NYS Music 202​2

Tag: Donna Jean Godchaux

  • The Dead Unveil New Material In Rochester: September 27, 1976

    While the year 1977 typically, and justifiably, gets a lot of the attention in Grateful Dead lore, the previous year has its fair share of gems too. With the Godchaux tandem now firmly entrenched and the return of Mickey Hart, the band was approaching the peak of its collective power in 1976. A slew of new live material that was unleashed the year before and earlier this summer was proof of this. Today marks the anniversary of the fourth ever appearance in Rochester for the Grateful Dead, last playing here in 1973. A rowdy Upstate New York crowd greeted the Dead for this performance at the War Memorial (now known as Blue Cross Arena) – one that’s filled with a distinct blend of classic songs and some fresher material still relatively new in the live setting.

    Tonight’s performance gets a true “rock n’ roll” opener thanks to a lively cover of Chuck Berry’s “Promised Land” that has the Rochester crowd clapping along in time. A couple of impressive guitar licks early on from Jerry Garcia show he’s adequately warmed up and Bob Weir executes the vocals to perfection. Instead of pushing the pace even further, after some brief technical delay the Dead move over to the slow lane for “They Love Each Other.” They still manage to find their way into a nice early groove though, aided by another Garcia solo and some delicate piano work from Keith Godchaux.

    After some more extensive post-song tuning, the band then does a slow build towards the intro of what turns out to be an emphatic “El Paso” with Weir once again manning the vocals. This gives way to another first set staple in “Deal” that gets some harmonious assistance from Donna Jean Godchaux on the chorus. She also adds some delightful harmonies to the emotional “Looks Like Rain” that follows and features another organic, slow build of communal energy.

    The Dead keep in a similar mode for the slow, near plodding, tempo of “Row Jimmy” that comes next and elicits a few more emotionally-charged guitar solos from Garcia as well as supplemental dulcet tones from Donna Jean on vocals. Once completed, Weir implores the crowd to take place in “America’s Favorite Game: Take A Step Back” to prevent those in the front few rows on the floor of the War Memorial from getting further squished. This seems to call for another cover song and the choice is made for “It’s All Over Now,” a song popularized by The Rolling Stones more than a decade ago.

    The first set staples then roll on, this time with “Loser,” another Garcia-dominated number. The soulful, introspective lyrics are matched by a guitar solo that has the Rochester crowd in mass, loud approval. Once completed, the Dead then introduce Rochester to the most recent of their traditional song pairings. This time, it’s the relatively new “Lazy Lightning” and “Supplication.” With both songs making their live debut just months earlier in 1976 at shows in Portland OR, this was undoubtedly the first time this sequence was able to experienced for some East Coast Dead Heads. “Supplication” hasn’t even been given lyrics yet and is played as a sturdy instrumental that the Rochester crowd eats up.

    The opening set comes to an end with an interesting pairing of songs. First, it’s a rather unusual late set placement for “Brown Eyed Women” that has some early vocal flubs from Garcia on the intro but then wastes no time rounding into form with the crowd once again lending on-time audible support through applause. “The Music Never Stopped,” another newer song that just came into its own this year which features more vocal interplay between Weir and Donna Jean, then closes the book on the first set.

    The second one opens with another relatively fresh tune, this time it’s the Garcia and Robert Hunter composition “Might As Well,” another song that made its live debut just months earlier. It’s supported by another bouncy guitar solo and gets a welcomed reception from the crowd. Afterwards, the recognizable drum beat that begins “Samson and Delilah” ensues and the Dead are off and running with another newer song that’s still finding its footing in a live setting. Weir nails the Biblical lyrics and Garcia provides more than enough support with some fiery guitar licks with bassist Phil Lesh competently holding down the bottom end.

    After another band “huddle,” a drawn out intro to “Help On The Way” ensues with the band almost seemingly throwing in a “Music Never Stopped” tease for good measure before fully diving into “Help.” It feels like a slightly quicker version that’s played a little faster than it’s traditional styling yet, nevertheless, still flows seamlessly right into its traditional running mate in “Slipknot!” with no issues. This latter half of the pairing quickly devolves into a free-flowing, improvisational jam with Garcia and Lesh once again leading the way. This yields some of the more intensive and psychedelic jamming of the evening, a perfect springboard into the “Drums” section which soon follows.

    After essentially putting the cart (“Space”) before the horse (“Drums”), the Dead jump right back into a high-octane, free wheeling jam that winds its way perfectly into the beginning of a thunderous “The Other One” that shows the band at their improvisational best.

