Tag: brent mydland

The Grateful Dead Truck It Up To Buffalo: July 4th, 1989

To celebrate the 4th of July in 1989, the Grateful Dead decided to heed the advice of their song “Truckin’” and return to Buffalo. By now, it was near tradition for the band to celebrate our nation’s independence with summer tour shows in the Northeast. Starting with a show at the same venue, Rich Stadium, for a 4th of July gig in 1986, the Dead followed this up with another one in 1987 in Foxboro, MA.

In classic Grateful Dead style, for 1989, they mixed it back up, with a summer run of shows that began at Foxboro two days prior and landed back in Buffalo on the 4th. It’s a well-crafted and enjoyable show that sees the band in fine form, all fully engaged, cohesive, and perhaps most importantly, healthy. In 2005, it was officially released on DVD, with an accompanying CD soundtrack, appropriately titled Truckin’ Up To Buffalo. Although, oddly, the title track never makes an appearance tonight.

For an opener, the Dead bring out an old faithful in “Bertha” that sparks the ignition at Rich Stadium this evening. Jerry Garcia adding a little extra “4th of July” mustard to the lyrics and the band easily toying with the reentry at one point only enliven the crowd further. This is succeeded by “Greatest Story Ever Told,” with fellow guitarist Bob Weir taking over the controls, admirably backed up, as usual, by Brent Mydland both vocally and instrumentally on electric piano. In the pivotal three-spot tonight, the band reverts back to another old standby, their signature take on the folk classic “Cold Rain And Snow.”

Weir then tags back in for another cover tune. This time it’s the band’s take on “Walkin’ Blues,” an old blues standard that was reintroduced to their live shows a few years prior. A lively Hammond organ solo from Mydland that’s supplanted by slick work from Weir on guitar along with his signature vocal stylings highlight this one. Garcia seems to take great delight in playing the “Row Jimmy” that follows, as made evident by the smiles that accompany two poignant guitar solos and a flawless vocal delivery. It’s a beautiful rendition from an era of the band’s history that produced a lot of them.

The Dead then go back to their vaunted bag of “covers,” this time going with a choice version of the Bob Dylan-penned “When I Paint My Masterpiece.”

The Dead go back even further for the next song, “Stagger Lee,” their electricized cover of another folk song that dates back to the early 20th century. To close out the rest of the first, they return to their immense catalog of original material, starting with “Looks Like Rain.” Weir tackles the emotional vocals with ease while Garcia tacks on some more transcendent guitar fills for good measure. A rowdy “Deal,” accentuated by more frenetic work from Garcia on the fret board, then caps off the first set, with the Rich Stadium crowd vociferously making their appreciation known.

To ring in the second set for Buffalo’s 4th of July celebration in 1989, the Grateful Dead rip into an immaculate “Touch Of Grey.” The pulsating bass line deployed by Phil Lesh that doesn’t quit and more nimble guitar play from Garcia gets the communal engine revved backed up again in a big way.

After a quick pause, “Man Smart (Woman Smarter)” keeps the line moving. Brent Mydland steals the show on this one, lending both his signature raspy singing tone and some dazzling work on the organ that flavor the song perfectly. The Dead then go back into the earlier pages of the songbook again and slow things down a touch with “Ship Of Fools.” Some exquisite rhythm guitar play from Weir and fully engaged vocals on Garcia’s end seem to give this “Ship” a little extra edge to it.

But instead of a full stop afterwards, the Dead effortlessly slink into an instrumental section of “Playin’ In The Band” before taking it out for one verse, merely serving as a reprise. Perhaps remembering they opened the previous show with PITB two days ago at the Foxboro show, the proverbial ripcord is deployed and the band effortlessly shifts gear into a different classic, “Terrapin Station.”

Like it’s done so many times before, the percussive heavy outro of “Terrapin” slowly gets consumed by drummers Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart and the “Drums” portion of the evening ensues. They leave no stone unturned, unleashing an impressive arsenal of percussive agents from around the world, including an electronic-sounding steel drum and an African talking drum.

Some heavy duty kaleidoscopic imagery accompanies their playing on the video, as the rest of the band begins to reenter the fray for the “Space” portion. Eventually, a familiar tone breaks through, a quasi-trumpet sound, courtesy of one of Garcia’s many guitar filters. This paves the way for the delicate “I Will Take You Home,” sung passionately as always by Mydland, that’s juxtaposed wonderfully with the scorching take of “All Along The Watchtower” that follows.

