NYS Music 202​0

Author: Tim O’Shea

  • The Grateful Dead’s Last Buffalo Arena Show: 9/26/81

    During an incredibly busy year for the band, the Grateful Dead did carve out a little time for Buffalo and Upstate New York in the fall of 1981. After a thorough summer run at mainly Midwest and West Coast Venues, there were a handful of East Coast shows scheduled in the end of September. Immediately afterwards, they would be off to Europe again, their second jaunt over there this year.

    These few shows would serve as more than adequate tune-ups. On September 26, the Dead would play Buffalo Auditorium for the fifth and final time, serving as an end to an era of sorts. For the remainder of their shows in the Queen City, cavernous Rich Stadium and its 80,000 seats would serve as host.

    grateful dead buffalo

    A somewhat sluggish “Shakedown Street” starts the show and seems to rely on the certainly palpable crowd energy for momentum. If anything, this recording paints a vivid picture of the effusive Upstate fervor that’s present early. The crowd almost seems to get even louder each time they’re told to “Tell me this town ain’t got no heart.” Before you know it, they easily stretch it past the ten-minute mark with a typically funky groove in tow.

    After a brief lull, the first set energy seems to pick back up with a thunderous version of “Cassidy” that’s spearheaded by the harmonies of Bob Weir and Brent Mydland. This carries right over to a raucous “Jack-a-Roe” with some splendid fills from Mydland on electric keys.

    The “Ramble On Rose” that later follows gets furious at points with a clearly vibrant Garcia manning the lead vocals effortlessly. Mydland again makes his presence very much felt with some more intimate keyboard fills. There’s a fairly quick transition to “Looks Like Rain” that has now firmly established the first set pattern of Garcia and Weir going back and forth on lead vocals. Seems to be Jerry – Bob switching back and forth throughout the first set with lead vocals. The crowd once again audibly gets back into it with some rhythmic clapping prior to the apex of “Rain.”

    The vibrant first set vibe fueled by the rather “percussive” audience this evening continues right on into and through the “Brown Eyed Women” that follows. Garcia, once again, rises through the crowd of sound and delivers an ebullient guitar solo early on that fuels the remainder of the tune.

    Weir once again takes the vocal baton from Garcia as the band continues to burst full steam ahead with a somewhat aggressive “Let It Grow” that fits in perfectly in this late early set position. The rhythms equally supplied by the dual guitars and vocals on this one are a true first set highlight.

    Weir holds onto and keeps running with the baton as the second set begins with an exuberant “Playing In The Band” that seems to literally piggyback on the end of the first set’s emotions. An early excitable jam leads into some blissful Garcia-supplied guitar licks before it explodes into a full group effort. Some pure, joyous tones lead right up to the beginnings of “Bertha,” somehow marking the last one of only four East Coast performances n 1981 for this live Dead staple.

    Upon its finish, the band wastes no time in launching into an epic “Estimated Prophet” with all the Bob Weir-led vocal bells and whistles. The Buffalo audience sounds enraptured as the band eases through one of their classic second set standards.

    However, instead of easing into an ambient or “Space”-type section immediately afterwards, the familiar rhythmic guitar into of “Goin’ Down The Road Feeling Bad” picks up and the room is off and running again. Normally placed later in a second set, this slots in perfectly earlier in this set as the Dead’s version of an American folk classic maintains the high standards of this show.

    After typical “Drums” and “Space ” segments, the slow, rhythmic start of “Not Fade Away” starts up, signaling the beginning of the final hurrah for this final indoor Buffalo show. This one doesn’t get a chance to stretch too far as it quickly peters out and dissolves into the beginning of a poignant “Morning Dew” that gets the crowd back on its collective feet.

    Afterwards, the band collectively toys around with the “Playin’ In The Band” theme before settling into a brief reprise. Normally, this would be more than enough to end the set but “One More Saturday Night” takes care of that as Weir leads the group through one last rockin’ number to end the set.

    grateful dead buffalo
    stubs via Bob Migden

    This being Chuck Berry’s birthday, a quick dedication from Weir precedes the fitting “Johnny B. Goode” encore. And with that, the Dead’s last indoor show in Buffalo comes to a close. The next time they would come through town, five years later in 1986, Rich Stadium would take over hosting duties.

    For a full listen to all Buffalo and The Grateful Dead had to offer this evening: click here.

