New York’s own Stella Blue’s Band, one of the premiere Grateful Dead tribute acts, will play a free show in Central Park on May 17. Starting at 4:30 p.m. at the Naumburg Bandshell on 72nd Street, the show will both raise funds for a good cause and also commemorate a Dead show at this very same location 54 years ago.
Donations can be made to Riverkeeper, which supports programs that protect the Hudson River, its watershed and the drinking water for New York State. Exclusive t-shirts featuring original art work by Jerry Garcia himself can be had for $40 donations. There’s also a poster available, done by Kenny Schneidman, for a $20 donation. Donations can be made through the event’s website as well.
The music pays tribute to the Grateful Dead’s show in Central Park on May 5, 1968. It’s one of the earlier Dead shows ever played in New York, with a rumored attendance near 5,000, but unfortunately no known recordings exist. And the exact set list is spotty as well, but can be reasonably pieced together.
The Dead were joined that day by their friends Jefferson Airplane who announced a free show in Central Park the night before at a show at the Fillmore East. The Paul Butterfield Blues Band also served as the opener, with Airplane following and then the Dead. Although the documentation of the actual set list is incomplete, there was a known “Morning Dew” played as well according to one eyewitness who also provided some detailed audio intel.
The Dead opened 5/5/68 with Bob Weir saying to the NYC crowd, “Welcome to San Francisco.” Then Phil hit the opening chords to Morning Dew on his Guild Starfire Bass, played through a bunch of Fender Showman and or Dual Showman Amplifier heads and Sunn 2000S Speaker Cabinets with 15″ JBL Speakers, reinforced through a PA with JBL and or Altec Lansing Speakers. Garcia played his ’52-early ’53 Gibson Les Paul Gold top, plugged into maybe 6-8 Fender twin Reverb Amplifiers with 12″ JBL Speakers. He had an octopus chord going to all the inputs of the amps.
– Steven Ross, eyewitness
As for the rest of the music, there’s a rumored “The Other One” that was played and sandwiched between “Cryptical Envelopment.” And “Alligator” was also allegedly performed as well, with Pigpen undoubtedly taking center stage.
And renowned Dead Head Gary Lambert, as told in This Is All A Dream We Dreamed, one of the more reputable Grateful Dead chronicles, fills in some other details as well.
“The Dead were terrific. They were the best band of the three that day… They played some of the material that would turn up on Anthem of the Sun: The Other One, New Potato Caboose, though I didn’t know those songs by name. I recognized Morning Dew from the first album. They finished with Turn On Your Lovelight, which I loved.
– Gary Lambert
Using all of this, a presumed a set list for this legendary Central Park gig might look something like what’s listed below. For more information on tomorrow’s show, check out the event website here.
Grateful Dead Central Park – New York, NY 5/5/68 (rumored)
Morning Dew, Cryptical Envelopment > The Other One > Cryptical Envelopment, Alligator, New Potato Caboose, Turn On Your Lovelight
The Rock and Roll Playhouse has announced that a national Earth Day weekend celebration on April 23 and 24 is coming to Port Chester, NY. The Playhouse is a family concert series where kids rock out to the classics, and this concert series will feature music by the Grateful Dead for Kids.
The Rock and Roll Playhouse Grateful Dead Earth Day celebration.
Stephen Grybowski, Senior Director of the Playhouse, said they are excited to bring families together for this event.
We’re excited to bring families together across the country to celebrate Earth Day Weekend. The Grateful Dead were not only a phenomenal band with classic songs, but they were environmentally aware—that’s a connection that makes these shows an even more special celebration for families as we inspire the next generation of young rockers.
It provides kids with early music exposure and promotes creativity. It is introducing the new generation to music by artists including The Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, Phish, David Bowie, Prince, Aretha Franklin, Dave Matthews Band, and more. It was founded in 2013 at the Brooklyn Bowl by Peter Shapiro, co-owner of the Bowl and owner of The Capitol Theatre, and Amy Striem, a certified Early Childhood, and Elementary teacher.
Proceeds from the shows will go to the Grateful Dead’s official non-profit Rex Foundation, which supports charitable organizations working to protect the Earth. Tickets are on sale now.
The “Dead and Gone” podcast by Payne Lindsey and Jake Brennan returns for season two on April 6. The new season of the true crime podcast will investigate new unsolved murders relatedly to the Grateful Dead.
