Grateful Dead

PLAYLIST: A Beginner's Guide to the Grateful Dead Live Vol. 1

The Grateful Dead's live recorded output is massive. It can be overwhelming and a bit intimidating for newcomers. As we've always said, there is plenty of room on the bus. There's room for everybody. So if you want to get into the Dead, get on board!

There is a lot of live material. The strength of the Grateful Dead for many people is live Dead. With this series, you'll hear many different eras and years. From that, you can figure out which eras speak to you and which ones you want to explore a bit more.

My first five cover pretty much all eras of Grateful Dead; from primal Grateful Dead in 1969 right through 1990, some late Brent Mydland-era Grateful Dead with a lot of music in between. Some really, really psychedelic dead. Some acoustic beauties. Powerful 1977 Dead. So that’s what I want to share with you. - David

"Morning Dew" (Live at Barton Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 5/8/77) 

Widely considered one of the best of the best, this Morning Dew is live Dead perfection. The dynamic performance has the Dead playing so quietly you could hear a pin drop, later in the song very nearly blowing the roof off Barton Hall. 

"Dark Star" (Live at the Fillmore West San Francisco, CA 2/27/69) 

For many Dead Heads, this is where the live Grateful Dead journey began, with what is widely considered one of the greatest live performances the Dead ever played, and thankfully recorded. From 1969, this is the epitome of live Grateful Dead music. 

"Viola Lee Blues" (Live at Harpur College, Binghamton, NY 5/2/70) 

From May 2, 1970, at Harpur College, this tape was a cornerstone of many people's early tape collections. After a beautiful, delicate acoustic set to open the show, the Dead later that night went on to play one of their most perfect, intense live performances. 

"Eyes Of The World" (Live at Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY 3/29/90) 

A later-era gem, with special guest Branford Marsalis sitting in, this Eyes Of The World is one of the Dead's most spectacular live performances from the second half of their performing career. The pure jazz bliss that emanates from the stage demonstrates the Dead's ability to master any genre. 

"Bird Song" (Live at Warfield Theatre, San Francisco, CA 10/14/80) 

From the Dead's live acoustic album recorded in the Fall of 1980, this Bird Song shows how the most powerful live band in the land could also play spectacular acoustic music on the same night they'd later play full electric shows. This Bird Song also gets way out there, not an easy task in an acoustic setting.