The Deadpod

This week the Deadpod heads back to Ford Auditorium in Detroit for the second set of the Grateful Dead's October 30, 1972 show. Fall '72 is a great stretch for the band, and this Monday night set shows why. It's loose, confident, and mostly built on rock and roll. It opens with the longest piece of the night, a Truckin' that runs past sixteen minutes. In 1972 they often stretched the song past its usual length, and here Garcia keeps finding new things to say. Ramble On Rose slows things down, and then the set moves quickly through Chuck Berry's Promised Land and Around And Around, a solid Candyman, and Weir's Greatest Story Ever Told, which was brand new that year from his solo album Ace. Mississippi Half-Step was also a new song in 1972, and it already sounds comfortable. Don't skip Tomorrow Is Forever. It's the Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton duet that Bob and Donna sang for a short time in 1972, and you don't hear it often. The real payoff comes at the end. Sugar Magnolia flows into Goin' Down The Road Feeling Bad and then into Not Fade Away, about twenty-two minutes without a break. Listen for Weir at the close of Not Fade Away, where he sings like his life depends on it. Uncle John's Band sends everyone home on a gentler note. Thanks for listening and for supporting the Deadpod. Enjoy the show. - The Professor Grateful Dead Ford Auditorium Detroit, MI 10/30/1972 - Monday Two Truckin' [16:41] Ramble On Rose [7:39] The Promised Land [4:00] Tomorrow Is Forever [5:35] Around And Around [4:18] Candyman [7:54] Greatest Story Ever Told [7:31] Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo [9:39] Sugar Magnolia [7:44] > Goin' Down The Road Feeling Bad [9:10] > Not Fade Away [5:41] Encore Uncle John's Band [7:21] You can listen to this week's Deadpod here: https://traffic.libsyn.com/deadshow/deadpod110626.mp3 Join the Deadpod community on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/131821574529  

This week's Deadpod comes from close to home for us here in Michigan: Ford Auditorium in Detroit on Monday, October 30, 1972. It was the last stop on the Dead's fall 1972 Midwest run, with Jerry, Bob, Phil, Keith, Donna, and Bill on stage just months after the band got back from Europe '72. This week we're playing the full first set, and it's a long one. It's the 1972 band at its best, mixing tight rock and roll with patient, open-ended jamming. Bertha gets things moving, and from there the Bob and Jerry songs trade off all night, with the cowboy tunes Me And My Uncle, El Paso, Big River, and Mexicali Blues alongside Deal, Sugaree, and Don't Ease Me In. Black Throated Wind and Jack Straw were both still fairly new songs in the fall of '72. The highlights for me are a long, exploratory Bird Song and a China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider that really flies. Phil also steps up to sing a lovely Box Of Rain near the end of the set. This is a fine audience recording, warm and full, with a real sense of being in the room. It isn't flawless: there's a splice in Bird Song, Big River gets clipped at the end, and it is said to be recorded by Owlsey. But the sound is so good for an audience tape from 1972 that the rough spots are easy to forgive. Grateful Dead Ford Auditorium Detroit, MI 10/30/1972 - Monday One Bertha [7:30] Me And My Uncle [3:27] Deal [6:03] Black Throated Wind [7:41] Sugaree [9:15] El Paso [6:36] Bird Song [12:54] Big River [4:52] China Cat Sunflower [6:19] > I Know You Rider [7:38] Jack Straw [5:21] Don't Ease Me In [4:28] Mexicali Blues [3:38] Box Of Rain [5:12] Playing In The Band [10:19] You can listen to this week's Deadpod here: https://traffic.libsyn.com/deadshow/deadpod103026a.mp3 Thanks as always for listening and for supporting the Deadpod. Happy Halloween, and enjoy the show. Join the Deadpod community on Facebook — share your thoughts, favorite shows, and requests!  

This week on the Deadpod we continue with the second set from the Grateful Dead's October 20, 1989 show at the Spectrum in Philadelphia. As you listen to this expansive set, you'll quickly hear how Brent was at the top of his game during this period. His keyboards and MIDI work really bring these songs to life. The highlight, in my opinion, is the "Other One Jam" out of "Truckin'." It's nearly 15 minutes of Brent and Jerry stretching out on "The Other One" theme, and DeadBase lists it as the band's first "Other One Jam" since 1975. From there the music flows into "Drums" and "Space," then into Brent's ballad "I Will Take You Home," before the band comes back to "The Other One" with a vengeance. This is the Grateful Dead at their most adventurous. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Grateful Dead The Spectrum Philadelphia, PA 10/20/1989 - Friday Two Hey Pocky Way [6:48] Scarlet Begonias [10:03] > Fire On The Mountain [13:44] Truckin' [7:07] > The Other One Jam [14:33] > Drums [10:35] > Space [10:48] > I Will Take You Home [5:06] > The Other One [11:11] > Wharf Rat [10:26] Sugar Magnolia [5:52] Encore Brokedown Palace [5:46] You can listen to this week's Deadpod here: https://traffic.libsyn.com/deadshow/deadpod102326.mp3 Be well and thanks for your kind support. Join the Deadpod community on Facebook — share your thoughts, favorite shows, and requests!  