The end of the second set wraps with another couple of tried and true Grateful Dead live staples. “Morning Dew” allows Garcia to drop a few more staggering guitar solos, which he does with ease in conjunction with some truly inspired and emotional singing. “Not Fade Away” then gets the rest of the band, and the Buffalo faithful, singing together one last time to close out the set.

The crowd continues to serenade the band through the encore break which ends once “U.S. Blues” emerges, a fitting closure to this 4th of July show, and just like they had done three years ago as well.

Both full audio and video of this vintage Dead show can be found below. Happy birthday, America!

Grateful Dead Rich Stadium – Buffalo, NY July 4th, 1989

Set 1: Bertha > Greatest Story Ever Told, Cold Rain And Snow, Walkin’ Blues, Row Jimmy, When I Paint My Masterpiece, Stagger Lee, Looks Like Rain > Deal

Set 2: Touch Of Grey, Man Smart (Woman Smarter), Ship Of Fools > Playin’ In The Band Reprise > Terrapin Station > Drums > Space > I Will Take You Home > All Along The Watchtower > Morning Dew, Not Fade Away

E: U.S. Blues

July 4, 2021
The Final Grateful Dead Show At Barton Hall: May 16, 1981

When terms like the Grateful Dead and Barton Hall come up in conversation, there’s a good chance the show being discussed is the band’s venerable May 9, 1977 performance. But there were two other shows played at this field house on the campus of Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. The final one occurred 40 years ago today. Pound for pound, it can certainly hold its own with the legendary ’77 show. And it’s certainly one of finer shows from 1981. So much so that the band recently included it on their massive 30 Trips Around The Sun box set that was released in 2015, 80 CDs worth of previously archived Dead shows celebrating the band’s lifespan. One listen shows why this was an easy choice for inclusion.

This year, the Dead take off from the starting blocks with “Feel Like A Stranger,” and Brent Mydland making his presence felt early with his electronic keyboards that are turned up way high in the mix. As the opener progresses, Jerry Garcia and the effects his guitar bring to the table rise to the top, giving it an injection of funk. For a song that had only been debuted weeks earlier at the Capitol Theater in Passaic, NJ, the groove is easy and seamless already, serving as the perfect opening salvo for this powerhouse show. Almost surprisingly, they decide to ease up immediately afterwards with a slowed down and soulful take of “Friend Of The Devil.” Mydland’s keyboard tone takes a turn for the heavens, lacing the Dead classic with an ethereal tone throughout. His efforts are rewarded with a spot for a solo and he produces a phenomenal one before handing the reigns back to Garcia.

The “Me And My Uncle” that follows finally gives Bob Weir a chance to take center stage and he navigates through the longtime Dead staple effortlessly. Mydland, still turned up plenty high in the mix, and Garcia go back and forth supplying the instrumental harmony for a band that sounds completely locked in. As was now Grateful Dead custom, once “Uncle” wraps up the drumbeat doesn’t stop and carries right over into a smoking “Big River,” highlighted by a jaw dropping run on the fretboard from Garcia. For gigs going as far back as 1978 and until 1982, these two songs would be joined at the hip just like this.

One of the real high points of the first set is the “Althea” that follows. It’s Garcia at his peak, delivering both soulful lyrics and another poignant guitar solo. Bassist Phil Lesh adds some nice extra layering on a somewhat slower but certainly potent version.

Weir then takes over again for “C.C. Rider.” But the Dead’s take on this blues standard is really fueled by another Garcia solo and the wailing rhythms emanating from Mydland’s Hammond organ. The two go back and forth once again, building the onstage chemistry that would be a mainstay of the ’80s.

The first extend inter-song break gives the Barton Hall crowd a chance to catch their breath and then it’s back to business with “Brown Eyed Women.” Garcia’s mid-song solo seems to go on a little longer than usual, only serving to ramp up the emotions even more. The band then shifts gears from old school to new with “Passenger,” with Mydland filling in the vocal part vacated by Donna Jean Godchaux. His raspy overtones don’t quite carry the same effect and, sadly, this song would be shelved for good at the end of the year. Though certainly not due to lack of effort.

A slow shuffle beat then signifies the start of “High Time,” and it never lets up. Garcia and company nail the harmonized vocals and delightfully toy around with this crowd favorite. The Dead then shift gears in the blink of an eye, with Weir quickly strumming and Garcia moving in rapid fire up and down the fretboard as they launch into “Let It Grow.” This one means business from the get-go as the rest band follows in pursuit, led in earnest by Lesh on bass. There’s a four-minute span before the song’s breakdown that’s a pure whirlwind, with each band member almost chasing one another, creating a rich texture of sound. It’s another one of the true first set highlights. A quick run through “Don’t Ease Me In” then caps off another stellar first set of Dead at Barton Hall.