    Grateful Dead Buffalo Auditorium – Buffalo, NY 9/26/81

    Set 1: Shakedown Street, CC Rider, They Love Each Other, Cassidy, Jack-A-Roe, On The Road Again, Ramble On Rose-> Looks Like Rain, Brown Eyed Women-> Let It Grow-> Don’t Ease Me In

    Set 2: Playin’ In The Band->Bertha->Estimated Prophet->Goin’ Down The Road Feeling Bad->Drums->Space->Not Fade Away->Morning Dew->Playin’ In The Band (reprise)->One More Saturday Night

    Encore: Johnny B. Goode

  • Jerry Sunday: The Grateful Dead at MSG, September 20, 1982

    By 1982, The Grateful Dead’s relationship with the State of New York had been firmly established. It began with a free show at Tompkins Square Park in 1967. Now, the band had graduated to regular gigs at Madison Square Garden, The World’s Most Famous Arena. Monday, September 20, 1982 would be part of their third run at The Garden, after playing there initially in 1979 and a brief two-show stay in 1981. The Brent Mydland era was now in full swing and this show from 38 years ago sees the band relaxed and fully cohesive as the Grateful Dead at MSG deliver another knockout New York performance.

    A spunky “Shakedown Street” gets things started off on the right foot. The band wastes no time getting into a nice groove and Mydland’s backing vocals spice this one up nicely.

    Guitarists Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir take turns leading the way on vocals through pristine versions of “Candyman” and “El Paso,” respectively, with the rest of the band sounding fully engaged. Afterwards, the recent revival of “Dupree’s Diamond Blues” continued. A month earlier, the Dead dusted off this oldie but goodie after a four-year layoff. Garcia’s vocals seem to have an almost echo-y feel to them on this one before he nails the corresponding guitar solos.

    Mydland’s signature raspy vocals accompany more beautiful Garcia-supplied guitar licks on the bluesy “Never Trust A Woman” that follows. The first set later ends with a couple of new tunes. Weir quickly mentions something about “remembering all the words this time” before they launch into “Throwin’ Stones.” This would be only the third one ever played after making its debut earlier in the fall tour. It’s an aggressive rendition as Weir certainly remembers the words and then some. But instead of the traditional outro jam the Dead would later develop for it, they pivot immediately to a rousing “Keep Your Day Job” that closes the set.

    Grateful Dead at MSG

    Things rev back up immediately with the “Scarlet Begonias” that opens up the second set. It features some delightful interplay between Garcia and Mydland on keys. With a pounding rhythm generated from bassist Phil Lesh, the jam eventually meanders a little bit before the familiar tones of “Fire On The Mountain” come through.

    The mid-set “Terrapin Station” that later follows has a very mellow feel to it early on. The composed section drifts off into near silence before eventually picking back up. Later in the set, emerging from the confines of “Space,” is another Dead specialty – the “Spanish Jam.” It’s a brief but infectious instrumental section that’s influenced by the theme to Miles Davis’ “Solea” from his Sketches Of Spain album. This more than aptly serves as the bridge to “Truckin’.”

    There would be no “Truckin’” jam tonight though. Instead, the band does another collective pivot of sorts and hurls into “The Other One.” It’s a quick but powerful version that sees Weir almost toying with the lyrics.

    After a customary joyous run through of “Sugar Magnolia” to close out the second set, the Dead decide to end things with yet another new number. This is also only the third ever performance of “Touch Of Grey,” a song that would later become synonymous with the band and their lone commercial “hit.” One more show at The Garden would follow the next evening as the Dead continue to make their presence felt in The Empire State.

    Grateful Dead at MSG

    Grateful Dead – Madison Square Garden 9/20/82

    Set 1: Shakedown Street > New Minglewood Blues, Candyman > El Paso, Dupree’s Diamond Blues, It’s All Over Now, Never Trust A Woman, Row Jimmy, Throwing Stones > Keep Your Day Job

    Set 2: Scarlet Begonias > Fire On The Mountain, Women Are Smarter, Terrapin Station > Drums > Space > Spanish Jam > Truckin’ > The Other One > Stella Blue > Sugar Magnolia

    Encore: Touch Of Grey

  • New Drive-In Music Set to Roll On In to Lee, MA

    These days, large outdoor spaces are pretty much the only way to get your live music fix. Well there soon will be one more venue option available for bands and concert goers like. Local business Canna Provisions Presents, based in Lee, MA, will be sponsoring Roll On In – a pop-up venue that now inhabits a meadow located in town.

