Welcome to the weekly newsletter that brings you the most interesting and significant facts from Grateful Dead History, along with reviews of the music for the week ahead! The idea is to give all you Heads a "Heads up" on the interesting and cool stuff the Grateful Dead were up to on this week in history! So tell me what you think!
Well, I made it half way through an entire year of doing this newsletter. I can't believe it! Since I didn't start doing this on Jan 1, it's a little off in terms of the week number of the year for 2024. Next week is week # 30, so I'm 4 weeks off. But when I started I was on vacation for the first part of January and it took me a minute to get this spun up. Well, I've managed to keep it going and I'm committed to doing 26 more of these! Thank you for all the kind words and encouragement. It really does mean a lot and helps motivate me to keep going. This week we've got some somber events to mark with Brent and Keith. Somehow it worked out that Brent's final show took place on the 10th anniversary of Keith's death, and then Brent would die 3 days later. So this week we're remembering Keith and Brent. Here's the highlights for Issue 26, for the week of July 22nd, 2024 so check it out:
RIP Keith Godchaux (7/23/80)
Brent Mydland's final show (7/23/90)
RIP Brent Mydland (7/26/90)
July 22nd
7/22/72 Paramount Northwest Theatre, Seattle, WA - A good show with strong, competent performing. You won't find any extended face-melting jams, but you'll find very nice versions of several songs. I mean, it is '72 Grateful Dead after all. Partially officially released on Grateful Dead Download Series Volume 10. 1st set highlights are "Bertha", "Bird Song", "Sugaree", "Big RxR Blues", "Cumberland Blues", "Playing". 2nd set highlights are "China Cat > I Know You Rider", "Stella Blue", "Me & Bobby McGee", "Ramble On Rose", "Truckin' > He's Gone", "Morning Dew".
7/22/84 Ventura County Fairgrounds, Ventura, CA - The 2nd of a 2-show run on the beach in Ventura. This is a fun show with good energy. 1st set highlights are "Dancin' > Bertha", "Cassidy", "Ramble On Rose", "Bucket". 2nd set highlights are "Samson", "I Just Want To Make Love To You (1529 show breakout! Last performance was 11/29/66) > Women Are Smarter", "Terrapin Station", "Morning Dew > Throwing Stones > NFA".
7/22/90 World Music Theatre, Tinley Park, IL - The 2nd of a 3-show run. This show has a lot of energy, particularly from Brent. It starts off a little rough, but "Box Of Rain" is always great to hear in my opinion. Other 1st set highlights are "Loser", Far From Me", and "Tennessee Jed". 2nd set highlights are "Samson", "Estimated > Eyes", "Gimme Some Lovin'".
July 23rd RIP Keith Godchaux
7/23/90 World Music Theatre, Tinley Park, IL - Unfortunately this would be Brent's final show. Oddly enough, it's also the 10 year anniversary of Keith Godchaux's death (7/23/80). Brent would die 3 days later on 7/26 at the age of 37. A very tragic end to a short, brilliant life that was cut down way too early by a drug overdose. Brent is probably my favorite keyboardist, but early Keith is also amazing. They're just two drastically different styles and personalities so it's hard to really compare them. They were both great, in my opinion. 1st set highlights are "Cold Rain & Snow", "Never Trust A Woman", "Cassidy", "Truckin' > Nobody's Fault But Mine Jam > Smokestack" to close the set. 2nd set highlights are "Victim", "Women Are Smarter > Terrapin", and "Watchtower".
July 24th
7/24/87 Oakland Coliseum Arena, Oakland, CA - Here's the second-to-last "Dylan and the Dead" '87 tour show. I've listened to all these shows and some are better than others. I like this one the most, specifically because of the quality of the playing and the song selection. Dylan is a master of rearranging his songs. He could take a song and rework it in different arrangements and make it sound like a completely different song. A perfect example of that can be found on this show. Compare this version of "I Want You" with the ones from 11/17&18/97 Sony Music Studios (The MTV Unplugged performances). They don't even sound like the same song. For that reason alone, I feel like it's hard to be a backing band for him. That said - for this show the Dead do a great job of playing with Dylan. They're arguably much more than just a backing band for this tour, and this performance shows off how well they could come together and it sounds really good to me. This show follows the same format as the other ones: two Dead sets and a third Dylan set. Highlights of the 1st set are "Jack Straw", "Friend Of The Devil", "Far From Me", "Cassidy" (Jam Anthem version). 2nd set highlights are "Bucket > Scarlet", "Playing", "Uncle John's Band > Dear Mr. Fantasy", "Bertha > Sugar Magnolia". The entire Dylan set is excellent with tight playing and attention to detail. Highlights are "Times They Are A Changin'", "Maggie's Farm", "Baby Tonight" (With Jerry on Pedal Steel!), "Highway 61 Revisited", "Baby Blue" (there's a gorgeous guitar solo by Jerry), "Memphis Blues", "Ballad Of A Thin Man", "Shelter From The Storm" (only time played on this tour or otherwise), "Knockin' On Heaven's Door", and "Watchtower".
July 25th
7/25/72 Paramount Theatre, Portland, OR - If you're a Bobby fan, you're going to love this one. It looks like there's only two sources that circulate for this show and they both suffer from an "off" mix in the beginning. Bobby's guitar is loud and isolated in one channel. The mix improves over time but I love hearing that focus on Bobby's guitar work. I feel like his playing really shines throughout this entire show. 1st set highlights are "Sugaree", "Bird Song", "Black Throated Wind", "Cumberland Blues", "Tennessee Jed", "Playing". 2nd set highlights are "He's Gone", "Truckin' > Jam > Drums > Other One > Jam (with an incredible and unique "Space") > Wharf Rat".
