The Deadpod

Ahhh... summer's here for sure and as we head out of June and on to the 4th of July my mind couldn't help but be led back to that one-of-a-kind summer tour of 1985.. this week we'll sample one of those shows from that tour, this one from Saratoga Springs, NY, that took place on June 27th, 1985. As always on this tour a very innovative setlist, highlighted for me with a *great* Stagger Lee (not a t...

My mind was moved to her yesterday when someone asked my favorite "Summertime" songs - of course I thought of the one and only Janis. I get requests for this show from time to time, I did broadcast part of this back in April of '06 but that Deadpod no longer exists on the archive, so I felt it was high time to bring it out again. Pigpen and Janis on Lovelight would be enough, but there are some ot...

This week's second set from June 14th, 1976 is in my opinion, simply outstanding. The songs are all strong and well played. Great set list, the High Time and Music Never Stopped are very good, but from Crazy Fingers on its flat-out cranked. Dancin' is wonderful, but the 14 minute Slipknot is spine tingling. Hope you aren't wore out on mid 70s Dead because this is a helluva show. I hope you enjoy i...

A nice contrast to last week's show from '77, this show comes to us from just one year earlier, June 14th, 1976 at the Beacon in New York. A very different, more jazzy and relaxed style for sure... but I find it quite enjoyable. This one is a Betty board too so that is always very nice to hear. I removed a few of the long tunings between songs - they were sometimes a bit too relaxed ;) My personal...

A perfect way to see in the lovely month of June, this week's second set from the Baltimore Civic Arena, May 26th, 1977, is as fine a set of Grateful Dead music as one could hope to hear. Perhaps not an alltime 'classic' but certainly a wonderful companion to any worth while activity you could hope to accomplish in this wonderful season. This set features a lovely 'High Time' - one of my favorites...

I know my prejudices are fairly obvious - do I love 1977 Dead shows? Guilty.. I can't seem to go through the month of May without featuring one of these gems and I decided I didn't want to spoil that record this year.. thus this week's show. This is a gem, pure and simple. Beautiful recording, beautiful playing. Check out Jerry on Sugaree, and Donna on Sunrise. Passenger, one of my favorites of th...

This week we get to listen to set 2 of the Dead's show in the Vegas desert from May 16th, 1993. All in all, a pretty darn good set, the Help->Slip->Frank features some nice improvisations by Vince. I'm a fan of Terrapin and this one does not disappoint, Jerry is in it.. The Other One and Wharf Rat are first rate, and the Throwin Stones goes into a Lovelight instead of the increasingly usual Not Fa...

This week's show, a listener request, was probably the best of the three day run in Vegas during May of '93. Garcia is fully involved and his work during Althea steps up this first set to be top rate. I really enjoy the reggae-like work on Row Jimmy as well. Cassidy is very well done and closes the set. Regrettably its a very short first set so I included the opening Samson from set 2 in this week...

This week - the 2nd set of this incredible show from 1974 - 5/19/74 from Portland Oregon.  There are so many highlights here its impossible to list them all, The Greatest Story is one of the all-time bests, ditto for the Weather Report into a wondefully Garica-jammed Wharf Rat.  The Peggy-O is beautiful.. but the Phil-led Truckin' through Goin' Down the Road Feelin'Bad is simply magnificant. I lov...

This week's Deadpod came about, as they often do, due to several synchronistic events, a listener request, the immanent release of Dave's Picks Vol 2, and of course my own partiality for shows of this era. This week's show comes from the City of Roses, Portland Oregon and took place on May 19th, 1974. One of the early wall of sound shows, I think this is a wonderful representation of the band at t...

This week I reached back to find a show befitting the 4/20 occasion and decided that despite its flaws only April 20th, 1969 would do. This one has been on the request list for some time, but it is a gas. This is of course a great example of 'good ol' Grateful Dead' with Pigpen featured prominently on Good Morning Little Schoolgirl and Lovelight, but it also includes a mind-bending Dark Star, a wo...

"Spring hasn't sprung, until the Dead play the Frost" or so goes the saying I used to hear.. and in an attempt to conjure up a more lasting Spring I decided to bring one of their magical concerts from this classic venue to  our Deadpod this week. This concert comes from the  Spring of 1985, surely a  year that doesn't always get much respect, but nonetheless the place for some amazing shows back i...