    Roll On In is committed to providing socially distanced entertainment, in a world where live music and music culture came to a complete stand still back in March. It boasts festival-level production on stage and large LED screens and line arrays in an effort to deliver the visuals and harmonics that are both so missed in these socially distant days.

    Roll On In

    This weekend will mark the opening weekend with three nights of live music currently scheduled. Friday, September 18, will feature Rice: An American Band and Rev Tour’s Steal Your Peach Band – an all-star collective of Northeast musicians playing Allman Brothers and Grateful Dead tunes.

    Saturday night sees two Massachusetts-based bands take the stage in Trailer Trash and Whiskey City. And Sunday, Beau Sasser’s Escape Plan will headline and be accompanied by Uppercut – another ensemble of musicians collected from bands like RAQ (Todd Stoops), Turkuaz (Mikey Carrubba) and Star Kitchen (Danny Meyer).

    Patrons can arrive each night at 5 pm and enjoy a full night of music with great food options also on site. Music begins at 6 pm and runs until approximately 10 pm each night. Cars with anywhere from two to six people will be allowed entrance with a cost of $25 per head. For more information and tickets, please visit rolloninshows.com.

    Roll On In

    Canna Provisions is responsible for the one recreational marijuana shop that has been nothing short of a cash cow for the town of Lee, MA. They are a committed community oriented company that clearly recognizes the importance and vitality of the live music industry. More concerts are expected to take place at this new pop-up venue until November.

  • All the Years Combine: Grateful Dead at The Garden, September 13, 1991

    Today, we celebrate the anniversary of a Grateful Dead show at the most iconic of all New York music venues: Madison Square Garden. The Dead were certainly no strangers to this room by 1991. They had been playing the Midtown Mecca since 1979 and loved taking extended stays there. Fittingly, this show would be number five of a nine-show run at The Garden.

    1991 was still very much a transitional time in the band’s history. Vince Welnick had only joined the band a year earlier and Bruce Hornsby was still making regular appearances. This show would be no different. And while this one may not be designated with a “legendary” status in the record books, there are certainly moments that shine.

    To put it nicely, whether its the recording or the performance itself, the “Touch of Grey” opener is fairly mangled. Guitarist Jerry Garcia doesn’t seem to realize his part until a full verse passes first and the rest goes downhill from there. Fellow guitarist Bob Weir then takes over and directs “Wang Dang Doodle” afterwards that has a couple of inspired Garcia licks towards the end that seem to wake him up a little. With the band seemingly picking up on this, it carries right through the ensuing “Peggy-O” where Garcia continues to shine and brushes off some of the earlier mishaps.

    The first set doesn’t seem to really take off until “Althea” which features more delicate guitar licks from Garcia that’s finally accompanied by a vocal performance to match. “When I Paint My Masterpiece” follows nicely with the always lovely accordion fills supplied by Hornsby. The first set closes with a triumphant “Bird Song” that soars for more than 14 minutes with both Welnick and Hornsby, along with the rest of the band, on top of their respective game.

    After a rather nondescript Weir-led “Victim Or The Crime” to open the second set, things escalate quickly with a rousing “Scarlet Begonias” where the intensity of an MSG show is very much audible. The seamless segue into its traditional pairing with “Fire On The Mountain’ is vintage Dead and one of the definitive bright spots of this show.

    Another valid complaint for this show may be the extended “Drums” > “Space” sequence that follows. While it does feature a few moments of fun, psychedelic mayhem, it also drifts off completely at parts and takes up almost 28 minutes of the second set.

    Grateful Dead 9/13/91 Madison Square Garden

    Garcia brings a little of the “Space” along with him in the beginning sections of “The Other One” that follow before falling into its signature pattern. This brings about another inspired jam with all seven legs of the band acting as one cohesive unit while Weir belts out the lyrics he penned for this song years ago.

    The second set ends with a joyous “Throwing Stones” that features both Weir and Garcia with some passionate singing. A somewhat abrupt cut to “Not Fade Away” follows that gives the band one last chance to stretch out and jam.

    Grateful Dead 9/13/91 Madison Square Garden – New York, NY

    Set 1: Touch of Grey, Wang Dang Doodle, Peggy-O, Big River > Cumberland Blues, Althea, When I Paint My Masterpiece, Bird Song

    Set 2: Victim Or The Crime, Scarlet Begonias > Fire On The Mountain > Drums > Space > The Other One > Stella Blue > Throwing Stones > Not Fade Away

    Encore: Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door

  • Disco Biscuits Make it a Long Weekend at the Drive-in

    Chicago Cubs legend Ernie Banks is famous for the saying “Let’s play two!” Well, The Disco Biscuits have decided to “play four” and have added two more shows to their weekend stay at the Yarmouth Drive-in on Cape Cod. After the first two shows scheduled for October 16 and 17 sold out in under an hour earlier this week, shows for the 18th and 19th are now scheduled as well.