The second set starts off with a “Shakedown Street” that seems to live up to its title early with some shaky lyrics from Garcia. As it progresses though, the kinks get ironed out and the funk increases, albeit at a somewhat slower pace. Weir’s rhythm guitar and Mydland’s keyboard fills mesh perfectly, and before long, a bluesy three-part vocal harmony is in full gear. But the real action takes place once this breaks down, with Garcia and Mydland soon engaging in a call and response-type jam. In keeping with tradition, “Shakedown” is immediately answered with “Bertha,” just like the Dead opened last year’s second set at Barton Hall.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IDpVffVSY4

Afterwards it’s another vintage Dead 1-2 tandem with “Lost Sailor” once again spearheaded by Weir. It proves as a more than worthy respite until the familiar chimes of “Saint Of Circumstance” kicks in. Weir navigates seamlessly between the two, with emotions respectively aligned with the respective moods of each. Almost abruptly, “Saint” comes to a halt and another immersive jam begins to develop. This one manages to work itself into a full fledged “Spanish Jam,” with influences from Miles Davis and his Sketches Of Spain album in full bloom.

As the “Spanish” element of the jam recedes, “Drums” begin to kick in and takes its usual assignment in the latter portion of the second set. The last Dead show at Barton Hall show has a lot to offer still , and the drumming tandem of Kreutzmann and Hart plays a major part. A particularly rowdy last movement of percussion soon finds its way into the familiar overtones of the beginning of “Truckin’.” As to be expected, the State that’s got the “ways and means” gets an appropriate response in Ithaca,

The ensuing jam soon sparks another one of the show’s highlights, as it devolves into a bluesy, funky ” Nobody’s Fault But Mine” jam that would make Led Zeppelin proud. Although no lyrics are sung, the sentiment is made clear and creates one of the better, off-the-cuff moments that make this last show at Barton Hall a special one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrGmm6fEsXc

“Stella Blue” then emerges from this, winding things down and allowing one last chance to get sentimental. Garcia delivers the lyrics, and another staggering guitar solo, with raw emotion and just a bit of flare. The music slows a near crawl at one point, with the Cornell crowd so rapt and quiet one can hear a pin drop. Before long, the energy skyrockets back, with “Blue” turning into more of a rocker, a true testament to the Dead’s versatility.

This gives “Going Down The Road Feeling Bad” an opportunity to make an appearance and the Dead run with it. Afterwards, Bob Weir gets the last laugh, closing out the second set by leading the band through a peppy and near raucous “One More Saturday Night.” Barton Hall rings out in a roar of applause at its completion, leaving no doubt about their feelings on this one. The Dead then grace the crowd with a bit of an atypical encore selection. Instead of a cover or a quick song, it’s an “Uncle John’s Band” that produces one last patient and inspired jam – more than a fitting choice for the final song they would ever play at Barton Hall.

Grateful Dead Barton Hall – Ithaca, NY 5/16/81

Set 1: Feel Like A Stranger-> Friend Of The Devil-> Me & My Uncle-> Big River, Althea-> CC Rider, Brown Eyed Women, Passenger, High Time-> Let It Grow-> Don’t Ease Me In

Set 2: Shakedown Street-> Bertha-> Lost Sailor-> Saint Of Circumstance-> Spanish Jam-> Drums-> Truckin’-> Nobody’s Fault But Mine-> Stella Blue-> Goin’ Down The Road Feelin’ Bad-> One More Saturday Night

E: Uncle John’s Band

May 16, 2021
Grateful Dead Play Their Last Show In Binghamton: April 12, 1983

Today marks the anniversary of the final show The Grateful Dead ever played in Binghamton, NY. The final three of these all took place at Broome County Arena, with the first show being at Harpur College in 1970. Shows at the Arena then followed in 1977 and 1979. After a short run of shows on the West Coast to open 1983, the Dead traveled east for their spring tour. With keyboardist Brent Mydland now comfortably established in the band’s dynamic for a few years now, this show offers a glimpse of vintage of early ’80s Dead and a taste of all their varied sounds and styles to date.