This week we travel back to the fall of 1989 for the first set of the Grateful Dead's October 20 show at the Spectrum in Philadelphia—a performance that's been called their longest of the year. This was one of the band's high-water periods, in my opinion, and you can hear the energy and enthusiasm from the first notes of "Touch of Grey." Brent's contributions are a big part of what makes this show so enjoyable, not only on his own "Just a Little Light," but on "Tennessee Jed" as well. Played just three days after the Loma Prieta earthquake, the show also featured the Dead's first performance of Rodney Crowell's "California Earthquake," which closes the first set. Grateful Dead The Spectrum Philadelphia, PA 10/20/1989 - Friday Set One Touch Of Grey [6:19] Greatest Story Ever Told [4:10] Candyman [6:44] Picasso Moon [7:26] Just A Little Light [4:44] Tennessee Jed [8:39] Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again [8:56] Stagger Lee [5:39] The Promised Land [4:27] California Earthquake (Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On) [5:50] You can listen to this week's Deadpod here: https://traffic.libsyn.com/deadshow/deadpod101626.mp3  

This week on the Deadpod we go back 54 years, to October 9, 1972, for the second set of the "benefit for the roadies" at Winterland in San Francisco, CA. It opens with a somewhat amusing, clearly well-lubricated rap from Grace Slick, who was eventually led off the stage by Bill Graham, before the band eases into "He's Gone." The set features some really fine vocals from Garcia and great versions of "Mississippi Half-Step" and "Brokedown Palace." There's also some unique improvisation in "Truckin'" and "The Other One" that I'm sure you'll enjoy. Unfortunately, the set-closing "Casey Jones" is cut off, and the reported "Johnny B. Goode" encore isn't on the tape. Nevertheless, this one earns its place in the pantheon of fine shows from the fall of 1972. Grateful Dead Winterland Arena San Francisco, CA 10/9/1972 - Monday Two Banter (God Is Gonna Understand) [3:13] > He's Gone [11:46] Big River [4:38] Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo [9:32] Greatest Story Ever Told [4:47] Brokedown Palace [5:53] Truckin' [11:36] > The Other One [13:33] Wharf Rat [11:16] Sugar Magnolia [8:33] Casey Jones [1:20] (incomplete, fades out) You can listen to this week's Deadpod here: https://traffic.libsyn.com/deadshow/deadpod100926.mp3

This week on the Deadpod we go back to the fall of 1972 for a show at Winterland that was billed as a benefit for the band's road crew. The night is remembered for two things: a brief, unplanned cameo by Grace Slick at the start of the second set, and the first electric performance of the much-loved "Box of Rain," which the band hadn't played since its acoustic debut in September 1970. This episode covers the first set, which is where "Box of Rain" turns up. The fall of '72 was a very busy touring stretch for the band, and one of the high points of a great year. This show features some excellent vocals from Jerry and Bob. Phil, I guess, was warming up for "Box" when he tried to add his own contribution to "Tennessee Jed." I'm glad it didn't scare him off from bringing out "Box of Rain" later in the set. One of several highlights here is the set-closing "Playing In The Band," which, despite being cut at the end, has some wonderful exploration. Grateful Dead Winterland Arena San Francisco, CA 10/9/1972 - Monday One The Promised Land[3:19] Deal [4:34] Me And My Uncle [3:06] Tennessee Jed [7:30] Black Throated Wind [6:48] Friend Of The Devil [3:24] Beat It On Down The Line [3:14] Loser [6:23] El Paso [2:08#] Box Of Rain [#6:24] China Cat Sunflower [7:09] > I Know You Rider [5:13] Sugaree [7:02#] Playing In The Band [20:36#] You can listen to this week's Deadpod here: https://traffic.libsyn.com/deadshow/deadpod100226.mp3 My thanks for your continuing support of the Deadpod!

