The Deadpod

This week marks the 25th anniversary of the show I selected to play this week, and it clearly is one of the better later-day Dead shows. This comes to us from September 18th, 1987 at Madison Square Garden New York. It starts out with Weir refering to their appearance on Letterman the night before and then kicks into a great Hell In a Bucket... The Sugaree that follows is no slouch.. This first set...

This week's Deadpod features the 2nd set from the performance that took place on September 11th, 1990 at the Spectrum in Philladelphia PA. This was the first performance of "He's Gone" since Brent had passed, and I really feel that the emotion for both band and audience alike comes through on the music. The 'Spoonful' that follows surely was a deliberate pick and is also fairly heavy with emotion....

There's of course quite a lot of interest in the Grateful Dead's 1990 catalog right now with the release of the Spring 90 box set. As I reflected  upon that year, and on this month, I was led to choose this show for the next Deadpod. I've always loved this performance. It took place when I was still saddened by the loss of Brent Mydland and fearful for what would happen to the band, and it reaffir...

This week we have the opportunity to experience the 2nd and 3rd sets from the legendary Field Trip which took place on August 27th, 1972 in Veneta Oregon. While I inadvertently omitted the opening Playin' In the Band from last week's Deadpod - it starts us off this week as we strap in and prepare for flight! And what a ride this one is.. this is a show you should simply experience for yourself - m...

This weekend marks the 40th anniversary of what some call the greatest single Grateful Dead show ever. While I might not go that far, it certainly was a remarkable occasion and one well worth reliving. While the band is firing on all cylinders as was often the case during this remarkable year, its clear that there is something special in the water this day. The 'Field Trip' as its been known is a...

This week, the heart of set 2 from the classic Red Rocks show performed on July 8th, 1978. There's no filler here, folks, just prime cut Dead. You might notice that sometimes they're not quite sure where the muse is going to take them, but once it does they follow at full throttle.  The Wharf Rat is one of my all time favorites.  The Werewolves of London is clearly the best they played. Grateful D...

Here's a really fabulous show from the summer of 1978.. from a listener request, one of two *great* shows at Red Rocks that ended Summer tour that year, I picked this one mainly because the tape is of such fine quality. The boys are very energetic, you can just hear in their voices how much fun they are having. Another thing to notice is how up in the mix Bobby is here - you can really hear his di...

Here we are again - another year rolls by - I'm thankful we have so much of Jerry's music and spirit to move us. I decided to play this one for you this week - I was turned on to this version by a good friend of the Deadpod  - its been called the last great Grateful Dead show. That's hyperbole I'm sure but I played it for the Stella Blue... its not the Stella Blue I listened to this week when I sa...

Set two of a fine show from the Summer of 1990 is up to entertain you this week - personally I'm a fan of the Standing on the Moon->He's Gone->JAM.. good stuff I recall everyone on their feet and shaking it for the Goin' Down the Road Feelin' Bad.. Hope you enjoy the show! 7/6/90 - Grateful Dead Cardinal Stadium Louisville, KY  Set Two China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider > Man Smart, Woman Smar...

This week I decided to play a show that I have some fond memories of - July 6th, 1990 at Cardinal Stadium in Louisville KY. I have vivid memories of the trip to this show (following the blistering 4th of July show in Kansas) as well as walking through this group of fundamentalists on my way to the venue (they were all carrying brooms and Bibles to sweep out Satan I guess).. the weather was HOT and...

Our post-July4th Deadpod features the second set from the band's performance at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs NY during the Summer tour of 1985. This second set starts out with an interesting Stranger->Eyes->GDTRFB combo.. which is very tasty.. personally I enjoy the Black Peter (not everyone's cup of tea) and the Lovelight.. the JBG encore is far from the best, but Jerry...

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...