Jerry Says "It Looks Like the 70's Are Gonna Be Weird": Last Set of the Sixties: Boston Tea Party 12-31-69

A rare review of "The Mason Song" on Opening Night

The Boston Globe review of the 12/29 show; adds some color to the unknown opening of the show

The last set of the 1960’s started with Alligator and was the last Dead new years played outside the Bay Area.  This little medley of Yellow Dog, Alligator ->
Jam ->
And We Bid You Good Night Jam ->
Alligator ->
Caution (Do Not Stop On Tracks) ->
Feedback ->
Good Lovin' ->
The Eleven
 is pretty outrageous.

Apparently this show was unknown until 1998, as it does not appear  in the original Taping Compendium, but only in the now-priced at $1000 Taping Addendum (see excellent review below)

Despite bring only 120 miles from the show my mommy and daddy did not allow this ten year old to attend (as well as the drinking laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, you had to be at least 12-13 to go to a bar near Fenway with your Dad in 1971-72) . That would take 11 more years before seeing God at a New Year's show. Last show that the Dead ever played at the Tea Party (and related named clubs Ark etc), and would they will be graduating to BU, the Music Hall and The Garden. Within months they would even headlined over trained Chimps.

Here's the mp3s etc  and Charlie Miller's Flac

Amalie Rothschild's Photo in NYC 2 nights later. Buy Eyes of the World! Support the Photographers

http://lostlivedead.blogspot.com/2011/04/november-23-1969-boston-music-hall.html
http://deadsources.blogspot.com/2014/02/october-2-4-1969-boston-tea-party.html
http://www.theamericanrevolution.fm/boston-tea-party-schedule-1967---1970.html

Bay Area 1976-1991, 16 Years, 57 New-Years Shows, 578,471 Tickets Sold, $10.5 Million in Receipts

Here is a nifty little chart of New Year's Shows by our friends, the Grateful Dead.'
Don;t forget to listen to the one from https://www.dropbox.com/sh/fq79c17atups6go/AAAVUid6rO-o7C08ReS29ffKa?dl=  1976at the Cow Palace.

Merry Christmas from Grateful Seconds Blog

I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

Thanks for viewing this collection of odds and ends from my career and yours with the Grateful Dead. I just know 2018 is going to be a better year for all of us in the GD community

Christmas Day, 1977 LA Times, Still New Shows :)

May 31, 2017 Hollywood Bowl

Near Nirvana: The Nine Times China>Rider and Scarlet>Fire Were Played In The Same Show

I like lists at Christmas, so today I present the nine times that China Cat Sunflower flowed into I Know You Rider and Scarlet Begonias streamed into Fire On The Mountain in the same show!

Luckily I saw two of these, at the New Year's Eve show 1980 in Oakland and the next summer at the Saturday show at the Greek 9-12-1981.  You can listen to any or all of these below.
All the China Riders were in the first set (first electric set in 1980) followed by a second set Scar Fire.

So of the more than 300 times the Dead played Scarlet Fire starting in 1977 to the end in 1995 only 9 were played in the same show as China Rider. You had to be lucky to see one of these babies

Note that three shows in a row in 1980 and 1981 also had a Lost Sailor>Saint of Circumstance in them for a trifecta evening.

These were special nights when you got the double dose. I hope you were there too.  Merry Christmas to everyone and thanks for reading my cryptic notes on my life and yours with the Dead


1. 2-3-79 Indianapolis

2. 11-8-79 Cap Center, a rare later era mid first set China here


3. 10-22-80 Radio City
4. 12-31-80 (I was there) Oakland. Here's the fine Wagner Miller NAK aud.
5. 7-8-81 St Louis Kiel
 6. 9-12-81 (I was there)  The Greek
 7. 12-9-81 For the third 1981 double dose, the Dead move from 9-12 in UC Berkeley to 12-9 at U Colorado. Poetic for the Band
8. 9-4-83 Park West Mountain High
9. 3-28-85
Also see  http://gratefulseconds.blogspot.com/2016/04/scarlet-less-fires-and-fire-less.html  and http://gratefulseconds.blogspot.com/2016/01/china-less-riders-and-rider-less-china.html for more Dead rarities involving these four master classes among Dead tunes.

JGB hits UMass, Blasts Sugaree Solo February 20, 1980

For the first day of Christmas, listen to this sweet Jerry Garcia Band Sugaree solo. Howard of Positively Garcia says this is the one, even with the fair recording.

Highgate, July 13, 1994

For my 300th post, I give you a massive big outdoor in the woods type show.

Late in their life, The Grateful Dead played Highgate. Twice actually, but this is the tale of the first show there.  This was the first Dead show in Vermont in 11 years. The first visit was in 1978  http://gratefulseconds.blogspot.com/2016/11/the-deads-first-visit-to-vermont-may-6.html

More than 60,000 were there.  This is an era where the Dead could generate almost $2 million a night in ticket sales (see Billboard accountings of shows near this one) as well as hang with congress (a different breed back then too).

I don't listen to much Dead music from 1994, but it's all here as well as several Vermont papers account of the show. And a little insight from the Dead Zines too.  Check the More here below for full issues that deal with the Summer 1994 tour including Highgate.  Only 7 of 60,000 in attendance voted for this one as sow of the year, so it was definitely more an experience than a mind-blowing show. It was like Standing on the Moon.  Have fun with all these memories here; if you can't read the fine print, click below and the PDFs are better.

Music and more here