Season two will focus on four unsolved cases spanning from the 1980s-2000s, all of whom bear some connection to the Grateful Dead: Adam Katz, Jennifer Wilmer, Bridget Pendell-Williams, Jeremy Alex. Each of these cases was supposed to be featured in season one before until Payne and Brennan decided to dedicate a full season to these cases.
Season one discussed the investigation into the 1986 double murder of Mary Regina Gioia and Gregory Allen Kniffin. Through an “a mysterious tip from a fellow Deadhead” Payne had reason to the case’s ruling had led to a wrongful conviction.
Episode one of the new season, which will be avaialble on all podcast platforms will recap season one and introduce the case of Adam Katz. The 19-year-old who was killed outside of what is now Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford New Jersey after a Grateful Dead concert on Oct. 14, 1989. Subsequent episodes will detail the investigations of the remaining three cases.
Payne Lindsey is the co-founder of Tenderfoot TV. The company’s first podcast was the popular “Up and Vanished” true crime podcast series which has been downloaded 350 million times. He is also the creator and host of popular “Atlanta Monster, “ “Dead and Gone” and “Radio Rental”.
Jake Brennan is a music journalist who created the podcast series Disgraceland, a true crime podcast about notable cases in the music industry. In 2020 Disgraceland won the iHeartRadio Best Music Podcast award. It is the most downloaded music podcast in the world. Brennan is also the co-founder of podcasting company Double Elvis.
New episodes will be released every Wednesday starting April 6.
Another Saturday night brought Bob Weir back to Radio City Music Hall along with the Wolf Bros and special guests to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the release of his first solo studio album, Ace.
Special guests for the show included Brittany Spencer who complimented Weir’s vocals with soulful harmonies. And Tyler Childers whose guitar and vocals added an extra touch of Americana. Longtime Weir collaborator Ron Carter stepped on bass for ”Dark Star.”
The core of Weir’s Wolf Bros band consisted of Don Was (bass), Jay Lane (drums), Jeff Chimenti (keys), and Barry Sless (pedal steel guitar). The Wolf Pack of Alex Kelly, Mads Tolling, Adam Theis, Brian Switzer, Sheldon Brown on strings and horns brought some rather fun improv breaks throughout both sets.
Weir’s Ace celebration continued Sunday evening at Radio City Music Hall. This time with another added guest, Dead & Company bandmate John Mayer.
Bob Weir and Wolf Bros Radio City Music Hall – New York, NY 4/2/22
Set 1: When I Paint My Masterpiece, Me and My Uncle, Loser, Ace: Greatest Story Ever Told (w/ Tyler Childers), Black-Throated Wind, Walk in the Sunshine (w/ Brittney Spencer), -> Playing in the Band -> Looks Like Rain (w/ Brittney Spencer), Mexicali Blues, One More Saturday Night, Cassidy
Set 2: You Win Again (w/Tyler Childers), Weather Report Suite -> Shakedown Street (w/ Brittney Spencer), Dark Star (w/ Ron Carter), Eyes of the World -> What’s Going On -> Eyes of the World, Days Between -> Playing in the Band
Knickerbocker Arena will always be one of those venues with a special place in Grateful Dead lore. The band played the downtown Albany arena thirteen times in their career which included three three-night runs at “The Knick.” Today, we look back at the middle show of the last three-night run there in 1993. It may not reach the heights of the band’s initial heralded run here in 1990 which helped provide material for their Dozin’ At The Knick album, but it sees the Dead at a time when they’re clearly comfortable in their own skin with this last incarnation of the band. The show provides a solid blend of Grateful Dead fan favorites, a pair of Dylan covers, and some newer original songs that were only played a smattering of times in this late era for the band.
The show begins with a tune that was starting to entrench its spot as a show opener in this last phase of live Dead, “Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodleoo.” Jerry Garcia sounds engaged right from the get-go and drops an immaculate guitar fill early on in the proceedings. The band takes their time dragging out the composed portion of the opener before Garcia lays down another heavenly solo. After a courtesy nod of gratitude from the Knick crowd, the opening licks to “Walkin’ Blues” ring out loud and true and fellow guitarist Bob Weir takes control for the next number. He leads the way through a cover of the American blues classic before they resort back to one of their sentimental originals in “So Many Roads,” replete with another feathery Garcia solo that serves as the bridge before a somewhat “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door”-esque ending.
