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Welcome to the weekly newsletter that brings you the most interesting and significant facts from Grateful Dead History, along with reviews of the music for the week ahead! The idea is to give all you Heads a "Heads up" on the interesting and cool stuff the Grateful Dead were up to on this week in history! So tell me what you think!

I hope my southern friends are hanging in there as you deal with hurricane Helene storm damage. The videos and pictures of the wrath of the storm are horrific. I hope you are all getting the basic necessities that you need, and I'm sure you're taking care of each other. I'm thinking of all of you! For those of us "up north", I hope you're all enjoying some cooler fall weather. I know I am! I'm just not looking forward to the snow and cold weather that's coming. Oh well, "Darkness falls and seasons change (gonna happen every time)".

One of my readers recently asked me about how I pick the shows and the song highlights, so I wanted to write a little bit about that. Obviously, picking a show and individual songs from those shows that stand out can be very subjective. I'm sure there are times when some of you disagree with my take on something, and honestly that's to be expected! Many people have a favorite tour, year or period of the Dead's music that they like the most and that may conflict with what I write. I've personally experienced that sense of bewilderment on more than one occasion, when talking to a fellow Dead Head about a particular tape, and wondering if we're listening to the same thing because my opinion is the complete opposite of theirs. Now that we have the obvious truth about opinions out of the way, I will say that I have my favorites of course, but I like to set that aside and start by looking at the officially released music. Who am I to argue with the likes of Dick Latvala and David Lemieux? Those guys have had access to the Vault for decades, and have spent way more time critically listening to the tapes and making notes than I have. I mean, it is literally their job (and talk about a "dream job")! Those shows are the easy ones to write about, but there is a lot of other music that hasn't been released. I have been listening to Grateful Dead music for over 30 years at this point, so I also had a long list of favorite shows and "hot" songs marked in my old Deadbase books. When I was creating my database, and the books that came from my database, I took those notes and put them in the database so I could generate a list of standout material. So, what makes something stand out to me? I can't quite explain it fully, but when I'm listening to the music I can hear that they're playing with extra "spark" or energy or passion. There seems to be extra attention paid to how the song is played, in terms of singing or instrumentally. Sometimes the jamming gets really intense, or the band seems to be dialed into each other. They're listening to what the other band members are playing, and playing off of that, or complimenting it in some way that, when you hear it, it elicits a spike of dopamine in your brain which produces a big grin or maybe even an all-out euphoric "high". Those are the moments that I want to call out in these emails! Another thing that brings me joy is how they transition from one song to another. So what I look for is the quality of the segues, particularly in the "jam segments" of the show. I love it when the transition "clicks", and it all falls into place. It always amazed me how the Dead could just magically switch gears from one song to another with such grace and spontaneity (sometimes, but not always). It takes a very high level of talent to be able to do that with such a massive catalog of music to pull from. Another way I pick stuff is by crossing stuff off the list, by knowing what I don't like, and what sounds off or lifeless and flat. After listening to so many shows, performances like that just seem to stick out like a sore thumb. The last thing I'll say is, I tend to focus on the positive aspects of any given show. There are lots of epic shows that have a small rough patch. Maybe it's a forgotten lyric, or a bad chord change, or off-key signing for a brief period. Those things happen, but they usually recover quickly and move on. I'm more concerned with the overall energy and passion put forth, and if it produces a dopamine spike in my brain. That's what makes for a great performance!

So any shows and songs called out in these weekly emails will have those general characteristics. I wish I could write a more detailed review, but I just don't have time. I will probably be able to go back and add more details in subsequent years, as we cycle through the calendar again. I guess that would be my long-term goal. But right now my short-term goal is to give you the "short list" of the good stuff, for any given day, so you can maximize your time listening, and use the book to write notes and underline or highlight the songs you like so you can build your own catalog of favorite Grateful Dead music. I would love to have an online forum that we could all share input into these performances. Maybe some day I can convince the JerryBase guys to create a community where we could all collaborate online like that! Something to think about, I guess.