    Tickets are on sale now at yarmouthdrivein.com. Tickets will also be available the night of show at the gate, subject to availability. Each ticket will cover one car with up to four people in it each night. They will range from $165 to $300 depending on the parking spot. Fans with more than four guests in their vehicle can purchase additional tickets. Those are capped at three tickets for $40 each.

    Disco Biscuits Drive-in
    The Disco Biscuits

    Ticket seeekers should join the Cape Club at yarmouthdrivein.com for the latest news about upcoming attractions, and first access to tickets. The Yarmouth Drive-in on Cape Cod is located at 669 Route 28, West Yarmouth, MA. The venue is acting as a haven for live music right now with other upcoming performances scheduled for the likes of Marcus King Band, Pink Talking Fish and Goose.

    These performances at the Yarmouth Drive-in will be the Disco Biscuits’ only shows for the remainder of 2020. Aside from a one-set performance in June at an empty Citizen’s Bank Park in Philadelphia , they have not taken the stage since beginning the year with three shows at the Riviera Theater in Chicago.

  • A New Upstate Home for the Grateful Dead: Glens Falls

    Today’s Dead-trospective takes us to a Glens Falls Grateful Dead show at the Civic Center played 41 years ago. August of 1979 was interesting time for the Grateful Dead. New keyboardist Brent Mydland was still getting himself acclimated, having joined the band in April. This is only his 19th show, but his second time performing in New York with the Dead after they played Broome County Arena in Binghamton in May.

    1979 featured a lot of short tours spread out over the course of the year. This would be the opener of one of them, a six-show tour in the Northeast with the last three at Madison Square Garden. This is the first time the Dead played the Civic Center. They would come back and play a single show the next three years as well.

    Glens Falls Grateful Dead

    The show begins with “Promised Land,” a Chuck Berry cover and “Dire Wolf.” It’s a fairly pedestrian 1-2 opening punch with plenty of post-song tuning. Bob Weir’s “Cassidy” follows, now in its new form with Mydland on backing vocals.

    After some more tuning and indecision, things begin to take off with “Loser,” the Garcia-sung card playing saga. Jerry has a little fun with the lyrics on this one as the “Ace of Diamonds” comes up once instead of the usual Queen. The recording gets a little bass-heavy in the brief jam that follows but is well worth it. A typically poignant Garcia solo on top of everything else seems to genuinely excite the Civic Center crown.

    A brief patch of the AUD recording doesn’t deter from a “Peggy-O” that hits all the right spots with Garcia’s vocals in top form. The first set also has a spot for newcomer Brent Mydland’s “Easy to Love You,” only the second one ever played. Afterwards, Bob Weir gives a little “love” to the locals in “New Minglewood Blues” with a change of lyrics to “New York women.”

    This being another transitional period for the Dead, new songs and playing styles would continue to emerge. “Lost Sailor” had only been played four times prior to this, debuting earlier in the month. But this show in Glens Falls would feature the first ever “Saint of Circumstance” as it blended in immediately afterwards, making it sound almost like one song, which it would continue to do for years. This is really the last multi-song composition purposely crafted by the band.

    Glens Falls Grateful Dead

    A slow to start “Shakedown Street” begins the second set but it soon turns into a boisterous one with plenty of Garcia-fueled funk. The next song would be the return of a forgotten hero with only the second “Greatest Story Ever Told” since it was shelved towards the end of 1974. Garcia seems to tease “Black Peter” afterwards, a sign of things to come, before the “Ship of Fools” that follows.

    The recording slips back to the AUD source towards the end of the stretched out “Estimated Prophet” that follows. But this give a great insight to the feel of the room. Swaths of people can be heard clapping along to the “Eyes of the World” that Garcia transitions to frenetically. This one is uptempo and bouncy from the get go with Mydland dazzling on the electric keyboard.

    The highlight of the show comes later in the second set with a remarkable transition from the “Drums” section to “Not Fade Away.” The whole band is locked in atop an infectious rhythm as Garcia continues to pull all sorts of tones out from his bag of tricks. It’s a powerful segue, and executed perfectly, as the jam continues right through “Not Fade Away.”