The Dead make the following cover selection more than clear with a joyous romp through Bob Dylan’s “When I Paint My Masterpiece” that has both guitarists wailing on vocals by song’s end. Things then slow down again somewhat with the “High Times” that comes next. This Grateful Dead classic serves up a classic blend of bluesy Garcia solos that merely matches vocals of the same tenor. This sets the stage for yet another late-era Dead regular that never seemed to take off, “Eternity,” co-crafted by Weir and his fellow Ratdog bandmate Rob Wasserman.
A slow transition into “Deal” then follows, with bassist Phil Lesh pushing the tempo early and often before a jam that reaches near hysterical proportions closes out the first set earnestly. The second one begins with the familiar tones of “Scarlet Begonias” as the Knick crowd gets brought back to life with this vintage Dead number. This triggers a brief but blissful jam, with Garcia’s tricked out guitar creating the effects of a veritable flute solo, that serves as the springboard into a raging “Fire On The Mountain.”
After a somewhat abrupt ending to “Fire,” the drum-fueled intro to “Samson and Delilah” emerges. Some vintage bass bombs from Lesh are peppered throughout on a frenzied take on this live show staple. Another old standby in “Ship Of Fools” then follows, graced with a typical breathtaking solo from Garcia, before the Dead break out “Wave To The Wind,” a song co-written by Lesh and longtime band lyricist Robert Hunter that was played only a handful of times in 1992 and ’93.
A post-song segue into “Truckin’” gets a little murky but the band soon finds their footing and treats the Knickerbocker Arena crowd to another classic Dead sing-along number. It sees some strong piano fills thrown in from Vince Welnick that help fuel a brief but explosive jam that sets the table for the traditional “Drums” > “Space” portion of the evening.
From the psychedelic mist emerges another song synonymous with ’90s-era Dead, “Long Way To Go Home” with an energized Welnick taking charge and leading the way on vocals. The tone then shifts from new school to old school in a hurry as the band dusts off “Attics Of My Life.” It ends a 41-show gap from its last performance, which just happened to be here at The Knick last June. The set then comes to a rousing finish with a “Turn On Your Lovelight” that sees Bob Weir doling out the signature bluesy vocals and Garcia once more digging into his bag of tricks and emitting joyous trumpet-sounding guitar fills on the closer. The second and final Dylan cover of the night then serves as the encore as the show ends with a beautifully somber take of “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door.” The Grateful Dead would return to Knickerbocker Arena the next day to close out this run and, two years later, they would play their final shows at this heralded venue.
Check out video of the entire show here and below thanks to YouTube.
View This And More Grateful Dead Shows From Across The Years In New York State With Our Interactive Map Below
Grateful Dead Knickerbocker Arena – Albany, NY 3/28/93
Set 1: Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo, Walkin’ Blues, So Many Roads, When I Paint My Masterpiece, High Time, Eternity, Deal
Set 2: Scarlet Begonias > Fire On The Mountain, Samson And Delilah, Ship Of Fools, Wave To The Wind > Truckin’ > Drums > Space > Way To Go Home, Attics Of My Life > Turn On Your Lovelight
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.
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.
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.
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
Bobby Weir and Wolf Bros have announced their two night stand at Radio City Music Hall, in celebration of Ace’s 50th anniversary. The special performances will be taking place April 2-3, 2022.
The two night stand will feature performances of Grateful Dead classics that were written by Weir, including ‘Greatest Story Ever Told’, ‘Cassidy’, ‘Playing In The Band’, ‘Looks Like Rain’ and more. These shows will feature several unannounced special guests, including The Wolfpack, which consists of a dedicated strings section.
Released on May 1, 1972, Ace was Weir’s first solo album, although many consider it a Grateful Dead album, due to the fact that his band members make appearances throughout the project. A majority of the songs on Ace also made appearances on other Grateful Dead albums, including their 1971 self-titled and Skeletons from the Closet.
As the one of the original pioneers of concert sound, the Grateful Dead have cemented their place in musical history. The founding members were Bob Weir, Jerry Garcia, Rob “Pigpen” McKernan, Phil Lesh and Bill Kreutzmann.
Following the release of his latest album, Live in Colorado, Bobby Weir and Wolf Bros will also be touring the US from 3/9 to 10/9. Tickets for Ace’s 50th anniversary concerts, as well as Weir’s regular tour, are currently on sale here.
With two tours of duty at MSG already in the books for The Grateful Dead, today marks the anniversary of the completion of their third one. It’s a quick two-night stint at The World’s Most Famous Arena after their first two previous runs here in 1979. Fueled by an electric first show from the night before, the Dead follow this up with a show chock full of classic original song pairings and a newly unleashed cover selection that serves as a memorable encore.
