The Deadpod

This week's Deadpod, featuring the second set from the band's performance on January 2nd, 1972 features Pigpen giving us a fantastic Good Lovin' to open the set in his next to last Bay Area performance. The band really cooks behind him on this one, I'm sure you'll enjoy this. The rest of the set is quite good as well, and what the set lacks in length it does make up for in quality. While the Not F...

For the first Deadpod of 2017, I decided to go back to the first show of 1972.. January 2nd, 1972.. As Bill Graham says in his introduction 'there aren't many groups that would get us to come out on January 2nd'.. but I bet the folks who came out on this night were glad they did as they turn in a sparkling performance, highlighted, for me, by some great work by Pigpen. At the beginning of what wil...

Happy New Year!   As we look to put 2016 behind us, I decided to bring you a fine New Year's Eve performance from December 31st, 1989.  With a show like this I couldn't just bring you a first set so we have the entire performance this week. Naturally this performance has some special moments, as well as some quirks. They open wiht Sugar Magnolia - instead of saving it for the first sone of the new...

Merry Christmas .. Happy Hanukkah   This year's holiday edition of the Deadpod features one of the best acoustic performances of 1970. This takes place at the Fillmore East in New York City on September 20th, 1970. The acoustic set, which we present today, is not only a fine performance but also a fine recording. David Grisman plays mandolin on 'Friend of the Devil' and David Nelson joins with ano...

Merry Christmas .. Happy Hanukkah   This year's holiday edition of the Deadpod features one of the best acoustic performances of 1970. This takes place at the Fillmore East in New York City on September 20th, 1970. The acoustic set, which we present today, is not only a fine performance but also a fine recording. David Grisman plays mandolin on 'Friend of the Devil' and David Nelson joins with ano...

This week the Deadpod presents the second set of the band's performance from the Felt Forum at Madison Square Garden on December 7th, 1971. A fine performance and recording here.. not one marked by any long jams.. nevertheless a great representation of the band as it heads into one of their peak years - 1972. Strong performances by Pigpen - especially on 'Smokestack Lightnin'.. I'm willing to bet...

This week the Deadpod presents the second set of the band's performance from the Felt Forum at Madison Square Garden on December 7th, 1971. A fine performance and recording here.. not one marked by any long jams.. nevertheless a great representation of the band as it heads into one of their peak years - 1972. Strong performances by Pigpen - especially on 'Smokestack Lightnin'.. I'm willing to bet...

This week the Deadpod presents the second set of the band's performance from the Felt Forum at Madison Square Garden on December 7th, 1971. A fine performance and recording here.. not one marked by any long jams.. nevertheless a great representation of the band as it heads into one of their peak years - 1972. Strong performances by Pigpen - especially on 'Smokestack Lightnin'.. I'm willing to bet...

This week the Deadpod presents the second set of the band's performance from the Felt Forum at Madison Square Garden on December 7th, 1971. A fine performance and recording here.. not one marked by any long jams.. nevertheless a great representation of the band as it heads into one of their peak years - 1972. Strong performances by Pigpen - especially on 'Smokestack Lightnin'.. I'm willing to bet...

This week the Deadpod presents the second set of the band's performance from the Felt Forum at Madison Square Garden on December 7th, 1971. A fine performance and recording here.. not one marked by any long jams.. nevertheless a great representation of the band as it heads into one of their peak years - 1972. Strong performances by Pigpen - especially on 'Smokestack Lightnin'.. I'm willing to bet...

As we head into December I decided to bring you one of the classic December '71 shows from the Felt Forum, Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY. This week's show comes from 12/7/71 ... While I featured the classic from 12/5 a few years back I think you'll enjoy this one as well. This is an early Keith show, but Pigpen is here as well and does a fine rendition of 'Run Rudolph, Run' to get you i...

This week the Deadpod returns to the second set of the band's performance in Oklahoma City Oklahoma on November 14th, 1972. I think you'll enjoy their performance here as they bring the crowd well executed versions of some great songs.    The highlight of this 1hour 41 minute set is probably the 'He's Gone'->'Truckin'->'The Other One'->'Sing Me Back Home' combination that occurs in the middle of s...