    Fittingly, the show is bookended with “Around and Around,” another Chuck Berry cover. Perhaps curfew was an issue as there does not appear to be any record of an encore for this show. But these two sets would pack enough of a punch on their own with new material and some exquisite second set jamming.

    The Grateful Dead would travel to Rochester after this show, for a show at Holleder Stadium. But it’s clear they found a nice new place to play in Glens Falls, the music proves it. Upstate New York fans wouldn’t have to wait too long for a reunion though. The band would return in May next year for another masterclass in psychedelic rock.

    Grateful Dead 8/31/79 Glens Falls Civic Center – Glens Falls, NY

    Set 1: The Promised Land, Dire Wolf , Cassidy, Loser, El Paso, Peggy-O, Easy To Love You, New Minglewood Blues, Althea, Lost Sailor > Saint Of Circumstance > Deal

    Set 2: Shakedown Street, Greatest Story Ever Told, Ship Of Fools, Estimated Prophet > Eyes Of The World > Drums > Not Fade Away > Black Peter > Around And Around

    Recording starts with brief AUD patch before switching to SBD source. Patches also heard in “Peggy-O,” “Minglewood,” “Estimated Prophet” and “Eyes of the World.”

  • A Bronx Tale: The Grateful Dead at Gaelic Park

    Although the Grateful Dead‘s track record with New York State is vast and varied, there’s one borough in particular that doesn’t get much love. And that’s The Bronx. Mainly because there’s only one show that was truly ever played there – Gaelic Park on August, 26 1971.

    grateful dead bronx
    stub courtesy of Wayne Eichen

    The performance is billed as a two-set show that really plays as three. A noticeably extended first set showcases some of the band’s newer original songs at time blended with a flurry of classic cover selections. Included in all this is a song the Dead would only play twice ever. And as for historical significance, this would be the last show featuring only the five founding members of the band. Seemingly aware of this, they collectively deliver a show for the ages that more than aptly serves as a figurative “passing of the torch” from one era to another.

    grateful Dead Gaelic Park

    This show opens with a crisp yet standard version of “Bertha,” a Dead original still in its nascent stages at the time. The early wave of originals would continue with a “Playin’ In The Band” that had just made its debut earlier this year at The Captiol Theatre in nearby Port Chester. Even though this would be a regular selection at Grateful Dead shows for years to come, seeing it so early in the first set like this is a verifiable treat.

    Pigpen gets his first chance to shine on vocals with a first set “Mr. Charlie,” another new song that debuted just last month. Even though he was beginning to take on a lesser role in the band by this point in time, Pig’s vocals are effusive and strong throughout this recording. This would be the last show before Keith Godchaux joined the band and assumed keyboard duties. So, fittingly, they give Pigpen plenty of the spotlight at this show and he takes it and runs with it.

    grateful Dead Gaelic Park

    The run on cover songs then begins with “El Paso,” a country-western ballad by Marty Robbins, sung smoothly by rhythm guitarist Bob Weir. “Big Boss Man” follows, a longtime Dead cover that was originally recorded by Jimmy Reed in 1960 and later popularized by Elvis in 1967. This gives Pigpen the chance to lead again and his blues-infused vocals ring loud and true throughout this one.

    This first set also features a typically stirring “Hard to Handle,” the Otis Redding tune that was one of staples of the Pigpen songbook and, perhaps, his signature song. Aside from a mild snafu with the recording, this version is terrific and sees the band fully locked in during an escalating funk-like jam before Pigpen’s wailing vocals reenter. Sung with all of the soul and swagger he would always bring to this song, sadly, this would be the last one ever played with him on stage.

    The set could have ended right there and few would take issue, but instead the band continues to motor on with “Beat It On Down The Line,” yet another cover. Jerry Garcia then takes the reigns courtesy of “Loser” and his customary hauntingly beautiful guitar solo that goes with it.

    Courtesy of Bronx Music Heritage Center

    Soon after is one of the true gems of this show – the second and final performance ever of “Empty Pages,” a song written and sang by Ronald “Pigpen” McKernan himself. It pairs his traditional crooning style with a slow blues jam that’s nicely peppered with fiery guitar licks from Garcia. It’s a true rarity and a shame that the band wouldn’t be able to further develop this one.

    The other first set highlight immediately follows with a smoking cover of The Rascals’ “Good Lovin’.” Pigpen remains strong on lead vocals as both he and the band get into some heavy improvisation on this one. Only the Dead can take a three-minute pop song like this and stretch it out to an almost ten-minute psychedelic journey.