The Dead come out of the chutes red hot on this second night at MSG. So much so that a speaker absolutely blows up shortly after the beginning of the “Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodleoo” that starts the show. Despite sending shockwaves through an already raucous crowd, it doesn’t seem to faze the band much and they go on to deliver a splendid take on this familiar opener that stretches out nicely thanks to some vintage Garcia guitar play before rounding back into form.
Once finished, Garcia wastes no time at all in leading the charge into “Franklin’s Tower” which features more early improvisation and another notable jam, this one decidedly more funkified, that completes an impressive show-opening pairing. This is succeeded by a rapid run through of “Me And My Uncle” with Bob Weir merely trying to keep up on vocals before another first set and rather floral Grateful Dead classic slows things back down to a crawl, “It Must Have Been The Roses.” Some additional audio issues mar the early parts of the “Little Red Rooster” that comes next, but that doesn’t stop the band from laying down a short pair of blues-infused jams that sees keyboardist Brent Mydland now turned up a little higher in the mix.
He continues to shine on a flawless take of “Don’t Ease Me In” before the Dead unleash another formidable 1-2 punch at MSG. The first part consists of a rapid fire version of “Lazy Lightning” that yields a frenetic exploratory jam that continues to probe and accelerate until, in near effortless fashion, it passes the baton to its traditional running mate, a euphoric “Supplication” that crosses the finish line triumphantly. A late first set “Brown-Eyed Women” is a treat, one that’s notably aided by another few mesmerizing runs from Garcia up and down the fret board. Weir then takes the helm once more for the ever-poignant “Looks Like Rain” that the Garden crowd helps urge along before “Deal” puts the finishing touches on a strong opening set of music.
The Dead show no signs of letting up as the second set begins with another potent combination from their live show catalog. It starts off with an ebullient “Scarlet Begonias” that quickly sheds its skin and develops a deep, exploratory groove that doesn’t fully emerge until Phil Lesh rings out the iconic opening bass line to “Fire On The Mountain.” It’s another masterclass of collective patience as the band takes their time between each verse, stretching the “Fire” out to maximum capacity which culminates in a flurry of notes from Garcia. Things finally slow down a tad with the “Lost Sailor” that follows only to be revved back up again by the customary “Saint Of Circumstance” that’s attached to the back end in another vintage coupling of Dead classics. This caps off a mesmerizing 40-plus minutes of music to begin set two.
The jam at the tail end of “Saint” gets decidedly percussive as it dwindles down, setting the stage for Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart for the traditional “Drums” sequence that gets a nice round of applause from the Garden crowd once completed. The “Space” portion of the evening is taken care of by a near-ambient and blissed out mini-jam with heavy noodling from Garcia that paves the way for “The Wheel” that follows. Aside from the intro, it’s a pretty nondescript “Wheel.” Instead of exploring further, the Dead shift gears once more and drop into the ever-harrowing “China Doll” instead.
To liven things back up one last time, the Dead utilize a late show “Truckin’” that MSG eagerly laps up, with a clearly audible response to the “New York’s got the ways and means” lyric. It begets a short, bluesy jam that resembles the play from “Rooster” at one point but, ultimately, doesn’t really go anywhere. Instead, “Sugar Magnolia” pops up to close out the set in a much more fitting manner, replete with its “Sunshine Daydream” ending sequence that elicits yet another roar of approval from the Garden crowd.
For a show that’s primarily made up of Grateful Dead original tunes and traditional pairings, the band finally delves into their bag of covers for the encore. This time, it’s a newer addition to the flock in The Rolling Stones’ (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction, a cover song the band first debuted late last year, with Bob Weir playing the role of Mick Jagger this evening.
Not content to end here, the Dead then enter into “Brokedown Palace” to end the show, giving Garcia one last platform to unleash a spellbinding guitar solo and the band a final chance to harmonize. They would then ship up to the Boston Garden, continuing their early spring tour, before a return trip to New York and Utica’s Memorial Coliseum just days later.
The entire show is available on Live Music Archive as well as on YouTube below.