7/25/74 International Amphitheatre, Chicago, IL - This is an odd show in terms of set list and was shrouded in mystery for a long time since there weren't any tapes of it that circulated (audience or soundboard). This is a nice show with some great moments, especially in the second set. 1st set highlights are "Loose Lucy", "Black Throated Wind", "Sugaree", "Row Jimmy", "Weather Report Suite > Let It Grow". 2nd set highlights are "Scarlet Begonias", "Roses", "Dark Star Jam > Slipknot! Jam > Stella Blue".
July 26th RIP Brent Mydland (1990)
7/26/72 Paramount Theatre, Portland, OR - A nice show, with plenty of jams and long sets. 1st set highlights are "Half Step", "Sugaree", "China Cat > I Know You Rider", "Tennessee Jed", "Playing". 2nd set highlights include "He's Gone", "Greatest Story", "Ramble On Rose", "Dark Star > Comes A Time", "Sugar Magnolia", "NFA > GDTRFB > NFA".
7/26/87 Anaheim Stadium, Anaheim, CA - The final "Dylan and the Dead" tour show, and many people feel this is the best one. It was officially released on View From The Vault, Volume Four. 1st set highlights are "Iko", "Minglewood", "and "Bird Song". 2nd set highlights are "Shakedown Street > Looks Like Rain > Terrapin", and "Other One". 3rd set highlights are "Mr. Tambourine Man", "Simple Twist Of Fate", "Baby Blue", "Memphis Blues", "Ballad Of A Thin Man", "Rainy Day Women #12 And #35", "Gotta Serve Somebody", and "Watchtower".
July 27th
7/27/73 Grand Prix Racecourse, Watkins Glen, NY - This was the free "Soundcheck" rehearsal for the massive "Summer Jam" festival show on 7/28. This performance is outstanding and the tape was legendary from the beginning and consists of two short sets. 1st set highlights are "Brid Song" and "Tennessee Jed". The highlight of the second set (the whole tape, really) is the Jam > Wharf Rat. This jam exemplifies the bands ability to free-form collaborate and create incredible musical structures right before your very eyes (and ears). If you've never heard this one, it's the stuff of legends and a must-listen!
7/27/74 Civic Center, Roanoke, VA - This tape, and to some degree this performance has always been about as mysterious as the Lost Colony of Roanoke. For a long time this tape was among a group of highly uncirculated shows. Even today, what circulates is incomplete. We're missing "Seastones" and the "Eyes" encore. We're also missing a big "jam" sequence in the second set. I believe they played something like "Other One", "Dark Star", or something else because what circulates is only about 2 and a half hours. Donna also seems to disappear after "Row Jimmy". Where did she go? Very mysterious. But what we do have is some pretty good music. 1st set highlights are "Bertha", "Row Jimmy", "Half Step > Roses", "Playing". The second set I feel is missing songs, but I could be wrong. From what we have, the highlights are "China Cat > I Know You Rider", "U.S. Blues > Jam > Promised Land", which is very unusual. There's really nothing else like it on tape anywhere that I know of. It kind of has a "Truckin'" feel to it. Maybe that's where they were trying to go and it just never materialized? Either way it's fun.
7/27/82 Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO - The first of a 3-show run, and it's a good one. 1st set highlights are "Sugaree", "On The Road Again", and "China Cat > I Know You Rider". 2nd set highlights are pretty much the entire Playing sammich, but I like "Playing > Terrapin", "Wheel > Other One" segments the most.
July 28th
7/28/73 Grand Prix Racecourse, Watkins Glen, NY - This is the massive "Summer Jam" festival where approximately 600,000 people showed up to hear the Grateful Dead, Allman Brothers, and The Band. It's reported that only 150,000 tickets were sold for the event and the rest got a free concert. From the reviews and accounts from people who were there, the weather didn't exactly cooperate and many people were left to camp in the mud with little to no available water or bathrooms. 1st set highlights are "Bertha", "Beat It On Down The Line", "Box Of Rain", "Here Comes Sunshine", and a gorgeous "Playing". 2nd set highlights include "He's Gone > Truckin' > Nobody's Fault Jam > El Paso", and "Eyes". After that the Allman Brothers come out for the encores. Highlights are "NFA", "Around & Around" (which is out of place on the recordings), and "Mountain Jam".
7/28/82 Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO - The 2nd of a 3-show run. Overall, a very well played show with some great moments. 1st set highlights are "Shakedown", "Big RxR Blues", "Lazy Lightning > Supplication". 2nd set highlights are "Let It Grow > He's Gone > Truckin'", "Space > Spanish Jam > Jam > NFA".
BTW, If you're not yet familiar with Jam Anthem versions of songs you can read all about it in Deadology II by Howard Weiner. Check it out here along with all his other great books.
And that's all for now! Of course, if you want to follow along in your very own copy of my book On This Day In Grateful Dead History: A Daily Listening Journal I still have some copies available here. Once they're sold out, I will have to decide whether or not I'm going to have more made. The costs of printing and shipping have gone way up in the last few years since I had them printed so I'm not sure if it's worth it or not. So get one now while you can! https://www.gratefuldeadbook.com/tigdh
Peace out my good people. Until next week!
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