For the week of 2/17 – 2/23 we have some major historical events, and a slew of new songs being performed for the first time. This week I’ve written listening guides for 13 incredible shows:
2/17/1979 Oakland Coliseum Arena, Oakland, CA
2/18/1971 Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY
2/19/1971 Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY
2/20/1971 Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY
2/20/1985 Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center, Oakland, CA
2/21/1969 Dream Bowl, Vallejo, CA
2/21/1971 Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY
2/21/1995 Delta Center, Salt Lake City, UT
2/22/1969 Dream Bowl, Vallejo, CA
2/22/1974 Winterland Arena, San Francisco, CA
2/23/1968 King's Beach Bowl, Lake Tahoe, CA
2/23/1971 Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY
2/23/1974 Winterland Arena, San Francisco, CA
So grab your copy of my book On This Day In Grateful Dead History: A Daily Listening Journal if you have it to follow along. Ok, let's jump into it. Here's the highlights for Issue 7, for the week of February 17th, 2025 so check it out:
Interesting historical facts for this week:
Keith and Donna's final show (2/17/79)
Beginning of Mickey Hart’s 3-and-a-half-year hiatus from the band
First performance of Bertha, Loser, Greatest Story, Wharf Rat, Playing, U.S. Blues, It Must Have Been The Roses, Ship Of Fools, So Many Roads, Wave To The Wind, Days Between
Final performance of From The Heart Of Me
Only performance of Salt Lake City
Happy Heavenly Birthday to Vince Welnick (2/21/51)
By the way, if you're new here, this is my weekly listening guide 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 hit the Subscribe button below to go to the top of my blog page where you can enter your email to get this delivered to your email every week!
Quick note about the Relisten music links: They won't work correctly if you have the Relisten mobile app installed on your phone or tablet! After clicking the link it will open the app, but it won't take you to the exact recording. This is a known issue with the Relisten app, and I've submitted a bug report to them but it doesn't appear it's being actively developed since their last app update was 5 years ago.
There is a workaround, however! If you click and hold (also called a "long press") the link, the browser app should pop up a menu like this:
Select the option to Open in New Tab, and you will be taken to the Relisten web site, and directly to the correct recording.
If you don't have the Relisten app installed, you don't need to do this, and the link will open in your default web browser and take you directly to the correct recording, no issues. Sorry for any confusion, but it's out of my control. If they fix it, I'll let you know!
February 17th
2/17/1979 Oakland Coliseum Arena, Oakland, CA – This was Keith and Donna's final show, but they sure did end with a really fine performance. Although, no thanks to Keith. He’s barely contributing and is one of the many reasons they’re leaving the band. There’s been a lot written about this phase of the band’s history, including Blair Jackson on his blog, so I won’t rehash it here. As for this show, everyone except Keith is energized and playing their hearts out. The other reason this show is so great is because they resurrected 4 songs that hadn’t been played in years. Speaking of which, they open the 1st set with a killer version of Greatest Story Ever Told, which hadn’t been played since 10/19/74 (208 shows). It’s also a Jam Anthem version. Don’t Ease is up next, and it’s a hot one too. The rest of the set is mostly good energetic versions, but they close with a ripping rendition of Lazy Lightning > Supplication, also a Jam Anthem version. The band is amped up for the 2nd set, and kick off with a mighty swell Might As Well followed by a hot three piece Miracle > Bertha > Good Lovin’. Bobby emphatically belts out the words while Jerry lights up his guitar. From the Heart of Me is next to cool things off. It's a nice version and the final performance because, well, Donna's not around to sing it anymore after this show. Next up is a curve ball, as they launch into another breakout song – Big RxR Blues. It’s the first performance since 10/19/74 (208 shows) and there’s a bit of a tentative start to the song but it quickly catches on, and they drive it home nicely. The jamming/improvising segment of the show kicks off with Terrapin, which includes a nice exploratory passage that ultimately leads to a nice long reading of Playing. Towards the end, I can hear Phil riffing his Terrapin bass line really quick, but unfortunately a Terrapin Reprise doesn’t materialize (something they never did, but how cool would that have been?!) and instead they head into a Drums segment, then a spacey take on Wheel followed by a monster Shakedown Street > Space > Playing > Sugar Magnolia combo. Donna gets to scream her head off one last time for the One More Saturday Night encore.
