There is no other month in Grateful Dead History that moves me as much as the music the band made back in November of 1973. Yes I am well aware of how good May of 1977 was, and I do dearly love that period as well, but overall, show in and show out, those played in November of 1973 are simply sublime. I am happy to be able to share this show with you this week and next. So far as I know, there are only 2 shows from this month that have yet to be released commercially - this is one of those two. ...
Nov 15, 2013•1 hr 43 min
This week we go back 26 years for a fine second set from the Fall of 1987 - this again from the Henry Kaiser Convention Center in Oakland, this second set has a unique 'Uncle John's Band' opener.. and in fact a very tasty set list. They then move into a nicely jammed out version of Playin' In the Band.. we then make a stop at Terrapin Station - I believe they some interesting explorations in that jam after the song and heading into Drums.. they lead out into 'I Need A Miracle' but what may be th...
Nov 08, 2013•1 hr 36 min
This week's show was a Rex Benefit, which often meant a good show was in the offing.. this one comes to us from 1987, a year that I've recently had a request for more of from one of my wonderful listeners so I thought I"d bring you this show from November 7th, 1987 at the Henry J. Kaiser Center in Oakland, The first set, which we'll hear this week, start out strong out of the gate with a wonderful 'Hey Pocky Way'.. followed by a very good Jack Straw. Row Jimmy slows things down a bit but I've al...
Nov 01, 2013•56 min
Whether it was the fact that my mind has been turned toward this era of Dead by the release and success of 'Sunshine Daydream' or the fact that I"m not really ready to face another Winter, I ran into discussion of this gem of a show and decided I had to feature it on this week's Deadpod. This is the 2nd set of a show that took place just after the band came back to the States from their famous 1972 tour of Europe, July 16th, 1972 at Dillon Stadium in Hartford Connecticut. While we only have the ...
Oct 11, 2013•1 hr 32 min
This week's Deadpod features this fine second set from October 21st, 1983 from the Centrum in Worcester MA. While the Scarlet->Fire might be the highlight of this set (be sure and pay attention to the transition and to Jerry on that Fire), the Uncle John's -> Playin' is almost as great. Personally I'm a fan of the space in this set.. I think you'l hear some elements of Sage and Spirit in there and its very well played.. especially the jam into Truckin'.. Wharf Rat is always a treat for me,...
Oct 04, 2013•1 hr 48 min
This week's Deadpod had been on my list of requested shows for quite some time, and I'm really glad to have gotten to it this week. It comes from the Fall of 1983, a year that I think is often underestimated among Deadheads as I feel there are some very good shows that took place that year, and this is clearly one of them. This week we'll listen to the very good and unique first set. It opens with a wonderful version of 'The Music Never Stops' that makes me wonder why they didn't use this number...
Sep 27, 2013•1 hr 13 min
More '71 goodness this week as we get to dive into the second set of the Dead's performance on 8/26/71 at Gaelic Park in the Bronx, New York, New York. This set has plenty to keep your interest including Weir singing 'I wish I was a headlight..." in I Know You Rider, a smokin' hot Other One, a fine Uncle John's Band, and THEN we get to the conclusion.. a rockin' Saint Stephen->NFA->GDTRFB->NFA.. the Dead would play only one more St. Stephen in 1971 then put it away till 1976.. Pigpen is...
Sep 20, 2013•1 hr 37 min
On this Friday the 13th edition of the Deadpod I decided it fitting to honor the great Pigpen, seeing as his birthday was just a few days ago on September 8th, and this show, long a request from one of my listeners, was one of his great performances. This one comes to us from the Bronx New York, on August 26, 1971, at Gaelic Park. This week's first set is filled with great Pigpen performances, including Big Bos Man, an outstanding Hard to Handle, Good Lovin' and one of only a couple circulating ...
Sep 13, 2013•1 hr 24 min
I realize not everyone is a fan of this lineup of the Grateful Dead. Some people really don't enjoy Hornsby's contributions to the band, and you certainly will hear them in this second set from September 4th, 1991. I happen to think this is one of the best Scarlet->Fires of the 90's. I can't say that it is Hornsby's contributions that make it so but I think its undeniable that he did spark something in Garcia that was often lacking in his later years. Listen for the Phil bomb during the trans...
Sep 06, 2013•1 hr 50 min
Here's a labor day weekend show for you from the Fall tour of 1991.. This was a request from one of our facebook friends, for a show from the run that took place at the Richfield coliseum in Richfield Ohio.. I decided to play the first show from this run, but it wasn't an easy choice as all three shows have their moments.. while the real highlights from this night come in set 2, this week's first set contains plenty of fine playing .. Jack Straw is nicely played, as is the Jack-A-Roe that follow...
