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 found myself really short on time this week, so apologies for sending this out so late on Sunday night (or Monday morning, depending on your time zone). But there's a lot of great music coming your way, so read on for all the details. Here's the highlights for Issue 29, for the week of August 12th, 2024:
First performances of "Truckin'", "Ripple", "Brokedown Palace", "Operator", "Easy To Love You"
Happy (Heavenly) Birthday David Crosby
August 12th
8/12/72 Sacramento Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, CA - A really nice show from an exceptional time period for the band and there's nothing disappointing here. Just classic '72 sound and the high level of performance that '72 is known for. 1st set highlights are "Me & My Uncle", "Bird Song", "Black Throated Wind", "Deal", "Playing", "Cumberland Blues". 2nd set highlights are "He's Gone > Drums > Other One > Black Peter > Other One > Truckin'", and "Half Step".
8/12/79 Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO - Another fine show at the gorgeous Red Rocks Amphitheatre. The band was scheduled to play 3 nights here, but the show got moved to McNichols Arena for the 2nd and 3rd shows due to the weather. Because of that, this would end up being the second to last show at the venue. The band typically played well here, and this show is no exception. 1st set highlights are "Mama Tried > Mexicali", "Lazy Lightning > Supplication", "Passenger" set closer. 2nd set highlights are "China Cat > I Know You Rider", "Estimated > Eyes > Jam", and "Space > NFA".
8/12/81 Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, UT - A great show full of energy and sparkle. It seems almost every song gets a little extra focus and attention. 1st set highlights are a gorgeous "Friend Of The Devil", and "Jack-a-Roe > C.C. Rider". 2nd set highlights are a mighty swell "Might As Well" opener (first one in a couple of years), which transitions easily into a sweet version of "Women Are Smarter". But then it seems like things are just getting started with a perfect "Scarlet > Fire". I really like Brent's organ work on this one. Now that the band is settled in, they pull off a monster "Estimated > Eyes". Out of "Space" emerges a nice "Spanish Jam", which gives way to "Truckin'". Check out the unique intro riff, by the way. Phil and Brent lock in on this little riff-run of notes that I've never heard before and it's pretty cool. A beautiful "Moring Dew" is up next which segues into a hot "Around & Around > Good Lovin'".
August 13th
8/13/75 Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA - One of the most iconic Grateful Dead performances ever recorded. What can I say, other than this is top 5 for me. Every year I try to make a point to listen to One From The Vault on this day. This is actually my go-to whenever I want some Grateful Dead on in the background for parties, or when I'm trying to work on something in the garage, or doing chores around the house because I know it very well, and it's an outstanding performance. The Bill Graham intro is honestly one of the best! But what a lot of people don't know is that this wasn't a concert for Dead Heads. It was put on by the Dead to promote Blues for Allah which was about to be released a few weeks later on the band's frail record company, and they knew they needed promotion in order to get radio stations to play the album. There happened to be a convention for radio programming professionals happening in San Francisco right before the release of the album, so the Dead organized this party and performance to showcase their new material. It's funny to think that one of their most well-known performances (and the resulting tapes and bootlegs) comes from a Blues for Allah promo party! The amazing Corry Arnold has a very in-depth blog article about this performance, the soundcheck from the day before and history about the Great American Music Hall. It's all very fascinating, including the comments at the end: https://lostlivedead.blogspot.com/2014/08/august-13-1975-great-american-music.html. Needless to say this entire performance is epic and the whole thing is a highlight, so just check it out.
8/13/79 McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, CO - Epic amounts of rain washed out Red Rocks, so the show was relocated to McNichols Sports Arena to keep everyone safe and dry. That's ok, because the boys put on one hell of a show anyways. 1st set highlights are the monster "Shakedown" opener, "Candyman", and "Deal" to close the set. 2nd set highlights are a supercharge "Miracle > Bertha > Good Lovin'" opener, "He's Gone > Other One", and "Truckin' > Nobody's Fault Jam > Truckin'".
8/13/87 Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO - Unfortunately for the fans of my age, this would be the final Red Rocks concert for the Dead. I was only 15 when this show happened, so I never got to see them play this magnificent venue. If you saw a Dead show here, you truly are blessed. But luckily there are the tapes at least, because this is a really good show. Of course it was raining before the show, as it typically would at Red Rocks, but according to people who were there the rain stopped before the band took the stage. 1st set highlights are a rare "Big Boss Man" opener (first of only 4 times). Other highlights are "Jack Straw", "Row Jimmy", "Far From Me", and "Box Of Rain". 2nd set highlights are "Uncle John's Band > Estimated > He's Gone > Jam", and "Throwing Stones > NFA". When the band comes back on stage after a short encore break they join in the crowd for the "NFA Chant", which is something they didn't always do, and I feel it's sign the band really had fun. But instead of going back into "NFA", Jerry spins up "Touch Of Grey", which is a good version and segues into a beautiful "Knockin' On Heaven's Door".
