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!
I hope you're all having a great summer. I can't believe it's going to be September and Labor Day is right around the corner! But I love fall, and am looking forward to it. There's a lot of great music this week, so here's the highlights for Issue 30, for the week of August 19th, 2024:
First "Little Red Rooster"
August 19th
8/19/80 Uptown Theatre, Chicago, IL - 1st of a 3-show run. A very good first show of the run, which features some interesting song placement and selection. The first set kicks off with a hot "Half Step > Franklin's > Minglewood" that's guaranteed to get you dancing. The rest of the set is excellent but I especially like "Me & My Uncle > Big River" and a rare (3rd of only 6) "Feel Like A Stranger" to close set 1. The 2nd set kicks off with the first performance of "Little Red Rooster", and would be the only time they ever open the 2nd set with the song. It's a slow, mean and bluesy version. That segues directly into a smoking "China Cat > I Know You Rider" that builds to an incredible peak for the "I wish I was a headlight!" verse. The "Estimated > Eyes" that follows is really nice, and results in a roughly 3 1/2 minute "Space" jam before the "Drums". This is one instance people point to when someone asks the question of "did the band ever play Space > Drums instead of Drums > Space?" The question of what constitutes a proper "Space" is something that can spark arguments so I'll steer clear of that here, and just say I have this listed as "Drums > Space" in my set lists, but it's certainly debatable. Also, note that the segment for "Space" after "Drums" on the tape is pretty short, about a minute. But this was a time period when the band didn't stick to a rigid "Drums > Space" segment in the second set. Either way, I love the transition out of "Space" into a very fine "Playing > Comes A Time > Playing" segment that clocks in at over 24 minutes and provides ample room for some nice jamming along the way. That leads right into a rockin' version of "Around & Around", which segues directly into a scorching "Alabama Getaway". This would be the only time they ever played "Alabama Getaway" to close the second set, and it's too bad because I think it actually works well as a 2nd set closer. Anyways, Jerry is absolutely on fire, and it leaves the crowd screaming their brains out for more, so they come out and give them what they want with a rousing version of "Johnny B. Goode."
8/19/89 Greek Theatre, UC, Berkeley, CA - 2nd of a 2-show run. This show has a more "laid back" vibe then the night before which was more energetic, but there are still a lot of high points throughout. 1st set highlights are "Let The Good Times Roll", "Jack Straw", "We Can Run", "All Over Now", "Loser", and who doesn't love when Phil sings "Box Of Rain"? I love this song as a first set closer. The entire 2nd set is classic Grateful Dead song selections from beginning to end, and it's all performed perfectly. "China Cat > I Know You Rider" comes strolling out, and is dripping with psychedelic tones from Brent and Jerry. "Playing > Uncle John's Band > Playing Jam" is up next and the boys lay down a thick groove throughout. "The Other One" comes rumbling out of "Space" and reaches a nice peak before settling into an ardent "Wharf Rat" that has Jerry singing his heart out. I also like Bobby's delay effect and his overall guitar phrasing on this version. A good, but mostly standard reading of "NFA" closes out the set. They decide to encore with a nice rendition of "Foolish Heart", and would be the only time they played that song as an encore.
August 20th
8/20/80 Uptown Theatre, Chicago, IL - 2nd of a 3-show run. Overall an above-average performance, but probably the weakest of the three shows. They open with a nice "Jack Straw" that get's the crowd going. Other 1st set highlights are "Ramble On Rose > El Paso", "Big RxR Blues", a top-5 rendition of "Far From Me", and a scorching "Deal" to close set 1. They come out strong for set 2 with a beast-mode version of "Greatest Story Ever Told" which transitions into a sauntering "Althea". Other highlights are "Terrapin", and "NFA > Morning Dew > Good Lovin'".
8/20/87 Park West Ski Resort, Park City, UT - A nice high-altitude show full of peaks. The first set comes roaring out of the gate with a ripping version of "Big Boss Man > Promised Land". The rest of the set includes some fine songs but the set-closing "Push Comes To Shove" is my favorite highlight of the entire set. The second set opens with nice readings of "China Cat > I Know You Rider" and "Women Are Smarter" but really kicks into high gear with an outstanding version of "Truckin' > Smokestack Lightning", and ends with crowd-pleasing renditions of "Wheel > Gimme Some Lovin' > Watchtower (Jam Anthem version) > Stella Blue > Sugar Magnolia".
August 21st
8/21/68 Fillmore West, San Francisco, CA - A gem of a performance. This whole recording is pure primal Grateful Dead. Highlights are "The Other One suite > Schoolgirl". "Death Don't Have No Mercy", "Midnight Hour".
8/21/72 Berkeley Community Theatre, Berkley, CA - 1st of a 4-show run. An excellent show filled with plenty of top-tier performances. The 1st set highlights are "Promised Land", "Friend Of The Devil", "Jack Straw", "China Cat > I Know You Rider", "Stella Blue", "Playing". But the 2nd set is where the real magic is. Highlights are a scorching "Greatest Story" opener followed by a smooth "Ramble On Rose". And then they blast off into space with an incredible sequence of "Dark Star > El Paso > Space > Deal".