    After reaching a climax, the Dead slow things down considerably with “Wharf Rat” which gets another warm reception from the Rochester crowd. Garcia leads the band through this ballad-esque number with typical aplomb and his signature vocal stylings. In a bit of a twist, once completed they actually go back and play a definitive “Slipknot!” reprise for a few minutes, returning to the main theme and a smooth segue into “Franklin’s Tower” that, along with “Help On The Way,” completes a holy trinity of Grateful Dead songs. The band, and Garcia in particular, take their time with this crowd favorite and it results in 17-plus minutes of euphoric musical composition that the War Memorial crowd eagerly soaks up.

    The Dead then bookend tonight’s show in Rochester with another Chuck Berry cover, this time “Around and Around,” sung by Weir in his typical increasingly rambunctious fashion. A “U.S. Blues” that doesn’t seem to have made the recording then wraps up tonight’s Rochester show. The band would continue their Upstate New York travels and play a gig the following night at a different War Memorial, this one in Syracuse.

    View this and other Grateful Dead shows from across the years in New York State with our interactive map below

    Grateful Dead Community War Memorial Auditorium – Rochester, NY 9/27/76

    Set 1: Promised Land, They Love Each Other, El Paso, Deal, Looks Like Rain, Row Jimmy, It’s All Over Now, Loser, Lazy Lightning-> Supplication, Brown Eyed Women, The Music Never Stopped

    Set 2: Might As Well, Samson & Delilah, Help On The Way-> Slipknot!-> Drums-> The Other One-> Wharf Rat-> Slipknot!-> Franklin’s Tower-> Around & Around

    E: U.S. Blues

  • The Grateful Dead Introduce Themselves To Utica: March 21, 1973

    Today marks the anniversary of the maiden voyage for the Grateful Dead to Utica. Certainly no strangers to New York City and the Hudson Valley by 1973, the Dead would soon begin to make their mark all over the Empire State. The band was still very much in the emotional wake of the recent death of founding member Ron “Pigpen” McKernan who was laid to rest just weeks earlier. The first shows afterwards were three nights at the Nassau Coliseum and now this new iteration of the Dead headed upstate for two more in Oneida County. This first night of music is an impressive showing from start to finish, filled with fan favorites and a whole bunch of new material debuted earlier this year. It’s all gas and very little breaks as the set list will attest, just the latest dose of good music at the Aud with Santana having played here last month and Procol Harum scheduled for a gig next month.

    Dead Utica

    The recording for this show doesn’t start until the tail end of the show-opening “Bertha,” picking up in the middle of a Jerry Garcia-led jam before its closing verse. The audio quality itself is more than passable though and the Dead launch into a first set staple in “Me And My Uncle” next. The opening set also features a “Wave That Flag,” a song that would only be played a handful of times on this spring tour in 1973 before later being formally resurrected as “U.S. Blues” next year. It’s the same melody and general song structure, just with some slightly different lyrics along side some ultra jazzy piano fills from Keith Godchaux.

    Dead Utica

    After some customary post-song tuning, things take a turn for the mellow as Bob Weir takes the helm for the delicate “Looks Like Rain.” It’s a wonderful display of group musicianship as the playing ebbs and flows along with the emotional progression of the song, peaking in a short but explosive jam that the Utica crowd loudly acknowledges. The “Tennessee Jed” that follows gets stretched out even further, with a catchy jam that comes to a slow crescendo, before the Dead reign it back in with a “Box Of Rain” that sees Donna Jean Godchaux backing up bassist Phil Lesh on vocals on the American Beauty classic. Donna then assumes lead vocal duty for a cover of the Loretta Lynn tune, “You Ain’t Woman Enough,” another song only played a handful of times in 1973.

    Dead Utica

    The opening set of music then reenters the “boy’s club,” so to speak, with the next two song selections, one old and one new. A spirited but quick run through of another first set stalwart in “Jack Straw” precedes a still-fledgling “Row Jimmy” that was debuted just last month, but all the same, sees the band tugging at the collective musical heart strings once more. Afterwards, presumably in response to crowd requests for “Saint Stephen,” Phil Lesh loudly affirms they “don’t do that one anymore” with Weir adding, “Because we liked it too much.” It wouldn’t be played live again for more than another three years.