August 14th - Happy Birthday David Crosby (1941)
8/14/71 Berkeley Community Theatre, Berkeley, CA - 1st of a 2-show run. This show just crackles with energy, but you won't find any extensive jamming really. That said, the band is really inspired and putting out rousing versions of almost every song, and there's just something about the quality of the recording that makes it an absolute joy to listen to. For the record I like the MrBill transfer and mastering (SHNID 130871). 1st set highlights are "Bertha", "Me & My Uncle", "Mr. Charlie", "El Paso", "Big Boss Man", "Hard To Handle", "Promised Land". 2nd set highlights are "Truckin' > Drums > Other One", "Bobby McGee" (one of my all-time favorite versions), "NFA > GDTRFB > NFA", "Johnny B. Goode" (with beast mode activated!).
8/14/79 McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, CO - The 3rd of a 3 show run at what was supposed to be Red Rocks, but got moved to McNichols because of the massive amounts or rain. This is an outstanding show, where Jerry's singing is especially sweet throughout the entire show. The rest of the band is playing with passion as well, and the combined effort makes this a joy to listen to. 1st set highlights are "Jack A Roe", "Tennessee Jed", the first performance of "Easy To Love You", "Passenger", "Stagger Lee", and "Music Never Stopped". 2nd set highlights are "Ship Of Fools", "Terrapin > Playing", "NFA > Stella Blue".
8/14/81 Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, WA - An outstanding show with a lot of great moments. The band is in sync and playing with great energy. 1st set highlights include "Minglewood > Sugaree (13+ minutes!) > On The Road Again", "Bertha > Promised Land". 2nd set highlights are "Playing > China Cat > I Know You Rider", and "Space > Playing > Wharf Rat > Miracle > GDTRFB > Johnny B. Goode". Jerry springs an awesome surprise on the crowd with the first "Baby Blue" in 432 shows (1st one since 2/24/74). And it's a very nice rendition, too.
8/14/91 Cal Expo, Sacramento, CA - With a capacity of "only" 14,500, Cal Expo was on the smaller side of all the venues the band played in 1991. Compared to RFK Stadium which holds 90,000 or Giants Stadium at 76,000 for example. This was the 3rd of a 3-show run at Cal Expo and is the best of the three with good energy, tight playing and good jams. 1st set highlights are "Loser" and "Black Throated Wind". The second set kicks off with a bunch or "rain songs". Highlights are "Cold Rain & Snow", "Box Of Rain", and the jam segment "Crazy Fingers > Estimated > Supplication Jam > Uncle John's Band", and "Other One > Wharf Rat".
August 15th
8/15 Berkeley Community Theatre, Berkeley, CA - 2nd of a 2-show run. Just like the previous night, this show is super-charged with energy. They play a bunch of the same songs, but these versions are better. You also get some stretched out jamming that was missing from the night before. 1st set highlights are "Big RxR Blues", "Playing', "Cumberland Blues", "Sugaree", "China Cat > I Know You Rider". 2nd set highlights are "Truckin' > Drums > Other One > Me & My Uncle > Other One > Wharf Rat", and a highly energetic "Johnny B. Goode > And We Bid You Good Night" .
8/15/81 Portland Memorial Coliseum, Portland, OR - This entire show is outstanding. There really aren't any off moments through the entire thing. The band is tight and playing with passion and focus, and giving every song a little extra. 1st set highlights are a massive, funky "Shakedown Street" opener, "Big River", "Tennessee Jed", "Cassidy", and "Althea". 2nd set highlights are "Women Are Smarter", "To Lay Me Down", "Terrapin", and "NFA".
8/15/87 Town Park, Telluride, CO - Telluride has to be one of the sweetest little places that the band ever played in, and this show (along with the next night) would be the only time they ever played there. These shows are widely regarded as being a magical experience for anyone who was lucky enough to be there. Telluride is, of course, a ski resort in the winter, and it's one of the most difficult places to get to for skiing, which also makes it one of the better places to ski. But in mid-August it's much easier to make the drive up through the Rocky Mountains for a few nights of camping and Grateful Dead shows. You can get a good sense of what these shows were like by checking out Thomas Lofstrom's The Festival Tapes 1.0 on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4xXMmhjG6Q. Looks incredible! 1st set highlights are "Stranger > Franklin's Tower", and "Desolation Row > Deal". 2nd set highlights are "Scarlet > Fire", "Eyes", "Bertha", and "Morning Dew".