View This Show And More Grateful Dead Shows From Across The Years In New York State With Our Interactive Map Below
Grateful Dead Madison Square Garden – New York, NY 3/10/81
Set 1: Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodleoo > Franklin’s Tower > Me And My Uncle, It Must Have Been The Roses > Little Red Rooster, Don’t Ease Me In, Lazy Lightnin’ > Supplication, Brown Eyed Women > Looks Like Rain > Deal
Set 2: Scarlet Begonias > Fire On The Mountain > Lost Sailor > Saint Of Circumstance > Drums > The Wheel > China Doll > Truckin’ > Sugar Magnolia
E: (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction > Brokedown Palace
The Magic Mountain Ski Area and Whirlygig Music proudly announce the third annual Dead of Summer Music Festival 3. The festival will take place on July 9th, 2022, at the beautiful, scenic Magic Mountain Ski Area in Londonderry, Vermont.
Dead of Summer Music Festival 3
This year’s lineup includes a variety of Vermont based bands, Rick Redington and the Luv, Rolling Thunder Revival A Tribute to Bob Dylan, Deadgrass, A string band adventure through Jerry Garcia’s musical world, and Dead Man’s Waltz( music from the Grateful Dead, Allman Brothers and The Band).
Ticket Information
Tier 1 Early-bird tickets are on sale for $45.00 (Sales end April 20th at midnight or when supplies are gone.) Tier 2 tickets are on sale for $60.00 The gates will open at 11:00 am on Saturday July 9th, 2022
Lineup
Max Creek
Max Creek is a multigenerational band formed of guitarist Scott Murawski, keyboardist Mark Mercier and bassist John Rider.
Dead Man’s Waltz
Dead Man’s Waltz (formerly Steal Your Peach) is a six piece group that explores and celebrates the music of The Grateful Dead and The Allman Brothers Band and The Band.
Deadgrass
Matt Turk and C Lanzbom joined forces to form Deadgrass, celebrating and interpreting the music of Jerry Garcia, drawing from Old & In The Way, JGB, Jerry’s Jug Band and The Grateful Dead.
Rolling Thunder Revival: A Tribute to Bob Dylan
At Dead of Summer 3, Rolling Thunder Revival features: Scott Murawski (Max Creek, Mike Gordon Band, Billy Kreutzmann Trio), Bill Carbone, Kate Hubbard, Jeff Martinson, Jeff Bowen and rotating special guests.
Rick Redington and The Luv
Rick Redington and The Luv features: Rick Redington lead vocals and guitar, Heather Lynne backup vocals, bass, and Blake Gowan backup vocals, drums
If you love live Music, food and craft beer, you won’t want to miss out on this festival.
For more information and to buy tickets, linked here.
The Capitol Theater in Port Chester has provided a stage and an audience for many a band throughout its heralded history, though perhaps none with a legacy quite like that of The Grateful Dead. When they weren’t busy selling out Bill Graham’s Fillmore East, The Cap became the other de facto home away from home for the Grateful Dead on the East Coast. But as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end and today marks the anniversary of the band’s 19th and final show at this historic venue. It comes at a time when the Dead had to reinvent themselves a bit, with the abrupt self-imposed departure of drummer Mickey Hart that transpired after the opening night of this six-show residency. The shows that followed serve as the beginning of a new chapter in the band’s voluminous history, one that sees them still trying to carve out the identity of multiple brand new songs that would go on to become mainstays at a Grateful Dead show.
The Dead start this final show at The Cap with a “Casey Jones” that starts off in rather mellow fashion but fittingly picks up steam as it develops and is roaring down the tracks by song’s end, with Bob Weir growling out the accompanying vocals. He then jumps into the lead vocal position for the Country Western-themed cautionary classic “Me And My Uncle.” Jerry Garcia delivers a bevvy of slick electric guitar fills and Bill Kreutzmann, once again the sole drummer, doesn’t miss a beat while belting out the rhythm. After some now-customary extended post-song tuning, Kreutzmann initiates the opening drum pattern for “Cumberland Blues.” The harmonized vocals are a little delayed in joining in at first but Garcia makes up for this with another effortless run up and down the fretboard and the rest of the song goes off without a hitch.
Afterwards, Pigpen gets his first taste of the spotlight, leading the band through a quick take of “Next Time You See Me,” replete with its typical blues-infused harmonica solo that’s matched by one from Garcia on guitar. Garcia then reclaims the mic for the fledgling Dead tune “Bird Song,” a song played every night of this last run at The Cap except for the opening one. Between verses, Garcia finesses a patiently melodic solo with Kreutzmann nailing the signature syncopated drum beat for a song that would go on to become a live Dead staple.
