful Dead History, we find ourselves in Atlanta circa 1990. A smoking version of Shakedown Street to begin the show and other notable gems include a sweet run of Scarlet>Crazy Fingers>Playin’. Enjoy and let the good times roll; its Friday. Stream the show here.

The Dead in 1990

The Grateful Dead
April 3rd, 1990
The Omni, Atlanta, GA

Set 1
Shakedown Street
Hell in the Bucket >
Sugaree
We Can Run
When I Paint My Masterpiece
Row Jimmy,
Picasso Moon >
Tennessee Jed >
The Promised Land

Set 2
Estimated Prophet >
Scarlet Begonias >
Crazy Fingers >
Playin’ In The Band >
Drums >
Jam >
I Will Take You Home >
Goin’ Down The Road Feelin’ Bad >
Throwing Stones >
Not Fade Away

Encore
And We Bid You Goodnight

As always, ‘This Day in GD Hisotry’ is brought to you by our in-house GD scholar, the Sauce Machine