    Instead, the Dead run through the old, reliable “Beat It On Down The Line” before treating Utica to another live show newcomer. This time it’s a mesmerizing “Here Comes Sunshine” that sees guitarists Garcia and Weir complementing each other wonderfully on a song that certainly shows the potential to be a fixture for the years to come but, oddly, would be shelved for almost twenty years instead.

    An already marathon-like first set then continues with, fittingly, a crisp take of “The Race Is On” with Weir impressing on rhythm guitar before Garcia takes the baton and leads the way through an incredibly emotive “Loser.” After Weir then follows suit with a Western-themed song of his own in “El Paso,” The Dead finally bring the landing gear down on their first ever set at the Memorial Auditorium in Utica with an absolutely flawless run through of “China Cat Sunflower” along with a vintage “blink and you miss it” segue into “I Know You Rider.” Then, for good measure, they tack on a “Playing In The Band” after this that the “core four” of Garcia, Weir, Lesh and drummer Bill Kreutzmann just run circles around. The jam instantly goes dark and deep, taking its sweet time before coming back up for air. It’s one of the show’s true highlights and caps off a lengthy first set that lasts well more than 90 minutes.

    There’s no signs of this show slowing down anytime soon as the Dead reemerge for the second set with a feisty “Greatest Story Ever Told” that’s accentuated by Donna Jean’s passionate vocals. The band then introduces another newcomer to the scene, one of the earliest played versions of “They Love Each Other,” in its original faster, shuffle-like tempo that’s laid down smoothly by Kreutzmann. Afterwards, Weir and Garcia go tit-for-tat once more as they trade lead vocal duties on “Mexicali Blues” and “Brown Eyed Women,” respectively, before teaming up on a cover of “Big River” as the band keeps churning out songs.

    The tide then turns back to the introspective with the delicate “Brokedown Palace” that follows along with a triumphant take of “Me and Bobby McGee” with some spirited backup vocals from Garcia. After another long tuning break, the Dead come out of the huddle with a fakeout of sorts as they play the airy instrumental “Weather Report Suite Prelude” but then instantly shift gears and drop into one of their signature psychedelic soundscapes, “Dark Star,” which more than ably takes cares of the “Space” portion for this Grateful Dead show.

    Emerging from the “Dark Star” haze are the opening chords for another song soon to be a second set fixture for years to come, “Eyes Of The World,” which also made its live debut just last month. The Dead go deep once more here, with another fifteen-plus minute jam highlighted by some pure guitar wizardry from both Garcia and Lesh.

    Things slow down one last time with the “Wharf Rat” that follows, a song that happened to make its debut at a legendary show at New York’s Capitol Theatre in Port Chester two years ago. The strides the song has made during this time are evident as a noticeably blues-driven collective jam gets attached to the back end of this one before coming to a standstill. To close out this impressive display of their ever-growing musical catalog, the Dead dole out a few more longtime favorites to the Utica crowd starting with an emphatic “Sugar Magnolia” that Bob and Donna Jean drive home. A set-closing “Casey Jones” then serves as the de facto encore this evening, wrapping up an extensive three-plus hours of music and setting the stage for a repeat performance here the following night.

    View this and more Grateful Dead shows from across the years in New York State with our interactive map below

    Grateful Dead Utica Memorial Auditorium – Utica, NY 3/21/73

    Set 1: Bertha, Me & My Uncle, Wave That Flag, Looks Like Rain, Tennessee Jed, Box Of Rain, You Ain’t Woman Enough, Jack Straw, Row Jimmy, Beat It On Down The Line, Here Comes Sunshine, The Race is On, Loser, El Paso, China Cat Sunflower-> I Know You Rider, Playin’ In The Band

    Set 2: Greatest Story Ever Told, They Love Each Other, Mexicali Blues, Brown Eyed Women, Big River, Brokedown Palace, Me And Bobby McGee, Weather Report Suite Prelude-> Dark Star-> Eyes Of The World-> Wharf Rat-> Sugar Magnolia, Casey Jones

  • The Grateful Dead Bring A Touch of Heat To Utica: January 14, 1979

    Today marks the anniversary of one of the last Grateful Dead shows ever to take place in Utica. It comes at a time that’s the end of an era, so to speak, as Keith and Donna Jean Godchaux’s final shows with the band would take place the following month in February before keyboardist Brent Mydland’s tenure began soon after. It’s not a very widely circulated show by any means; the lone audio copy is far from pristine and, supposedly, technical issues plagued the concert that night. It’s the third of four shows that the Dead would play at Utica Memorial Auditorium and one of the final times that fans in New York, and the Northeast for that matter, would be able to see the Godchauxs on stage.