    They had such a fun time playing the first set that the second one begins with a rare “Me and My Uncle” placement, as if to keep the opening vibes going strong. Immediately afterwards, reality sets in with a joyous “China Cat Sunflower” that soon effortlessly blends into to its traditional running partner, “I Know You Rider.” Bassist Phil Lesh, turned up particularly high in this mix, gets his turn to show off as he steers the band through the seamless transition.

    There would be no extended “Drums” section this evening. Instead, the band collectively rips into the opening of “The Other One,” fueled predominately by drummer Bill Kreutzmann. After a rip-roaring opening sequence, the jam composition quickly devolves into a meeting of the minds between Garcia and the rhythm section. Seemingly out of the blue, Weir interjects with his vocals right on point and the song is off and running.

    For a quality listen to the transition into the opening of “The Other One,” alongside some backstage photos, check out this great video courtesy of Sam Cutler, one of the band’s early tour managers:

    The powerhouse second set continues with a tidy version of “Uncle John’s Band” and one of the last performances of “Saint Stephen” before it would be shelved for nearly five years and rearranged. The jam progresses into something that almost resembles “The Eleven” before immediately settling back down into the ending of “Saint Stephen.”

    And then, right on cue, the rhythm section is back in action with the opening drumbeat of “Not Fade Away,” a Buddy Holly cover that the band had completely appropriated at this point in time. The Dead take one last swing and develop a passionate collective effort that once again flows right into “Goin’ Down The Road Feeling’ Bad” without batting an eye.

    This closing sequence serves as the cap to a phenomenal show that’s rich in both quality and legacy significance. It can be argued that the end of the Pigpen Era happened here. Amazingly, the only time the Grateful Dead would ever grace the “Boogie Down” Bronx. But talk about making the most of a single opportunity.

    Set 1: Bertha, Playing In The Band, Mr. Charlie, Sugaree, El Paso, Big Boss Man, Big Railroad Blues, Hard To Handle, Beat It On Down The Line, Loser, Sugar Magnolia, Empty Pages, Good Lovin’, Casey Jones

    Set 2: Me And My Uncle, China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You Rider, Deal, Cumberland Blues, Truckin’ -> Drums -> The Other One, Next Time You See Me, Me And Bobby McGee, Uncle John’s Band, Saint Stephen -> Not Fade Away -> Goin’ Down The Road Feeling Bad -> Not Fade Away

    Encore: Johnny B. Goode

  • Dead ‘Stock: The Story Behind the Grateful Dead’s Forgettable Woodstock Performance

    Even now, 51 years to the day, the performance by Grateful Dead at the legendary Woodstock Music Festival still leaves a mark. Although, for a variety of reasons, it’s a mark that the band and any eyewitnesses that evening may not wish to remember fondly. Weather, electrical and all the other ever-sprouting issues that arose during Woodstock all played factors that resulted in what many deem a less than memorable performance put forth by the Western newcomers that many had heard of but few had seen before.

    Due to scheduling issues and incessant rain, the band’s set on August 16, 1969 had already been pushed back from Saturday late afternoon to a 10:30 pm start time. By then, rain and the resulting mud had conquered the Bethel, NY festival grounds. The giant throng of spectators splayed across the hillside were getting soaked and restless waiting for the next act to start. Up until this point, the Grateful Dead were still only a band “on the rise” that was very much new to an East Coast crowd, by and large.

    Grateful Dead Woodstock

    The inauspicious start began when the band’s notoriously heavy gear caused the rotating stage that was being used to sink completely into the mud – something they had warned the event staff about beforehand. Phil Lesh’s bass monitor was somehow picking up the on-site helicopter’s radio signal. And the Dead’s sound technician, Owsley “Bear” Stanley, was making alterations to what he considered an inadequate in-house PA system. It resulted in him improperly grounding the stage equipment and giving new meaning to the term “electric rock.”

    Band members recall feeling a “light tingle” whenever they would touch their instruments. This all culminated with a now famous story about guitarist Bob Weir being thrown across the stage, supposedly during the “Saint Stephen” that began the show.

    It was raining toads when we played. The rain was part of our nightmare. The other part was our sound man, who decided that the ground situation on the stage was all wrong. It took him about two hours to change it, which held up the show. He finally got it set the way he wanted it, but every time I touched my instrument, I got a shock. The stage was wet, and the electricity was coming through me. I was conducting! Touching my guitar and the microphone was nearly fatal. There was a great big blue spark about the size of a baseball, and I got lifted off my feet and sent back eight or 10 feet to my amplifier.