That said, here's the highlights for Issue 36, for the week of September 30th, 2024, so check it out!

September 30th

9/30/76 Mershon Auditorium, "The" Ohio State University, Columbus, OH - Here's a hot show from the '76 fall tour. This is an incredible time period for the band, as they mix old songs and some newly-created material. 1st set highlights are "Music Never Stopped" with a nice Mind Left Body jam tucked in the middle, "Ramble On Rose", "Peggy-O", "Crazy Fingers > All Over Now", "Scarlet Begonias". 2nd set highlights are "Samson", "St. Stephen > NFA > Drums > St. Stephen" and "Morning Dew" encore.
9/30/80 Warfield Theatre, San Francisco, CA - As is typical for all these Warfield shows, the entire acoustic set is really good. This rendition of "Ain't No Lie" is picked to appear on Reckoning. 1st set highlights are "Alabama Getaway > Promised Land", "Peggy-O", "Lazy Lightning > Supplication", "Big RxR Blues". 2nd set highlights are "Stranger > Franklin's", "He's Gone > Estimated", and "Brokedown Palace" encore.
9/30/81 Playhouse Theatre, Edinburgh, Scotland - The band kicks off a European tour with a quick stop in Scotland. This infamous show is beloved by many UK Dead Heads, and it's a really hot show with some great moments. 1st set highlights are "Alabama Getaway > Greatest Story", "Candyman", and "Althea". 2nd set highlights are "Samson", "Estimated > Eyes", and "Other One > Stella Blue".
9/30/88 Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, CA - Here's a standout performance with lots of energy and passionate playing. 1st set highlights are "Iko", "Walking Blues", "Stagger Lee", and "Let It Grow" to close the set. 2nd set highlights are "Bertha", "Playing > Terrapin", and "Watchtower > Black Peter".

October 1st

10/1/76 Market Square Arena, Indianapolis, IN - Continuing on our journey through the fall '76 tour is another great show from Indianapolis that features some really fine renditions of some classic Dead songs. The 1st set highlights are "Deal", "Cassidy", "Big River", and "Scarlet Begonias". The second set has some great improvisation. "Help >Slipknot! > Franklin's Tower" is very nice, with a nice trip to outer space during "Slipknot!". Then we get the fun improvisational split "Dancin'" highlight segment that makes for a really fun ride : "Dancin' > Drums > Wheel > Jam > Ship Of Fools > Dancin' > GDTRFB".
10/1/77 Paramount Theatre, Portland, OR - Officially released on Dave's Picks Volume 45. 1st set highlights are "Dire Wolf", "Peggy-O", and an incredible Jam Anthem version of "Music Never Stopped" to close out the set that features very powerful guitar work by Jerry, and a jam that seems to go on forever. The 2nd set keeps the energy level up all the way through, but the highlights are "Must Have Been The Roses", and "Estimated > Eyes > Dancin' > Drums > NFA".
10/1/94 Boston Garden, Boston, MA - Officially released on 30 Trips Around The Sun. This is a very nice, high energy show that features passionate singing and standout guitar work by Jerry and Bobby. And you can't go wrong with that set list! Phil drops some nice bombs as well. 1st set highlights are "Help > Slipknot! > Franklin's Tower" opener, "Althea", "Me & My Uncle > Big River", "So Many Roads > Promised Land" to close the set. 2nd set highlights are "Scarlet > Fire", "Saint Of Circumstance > Terrapin", and "Stella Blue".