Music link: https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1979/02/17?source=1247318
February 18th
2/18/1971 Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY – 1st of an epic 6-show run. The entire show was officially released on American Beauty 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition. This historic show marks the beginning and end of an era in live Grateful Dead concert sound and song selection, for two reasons. For one, we have five iconic songs being performed for the first time: Bertha, Loser, Greatest Story, Wharf Rat, and Playing In The Band. Spoiler alert: they play all five of these “new songs” in varying order every single night of the run. These are classic songs that would be a part of the repertoire for the remainder of the band’s career, and we’re extremely fortunate that Betty Cantor-Jackson decided to record what would become the first of many infamous and highly sought-after “Betty Board” recordings at this show. This would also be Mickey Hart’s last show before his 3 ½ year hiatus from the band, forcing a change in their live sound going forward. After this show, the band would be down to a single drummer, and Mickey Hart wouldn’t play again until 10/20/74. Many people have written about the controversy surrounding Lenny Hart (Mickey's father, who was managing the band at the time) who stole money from the band, so I won't write about it here. They open the 1st set by launching into Bertha. The Dead are known to be a little sloppy when playing new songs for the first time, but this version is very tight, and it’s obvious they rehearsed it a lot. A tight version of Truckin’ is up next, followed by a very soulful reading of Hurts Me Too. Loser and Greatest Story are notable as being first time performances, but don’t sound as rehearsed as Bertha to my ears, but Greatest Story transitions directly into a red-hot rendition of Johnny B. Goode. The big highlight of the entire show is Dark Star > Wharf Rat > Beautiful Jam > Dark Star > Me And My Uncle. This is the only known occurrence of Beautiful Jam which is a unique improvisational jam that emerges as Wharf Rat winds down. Bobby hits on a sweet, mellow chord structure. Phil jumps on board, and music door is created which allows Jerry to passionately lay down some sublime soloing. David Gans interviewed Phil several years ago, and David played this segment of the show for him, and this was Phil’s reaction. Here’s a neat video of Phil talking about it soon after that interview. The 2nd Set opens with an excellent version of Casey Jones, followed by the first performance of Playing, which sounds well-rehearsed but is just under-developed, and that’s to be expected. Mickey’s contributions to the song are obvious when you hear this version. Listen to this version, and then go listen to the version from the next night (2/19) as a comparison. I wonder if they would have developed this song faster if Mickey had stuck around? Other highlights are Sugar Magnolia (featuring a deep Wah-Wah pedal effect by Jerry through the entire song), and St. Stephen > NFA > GDTRFB > NFA > Uncle John’s Band.
Music link: https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1971/02/18?source=335973
February 19th
2/19/1971 Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY – 2nd of a 6-show run. Officially released on Three From The Vault. This was the first appearance of the Grateful Dead with a single drummer, after Mickey Hart left the band. I have tried to find more information on why he decided to split after only one show, and not stick around for the whole run but I guess the guilt of what his father did just weighed on him too much. Anyways, this is another epic show, and gives us two more song debuts (Bird Song and Deal). The adrenalin is running at an all-time high on this one as they open the 1st set and launch into a stomping version of Truckin’, followed by the second attempt at Loser that sounds better than the previous night. Jerry stumbles on the lyrics during Cumberland Blues, and the band seems a little distracted, either by Mickey's absence or the pictures being flashed up on the screen behind them for the ESP Dream Telepath experiment that was taking place during all 6 of these concerts. Pigpen gets things back on track with a flawless version of Hurts Me Too. Bertha features some nice organ work between the verses. Weir breaks out a rare folksy Dark Hollow and Pigpen leads the band through an excellent Smokestack Lightning. China > Rider is tight but short and fast. The 2nd set kicks off with big fat rockin' versions of Greatest Story and Johnny B. Goode. Then there's the first performance of Bird Song, and they play it like they've been playing it for years. Effortlessly putting together a light, floating jam that would become a signature part of the song before re-entry into the final verse. Easy Wind provides an opportunity to show us exactly how good of a drummer Billy is. His drumming skills really shine on this song, which has a complex drum pattern. This first performance of Deal is a special rendition, and is performed with extra soul by Jerry that isn't always present in future versions. On the final segment of Cryptical > Drums > Other One Billy once again shows off his skills as a drummer as he produces an excellent drum solo on par with versions that include Mickey. They segue into Wharf Rat, which is good, but being only the 2nd time ever played falls into the “standard version” category. That’s ok, because this was the first of what would become a very popular Other One > Wharf Rat song combination for the remainder of the Dead’s career. Billy skips the drum solo in Good Lovin' to keep the band's momentum going and they end the show on a high note with a tight Casey Jones.