    ~ Bob Weir, Rolling Stone interview

    Audio recordings only contain the first two minutes of the opening number, likely a result of this mishap. Things immediately lighten up a little afterwards with “Mama Tried,” a Merle Haggard song that the Dead had started covering earlier that year.

    The awkward start-and-stop rhythm of the show then rears its ugly head again thanks to another ten minutes of delay in order to deal with the sound setup. A “spirited” Ken Babbs from the Merry Pranksters takes to the MC role during this part of the show as he tries his best to entertain a crowd of hippies growing increasingly damp and restless. This also gives Country Joe McDonald the chance to pop up onstage and warn everyone about the “green acid” that was going around.

    After all the sound issues are resolved, the band launches into a moody “Dark Star” that serves as one of the musical highlights of the night. The near 20-minute rendition stretches out and descends into near ambience before rounding back into form. It features wonderful fills and textures provided by early keys player Tom Constanten who seems to be turned up abnormally high in this recording.

    Once the “Dark Star” burned out, the band trotted out another new number with “High Time” – a sentiment that was no doubt shared by many this evening. Garcia’s vocals come through aptly but this isn’t exactly a song to get a crowd up and dancing. The slow, drab composition seemed to be reflective of the current atmosphere.

    The band seems to cut their losses and ends theit set with a “Turn On Your Lovelight” that stretches out to almost 40 minutes. However,it starts with even more mayhem thanks to another “spirited” individual who jumps on stage and exclaims to everyone about “seeing the sun rise over the lake” and a “third Coast.” All this while the band is quietly playing the instrumental open to the song underneath it all.

    While it does seem to finally inject some life into the set, not even a Pigpen rap would be enough to save this show. The extensive jam meanders and shifts from pscychedelia to blues and back with little direction in between. It marked the end of a set that had high hopes at first but falls flat in its delivery thanks to the weather, sound issues, lucid ramblings from MCs and stage crashers alike, and one of the guitarists getting visibly electrocuted on stage.

    Grateful Dead Woodstock Music Festival Bethel, NY 8/16/69
    St. Stephen (cut), Mama Tried -> High Time (false start), Dark Star ->High Time, Turn On Your Love Light

  • Jerry Garcia: A Legacy Built to Last

    On the 25th anniversary of his death, the music of Jerry Garcia continues to have an enduring presence in the extended Grateful Dead scene that has thrived for more than a generation since his passing. His iconic guitar play and signature vocals have now been consumed and enjoyed by fans of all ages thanks to modern audio technology that’s fueled by a trove of Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia Band releases.

    Jerry Garcia truly was built to last. So it is fitting that we pay homage today to “Built to Last,” one of his last song writing credits. It appears on the Dead’s final studio album that shares the same name. With poetic lyrics supplied by longtime collaborator Robert Hunter, it’s a song of hope and resolve in trying times – items that are very relatable today.

    Its first performance in a live setting was on October 20, 1988, at The Summit in Houston, TX. “Built to Last” appeared in the second set, following “Playing in the Band” and right before the “Drums” section. It wasn’t played again until February of 1989 when it made its way into the first set at a show at The Forum in Inglewood, CA.

    In an odd twist, the song itself did not live up to its title as it was predominately played only in 1989, often appearing in the latter stages of the first set, before being shelved soon after. But it does share the distinction, along with “Blues for Allah,” “Terrapin Station,” and “Shakedown Street,” of being the title track for a Grateful Dead album.

    Were the band still playing today, there’s little doubt that this song would reemerge in the live setting as the lyrics about strength in times of adversity and self reliance more than play to the current climate. And the song truly does speak to the Grateful Dead’s legacy of establishing something firm and long lasting that will stand the test of time. Pair all of that with a passionate guitar solo from Jerry and you’ve got a winner.

    With that said, here’s the last ever live performance of “Built to Last,” played in Albany’s own Knickerbocker Arena. As today we celebrate the life and music of Jerry Garcia, whose legacy was undoubtedly built to last.