Aug 30, 2013•1 hr 7 min
I was pleasantly surprised by all the positive responses I received to last week's Deadpod -so I am pleased to be able to present the 2nd set of this great show from August 16th, 1980 at the Mississippi River Festival on this week's Deadpod. This set starts off rocking just as hard as set 1, with a hot CC Rider going into a really excellent China Cat -> I Know You Rider.. Estimated is quite strongly played as well, then a long He's Gone leads into a really trippy drums and space.. the Other O...
Aug 23, 2013•1 hr 45 min
This week's Deadpod is a bit unusual, as I decided to bring you an audience recording of a show that took place 33 years ago on the banks of the Mississippi River... at the Mississippi River Festival across the river from St. Louis in Edwardsville, Illinois. While I wasn't at this show, I've heard many reports from friends over the years that this was a complete *blast*, probably due, at least partially, to the fact that there was supposedly an absolute deluge of a storm going on especially in t...
Aug 16, 2013•1 hr 11 min
Hard to believe its been 18 years since we lost Jerry...and since this week's Deadpod falls on that sad anniversary I felt that this week's show should commemorate that loss perhaps more than most do. One thing that unites us all as Deadheads is the fact that we all feel that loss.. I decided to bring you a show from the summer of 1995, not to depress you or to point out how far Jerry had slipped by then (although it can't be denied) but becuase it still contains huge moments of genius and insig...
Aug 09, 2013•1 hr 45 min
This week's Deadpod features some really unique music from the summer of 1976.. this one comes from the famous run at the Orpheum Theater in San Francisco, from July 16th, 1976.. We only have the 2nd set of this show in soundboard quality so that is what I'm going to present.. I think you'll agree that this is a fine example of the more exploratory side of the band that was unfolding after the hiatus of '75 and before the signature sound of 1977.. The entire run is quite worth exploring, and man...
Jul 26, 2013•1 hr 39 min
Ah summer.. in the midst of its heat and humidity its wise for us to sit back and breath it in.. and savor it for passes like dew.. this week's Deadpod is of course the second set of a show that seems to me to embody the kind of setlist that a summer GD show should have.. lyrics that speak of starlight and songs that twinkle and sparkle like the summer night sky. Crazy Fingers.. Uncle John's Band.. Terrapin.. and of course Morning Dew.. even the Quinn the Eskimo reminds me of warm summer shows o...
Jul 19, 2013•1 hr 35 min
Here's a show that several folks have requested recently..and since it recently marked its 25th anniversary I thought it would be a great time to feature it on the Deadpod. This comes to us from July 2nd, 1988, from the Oxford Plains Speedway in Oxford Maine.. I wasn't there but all accounts of this weekend seem to suggest it was a blast.. its a fun show and you can certainly tell that Jerry and the band were having a good time during this well played first set. The Iko Iko starts out hot and ge...
Jul 12, 2013•1 hr 6 min
Happy 4th of July weekend everyone! I do hope you had a great holiday, and I hope this second set from 6/22/73 helps make the rest of your holiday weekend even better! This is really a fine set, and as fine an example of the Dead improvisational skills as any of their shows. While this is almost a complete show in itself, this 2 hour second set features both more straight ahead songs as well as some real cosmic explorations, especially by Garcia and Lesh in the post -Truckin' jam. The show start...
Jul 05, 2013•2 hr 8 min
Here is a show that is on many folks' Desert Island list of shows they absolutely must have.. its from 40 years ago, back on June 22nd, 1973 at PNE Coliseum in Vancouver British Columbia.. This is clearly one of the classics from that great year, and I was surprised when I realized I hadn't featured this on the Deadpod before.. even thought this is the last Deadpod before July 4th, I think a great version of Jack Straw like the one in this first set quite fits the patriotic theme, even if the sh...
Jun 28, 2013•1 hr 57 min
The second set from Giants Stadium, E. Rutherford NJ, on June 17th, 1991 was one of the best played sets of that year. I think you'll agree that the Saint of Circumstance through Drums the band is tightly wound and playing and listening well to each other. Hornsby continues to scatter the Dark Star theme throughout the set, culminating in a flatout Dark Star Jam after Ship of Fools, (the first since June of 1974!).. The Truckin' that follows is very uptempo and moving and goes into perhaps one o...
Jun 21, 2013•1 hr 47 min
This week's Deadpod has been a often requested show for some time.. I think I hesitated in putting it on the Deadpod because it was such a well-known show, and it had been broadcast back in the day on TV. Still its probably one of the finest shows of 1991, and since its anniversary was coming up, I decided it would be a great time to break it out here on the Deadpod. This show occurred back on June 17th, 1991 at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford NJ. They blow out of the gate with a spot on Eyes ...