    Dead Utica

    In a fitting nod to the locale and season, the Grateful Dead greet Utica Memorial Auditorium with “Cold Rain And Snow.” The rowdy auditorium crowd eats it up, whistling and clapping endlessly throughout. A couple of crisp runs from Jerry Garcia on guitar give way to some engaged harmonies by song’s end, starting the show off nicely. First set stalwart “New Minglewood Blues” follows with the Utica faithful still very much engaged, taking the collective whistling of approval to another level. “Dire Wolf” does little to temper the audible energy, with Garcia’s signature guitar solo showing plenty of pep in its step. Bob Weir then tags back in on lead vocals for a jazzy “Me And My Uncle” which flows seamlessly into a rather percussive “Big River,” a song pairing that started the previous year and would remain popular for the rest of the Grateful Dead’s career.

    grateful dead utica

    The breakneck speed of all the songs after the opener finally comes to a halt with “They Love Each Other,” played very much in its low tempo format, lending itself much better to Donna Jean’s vocal harmonies which are also prominently featured alongside Weir for the emotional “Looks Like Rain” that comes next. A top notch “Brown Eyed Women” with a few more remarkable runs by Garcia up and down the fretboard follows, although it’s marred a little by some audio difficulties on the recording. The first set then begins to wrap up with a cover Bobby Womack’s “It’s All Over Now,” perhaps foreshadowing the upcoming end of an era. It’s a spirited version though, with Garcia and Keith Godchaux on piano trading fills back and forth. After a run through the folksy “Jack-A-Roe,” a regular cover at future Garcia solo gigs, the set comes to a close with another legendary pairing of songs “Lazy Lightning” and “Supplication.” The jam connecting the two is very much energetic, heavily psychedelic and fueled with extensive work on the drums from the Rhythm Devils, a great sign for the second set to come.

    After a set break to rehydrate and reenergize, the second part of the show begins with somewhat of a first set feel to it. “I Need A Miracle” has a slightly extended Garcia-driven jam neatly attached to it which builds the platform for a launch into a boisterous “Bertha.” The communal good vibes keep moving along into a customarily raucous cover of “Good Lovin’” with Weir taking his usual liberties with vocals before “Stagger Lee” mellows things out a tad.

    Finally, for a show bereft of much deep end improvisation, the next few numbers do their best to make up for it. The composed section of “Estimated Prophet” is played to near perfection, minus some off kilter early Garcia vocals, before later devolving into near silence (with the exception of more whistlers) for a soaring, exploratory jam that literally builds itself from the ground up. As the pace reaches a crescendo, some familiar guitar chords begin to seep through and the Dead are off and running in Utica with a blisteringly quick “Eyes Of The World.” Garcia dazzles once more in the song’s first jam with a jaw-dropping flurry of notes that can’t seemingly be played any faster. The second one is dominated by the rhythm section of bassist Phil Lesh and the drummers so, naturally, this makes its way into the “Drums” portion of the evening, shining the spotlight on Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart for a while.

    View this and more Grateful Dead shows from across the years in New York State with our interactive map below!

    A rather choppy-starting “Iko Iko” slowly but surely emerges from “Drums” and it’s played at a much slower tempo than it would be in the years to follow, making for an interesting early version. At its conclusion, the familiar noodley opening jam of “The Other One” begins to develop before Lesh’s thunderous opening bass riff confirms it. It’s a short but sweet take that serves as the evening’s last true dip into psychedelia.

    Oddly there would be no encore for this show. Instead it wraps up with the lead singers going back and forth one last time. First, Garcia leads the band through a soulful “Black Peter” before Weir does the same for a show-closing cover of Chuck Berry’s “Around And Around” that has both he and Donna Jean trading lyrics back and forth by song’s end.

    Grateful Dead – Utica Memorial Auditorium – Utica, NY 1/14/79

    Set 1: Cold Rain And Snow, New Minglewood Blues, Dire Wolf, Me And My Uncle > Big River, They Love Each Other, Looks Like Rain, Brown Eyed Women, It’s All Over Now, Jack-A-Roe, Lazy Lightnin’ > Supplication

    Set 2: I Need A Miracle > Bertha > Good Lovin’, Stagger Lee, Estimated Prophet > Eyes Of The World > Drums > Iko Iko > The Other One > Black Peter > Around And Around

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