The show starts off in a somewhat disjointed fashion with Jerry Garcia mumbling a good portion of the lyrics to “Alabama Getaway.” Harmonizing vocals and the customary wailing Hammond B3 organ fills from Brent Mydland help to mitigate the early shortcomings. After a fairly tame Garcia solo, the band quickly shifts into “Greatest Story Ever Told.” Bob Weir leads the vocals on this quick one that features a much improved Garcia solo at the end. Jerry continues his first set ascent with the “Bird Song” that follows, nimbly maneuvering through the lyrics and delivering some ethereal guitar work. Mydland on electric keys now and Weir on rhythm guitar create a wonderful canvas of sound upon which Garcia paints effortlessly.

“New Minglewood Blues” is next on the docket with Weir once again taking lead and Garcia and Mydland each exchanging boisterous solos on this one as each song so far seems to get progressively more cohesive. This carries on right into a must-hear “Peggy-O” that features a truly heavenly tone from Mydland on keys that accompanies Garcia on vocals.

The emotions remain high and flow nicely into the “Cassidy” that comes next, with Mydland continuing to dazzle with an array of different tones emanating from his keyboard rig. This yields another short but ferocious Grateful Dead jam that the Binghamton fans applaud appropriately on this recording.

“Loser” brings the first set heat back down to a simmer before another few Garcia solos rile up Broome County Arena once more. Things continue to pick up with the cover of The Rolling Stones’ “It’s All Over Now” that follows and features more spectacular work from Mydland on the Hammond. Afterwards, the Dead throw it back a little with “Dupree’s Diamond Blues,” a recently revived classic that dates back to the late ’60s. A rousing “Let It Grow,” heavily fueled by the percussive tandem of Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart, then ends the first set that seems to celebrate almost ever era of the band’s musical catalog to date.

The Grateful Dead‘s final set in Binghamton starts off in traditional fashion with a “Help On The Way” that unfortunately sees Jerry revert back to some fumbled lyrics. Its traditional tag-team partner “Slipknot!” gives Garcia a chance for redemption as he delivers a mesmerizing guitar solo atop another full bed of sound with constant accentuating flares thrown about by Mydland and Weir. A jazz-like jam evolves from this for a bit in a “Slipknot!” that gets stretched out nicely before rounding back into form. The abrupt segue into “Franklin’s Tower” then rounds out the second set’s triumphant opening trifecta. Garcia has no issues with the vocals here and throws in a few exuberant, rapid-fire guitar runs for good measure that surely enthralls the Broome County crowd.

A second set “breather” of sorts then ensues with another traditional Dead sequence. Bob Weir takes lead on “Lost Sailor,” a song the Dead would only continue to play for a few more years after this. Another abrupt segue then serves as the lead-in to “Saint Of Circumstance,” completing the longtime song pairing that had been a regular part of the band’s live repertoire since 1979. This paves the way nicely for “Terrapin Station” as the Grateful Dead delight Binghamton with yet another classic.

The song’s drum-heavy ending, as it had and would continue to do many times going forward, serves as a natural entrance ramp to the evening’s “Drums” > “Space” sequence. To little surprise, after the band reemerges on stage, so too does “The Other One.” At several points moments earlier, drummers Kreutzmann and Hart seemed to be fashioning a similar-sounding drumbeat to the iconic one that begins this song.

In vintage Dead fashion, the intensity of “The Other One” is juxtaposed nicely by the fairly mellow, in comparison, “Wharf Rat” that follows. This gives Garcia one last chance to deliver a couple of choice solos with a nice, jazzy backdrop of sound provided by the rest of the group. As “Rat” dwindles out, the opening chords of “Not Fade Away” start up as the Dead begin to close their final Binghamton gig. At its conclusion, the crowd shows its appreciation and continues singing “Not Fade Away’ all the way through the encore break, something that would become commonplace for this song throughout the rest of the band’s career.

As a result, the encore begins with the Dead reciprocating and playing an NFA-reprise in response back to the crowd. Fittingly, the show then ends with a cover of Bob Dylan’s “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue.” With a setlist featuring two songs with the words “It’s All Over Now” in it, it’s almost as if the Dead knew this is the las time they would ever grace the Parlor City.

Grateful Dead – Broome County Arena – Binghamton, NY 4/12/83

Set 1: Alabama Getaway-> Greatest Story Ever Told, Bird Song, New Minglewood Blues, Peggy-O, Cassidy, Loser, It’s All Over Now, Dupree’s Diamond Blues, Let It Grow

Set 2: Help On The Way-> Slipknot!-> Franklin’s Tower-> Lost Sailor-> Saint Of Circumstance-> Terrapin Station-> Drums-> The Other One-> Wharf Rat-> Not Fade Away

E: It’s All Over Now Baby Blue

April 12, 2021