The Deadpod

This week's selection - a birthday request from a good friend of the Deadpod - takes us back to the last show of the June 1974 east/midwest tour which took place in Springfield Massachusetts on June 30, 1974. The first set, which we will hear this week, features some outstanding leads by both Jerry and Phil and a great song selection. Be patient during the opening number 'Don't Ease Me In' which i...

This week we continue listening to the band's performance at the Tower Theater in Philadelphia PA on June 24, 1976 with a somewhat short, but quite sweet, second set.    As with many great second sets, this one starts with a fine 'Help>Slip>Frank' containing an exceptional 'Slipknot!' . This fine recording, which has been available as a soundboard and an FM long before the first set, continues wit...

This week's Deadpod features a fine show from June 24, 1976 at the Tower Theater in Upper Darby PA, near Philadelphia. This spring '76 tour features mail order tickets for the first time, and rejuvenated vocals from Bob and Donna, who seem to have benefited from the time off. This particular show was broadcast on FM but this is a soundboard copy and I think it sounds great. This one also has a hil...

A energized show from 49 years ago highlights this week's Deadpod, from Winterland on May 30, 1971. We only have a partial second set from this Sunday night show but its in fine quality and the band is in top form for this period. The recording starts with a partial 'I Know You Rider' and you immediately wish the entire show survived. A fine 'Sugar Magnolia' follows,  and then 'Cumberland Blues' r...

This week we are treated to the second set from the band's performance in Troy NY at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on May 7, 1978. This is a solid set throughout, featuring the opening Scarlet>Fire which clocks in at over 20 minutes with some exceptional Garcia licks.  The 'Estimated Prophet' that follows features some nice Garcia work on the wahwah as well. 'He's Gone' slows things down...

This week's Deadpod will take us to May of 1978. This show took place in the Field House at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY on May the 7th, 1978, a place that was described as basically an aircraft hanger with terrible acoustics and hot as hell. Luckily the tape we have is pretty good overall because this was a show where you can tell that the band was in great spirits and having fun...

Happy Mother's Day Weekend! This special Deadpod goes out in honor of all our Mothers..and this one is a huge dose of big ol' Grateful Dead lovin!  This is the second (and third?) set from the band's performance on Mother's Day, May 12, 1974 in Reno Nevada.   As I mentioned last week, this was an outdoor, Wall of Sound show with quite high winds, which complicated things a bit. In fact, Garcia was...

Hello May Day! hoping this finds you and yours healthy and safe.. This week I'm bringing you the show that kicked off Spring Tour 1974, from the University of Nevada in Reno Nevada on May 12th, 1974 - Mother's Day.. We will listen to the first of this three set show this week, then sets 2 & 3 for a Mother's Day treat next week. This was an outdoor Wall of Sound show, as well as the first real show...

This week we feature the second set from a fine late '89 Grateful Dead show - from the Great Western Forum on Sunday, December 10, 1989.  In my opinion the meat of this set comes right out of the gate with a exquisite 'Jack Straw' followed by a wonderful, driven 'China Cat Sunflower'. The 'I Know You Rider' is no slouch either and the combo is, in my opinion the highlight of this set. The always-f...

Hello friends.. this week's Deadpod results from a special request and is dedicated to a brother who just lost his battle with cancer - Joel Hatcher. His friend Tiffany who contacted me shared that he was listening to the 'pod throughout his chemo treatments and that he loved the Dead and the Blues.  This was their first show together and I'm honored to be able to play it in his honor. This show -...

Strap in for some serious fun on this Good Friday edition of the Deadpod.. the second set from April 2, 1973 at the Boston Gardens is a classic.. There are memorable moments right from the start as Phil warns us to "watch out for the electric popcorn"..  We get a mix of well played Dead classics, for example the 'Greatest Story Ever Told' is filled with some unique Garcia wahwahs.. 'Loose Lucy' is...

I had mastered an entirely different show for this week when I was reminded of this one... I played this one back in 2003 on-air at KOPN in Columbia MO, but never here on the podcast. This one is a monster. We have one of the best of the Spring 73 shows, this one from April 2nd.. Boston Garden. It's a 16 song first set, great sound (a bit of a rough start but that was common in this period :). Whi...