Music link: https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1971/02/19?source=335925
February 20th
2/20/1971 Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY – 3rd of a 6-show run. Overall, the band is playing very well, and while this show doesn’t quite have the peaking energy of the first two shows, there’s still a lot to like. Yes, there are some issues with being out of tune through the whole show, but they kick off the 1st Set with a romping Casey Jones. Billy is the lone drummer, as previously talked about and he’s absolutely slaying it on the kit here. There are a couple of “short cuts” here and there, as a result of the adjustment to a single drummer, but they seem determined to exceed expectations overall. Other highlights are Me And My Uncle, Hard To Handle, Cryptical > Drums > Other One > Wharf Rat, Sugar Magnolia. The 2nd set starts off with a good but standard Truckin’, followed by another attempt at Loser. This one still sounds bare, probably because there’s no piano, which would be a big boost to songs like this once Keith comes on board. They play three more good-but-standard songs: Next Time You See Me, Greatest Story > Johnny B. Goode, followed by a rare electric Ripple but the highlight of this set is the big jam segment to close out the show: NFA > GDTRFB > NFA > Lovelight.
Music link: https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1971/02/20?source=335808
2/20/1985 Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center, Oakland, CA – 3rd of a 3-show run. Cold Rain & Snow > Day Tripper opener is an unusual first set opening combination and it gets the party started. The remainder of the first set is good, but standard renditions until the set-ending Don’t Ease that absolutely cooks. The 2nd set is the highlight of this show with a tight, well played version of Scarlet that features a nice jam that spans several minutes before the transition into Fire. Playing includes a nice long spacey passage before the transition into Drums, where we get a traditional celebratory Chinese New Year Dragon Dance for the second night in a row (the previous night being the first). Wheel rolls nicely out of Space and then a rather powerful version of Black Peter, followed by and outstanding Lovelight, during which Bobby does a nice rap breakdown where he riffs about making the "dark clouds roll away". He really gets the crowd going, and by the end of it his voice is completely roached. They finish with a strong rendition of U.S. Blues.
Music link: https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1985/02/20?source=341480
February 21st
2/21/1969 Dream Bowl, Vallejo, CA – 1st of a 2-show run. This whole tape is epic. I remember getting this show and the next night, 2/22/69, on DAT back in the day, and was completely blown away on first listen. Kicking off with a powerful Schoolgirl, the tape fades in near the beginning. Pig howls, Jerry soars, and Phil thunders. Up next is a fine rendition of Doin’ That Rag that has a pretty obtuse ending with Phil psychotically screaming “Doing that raaaaaaag you Mother F---ers!” Not sure what that was all about, but make sure the kids have their ear muffs on 😅. Jerry quickly segues into a beautiful, 20+ minute Dark Star that takes us on an interstellar journey away from that awkward moment. His delicate, floating melody is punctuated with a slight amount of gain applied to his amp to give it the perfect amount of raw edge, and occasional feedback to tickle your spine. The jam leading up to the first verse is generously stretched to over 7 minutes. The middle passage is sparse and dark. TC lays down some Medieval organ riffing, but I just wish he was a little louder in the mix. After the final verse, they don’t hang on to it very long and opt for a quick transition into a powerful and perfectly executed St. Stephen, including the William Tell bridge that was standard at the time. This leads into a 20+ minute The Eleven, complete with deep muscular jamming that stretches way out, and lands perfectly into a 25+ minute Lovelight. There’s a long Pig-tastic rap breakdown in the middle before building the energy back up for an intense ending. A powerful and poignant Morning Dew closes out this outstanding show.
