The Deadpod

One of my favorite tours, the Spring tour of 1980 will give us one more fine show on this week's Deadpod. From the old Boston Garden on May 12, 1980 the boys shook the rafters on this Monday night with a rocking first set.  They come out blazing with a great 'Jack Straw>Alabama Getaway>El Paso' opening trifecta. While this is an unusual combo, Jerry and Brent in particular shine on these opening t...

 I don't believe Friday the 13th is bad luck here on the Deadpod! This week's show is the 2nd and 3rd sets from the band's performance in Paris France on September 21, 1974. I've taken the liberty of removing 'Seastones' which started set 2, simply because I generally find it unlistenable.  Be that as it may the Playin' In the Band which follows and which concludes the second set is one of the hig...

As this weekend is the first weekend in May, we not only celebrate our Mothers, but the Run for the Roses! Naturally I felt this called for a rendition of 'The Race Is On', and this one comes to us from the bands European tour of the Fall of 1974. Specifically from Paris on September 21, 1974.  This first set which we will hear this week shows considerable change from those European shows of 50 ye...

This week's Deadpod features a long second set on the occasion of Brent Mydland's first gig with the band, on April 22, 1979 in San Jose California.  The band opens with the trifecta 'I Need a Miracle' into 'Bertha' into 'Good Lovin', while it starts out a bit rough it picks up alot of energy by the end and they then go into a wonderful version of 'Scarlet Begonias' into 'Fire on the Mountain'. Th...

43 years ago today Brent Mydland played his first show with the Grateful Dead.  This week we will listen to the first set of that show here on the Deadpod.  I think you'll immediately notice the increased energy on stage, especially when you compare to the early '79 shows. The boys have been rehearsing and I believe it shows in this first set. Highlights for me include the great 'Jack Straw' opene...

This week we feature a great set from April of 1971 - 4/12/71 from Pittsburgh PA.  Again, this is a sweet recording only one or two minor flaws. 'Truckin' starts us off hot, with some nice jamming punctuated by Billy K pounding the kit as they lead into a 10 minute 'Other One'. Of particular note here is the transition into 'Wharf Rat'.  'Me & Bobby McGee' is nicely done but marred at the end by a...

This week's Deadpod is from a marvelous sounding tape (with one or two issues) from the Spring of 1971. This set has Phil all over it - I especially love his sound on 'Bertha'. Pigpen does a wonderful 'Next Time You See Me', and 'Hard to Handle' (although it has a very tragic tape flip that loses the end of the song). The boys are tight and their playing is crackling with energy.  No jazzy spacy j...

No tricks here! Just some fine Grateful Dead from March 28, 1989 in Atlanta GA.  This week's Deadpod features the second set from the above performance at the Omni, and begins with a sweet 'Samson and Delilah' that gets the set off to a rockin' start. the 'Ship of Fools' that follows slows things down a bit, but is followed by a rare (in this time) complete, 'Playin' In The Band' which goes into a...

For several years, one of my favorite trips when Spring rolled around was to go down to Atlanta when the magnolias were bloomin' to see the boys during Spring tour. While the Omni might not have been the greatest venue, I always had a wonderful time. This week I decided to bring you a show from there that took place back on March 28, 1989.  This was has a great trifecta to start, with a wonderful...

This week's Deadpod features a fine recording of the second set from the Rex Benefit that took place on March 13, 1985 at the Berkeley Community Theater.  The boys give us a most excellent start with a fine 'Music Never Stopped' into 'Franklin's Tower'. While Jerry flubs a few lyrics here, he more than makes up for it with his fine soloing work. Bobby continues the first-rate performance with a gr...

This week's Deadpod features a Rex Benefit from March 13, 1985 at the Berkeley Community Theater.  It starts out with a smoking 'Jack Straw', this is quite a pleasure to hear. 'Althea' follows; here Jerry's voice is not in the best of shape, but as is often the case in '85 his playing throughout this first set is quite inspired. The cowboy combo of 'Mama Tried>Mexicali' follows and features both a...

 This week's Deadpod features the second set from February 17, 1979 in Oakland California.  This is a fine set, almost two hours long, and features some excellent improvisational jamming, as well as the return of some music into the rotation and the last time one song would be played.  Might as Well opens th ing sup, then a great 'I Need a Miracle>Bertha>Good Lovin' combo. Garcia is n particularly...