October 2nd

10/2/72 Springfield Civic Center, Springfield, MA - Another perfect example of the band performing at a peak level, during a peak time in their career. Every song is well played. 1st set highlights are "Bird Song", "Black Throated Wind", and a massive 21+ minute, exploratory "Playing". 2nd set highlights are "He's Gone" which does NOT segue into "Bobby McGee" (you'll have to correct that in the book, sorry!). There's also the first known occurrence of the infamous plead by Bobby for everyone to "take a step back" before. It's one of the funniest, elaborate ones you've ever heard! After "He's Gone", a nice (and unfortunately rare) combination of "Half Step > Stella Blue" follows. They only did this twice. The other pairing occurred on 3/19/73, and is a nicer segue, but these two songs pair very well together as the wind-down in "Half Step" seems to roll right into the melodic strumming of "Stella Blue". A rollicking jam segment comes next with "Truckin > Nobody's Fault Jam > Drums > Jam > Morning Dew".
10/2/77 Paramount Theatre, Portland, OR - Officially released on Dave's Picks Volume 45. This entire show is excellent. You'll find hot versions of almost every song here, but the 1st set highlights are "Casey Jones", "Jack Straw", "Duprees" (580 show breakout, last played on 7/11/69!), "Let It Grow", "Deal". The 2nd set highlights are "Samson", "Scarlet > Fire", "Playing > Drums > Wheel > Other One".
10/2/80 Warfield Theatre, San Francisco, CA - As with all the other Warfield shows, the acoustic set is fantastic. The band's energy levels and enthusiasm make for some great musical moments. The entire acoustic set is one big highlight, but I love the acoustic version of "Iko". They only played that song acoustically 3 times, all during this tour. It makes for a nice departure from the other songs that were all in heavy rotation for this tour. The entire 1st electric set has great energy. I particularly like "Bertha > Greatest Story", "Roses", and "China Cat > I Know You Rider". The 2nd electric set starts off with an unusual "Drums > Jam (with some kind of spacey noodling by Jerry) > Comes A Time. Such an odd way to start a 2nd set! I also like "Terrapin > Playing > Drums > Space > Stella Blue.
10/2/81 Rainbow Theatre, London, England - 1st of a 4-show run. This entire show features standout playing by the whole band. You'll find near-perfect renditions of every song here, along with some very inspired playing. 1st set highlights are "Minglewood", "Sugaree > C.C. Rider", "Cassidy", "Mama Tried > Mexicali", and a scorching "Althea > Lost Sailor > Saint Of Circumstance" to close the set. The 2nd set pre-Drums is some of the hottest Grateful Dead music of the year. There's a blistering combination of "Playing > Shakedown Street > Bertha" that is guaranteed to blow you away! The rest of the set is nice too, and I particularly like "Space > Spanish Jam > Truckin'".

October 3rd

10/3/76 Cobo Arena, Detroit, MI - Officially released on 30 Trips Around The Sun. This was always a favorite DAT tape of mine, and I was really happy to see it included in the 30 Trips box set because it's the only place you can hear the entire show. There's lots of splendid performances here. The band seems to be invigorated and they really stretch out some nice jam segments in the second set. The first set has a laid-back vibe, but I really like "Sugaree", "Minglewood" "Ramble On Rose", "Loser", "Scarlet Begonias" and "Music Never Stopped". The entire second set is one massive jam highlight. But I particularly like "Playing > Drums > Wheel > Good Lovin' > Jam > Comes A Time", and then an incredible "Dancin' > NFA > Jam (with a China Cat tease) > Drums > Dancin" sequence that will knock your socks off.
10/3/80 Warfield Theatre, San Francisco, CA - An excellent show from start to finish. The band has some great energy and put forth some very nicely inspired playing throughout the entire show. The acoustic set is magnificent, as usual on this tour. But I have some all-time favorite acoustic versions from this one: "Heaven Help The Fool", "China Doll", "Bird Song > Ripple". The 1st electric set is dripping with energy and excitement. Highlights are "Jack Straw", "Sugaree", "Tennessee Jed", and "Music Never Stopped" that blows the roof of the place to close the set. The 2nd electric set highlights are "Scarlet > Fire", and "Playing > Drums > Space > Wheel > Playing" and an especially gorgeous rendition of "Brokedown Palace", which was selected to appear on Dead Set.
10/3/81 Rainbow Theatre, London, England - 2nd of a 4-show run. The boys return for another blockbuster performance at the beautiful Rainbow Theatre. Like the previous night (and spoiler alert: the next night), the band seems to be really inspired and they treat us to an incredible performance. 1st set highlights are "Alabama Getaway > Promised Land", "Me & My Uncle > Big River", "Rooster", "Bird Song", "China Cat > I Know You Rider". The entire second set is one massive highlight, but I especially like "Stranger > Franklin's > Estimated > Terrapin", and "Morning Dew".