Happy Thanksgiving my friends! If  you've listened to the Deadpod for awhile you know I enjoy bringing you acoustic music around the holidays - this year is no different and I think I've got an excellent show lined up for you. First off, one of the famous acoustic shows form the fall of 1980, this comes to us from the Warfield in San Francisco on October 4th, 1980. There's not a bad song in this s...

Here's a top-notch show from the Fall of 1972 to start off your Thanksgiving week right.. this is from 11/14/72, Oklahoma City Oklahoma.. I consider this a very well played 16 song first set.. After an opening 'Promised Land' Garcia gives us a slow, rolling 'Sugaree'.  After the 'El Paso' that follows we get 'Loser' - a personal favorite of mine and a perfect song for the western setting.. the set...

Well in some ways I guess this one is appropriate this week....   The second set from Nov. 8th, 1985 has some great highs and some lows. It starts with a version of 'Revolution' with some nice jams but Garcias stepping all over the lyrics ;) Estimated Prophet follows with an excellent jam, especially as it goes into a less than stellar 'Eyes of the World'. Drums and Space follow and then a nice 'O...

This week, on the eve of the election, I decided to bring you what I consider to be a really fun show from the fall of 1985. This comes to us from Rochester New York on November 8th, 1985. The boys are really loose and having fun and deliver a really good (if uneven) performance. We have a nice sounding recording to share, and I think you'll find the first set quite entertaining this week. This on...

Happy Halloween!   Always a favorite among Deadheads, while Halloween doesn't happen until Monday I thought it only appropriate to share one of the classic Halloween performances with you this week. This set is one of two the band played on Halloween, 1970 from the gym at the State  University of New  York at Stoney Brook. A fine show, as most are from this era, it starts with quite a rare treat -...

This week's Deadpod features the second set from October 15th, 1976 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, CA. I think this set has several very interesting moments. The first is the fine transition from the opening 'Eyes of the World' to 'The Music Never Stopped'. This was a the only time they ever played these two in this order, but I wonder why when listening to this performance. A long He's...

How about a show this week from 40 years ago out in Southern California? The boys' first trip back since their 'retirement' found them playing a pair of shows in L.A. at the Shrine Auditorium. Despite some heavy handed law enforcement, they delivered a solid performance, especially here on the 2nd night - October 15th, 1976. The first set which we feature this week, starts off with a surprisingly...

A real classic recording of some outstanding good ol' Grateful Dead this week, as we enjoy the band's performance on June 27th, 1969 at Veterans Auditorium in Santa Rosa California. This is one long set, as there were several bands on the bill this night and we get to hear some of the first performances of several songs destined to become classics. Slewfoot - the opening number wasn't one of those...

This week  the Deadpod presents the second set from the band's performance on September 22nd, 1993 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY.  The set features jazz saxophonist David Murray throughout, and with blues harmonica player James Cotton sitting in on the last two numbers of the set (although he is sadly not up very well in the mix). As you might expect this is jazzy throughout, so if...

We bid adieu to Summer this week with perhaps the best GD show of 1993.. this one is from Madison Square Garden, and took place 23 years ago on September 22nd, 1993. The show marked the first of two appearances of jazz saxophonist David Murray with the boys - he sits in during the first set on a wonderful 'Bird song' and throughout the 2nd set. One of my listeners recently informed me that I had n...

This week's Deadpod features set 2 from the Dead's performance at the Easttown Theater in Detroit Michgan back on October 24th, 1971. A fine recording, this set starts with a nice Truckin', especially enjoyable is the jam just before the last verse. What sounds odd here is that the song simply stops... They take up 'Ramble On Rose'. It being  only the 5th time they had played the song, the phrasin...

I struggled a bit deciding what to play this week - I was pulled this way and that but finally settled on an overlooked gem of a show from the Fall tour of 1971. This was Keith Godchaux's first tour with the band, and Pigpen is not with them on this night due to his declining health. This show was the second of two (and the fourth show in four nights) which took place in Detroit Michigan on Octobe...

Happy Labor Day weekend! I'm hoping that this second set - from 8/28/18 in Long Beach California, will provide some sweet musical accompaniment to your your long weekend (assuming you will have one! if not my sympathies!). This is an excellent set, starting off with a rockin' 'Shakedown Street'. While the 'Lost Sailor' provides a bit of a counter-point, the 'Saint of Circumstance' should put you b...