8/21/80 Uptown Theatre, Chicago, IL - 3rd of a 3-show run. The 1st set highlights are "Cold Rain & Snow > Minglewood", "High Time", "Peggy-O" and an incredible set-closing "Shakedown Street > Promised Land". The second set is unique due to the opening "Drums" segment that leads into "Uncle John's Band" and it's one of the neatest intros to "UJB" I've ever heard! After a proper jam segment the segue into a hot "Truckin" which builds to a peak, followed by a short jam which breaks into "Other One", led by Brent's perfect organ riffing and Phil's thundering bass. Then it's back into a second, even longer "Drums" jam. "Wheel" emerges perfectly from the remnants of "Drums", surrounded by some final thunder from the drums. It's a slow, deliberate and delicate intro, but soon enough it comes crashing down as they sing the first verse: "The wheel is turning and you can't stand still!". Just perfect. The "Wheel" outro leads to a short jam, followed by the reprise of "Uncle John's Band" to finish the song. A rousing "Sugar Magnolia" finishes the set out strong. "Alabama Getaway" is a popular encore song of the time, and this one rocks pretty hard.
8/21/83 Frost Amphitheatre, Palo Alto, CA - 2nd of a 2-show run. This is an outstanding show, especially the entire second set. 1st set highlights are "Cassidy" (only time ever played as set 1 opener), "Dire Wolf", "Althea", "Big RxR Blues", "Let It Grow". The entire 2nd set is great but "China Cat > I Know You Rider", "Playing", "Wheel", and "Baby Blue" are the highlights.
August 22nd
8/22/68 Fillmore West, San Francisco, CA - This whole show is great. Not much to say other than primo 1968 Grateful Dead, and they're having fun. "Dark Star > Cryptical > Other One > Cryptical > New Potato" is definitely the highlight for me, but I wouldn't skip any of it.
8/22/72 Berkeley Community Theatre, Berkley, CA - 2nd of a 4-show run. The band is more settled in than the night before, and it comes across as a kind of laid-back vibe throughout most of the show. To open the first set they come out strong with "Bertha" and "Greatest Story Ever Told" that follows. The big highlight of the set is definitely "Bird Song" which absolutely soars to great heights during the jam section. There's also a big "Playing" Second set highlights are "Other One" and Phil's bass solo, and NFA > GDTRFB > Hey Bo Diddley > NFA".
8/22/87 Calaveras County Fairgrounds, Angel's Camp, CA - 1st of a 2-show run at the Mountain Aire Music Festival. This show and the next night are highly regarded performances. This is probably the weaker of the two shows, but still has many great moments. 1st set highlights are a rousing "Touch > Rooster", "Bird Song", a rollicking "Schoolgirl" w/ Carlos Santana, and "Midnight Hour". 2nd set highlights are "Bucket", "Push Comes To Shove", "Eyes", and "Other One > GDTRFB > Throwing Stones > Lovelight".
August 23rd
8/23/68 Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA - Partially officially released on Two From The Vault. This magnificent show is one long set, and it's pure '68 Grateful Dead psychedelic bliss on blast mode. This and a few other shows were recorded on state-of-the-art 8-track recording gear that was borrowed from Warner Bros. I can't even imagine the conversation that had to happen in order to convince the record company to let a bunch of hippie freaks take off with equipment that was probably worth more than the house that the band was living in at the time. Well, as it turns out Warner Bros insisted on sending two sound engineers along for the ride, but they weren't skilled in recording rock bands, so they didn't place the microphones correctly. The recording issues were solved later on when Two From The Vault was remastered and re-mixed. Thankfully they figured out how to make it "just exactly perfect" because this is an incredible performance.
8/23/69 Pelletier Farm, St. Helens, OR - The music on this tape consists of some very energetic and inspired playing. It's basically one long set, or at least the tapes that we have make it seem that way. Either way, one thing I love about this recording is how aggressive Tom Constanten is playing. He's very inspired, and actually the entire band is very tight. Highlights are "Hard To Handle", "Easy Wind", and "Dark Star > St. Stephen > The Eleven > Lovelight".
8/23/80 Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, WI - This entire show is excellent. The band is very inspired and playing with a lot of energy and passion. First set highlights are "Alabama Getaway > Promised Land", "Me & My Uncle > Big River", "Lazy Lightning > Supplication". Second set highlights include "Lost Sailor > Saint Of Circumstance > He's Gone", and "Wharf Rat > Around & Around > Good Lovin'".
8/23/87 Calaveras County Fairgrounds, Angel's Camp, CA - 2nd of a 2-show run at the Mountain Aire Music Festival. This show is a scorcher, and Deadbase and others consider this one of the best show s of '87. First set highlights are "Jack Straw", "West LA Fadeaway", and the two incredible set-closing songs with Carlos Santana - "Iko", and "Watchtower" (Jam Anthem version). 2nd set highlights are "Scarlet > Fire", "Playing", and "Morning Dew".
August 24th
8/24/68 Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA - Officially released on Two From The Vault. The follow up from 8/23, and this is again one long set and constitutes the majority of the album. This entire show, like the 23rd, is outstanding. The highlight of the show for me is "Cryptical > Other One > Cryptical > New Potato", but the entire thing is a masterpiece.
8/24/72 Berkeley Community Theatre, Berkeley, CA - 3rd of a 4-show run. This is a very hot show, full of energy and top-notch playing. 1st set highlights are "China Cat > I Know You Rider", "Bird Song", and "Playing". 2nd set highlights are "Mexicali Blues", "Brown Eyed Women", "Truckin'", "Dark Star > Morning Dew".
August 25th
8/25/72 Berkeley Community Theatre, Berkeley, CA - 4th of a 4-show run. Officially released on Dave's Picks Volume 24, and is the only place you can hear the entire show because all the circulating tapes are missing the end of set 2. This is a perfect example of why it's nice to get the Dave's Pics subscription if you can swing it, but I understand it's not in everyone's budget. This is a very good show with a lot of magical moments. 1st set highlights are "Cold Rain & Snow", "He's Gone", "Black Peter", "Bird Song", "Playing", and "Bertha". 2nd set highlights are "Truckin' > Other One > Stella Blue".
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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