The Dead then trot out a fairly new cover selection in their live repertoire, “Me And Bobby McGee,” a song popularized by the great Janis Joplin on her iconic Pearl album that was released just last month shortly after her death in October of 1970. Weir belts out the lead vocals with aplomb with Garcia adding a tender touch to the harmonies. “Bobby” is then followed by “Bertha,” one of the few songs to make an appearance at every night of this run as the Dead continue to hone another soon-to-be classic.
Pigpen, now warmed up sufficiently, adds his signature bluesy drawl to the mix with a spirited take of “Hard To Handle” that provides the first real opportunity for some brief opening set jamming, of which Garcia and company take full advantage. The music slowly reaches a psychedelic crescendo before Pigpen reels it back in. This is followed up by “Loser,” another new Dead song that made its live debut at this final run at The Cap. Garcia sounds emotionally invested in the lyrics for yet another another song that involves a high stakes cards game, along with “Uncle,” before laying down a brief solo that fits the mood perfectly.
The Dead gear up for the stretch run of the first set with several minutes of more extended tuning before launching into “Playing In The Band,” another song still very much in its nascent phase after being debuted on the first night of the run. Like that one, it still doesn’t yield anything in terms of exploration or an extended jam. This would be left to the first set closing sequence that begins with another Kreutzmann-fueled drum pattern before Pigpen jumps in on vocals for a cover of “Good Lovin’.” With the first verse complete, the lead then shifts back to Bill The Drummer for an extended one-man drum solo. It’s an impressive display of rhythmic wizardry that changes tones and speeds with ease, before Garcia slyly re-enters the mix, soon followed by the rest of the band. It’s a precursor for the even more psychedelic “Drums” > “Space” sequences that would be a signature of live Dead shows in the years to come. Literally built from the ground up, the jam slowly begins to take on a more solid state and morphs back into the ending of “Good Lovin’.” It caps off a first set that, overall, has a very mellow vibe to it, perhaps as a result of coming at the end of an epic six-show residency or just due to the comfort level that the Dead had established by now at The Cap, with the answer likely lying somewhere in between.
The second set immediately seems to shift gears, beginning with a funked out, wah-heavy “Sugar Magnolia that has plenty of groove to it. Although this lively mood doesn’t last long, instead it sets the stage for the return of Pigpen and his “harp” for an extremely mellow and drawn out cover of Slim Harpo’s “I’m A King Bee.”
The Dead then begin to liven things back up again, starting with “Greatest Story Ever Told,” yet another song that can cite this run at The Cap as its birthplace in the live setting. Instead of stopping there, they segue right into a cover of “Johnny B. Goode” afterwards. Another new addition to the band’s catalog follows in “Deal,” only the second one ever performed live and much slower than the format it would go on to develop. Bob Weir then livens things back up again with vocals that border on screaming for the better part of “New Minglewood Blues.”
The rest of the band then ably backs up Weir on the “Truckin’” that follows this which also elicits one of the better jams of the evening, with Phil Lesh helping navigate the complex rhythms beneath some powerful guitar licks supplied by Garcia.
Just as they had the opening night of the run, The Dead then throw in a late second set sequence of “Not Fade Away” > “Goin’ Down The Road Feeling Bad” > “Not Fade Away.” The “meat” of this particular sandwich is stretched out nicely and serves as a true testament to the band’s ability to shift between the serene and the psychedelic with utter ease. With one last bullet in the chamber, the band then places Pigpen center stage once more for an absolutely classic take of “Turn On Your Love Light” that ebbs and flows with a classic Pig “rap” thrown in the middle for good measure.
It’s a more than fitting end to this legendary six-show run at The Cap. The Dead would go on to play throughout New York State for the rest of their career, performing at other theaters and eventually arenas, but never again would they grace the stage in Port Chester.
The entire show is available to listen to below and also at Live Music Archive
Grateful Dead Capitol Theater – Port Chester, NY 2/24/71
Set 1: Casey Jones, Me And My Uncle, Cumberland Blues, Next Time You See Me, Bird Song, Me And Bobby McGee, Bertha, Hard To Handle, Loser. Playing In The Band, Good Lovin’ > Drums > Good Lovin’
Set 2: Sugar Magnolia, I’m A King Bee, Greatest Story Ever Told > Johnny B. Goode, Deal, New Minglewood Blues, Truckin’, Not Fade Away > Goin’ Down The Road Feeling Bad > Not Fade Away > Turn On Your Love Light
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