    “Built to Last” – words by Robert Hunter, music by Jerry Garcia

    There are times that you can beckon
    There are times when you must call
    You can shake a ton of reckoning
    But you can’t shake it all
    There are times when I can help you out
    And times that you must fall
    There are times when you must live in doubt
    And I can’t help at all

    Three blue stars / Rise on the hill
    Say no more, now / Just be still
    All these trials / Soon be past
    Look for something / Built to last

    One blue star / Sets on the hill
    Call it back / You never will
    One more star / Sinks in the past
    Show me something / Built to last.

    Built to last till time itself
    Falls tumbling from the wall
    Built to last till sunshine fails
    And darkness moves on all
    Built to last while years roll past
    Like cloudscapes in the sky
    Show me something built to last
    Or something built to try

    There are times when you get hit upon
    Try hard but you cannot give
    Other times you’d gladly part
    With what you need to live
    Don’t waste the breath to save your face
    When you have done your best
    And even more is asked of you
    Let fate decide the rest.

    All the stars / Are gone but one
    Morning breaks / Here comes the sun
    Cross the sky now / Sinking fast
    Show me something / Built to last

  • Fire on Ice: Grateful Dead light up Nassau Coliseum

    We head back to the Island for this week’s Jerry Sundays installment with a Grateful Dead show at the legendary Nassau Coliseum from 1979. The band played two shows here earlier that year in January, more than five years after their first appearance in Uniondale in 1973.

    Now, in the middle of hockey season, and at the peak of the NY Islanders hockey dynasty no less, the Dead played three shows at the famous arena that surrounded Halloween. This was still the dawn of a new era of Dead as the band was still breaking in keyboard player Brent Mydland, new to the band as of April that year.

    The tone for this evening is immediately set through a ferocious “Jack Straw” that starts the show off in grand fashion. Weir’s vocals are matched in intensity only by the lead guitar fills supplied by Jerry Garcia. “They Love Each Other” ends with a flippant comment from guitarist Bob Weir afterwards about Russia “bombing Staten Island” that evening. The Cold War Era was truly a different time. A robust and particularly uptempo “Mama Tried” that follows seems to take the place of the usual early show “El Paso” due to the “Mexicali Blues” that starts up immediately afterwards.

    Another gem from this first set is a crisp version of “Peggy-O,” with delicate vocals and guitar play both handled wonderfully by Garcia. The swaying emotions that the cover of this traditional ballad brings with it would be a staple of Dead and Jerry Garcia Band shows for years to come. This one has a smooth delivery thanks to an in-sync rhythm section that motors along behind Garcia effortlessly.

    The first set “Candyman” features even more howling guitar play from Garcia and the “Looks Like Rain” that follows is filled with even more emotional guitar fills that accompany nicely with Weir’s vocals that steadily build in ferocity as the song develops. And the newcomer gets a first set contribution as well as the Mydland-penned ballad “Easy To Love You” makes one of its earlier appearances.

    But the true “meat and potatoes” of this show is the opening sequence of the second set. Some consider this longest “Scarlet Begonias” > “Fire On The Mountain” combination that the band has ever played. And they would have a legitimate argument as this one effortlessly stretches out past thirty minutes in all. Garcia and Mydland start hooking up as the “Scarlet” jam progresses and this carries all the way into and through a “Fire” that more than lives up to its name.

    The rest of the second set is certainly no slouch, but the extended break and rabid fan reaction after these first two songs marked the end of something special. The “Terrapin Station” that follows later in the set features more of the same relaxed tone in some of its transitional sections that stretch out a little longer than usual. This eventually gives way to a “Playin’ In The Band” that races through its composition and serves up another psychedelic offering with more heavy Garcia-Mydland interplay steering the collective ship.

    grateful dead nassau coliseum

    A late second set “Black Peter” gives Garcia’s guitar the spotlight and a chance to blissfully wail away again. And the “U.S. Blues” encore hits all the right notes, courtesy of more passionate playing from Mydland. But the legendary “Scarlet” > “Fire” pairing that opens the second set is what makes this show so special – one of the greatest versions of one of the band’s greatest pairings. In other words, just another typical New York Grateful Dead show.

    Grateful Dead 11/1/79 Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum Uniondale, NY

    Set 1: Jack Straw, They Love Each Other, Mama Tried-> Mexicali Blues, Peggy-O, Minglewood Blues, Candyman, Looks Like Rain, Don’t Ease Me In, Easy To Love You, Promised Land

    Set 2: Scarlet Begonias-> Fire On The Mountain, Samson & Delilah, Terrapin Station-> Playin’ In The Band-> Drums->Space->Black Peter-> Good Lovin’

    Encore: U.S. Blues

Built in Breakdance