October 4th

10/4/70 Winterland Arena, San Francisco, CA - This is a short, but sweet set of music that was part of a television simulcast concert in "quadraphonic sound" along with a few other bands. It was also FM broadcast on KSAN, and was made into a famous bootleg record around the time period. Highlights are "Till The Morning Comes", "China Cat > I Know You Rider", "Good Lovin' > Drums > Good Lovin'", "Sugar Magnolia", and "Uncle John's Band".
10/4/80 Warfield Theatre, San Francisco, CA - Continuing the incredible acoustic-electric format, we get another epic show that's jam packed full of incredible moments. The acoustic set is superb as usual. Noteworthy is the breakout "Deep Elem Blues" opener. The first one since 11/17/78 (150 shows). Another acoustic highlight is an especially beautiful rendition of "Must Have Been The Roses". Highlights in the 1st electric set are "Alabama Getaway > Greatest Story", "High Time", and "Let It Grow > Deal". 2nd electric set highlights are "Stranger > Franklin's Tower > Estimated > Eyes", and "Space > NFA > Wharf Rat". "Deal", "Stranger", and "NFA" were selected to appear on Dead Set.
10/4/81 Rainbow Theatre, London, England - 3rd of a 4-show run. This entire show is magnificent, with high energy renditions everywhere. Jerry seems especially inspired, as his guitar work and singing are amped up. 1st set highlights are "Jack Straw", "Jack A Roe", "Beat It On Down The Line", "Brown Eyed Women", and "Deal". The entire 2nd set is epic, but the highlights are "Cold Rain & Snow > Samson", "Scarlet > Fire", "Lost Sailor > Saint Of Circumstance", and "Space > Spanish Jam > Other One".

October 5th

10/5/84 Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, NC - Here's a little obscure show from a year that doesn't have the best reputation. But this show is pretty good and worth your time. I like the Dusborne Matrix (SHNID 133026). 1st set highlights are "Bertha > Promised Land", "Brown Eyed Women", and "Stranger". 2nd set highlights are "China Cat > I Know You Rider", and "Space > Other One > Black Peter".
10/5/94 The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA - A very solid show that features some great renditions of classic Dead songs. The first set isn't as strong as the second set, but there are some great moments such as "Jack Straw", "Friend Of The Devil", "Lazy River Road", and a raging "Deal" to close the set. The second set, however is pretty epic. Opening with a surprise "Midnight Hour" gets the crowd amped up. A hot "Cumberland Blues" adds fuel to the fire, and an exploratory "Playing > Uncle John's Band > Jam" follows. Jerry sticks around for all of Drums (!!) and Mickey and Billy eventually leave the stage all to Jerry and he plays some MIDI sounds until the other musicians start to join him back on stage.