Here's a fine second set to close out September on the Deadpod. The setlist may look short, but there's plenty of tasteful jamming and exploration to round out a strong selection of classic Dead tunes. Bruce Hornsby is a great addition to a rousing "Samson and Delilah," and "Eyes of the World" gets stretched out nicely for this period in the band's history. After "Saint of Circumstance" there's an interesting little exploration that some have labeled a "Dark Star" jam. I'd take exception to that, but it's still fun to listen to. "Drums" is also quite good, with a lot of MIDI textures, and there's plenty of Phil after drums. For the encore they break out "Attics of My Life," its first appearance since March 1990, a gap of 112 shows. Grateful Dead Madison Square Garden New York, NY 9/8/1991 - Sunday Two Samson and Delilah Eyes of the World Saint of Circumstance > Drums > Space > The Other One > Wharf Rat > Good Lovin' Encore Attics of My Life You can listen to this week's Deadpod here:   https://traffic.libsyn.com/deadshow/deadpod092526.mp3 'I'll get up and fly away... ' 

This week on the Deadpod, I'm heading back to one of my favorite September stops: Madison Square Garden in New York City, for the opening night of the band's nine-show run in September 1991. By this point, the post-Brent lineup has had time to settle in, and Bruce Hornsby adds plenty of color to the proceedings. Phil makes his presence felt right from the opening "Touch of Grey," providing a strong melodic foundation throughout the set. While Garcia's vocals sound a little rough at times, his playing is right on the money. Give "Loser" a listen for a good example of both. I really dig the "Big River" > "Maggie's Farm" pairing, too. It's always a treat to hear them trade verses on that Dylan number. "Row Jimmy" and "Let It Grow" round out this week's selection. I hope you enjoy this opening visit to the Garden. Grateful Dead Madison Square Garden New York, NY September 8, 1991 (Sunday) Set One Touch of Grey > Greatest Story Ever Told Loser New Minglewood Blues Candyman Big River > Maggie's Farm Row Jimmy Let It Grow   You can listen to this week's Deadpod here:  https://traffic.libsyn.com/deadshow/deadpod091826.mp3  My thanks for your kind support of the Deadpod 

On this week's Deadpod, we continue with the second set from September 2nd, 1983, in Boise, Idaho. The boys keep up the energy from the first set throughout this one, with a jamming pre-drums segment that runs non-stop through a string of favorites. A highlight, however, comes just before Drums, when Bobby and Brent stay out front together for an intense jam of their own. Following Drums and Space, we get a pairing that's somewhat unusual for the era: "Goin' Down the Road Feeling Bad" leading straight into a particularly fine "Black Peter" — two Jerry-fronted tunes back to back, and a highlight for me. And, of course, a "Baby Blue" encore is always a fine way to close out a great show Grateful Dead Boise Pavilion - Boise State University Boise, ID 9/2/1983 - Friday  Two      Help On The Way [3:00] > Slipknot! [8:10] > Franklin's Tower [14:06]  Estimated Prophet [13:02] > Eyes Of The World [12:23] > Jam (1) [3:11] > Drums > Space [10:06] > Throwing Stones [7:54] > Goin' Down The Road Feeling Bad[7:54] > Black Peter [8:17] > Sugar Magnolia [8:36] Encore      It's All Over Now, Baby Blue [7:02] Comments     (1) Bob, Brent, and Drummers You can listen to this week's Deadpod here:  https://traffic.libsyn.com/deadshow/deadpod091126.mp3  My thanks for your continuing support of the Deadpod!    

Labor Day is here! I've found what I think is a rather overlooked show to celebrate the holiday this week with this gem from September 2, 1983 in Boise Idaho. This was the only show the band ever played in Idaho, and I have to believe that the unique location gave them some extra energy that shows through as we listen to this show.  After a unique introduction by Phil, the band powers into a funky 'Wang Dang Doodle' which then goes right into a sweet 'Jack Straw'. The energy comes through in numbers like 'Big River' and 'Big Railroad Blues'. I find the set tight and well-played and hope that it makes you smile as well.. Grateful Dead Boise Pavilion - Boise State University Boise, ID 9/2/1983 - Friday  One      Wang Dang Doodle [6:20] >  Jack Straw [5:23] ;  They Love Each Other [7:38] ;  Mama Tried [2:43] >  Big River [6:00] ;  Brown Eyed Women [5:28] ;  New Minglewood Blues [7:39] ;  Big Railroad Blues [7:12] ;  Looks Like Rain [10:26] >  Deal [9:27] You can listen to this week's Deadpod here: https://traffic.libsyn.com/deadshow/deadpod090426.mp3  Have a safe and happy Labor Day!