Music link: https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1969/02/21?source=88080
2/21/1971 Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY – 4th of a 6-show run. Officially released on Workingman’s Dead 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition. The 1st set is a little unsteady, but there are some great moments as the band struts all their “new songs” out for the fourth night in a row, and they already sound more developed than the previous few days. Highlights are Cold Rain And Snow, Me And Bobby McGee, Easy Wind, Bertha, Sugar Magnolia, Johnny B. Goode. The 2nd set kicks off with a fine China Cat > I Know You Rider that sounds a lot like a prime example from ’72. After running through a typical-for-the-time take on Bird Song, they launch into a fine Cumberland Blues, featuring some nice fretwork by Jerry. King Bee is up next, and Pigpen’s vocals and harmonica chops shine on this low-down blues tune. A short but ripping version of Beat It On Down The Line follows, and then a standalone take on Wharf Rat. Jerry’s crooning is spot on, but it’s too bad they couldn’t parlay this into a big jam. Instead, it just kind of fades out into almost a soft, gentle Space at first, but unable to find a direction they opt to just abandon it. A fine version of Truckin’ is up next. Again, it’s a version that shows promise but just doesn’t develop into a jam and it also fades out. Now it’s time to play the big hit – Casey Jones. It’s a standout version, as well as a crowd pleaser, as evidenced by the screaming from the audience. To close out the show, we finally get some good jamming with an excellent rendition of Good Lovin’ > Drums > Good Lovin’. It’s one of my favorite versions from this area. Just as it ends, Jerry launches into a nice reading of Uncle John’s Band.
Music link: https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1971/02/21?source=89024
2/21/1995 Delta Center, Salt Lake City, UT – 3rd of a 3-show run. This entire show was released on 30 Trips Around The Sun box set, and upon looking at the set list you can immediately see why it was targeted. But when you listen to this show, it becomes clear exactly why it was selected. Some people avoid listening to shows from 1995, and as someone who's listened to most of them, I can understand the hesitation. I saw a handful of '95 shows and I saw first-hand how badly Jerry had declined. There's a misconception that there aren't any great shows from this year, but this show definitely proves them wrong! It's a huge standout from the rest of the '95 shows, so I want to do an extended review of the whole show for you. Several people who attended this show recall just how magical it was, and how they all seemed to be transported back to a better time in Grateful Dead touring history. For the 1st set the band came out strong with the first and only performance of Salt Lake City. Even though it had been a Bobby staple, the Dead had never played it before. There were lots of rumors that they might break this out for one of these Utah shows, and that's exactly what they did. There are a couple of rough spots, but the energy level was infectious and it carried the song over the top. The crowd goes crazy when Bobby sings “Feel that magic in the air!”. Inspired by the crowd, the closing jam is crazy intense. Friend of the Devil provides a nice double hit for the people of Utah, and the crowd again goes nuts when Jerry sings “spent the night in Utah". Wang Dang Doodle and Tennessee Jed are both well played and it's clear the band is totally in the groove on this night. On Broken Arrow it's Phil's turn to ride the wave of excitement and he produces probably one of the best versions. It's a true highlight. His bass playing and singing are spot on and heartfelt. The band is really in sync and playing off of each other. For Black Throated Wind Bobby switches to acoustic guitar and puts out one of the better versions of the song since it's reintroduction into the setlist rotation in 1990. It starts easy and laid back, like a version from 1972 but picks up a lot of momentum by the end of the song, and Bobby is passionately putting it all out there. So Many Roads starts out a little slow, but builds to a peak at the end and Jerry just belts it out as he's giving it everything he's got. It stirs a lot of emotions in retrospect knowing this would Jerry's final year, and for many of us (myself included) this song will forever be associated with that. Bobby ends the set strong with a perfect version of Music Never Stopped. It's Vince's birthday, and the crowd sings happy birthday to him during set break. We kick off the 2nd set with one of Jerry's all-time best versions of Foolish Heart, with the middle and closing jam hitting some very high peaks, and his vocals are sweet and soulful. Next is Samba in the Rain and it's Vince's turn to take the lead singer spotlight. This version is funky and well played. Jerry blasts out some MIDI horns on his guitar as Vince starts to sing. It's not a very "deep" song, but it does have a nice groove, and when the band is clicking like they are on this night, it will get you up and dancing. The band is deep