August 16th
8/16/69 Max Yasgur's Farm, Bethel, NY - The infamous Woodstock performance. This was a bit of a rough experience for the band, who struggled through some pretty adverse conditions to play their short set, including rain, wind, falling speakers, a stage on the verge of collapsing, and getting shocked by their instruments. This is not really the bands best performance, but since it's one of, if not the most famous rock concert ever, we should take a listen. And there's some really interesting stuff here. Highlights are "Dark Star > High Time", and "Lovelight", which features a really trippy "third coast" rap by some unknown person.
8/16/80 Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, IL - a really fun show with a bunch of great moments. The band is charged up, and they deliver the goods. 1st set highlights are a rousing "Alabama Getaway > Promised Land", and the set-closing "Deal". 2nd set highlights are "C.C. Rider", which segues into one of the all-time top 3 versions of "China Cat > I Know You Rider". The band is playing with furious passion, and the segue into "I Know You Rider" is an explosive crescendo that's the result of massive energy that gets built up in the preceding jam. It's one of my personal favorite versions. Other highlights are "Estimated > He's Gone", "Sugar Magnolia", and the killer double encore of "Iko" and "One More Saturday Night".
8/16/81 McArthur Court, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR - This entire show is outstanding. The Pranksters may have had something to do with that. 1st set highlights include "Jack Straw", "Minglewood", "Peggy-O", "Deal". 2nd set highlights are "Scarlet > Fire > Eyes" and the "Baby Blue" encore.
8/16/91 Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountainview, CA - 1st of a 3-show run. Ok, this show is known for 2 things. The first set "Dark Star" and the "Scarlet > Victim > Fire" in the second set. So let's just get that out of the way. There are people who attended this show who were lucky enough to see the final first set "Dark Star", which was the first time the Dead pulled that stunt since 11/15/71. For those of you who are keeping track, that's a 1,320 show breakout. Pretty incredible. Now, some say the are disappointed because it's short, and doesn't really spark any real intense jamming. And those feelings are valid, and when I listen to it, I can hear what they're saying. But what I like to do is imagine I'm there witnessing this incredible moment, close my eyes and just let the music flow over me. When you approach it that way, it's actually a really fun ride. And when you factor in the "Scarlet > Victim > Fire" from the second set, you get nothing short of magic.
August 17th
8/17/80 Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, MO - Here's a fine show with a lot of great moments. 1st set highlights are a raging "Jack Straw > Sugaree", and "Far From Me > Lost Sailor > Saint Of Circumstance". 2nd set highlights are a scorching "Samson", followed by a nice "Scarlet > Fire", and "Truckin' > Wharf Rat".
8/17/91 Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountainview, CA - 2nd of a 3-show run. The anticipation for this show was off the charts after the night before with the first set "Dark Star", and the boys delivered the goods. 1st set highlights are "Help > Slipknot! > Franklin's Tower", "Brown Eyed Women", and "Music Never Stopped". The momentum continued right through the second set with lively performances of "Women Are Smarter", "Ship Of Fools", "He's Gone > Mind Left Body Jam", "Space > Dark Star Jam > Morning Dew". There they are, messing around with "Dark Star" again! Is this version going to knock your socks off? No, probably not. But is it magical? Hell yes! If you were an old-timer Dead Head who saw them play "Dark Star" in the 60's and 70's you were probably not that impressed, but for thousands of people these two shows at Shoreline could have been their first and only "Dark Star" and that was an incredible gift. And as someone who only caught the tail end of the greatest show on earth, which did not include a "Dark Star", I'm jealous.
August 18th
8/18/70 Fillmore West, San Francisco, CA - There aren't any soundboard tapes of this show that circulate, but luckily there are some decent audience recordings. I like these tapes for the unique acoustic set, which features Pigpen playing a piano, to very nice effect, and some intense electric set moments. After hearing these tapes, I can't help to think that Pigpen should have played the piano more often. Acoustic set highlights are "Truckin'" (second performance, but first known recorded live version), "Ripple" (first performance), "New Speedway Boogie". Electric set highlights are "Dancin'", a stunning "Man's World", and "NFA".
8/18/89 Greek Theatre, Berkeley, CA - A fun little show at the Greek, featuring excellent renditions of almost every song, along with choice song selections. 1st set highlights are "Cold Rain & Snow", "Row Jimmy", "Built To Last", "Victim > Bird Song". 2nd set highlights include "Iko", "Terrapin", "Space > Crazy Fingers", and "Black Muddy River", "And We Bid You Good Night" double encore.
8/18/91 Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountainview, CA - 3rd of a 3-show run. One more excellent night at the Shoreline is in store here. The band is playing with a lot of energy and produce very good versions of every song. 1st set highlights are "It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry", "Beat It On Down The Line", "West LA Fadeaway". 2nd set highlights are "Deal (only time ever played to open the second set) > Samson", "Stranger", "Space > China Doll > GDTRFB".
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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