Might you need some energy after some time cooped up with 'social distancing'? Well I think this show will have you covered.. true primal Dead here.. the frantic scorching solos from Garcia on most of these might not be everyone's cup of tea, but this is a great presentation of where the band came from and what the sound was like back in 1967. This was the third time they had played Winterland and...

My hope is that this podcast, this music, can bring a little joy and light into your life during this dark and scary time...  This week we'll hear the second set from the band's performance on March 23, 1972 from the Academy of Music in New York City. While it is not as long as that massive first set from last week, I think it is uniformly good. 'Truckin' starts things off, nice tempo, lots of ene...

This week brings a *huge* first set Deadpod for you, from the famous run of shows at the Academy of Music in New York City on March 23, 1972. This set runs over 2 hours and contains 18 songs!  The band was gearing up for the upcoming Europe tour and I think this is one of the best shows of that run. Some of the many highlights include a great 'I Know You Rider' , Pigpen's 'Chinatown Shuffle', the...

Here we have a fine second set from the band's last performance at the Uptown Theater in Chicago IL, on February 28, 1981.  I think this is a very nice recording and an interesting set list, starting with the 'Cold Rain and Snow' opener, through the heart of this one, the 'Terrapin Station' into drums and Space, then a fine 'Other One' and 'Stella Blue'. While there is a bit of funky echo in spots...

39 years ago the band played a fine show at the Uptown Theater in Chicago, which I'm pleased to begin to present to you today. A fine 'Jack Straw' opener begins things on a high note, and the rest of this first set is varied and quite well played on this fine recording. Some of the highlights include a 'Little Red Rooster' with both some fine slide work and some nice color added by Brent, a great...

Boy is this one going to eat up my quota! There is almost 2 1/2 hours of smokin' Grateful Dead music in this week's Deadpod, from the second set on 2/23/74 at the Winterland in San Francisco CA. I'm bound to overlook something that you will enjoy in this set, nevertheless I'd call you attention to the wonderful opening set (Row Jimmy through Stella Blue).. as well as the HUGE segment from He's Gon...

Happy Valentine's Day!  I couldn't think of a better love letter to send to all of you than a fine portion of classic Grateful Dead from 1974.. from Winterland no less..  this beauty comes from the February '74 run - in this case February 23rd. This first set starts with a rocking 'Around and Around' - a different and welcome way to open a show. They follow with three ballads - 'Dire Wolf', 'Me &...

This week's Deadpod features the debut of another classic Dead song, 'Standing on the Moon',  as well as a fine pre-drums 'Playing in the Band' featuring a nice interplay betwen Jerry and Phil. I think this is a well played set, while it doesn't feature a ton of fireworks, it does have an interesting, if slightly dark, feel to the drumz segment and Brent's 'I Will Take You Home' always tugs at the...

As we close out the month of January, I decided to feature the first show the band performed back in 1989. This one comes from the Henry J Kaiser Convention Center in Oakland California on February 5, 1989.  While there was alot of anxiety among the faithful that this might be the last time the band would be allowed to play in the relatively intimate confines of the Kaiser, the band came out this...

One of my favorite periods of Dead music to explore is this January 1969 run at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco CA, and this week I decided to feature this set form January 26th. Is it complete? probably not.. is it pristine? certainly not the opening Cryptical which has a spot not far from the beginning that will test your patience.. be patient it is worth it, most of this tape sounds *great...

This week's Deadpod starts out with a unique Scarlet>Fire that was released back on Dick's Picks 13 as a 'hidden track'. This one doesn't sound like your usual Scarlet>Fire, the jam is unlike any other and Brent plays, I think, a bigger role (as he does throughout this set). I happen to dig it, hope you do as well. The rest of the (long) pre-drums set contains a fine Samson, a quite long 'Terrapin...

Hello Friends!  This week, a show that caught my fancy that for some reason has never been featured here on the Deadpod, but certainly deserves to be..  This comes to us from November 1, 1979 and teh Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale NY.  I think the band always enjoyed the NY area and this is I think, quite a fine and energetic outing.  This recording starts with an audience patch in 'Jack Straw' but...

Happy New Year!  Well.. not so happy NYE for me -- as my computer was infected with a zero day malware attack that has encrypted much of my digital music files (as well as the rest of my files)..  but the show must go on! So this week we will bring you the excellent 2nd set from the band's performance on 12/28/91 at Oakland CA.  I think this is quite a strong second set. with a nice 'Foolish Heart...