This show marks a significant event in the band's history - the last show with Keith and Donna in the group. It takes place on February 17, 1979 in Oakland. By this time, Keith's contributions had been steadily decreasing and while Donna was still, in my opinion, adding to the sound, it was clear that a change was going to have to happen.  This first set features the return of 'Greatest Story Ever...

This week we continue with the second set of the show on February 20, 1971 at the Capitol Theater in Port Chester NY, one of the famous 'ESP experiment shows'.  This show features an electric version of 'Ripple' - one of only three that were ever performed live. I think the 'Goin' Down the Road'>'Not Fade Away'> 'Goin' Down the Road' is quite exceptional as well. Then there is the classic Pigpen v...

Hey Now! This week we will explore the first set from a great show that took place during a historic run at the Capitol Theater in Port Chester NY back on February 20, 1971. This was during the famous 'ESP' experiments, and it was also the second show without Mickey Hart who had left the band after the first show of this run.  This show contains a number of 'new' tunes (at the time) and you'll see...

With many of being hit this week with some ungodly cold and snowy weather I figured it was time to bring out the smokin' hot primal Dead.. so here is a good one... this comes to you from February 21, 1969 at the Dream Bowl in Vallejo California.. We only have the second set, but perhaps that is for the best - who knows if I could handle more of this one ;)  We start with a great version of 'Good M...

This week the Deadpod continues with the second set from January 13, 1978 at the Arlington Theater in Santa Barbara California. This was a 'Stop Nuclear Power' benefit and as usual at these kind of events, I think the band was charged up for it and I think it shows in the energy of this great second set.  They start off with a rousing 'Bertha' into 'Good Lovin'. Donna follows with a nice version o...

Grateful Dead concerts in the month of January are rather sparse, however one exception is the west coast run that took place in January of 1978.  This week's show took place on January 13, 1978 in Santa Barbara California. It starts out with a nicely played 'Mississippi Half-Step' - while Jerry's voice is suffering a bit from the laryngitis he fought through on this tour - his playing more than m...

We continue this week with the second set from the band's performance on January 11, 1979 at the Nassau Coliseum.  They come out smoking with a hot version of 'I Need a Miracle'; Bobby is pretty amped up here and there is some very nice guitar work in this version. Ship follows and slows things down a bit, but the Estimated that follows gets things in the groove again, and leads into a long 'He's...

We head into the new year with a show from the Winter of 1979 - this comes to us from the Nassau Coliseum on January 11, 1979.  The first set starts off with a wonderful version of 'Sugaree' - Garcia sets the tone for this set right out of the gate.. some wonderful runs here. 'Me & My Uncle' and 'Big River' follows and the latter, in particular, delivers more Jerry magic. Things slow down a bit wi...

Happy New Year!  To celebrate the New Year (hopefully a better one for everyone) and the fact that today is New Years' Eve, I decided to bring you an entire New Year's Eve performance.. this one from New Years' 1977...  While the New Year's shows were often not as magical as some of the prior performances of the run, I do think this one stands up and hope you enjoy it as well..  Over two and half-...

Merry Christmas!  On this Christmas Eve edition of the Deadpod we get to listen to the second set of this fine performance from December 27, 1970 in El Monte California.  The tape begins with an abbreviated 'Good Lovin' - while I wish we had all of this song, what we have is really good. Pigpen follows with 'In the Midnight Hour' and boy its clear in these two songs what he means to the band. Fine...

This week we go back to some good ol' Grateful Dead from December 1970. The boys are young and full of spunk on this one as they run through some of their early numbers. Pigpen is in fine form here and the 'Hard to Handle' is classic. The 'Deep Elem' has a unique and very pleasant arrangement to my ears. 'Cumberland Blues' showcases Phil's talents as always and a great China>Rider could be the hig...

This week we continue with the second set from the band's performance at the Long Beach Arena in Long Beach California on December 13th 1980.  The set starts with a wonderful Scarlet>Fire. In particular I love the transition here, unique and rhythmic to a high degree, flows into a an excellent Fire, nice Brent highlights.  Jerry has some wonderful solos in the coda here which results in prolonged...

This week we welcome December with a great show from December 13, 1980 at the Long Beach Arena in Long Beach California, just a couple months after last week's acoustic set. This first set is quite good all the way through but starts with an excellent trifecta -' Feel Like a Stranger' into a wonderful 'Sugaree'  then into 'C C Rider' with some great Garcia slide work. Then Jerry slows things down...