in the groove for Truckin', and Bobby and Jerry are both firing off intense riffs. Vince gets the Hammond organ Leslie speakers spinning nicely which layers on that classic sound. They hit the crescendo perfectly, and the song blasts into Jerry's extended bluesy guitar solo as it fades out. But nobody was expecting what came next which is one of the reasons this show stands out. Just as everyone in the crowd is dancing and twirling to the end of Truckin', Jerry seamlessly switches modes and transitions into Make Love to You, a huge breakout song (750 shows). I don't think anyone knew what hit them when he started singing, and he creates this interesting effect as he effortlessly mirrors his vocal melody to the melody he's playing on his guitar. I think everyone was completely stunned, but the place went crazy at that moment! After that, it seemed like Make Love to You was headed for drums, but as it winds down, Jerry is completely entranced at this point and out of nowhere he slows the tempo slightly and starts picking the melody for That Would Be Something. People who were at this show reported seeing Jerry on stage with his eyes closed, singing and playing as if he's outside of his body and in a different realm. It was one of the most spontaneous and emotional surprises by Jerry in a really long time, and he had everyone's full attention. As the song comes to an end, Jerry quits playing, the lights shift off of him, and he walks off stage as they fade into Drums > Space. Out of the depths of an aquatic-themed space comes Visions of Johanna, another huge breakout song (638 shows). People who were at the show reported that at first they thought they were going to get a Wharf Rat. But they're immediately left speechless when Jerry sings "Ain't it just like the night", and they realize they're listening to Visions of Johanna. It's a typical Dylan song with a lot of lyrics, but Jerry knows the song well and with the help of the TelePrompTer he absolutely nails it. It's an incredibly emotional performance by Jerry, and the rest of the band is totally inspired, and they perfectly support him. Bobby is now ready to pick up the party mood, and he lays out a flawless Sugar Magnolia that's crackling with energy. He gets the crowd rocking as the song is more up-tempo than usual, but the band is up for the task. Jerry's leads are leaping from his guitar. People who were at the show recall Bobby coming right up to the edge of the stage and doing his Bob Star lunges. The boys finish strong with one of the most upbeat versions of Liberty you'll ever hear and the crowd goes away totally content and filled with joy over what they just witnessed. If you were there, you truly were lucky to witness this special show!
Music link: https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1995/02/21?source=100125
February 22nd
2/22/1969 Dream Bowl, Vallejo, CA – Officially released on 30 Trips Around the Sun. Like the previous show on 2/21, this is one long set. This show is a little more laid back than 2/21, but they don’t waste any time and pack a lot into these two excellent hours of music. Kicking off with a picture-perfect Dupree’s, with Jerry on acoustic guitar, this is one of my favorite versions of this song. As Dupree’s ends, Jerry immediately transitions into Mountains Of The Moon. My favorite part of this song is Jerry’s solo on the acoustic guitar that seamlessly morphs into the introduction of Dark Star. They did this song pairing only 8 times in early ’69, and I wonder if he was trying to develop a pairing of these songs at one point, given the obvious lyrical subject matter commonality? Side note: If you’d like to see a graphical representation of all the Dark Star performances, check out this incredible graph over at DeadEssays blog. Jerry switches out the acoustic for his electric guitar and lays down a sweet, delicate solo for almost 7 minutes before the first verse of this 22+ minute rendition. The middle jam escalates into a more forceful sound, with increased gain (distortion) on Jerry’s amp. He lets off a few fast-flying riffs, sending sparks off of his guitar and into the air. The intensity builds a little more, then levels off as the total volume of all the instruments increases significantly before verse 2, after which there’s a quick segue into a fierce Cryptical > Drums > Other One > Cryptical. After a nice outro jam, they land gently onto an impassionedly-sung Death Don’t Have No Mercy. The intensity quickly jumps after the first verse of the song, and Jerry weaves a spooky, spellbinding solo. A picture-perfect rendition of Doin’ That Rag is next and they nail the vocal harmony at the end. A fast transition to St. Stephen follows, and they take the outro jam after the second verse to stratospheric heights before the William Tell bridge. They’re boiling over with energy before a segue into The Eleven, which is a raging 16+ minute all-out assault. But the band isn’t done, and they have massive reserves left for a 22-minute Lovelight that includes a long Pigpen rap and a massive grand finale buildup at the end, featuring Bobby’s signature high-pitched wailing to compliment Pigpen’s raspy screaming.
