The Deadpod

I'm guessing that if you listened to last week's Deadpod you know that this week's second set from 3/31/73 is going to be great.. great sound.. great playing.. great X factor. I love this show and hope you do too. It may not have some of the big 'hits' of the day (Dark Star, etc) but there is some really wonderful explorations. I think if you listen closely you'll hear themes from all sorts of pla...

Happy St. Patrick's Day! This week we have a fine request from a great friend of the Deadpod for a show from March 31st, 1973 - Buffalo N.Y. You really never go wrong with a show from that year so I'm happy to oblige.. we'll hear set 1 this week. While there are many great highlights here, overall I simply love the sound of Garcia's guitar. Watch out for Donna on Playin' In the Band ;) War Memoria...

Happy St. Patrick's Day! This week we have a fine request from a great friend of the Deadpod for a show from March 31st, 1973 - Buffalo N.Y. You really never go wrong with a show from that year so I'm happy to oblige.. we'll hear set 1 this week. While there are many great highlights here, overall I simply love the sound of Garcia's guitar. Watch out for Donna on Playin' In the Band ;) War Memoria...

This week we have the second set from the band's performance on March 10th, 1981 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY. A fine set from an underrated tour, this one opens with a nice long Scarlet->Fire,  which leads into a surprisingly powerful 'Sailor->Saint'. Drums and space follow, serving as an extended prelude into a sweet 'Wheel'. 'China Doll' is a welcome addition to any second set,...

As March blows in we go back in this week's Deadpod to the spring of 1981, and one of the fine shows from the band's run at Madison Square Garden. Last year we played the previous evening's show, but this performance from March 10, 1981 deserves a spot on our favorites as well. The show beings with a Mississippi Half-Step that starts off great, then a shocking bit of feedback/reverb blows through...

This week we bring you the second set from the Dead's Mardi Gras performance back in 1993 - 2/23/93 - at the Oakland Coliseum. Of course this is 1993 Dead - nevertheless it is an interesting performance especially given the fact that Ornette Coleman sits in for the post-drums segment of the set. I've included the Mardi Gras parade drums segment and an Iko Iko  that was admittedly on the weak side....

It won't be long before Mardi Gras is here so I decided to bring you one of the better Mardi Gras shows the band performed in their later years. This is from February 23rd, 1993 at Oakland California. Part of me wanted to only play the second set, which features an excellent collaboration with Ornette Coleman, however the completest in me demanded the entire show, so this week I'm featuring set 1,...

This week I'm pleased to present the second set of the band's performance at the Uptown Theater in Chicago Illinois on February 1st, 1978. They come out of the chute smoking with a great 'Samson and Delilah' - one listen and you know they're taking no prisoners tonight. They slow it down with a beautiful.. and powerfully sung,  'Must Have Been The Roses', Those voices start talking to Weir as 'Est...

We're going to welcome in the  month of February with the band's performance from February 1st, 1978 at the Uptown Theater in Chicago. I believe you'l enjoy this excellent recording of the start of a wonderful swing through the midwest in the winter of 1978. This first set starts with a smokin' 'Jack Straw', then moves through a longish 'Friend of the Devil'. 'Mama Tried' and 'Me & My Uncle' f...

This week the Deadpod continues with the band's performance on January 3rd, 1970 with the late show from that evening at the Fillmore East.  I'm sure you'll enjoy this fine performance. I am especially enamored with everything from the Other One on..in particular Black Peter and Dire Wolf.  What an encore as well! Be sure and enjoy Tom Constanten on organ as he wouldn't be with the boys much longe...

This week's Deadpod features a show just released by the esteemed Charlie Miller, 1/3/70 Fillmore East. While I realize that I just played a show from this great year back around Christmas, I think this one more than merits your attention this week. Here at the beginning of what would be a seminal  year in their development the band puts on a jamming clinic - especially in this Alligator in the ea...

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...