This week's Deadpod features the second set from the band's performance on April 21st, 1978 at Rupp Arena on the University of Kentucky campus in Lexington, Kentucky. While the reports I've read on this show indicate that it was not nearly full, the band puts out a top-notch effort and delivers a fun and well-played second set. Highlights for me include the outstanding Stella Blue (this is the ver...

As I listened again to last week's 'pod I decided that it was time to change things up for this week - (frankly I was less happy with the audio quality on that show than I wanted to be) so I'm bringing you a show with a nod to the University of Kentucky -this year's Men's NCAA Basketball Champions. This show took place back in the spring of 1978 - on April 21st, 1978. I think its strong throughout...

There were quite a few outstanding shows that took place in early Spring throughout the history of the GD, so picking one for this week's show wasn't that easy. I think this is however a good show from an outstanding tour, Spring of 1987. The band roars out of the gate on Jack Straw, then goes into an outstanding Franklin's Tower, in honor of Philadelphia I presume.. The first set is full of spark...

This week's Deadpod features the second set from March 16th, 1990 at the Capital Center in Landover Maryland. The set starts with an unusual Scarlet->Estimated combination, which then leads into Ship of Fools.. The Man Smart, Woman Smarter that follows has a unique sound as does the sweet jam leading into Space.. I'm not as big a fan of the intro into 'The Other One' this time.. Some folks dislike...

March winds will blow.. all my troubles away..... Well I can hope right? I thought for this March Deadpod that I'd bring you a show from the Spring of 1990, this one occurred the day following the show released as "Terrapin Station' .. on March 16th, 1990. I think this is quite an interested show as well and well worth a listen. Of particular interest in this first set is the first performance of...

This week's featured show on the Deadpod comes from a request from one of my listeners who has recently been digging on shows from 1970 - a truly great year - I only wish there were more recordings of the band from this year. This week's comes from February 23rd in Austin Texas. While this is obviously not a complete show, it still provides so much high energy Dead that I'm sure you'll enjoy it. F...

Laissez les bon temps rouler! OK, I'm a few days late: ) still the Mardi Gras run is a great occasion to commemorate and the Dead did it up right many years - this one I think was one of those.. this week we have the second set from February 11th, 1986 with the Neville Brothers. It starts with a nice jamming drums into a groovy Iko.. the Eyes that follows won't make anyone's top 10 list, but the d...

Hard to believe but it almost LENT already! And that of course means its Mardi Gras time! This next show up on our plate is from Mardi Gras 1986 - a request from a great friend of the Deadpod - from February 11th, 1986. This is one of those great Oakland Mardi Gras runs where the Neville Brothers opened for the boys (and we'll hear them on the second set next week). This week's first set, although...

Inspired - that's the word that comes to mind when I think of this performance.. this is a wonderful piece of work - surely one of the better shows of 1976, and this nearly 2 hour second set features some real gems. Lazy Lightin'>Supplication>Let It Grow.. the slow and beautiful St. Stephen, and the Stella Blue, of course.. oh that Stella Blue.. the end of which will surely melt your heart. I hope...

This week's Deadpod comes from another great request - this for a show that while widely traded back in the day, often had less than stellar sound. I think this copy is quite good however and am happy to be able to share with you this fantastic show from 1976. Both sets are very well played, and I enjoy the sound of Phil throughout.. Jerry's vocals are also spot on, especially in the second set as...

I've had the jones for some early mindbending Dead for awhile.. I finally decided this week was as good a time as any to feed it.. This week's Deadpod features fragments from two shows that took place 43 years ago, February 2nd and 3rd at the Crystal Ballroom in Portland OR. It's great to hear Tom Constantin on these tapes, I especially enjoy him on the Clementine from the 2nd.. that show on the 2...

All the publicity this week about the release of Dave's Pick's Vol 5. gave me a good excuse to bring out another 1973 gem to play on the Deadpod..  This week's show took place about a month after the 11/17/73 show featured on Dave's Picks - this one is from 12/18/73 at the Curtis Hixon Convention Hall in Tampa FL. - yes the night before the show featured on Dick's Picks Vol 1! I know  - finding th...

This week's second set from May 26th, 1993 features believe it or not probably the finest version of Playin' in the late 90s era. This is a real scorcher and the drums in the middle of the sandwich is very tasty as well.. Crazy Fingers is also quite nice and I'm a fan of almost any China Dolls... I hope you'll give this one a listen I am sure you won't regret it.. Grateful Dead  5/26/93 - Wednesda...