Music link: https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1969/02/22?source=88376
2/22/1974 Winterland Arena, San Francisco, CA – 1st of a 3-show run. This is a massive 3 set show with select music released on Dave's Picks 2022 Bonus Disc. This was the first show of 1974 for the Dead, and they came to impress the crowd at Winterland. When you listen to this show, you get the sense that the band was excited to start playing again, and although the Wall of Sound wouldn't make its debut until a month later on March 23rd, these February hometown shows provided a way for the band to work out the kinks. There really aren't any rough spots to speak of on this performance, however. The band confidently and enthusiastically rips through the entire 1st set. We get the first performance of U.S. Blues, and it's the first of only 6 times that the Dead would open the first set with it. We also get the fist performance of It Must Have Been The Roses. They end the first set with an interesting Playing that includes a nice Slipknot! tease, but it doesn't quite materialize into a full-on jam despite a couple of attempts by Jerry to get it going. It would be another year-and-a-half before they would play the first Slipknot!. The band can't quite seem to click onto any semblance of a proper jam, so they abandon any type of structure and end up going full dissonance. After a while they bring the main Playing theme back, however, and end the song on a good note. The 2nd set starts with a rather smoking Tennessee Jed and Me & My Uncle. Then we get the first performance of Ship of Fools, which is delivered with confidence. Additional highlights from the show include a tight China > Rider, Mississippi Half-Step, and my favorite segment in the 3rd set: Eyes > China Doll > Wharf Rat > Sugar Magnolia. Finally, the Uncle John's Band encore is a delightful end to this gratifying show.
Music link: https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1974/02/22?source=336678
February 23rd
2/23/1968 King's Beach Bowl, Lake Tahoe, CA – This whole show was released as Dick's Picks Volume 22 along with 2/24/68, and is the only place you can hear these excellent shows. Lake Tahoe became the backdrop of a burgeoning rock and roll scene in 1967 because it was the place where families went to vacation, and concert promoters soon realized that there were a lot of kids looking for something to do while their parents went to the Nevada side to gamble and have adult fun. There were a handful of small funky venues around the lake that would host some big names like Jimi Hendrix, Buffalo Springfield, Steppenwolf, The Grateful Dead, Butterfield Blues Band, and John Mayall, just to name a few. If you want to really understand the Lake Tahoe scene, check out these links to Corry Arnold's awesome series of articles here and here about the Grateful Dead shows, as well as the wider rock and roll scene. King's Beach Bowl was an old bowling alley on the north side of the lake that was converted to a teen nightclub. This show kicks off with a powerful rendition of Viola Lee Blues that clocks in at almost 20 minutes. Dark Star is a real fast tempo version. It's well played but short (not even 7 minutes) and includes some really nice fretwork by Jerry. I’m not a huge fan of these early fast versions, but this one is actually pretty nice because of what Jerry's putting out on the guitar. I'm just imagining seeing them play this music in Lake Tahoe, in this old bowling alley, and how unique that must have been. The transition to China Cat is clean and powerful. As Dark Star is quickly fading, they immediately jump into the song which has more of a dance beat, and I can just imagine the kids boogying down when it hits. From there they transition seamlessly into The Eleven which is fun to hear. We're all familiar with the standard transition into I Know You Rider, but this transition into The Eleven works really well, and makes me wish they had made this a "thing", and carried this forward more. They thoroughly jam The Eleven out and it ends with a smooth, fast transition into Lovelight, which is one of the shorter versions (about 12 min) because there's no Pigpen rap, but a well-played version nonetheless for the time period. Born Cross-Eyed is rather short (2:32) and they quickly dissolve it into what appears to be feedback at first, but Phil sets up the initial short (7 minute) Spanish Jam phrases. It's slow to develop. Jerry picks up and does some slow, spacey Spanish riffs before the drummers start doing their thing, about 3 minutes into it, at which time it starts to pick up tempo and turns into a nice marching beat. It doesn't hold, and eventually the drummers quit and Jerry is kind of left hanging and he plays a few more solo riffs before hanging it up.
Music link: no circulating tapes as of February 2025.
