This week we're going to hear some music from 1970 through to 1989, with a few interesting stops in between.

Our first selection, as mentioned the past couple of weeks, is the outstanding version of Lovelight from 7/16/70 in San Rafael, California, featuring none other than Janis Joplin sharing lead vocal duties with Pigpen. This would be the last of the very few times Janis would perform onstage with the Grateful Dead, and sadly, just two and a half months later, she would be gone. Worth noting here in the Tapers Section is that it was after this show that Bear went away, and is the reason there are no tapes from the second half of 1970 from this night until late December when the sound crew began recording the concerts again.

Because we love these monster versions of Playing In The Band so much, here is a really superior rendition from 7/19/74 in Fresno, California. I could get lost in these 1974 Playings for hours. In fact, I often do.

Our next stop is a very unique items from the vault, the great version of Scarlet Begonias>Fire On The Mountain from 2/10/79 at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas. What makes this version so special for us to play you here is that 2/10/79 is the only soundboard recording in the vault from Keith and Donna's final tour in January and February, 1979. We get a lot of requests for music from this tour, particularly shows in mid-January, but this show is all that we have. Jerry's voice is still showing some of the scratchiness that would bother him throughout all of 1978, but the music is pretty darn good.

Our next selection is from 7/15/89 at Deer Creek Music Theatre in Indiana, the band's first show at this sweet little venue surrounded by corn fields. What was so nice about that first trip there was that the Grateful Dead had started their tour with seven shows at five massive eastern stadiums (Foxboro, Buffalo, Philly, Giants X2 and DC X2), so to show up and see what Deer Creek was all about was truly a treat. And the band rose to the occasion and played a wonderful concert. From the start of the first set, we have Bertha>Greatest Story Ever Told, Candyman, Walkin' Blues.

Lastly this week, from the same summer tour's penultimate show on 7/18/89 at Alpine Valley in East Troy, Wisconsin, here is the first set opening trio of Touch of Grey, Jack Straw, Jack-A-Roe. This show is often overlooked because of the incredible performances the night before and after, but this middle night had plenty of great music.

Thanks for stopping in. Be sure to come back next week for more great music. As always, feel free to write with questions or comments.

David Lemieux
vault@dead.net