Jun 14, 2013•1 hr 2 min
This week I decided to feature a nice counterpoint to last week's show so naturally I turned my attention to an earlier era of Grateful Dead... 1970 has always been a favorite year, the band had grown and matured into a tight cohesive whole and the performances still contained plenty of vigor and raw energy.. That energy is readily apparent in this week's performance. This tape, unfortunately is only part of the performance from this date, but its a very nice sounding fragment and well worth our...
Jun 07, 2013•1 hr 12 min
This week's Deadpod comes as the result of a request from a great supporter of the Deadpod.. for many folks the only show or shows they were able to see happened late in the band's tenure. This show takes place in the Fall of 1993... while I find most shows from '93 pretty uninteresting, I do think the second set from this show offers plenty for us to chew on, so I'm going to play just that second set this week on the Deadpod. This took place, as so many great shows did, at the Spectrum in Phila...
May 31, 2013•1 hr 46 min
Welcome to Summer! Yes Memorial Day weekend is the 'unoffical' start of summer, and while it is still feeling like early spring at times here, hopefully this smokin' hot set of live Dead from May of 1977 will put you in the mood for some fine Summertime relaxing.. This second set from T uscaloosa Alabama features a remarkable Terrapin Station and a great Playin' sandwich.. It's really a strong show through and through, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Memorial Coliseum (U of Alabama), Tu...
May 24, 2013•1 hr 31 min
During May of each year, I always try to pay recognition to the superlative run of shows the band played during May of 1977. This year as most of you probably know, the organization has finally decided to release a box set of some of these shows.. While I do not generally play shows that have been officially released, I've decided to feature one of these shows that is going to be released this week. For the true collector, this won't dissuade them from purchasing what looks like a beautiful coll...
May 17, 2013•1 hr 48 min
This week we get to hear set 2 of this fine show from May 5th, 1990 at Cal State, Dominguez Hills California. This is a fine second set and starts off with a rockin' Truckin to get things rolling. The Playin'->Uncle John's Band leads into a strange and wonderful Space and Drumz. The polst-drums highlight is probably the Dear Mr.Fantasy which leads into a nice Goin' Down the Road.. The Around and Around which closes the set is fun as well.. listen to the end of it where its obvious the boys ar...
May 10, 2013•1 hr 23 min
Oh the glorious month of May! I'm sure its one of everyone's favorite times of the year, and of course one of the great traditions in the first weekend of May is the Kentucky Derby.. this week's Deadpod features a show that paid tribute, as the band often did, to that grand event, by playing the late George Jones' "The Race Is On".. and a fine version it is .. I really felt I needed to play it this year especially in light of the recent passing of George Jones, a true country treasure. This show...
May 03, 2013•1 hr 11 min
This week's Deadpod features set 2 from 4/27/85 - the Frost Ampitheater at Stanford University.. This is a fine set, and as it opens with a Scarlet Begonias, we can imagine the delight when Jerry leads the band not into Fire on the Mountain but rather into a sweet version of Eyes of the World.. This duo is such a sweet combo that it alone would justify rating the show highly but the band turns on a dime into a Goin' Down the Road Feelin' Bad that in turn is also very well executed. Of course thi...
Apr 26, 2013•1 hr 34 min
This week we get to move on to the second set from April 12th, 1982 at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale NY. I think you'll agree that this is one of the more interesting and well played sets of the Spring '82 tour.. it starts off with Man Smart, Woman Smarter - an usual choice given that they opened the show with Iko, Iko.. then Jerry moves into a Sugaree which is clearly one of the best of the year.. and also in an unusual second set location, this one clocks in around 14 minutes and is quite a...
Apr 12, 2013•1 hr 33 min
Here's a show that has been on my request list for some time.. I'm not sure why I haven't gotten around to playing it aside from the fact that I did play most of the 2nd set back in '06.. at any rate its one of the best from the Spring of 1982.. this is from the Nassau Coliseum on 4/12/82. A fine first set is highlighted by an unusual "Iko, Iko' opener, a beautiful Peggy-O and a pretty crazy Mama Tried->Mexicali segue.. The Bird Song is crisp and a joy to listen to and the T.Jed is alot of fu...
Apr 05, 2013•1 hr 13 min
As we prepare to turn the page on March, I thought it might be nice to pull out a really smoking show from way back in 1969.. this one comes to us from 3/28/69 at the Modest Jr. College Civic Center in Modesto California.. yes a unique venue..but quite a strong outing for the boys. This one starts out with a strong Good Morning Little Schoolgirl, but follows that up with a deep space Dark Star... Jerry has some wonderful leads in this one, and it threads its way through chaos and eternity into a...
Mar 29, 2013•1 hr 54 min