2/23/1971 Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY – 5th of a 6-show run. This whole show is probably the strongest performance of the whole run, and the guitars are almost always in tune for the whole thing for a change. The boys kick off the 1st set with the same song they closed the previous show with – Uncle John’s Band, and this one is picture perfect with flawless vocal harmonies and flowing guitar solos. As with all the other shows in the run, they sprinkle all 5 of the “new songs” somewhere in the show, and we get very nice early renditions of two of them next: Loser and Playing. It’s astounding how much more developed these songs sound compared to just five shows ago, when they were performed live for the very first time. Later in the set there’s a scorching China Cat > I Know You Rider, followed by a rousing version of Bertha. They end the set with superb renditions of Morning Dew, Sugar Magnolia, and Casey Jones. Not a bad warmup for an equally impressive 2nd set that includes a delicate Bird Song that’s already starting to sound much more sophisticated. The first of two powerful jam segments is up next. Truckin’ features strong, driving bass and perfect vocal harmonies. Jerry shreds during the last bit of the song before Billy takes over on a Drums solo that lays down a foundation for Phil to come rumbling in for the intro to The Other One. Did you notice they skipped playing Cryptical Envelopment before The Other One here? That’s because it’s a segue from Truckin’, and the old arrangement doesn’t work in that situation. In fact, except for one show in 1972 (9/23/72), Cryptical would get dropped from the rotation for 12 years (almost 800 shows) by the end of 1971. It would briefly come back in 1985 for five more shows, and then disappear forever. All that is just to say that the band is experimenting with different arrangements, and evolving their sound during this time period. But I digress. For this rendition of The Other One, Jerry sprinkles some spacey guitar riffs right as the songs starts, and they jam it out for a few minutes before the first verse. The middle jam segment sounds a bit like the middle jam segment of a ‘72 Playing. Jerry flips on the Wah-Wah peddle, and in a matter of a few minutes we’re wandering off into space as it dissolves into a quiet segment. Things get atonal for a minute, but Phil brings back the Other One bass melody and it builds up to a big crescendo, like a big powerful breaking wave, as the music rushes over your head into the second verse and an immediate transition into a gorgeous Wharf Rat, featuring passionate vocals and intense guitar work. This is only the 3rd time they’ve ever done this song combination, but more proof that they were changing up their sound. The Other One > Wharf Rat would of course become a very common song pairing, and would be played a total of 168 times until the end. After Wharf Rat we get the final “new song” – Greatest Story – and like the other “new songs” it’s already sounding much more developed. It transitions into a hot Good Lovin’, but lacks a Drums break, and is also devoid of a Pigpen rap. The final segment of the show is pure rock and roll, with a rousing combination of NFA > GDTRFB > NFA > Johnny B. Goode.
Music link: https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1971/02/23?source=335809
2/23/1974 Winterland Arena, San Francisco, CA – The entire show was released on Dave's Picks Volume 42. The show kicks off the 1st set with a pleasantly rockin' version of Around And Around which has Bob shouting excitedly for the second verse so it's clear the boys came to rock. The rest of the first set is filled with top-quality Grateful Dead. They close the set out with a punchy Promised Land > Bertha > Greatest Story that rolls immediately from song to song. I always liked it when they did those back-to-back-to-back strings of songs, and this segment is flawless. For the 2nd set, things really get going for Weather Report Suite, and the jamming section after the second verse of Let it Grow is impressive. Bobby is throwing out a nice mix of jazz chords while Jerry's fingers blast out melodic phrasing and Phil's bassline perfectly complements everybody's contributions. The jam comes down to earth and they transition into a beautiful Stella Blue. Another highlight is The Other One > Eyes Of The World segment, which combined is over 35 minutes. The Other One is flawless, and contains plenty of jamming as well as a nice spacey section before going back for the last verse. This performance of Eyes includes a Milking the Turkey jam towards the end. To cap it off they do a rare triple encore with Casey Jones and Johnny B. Goode > And We Bid You Goodnight.
Music link: https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1974/02/23?source=336744
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 won't be getting any more made. The costs of printing and shipping has almost doubled in the last few years since I had them printed, and I've decided it's just not worth it. So get one now while you can! https://www.gratefuldeadbook.com/tigdh
Peace out my good people. Until next week!
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