October 6th

10/6/77 Activity Center, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ - Here's a great show that's kind of obscure from the beginning of the '77 fall tour. The Dead had just played three incredible shows in the Pacific Northwest and were on the road in the the Southwest for this show in Arizona, and the next night in Albuquerque, NM. This show has lots of great moments, especially in the second set. The fist set is good, but mostly average renditions for the time period, meaning, nothing wrong just nothing that sets any particular song on fire. That said, I do really like "Promised Land", and "Music Never Stopped", which are played with vigorous enthusiasm. Bobby does a hilarious "thank you very much, we'll be back in, uh, just a few minutes" in what sounds like a Goofy character voice impersonation at the end of the song. The 2nd set is a scorcher, from the get-go with a ripping "Bertha > Good Lovin'". This was a song combination that first appeared in the Spring tour of this year, and one that would be played over 75 times throughout the band's career. After a mellow "Friend Of The Devil" we get the jam segment of the show: a strong, floating "Estimated" that builds in intensity, and carries forward into a punchy "Eyes". Jerry rips some nice guitar leads with a cutting tone at the outset during the intro jam. His voice is strong and intense, but seems a little low in the mix (I'm listening to Charlie Miller remaster SHNID 164355). That leads into a nice "Drums" segment, and then the big highlight of the show, a powerful, pounding "NFA", that has the whole band ratcheting up the intensity. After the first verse, Jerry works the guitar like he's possessed for about 8 minutes, after which the whole thing slowly dissolves into a moving rendition of "Black Peter". This is a very good version, and Jerry has some really nice riffs at the end, as the band steers him back into a rousing "NFA" reprise, which has Bobby going nuts and screaming "not fade away!" at the end before perfectly segueing into a standout rendition of "Around & Around". They mellow things down with a sweet encore of "Uncle John's Band" that is unfortunately missing the last few minutes on every circulating source that I can find.
10/6/80 Warfield Theatre, San Francisco, CA - This being the 10th night in a row at the same venue, you have to expect some repetitive song selection, but to my ears, each one of these shows is an absolute pleasure to listen to. The band and the audience seem energetic every night, despite the common-looking set list from night to night. I see that as a testament to the band's talent. I do wish they would have pulled out a "Dark Star" or "Help > Slipknot! > Franklin's" or "Saint Stephen" on this tour to mix things up a little more, but I guess that never crossed their minds. This show has some really great highlights, including "Dire Wolf", "All Around This World", "Heaven Help The Fool" in the acoustic set. The 1st electric set highlights are a rousing "China Cat > I Know You Rider", a steamy "Lazy Lightning > Supplication", and a ripping "Deal" to close the set. The 2nd electric set highlights are "Lost Sailor > Saint Of Circumstance > Terrapin" that all have some really intense jamming.
10/6/81 Rainbow Theatre, London, England - 4th of a 4-show run. Another excellent show that features great energy and passionate renditions of almost every song. 1st set highlights are "Shakedown Street > Minglewood", "Cumberland Blues > Looks Like Rain > Might As Well". The second set highlights are "High Time", "Estimated > He's Gone > Drums > Space" (with a loose Blues For Allah theme). We're not sure if the assassination of the Egyptian President Anwar Sadat before the show inspired Jerry to pull this out of the ether, but this is the only time they ever did that. After nice versions of "Wheel", and "Sugar Magnolia" we get a Jam Anthem version of "Stella Blue". It's a beautiful, heartfelt version that ends in an uplifting jam with Jerry seemingly entranced in his guitar solo when the band kind of rips the carpet out from under him as they transition into "Good Lovin'". It ends up being a rousing version, but I'm not sure Jerry was at all pleased at the sudden switch. After a short encore break, the band comes back and encores with "Sunshine Daydream > Brokedown Palace".

BTW, If you're not yet familiar with Jam Anthem versions of songs you can read all about it in Deadology II by Howard Weiner. Check it out here along with all his other great books.

And that's all for now! Of course, if you want to follow along in your very own copy of my book On This Day In Grateful Dead History: A Daily Listening Journal I still have some copies available here. Once they're sold out, I will have to decide whether or not I'm going to have more made. The costs of printing and shipping have gone way up in the last few years since I had them printed so I'm not sure if it's worth it or not. So get one now while you can! https://www.gratefuldeadbook.com/tigdh

Peace out my good people. Until Next week!

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