Hi. I’m actor Michael Chernus and I got on the proverbial bus back in the mid 90s when I was in high school. The music and spirit of the Grateful Dead is practically woven into every nook and cranny of my life at this point. But that wasn’t always the case. I was pretty intimidated by the whole thing at first.
The sheer volume of music available was overwhelming. There were references to venues and tours that I knew nothing about. There were abbreviations for song titles that I couldn’t understand. “GDTRFB”? “NFA”? There were symbols like “>” between songs. There was confusing iconography like fuzzy dancing bears but also lighting bolts and skulls. It seemed like there was a secret language that fans spoke. And I needed to have some manual or guidebook in order to get “it”.
Well, I’m here today to tell “beginners” that there’s nothing to be afraid of. This music is for everyone. We are everywhere. And there’s never been a better time to be a Grateful Dead fan. Let’s dig in, shall we?
“Here Comes Sunshine” (Live at Curtis Hixon Hall, Tampa, FL 12/19/73)
Legendary Dead archivist Dick Latvala chose this show to be Volume 1 of his now famous “Dicks Picks” series. And he said he specifically chose it because of this performance of “Here Comes Sunshine”.
“Wake of the Flood” had just come out in October of ’73 and the Dead were a confident, tight five piece here. Jerry, Bobby, Phil, Billy, and Keith. Mickey Hart left in 1971 and wouldn’t return to the band until the next year, 1974. Pigpen had passed away in March. And Donna Jean was on maternity leave as she was very pregnant and about to give birth.
December 1973 is a storied month for Grateful Dead music and featured several highly regarded performances including great shows at Boston Music Hall, Cleveland Public Hall, and the previous night (12/18/73) at Curtis Hixon Hall, which was recently released as Dave’s Picks Volume 58.
You can hear how in sync they are here, you can practically feel the band listening to each other on this. They are so locked in, having a musical conversation in real time. For me, this is the perfect example that a great jam doesn’t have to be some 35 minute epic journey. It can just be a “short” 14:23 haha!
“Dancing In The Street” (Live at Barton Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 5/8/77)
I love how the music of the Grateful Dead encompasses so many different genres…blues, folk, jazz, country, reggae, bluegrass, gospel etc etc. And they covered so many incredible artists. Dylan. The Beatles. The Stones. Buddy Holly. Chuck Berry.
Here we have a 1964 R&B pop song (originally made famous by Martha and the Vandellas) reimagined into a sprawling 16 minute funk-jam vehicle perfect for the late 1970s. This is Disco Dead at its finest. Phil and the drummers are in the pocket. Four on the floor. It’s groovy, it’s bouncy, summer’s here and the time is right for dancing in the street!
“Blow Away” (Live at JFK Stadium, Philadelphia, PA 7/7/89)
Time to go to church. The church of Brent Mydland.
I gotta admit I had a hard time getting into Brent’s songs at first. His voice was so rough. So pained. The lyrics of his songs were surprisingly direct. Almost blunt. But then I heard this electric version of “Blow Away”. It’s intense. It feels very personal. Even though he’s singing to nearly 100,000 people. And its message is powerful. Real love.
The keyboard position of the Grateful Dead is often called the “hot seat”. Because we unfortunately lost so many of the keyboard players at a young age. And for me each keyboard player seems to define the era in which they played. Perhaps none more acutely than Brent. Do yourself a favor and watch the video on YouTube of this performance. I love how much Jerry enjoyed Brent.
“Looks Like Rain” (Live at Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY 3/28/90)
Man, I miss Bobby Weir. I’ve always loved this song. So much so that I included lyrics from it in my wedding vows to my wife. “I only want to hold you. I don't want to tie you down. Or fence you in the lines I might've drawn”
One of the most played songs in Grateful Dead history, LLRain appeared over 400 times in concert since its debut in 1972. This version is from the great live album “Without A Net”, which is one of the first live Grateful Dead records I ever owned. Very accessible and a good place for a beginner to start.
“So Many Roads” (Live at Soldier Field, Chicago, IL 7/9/95)
The final Grateful Dead concert ever. Jerry’s last show, he would die exactly one month after this. Knowing what we know now, it’s easy to imagine all kinds of things that might’ve been going through Jerry’s mind when he sang this. But of course, we’ll never know. What we do know is that he absolutely destroyed this version of the song. It’s incredible hearing the passion in his voice. Raw energy. There’s this moment at about six minutes in where he kind of kicks it into overdrive. And it’s stirring, make the hair on the back of your neck stand straight up kind of stuff.
There aren’t a ton of highlights from those final years. But for me, this is a gem. Hard to listen to but so worth it.
I think for most of us the thing that really drew us to this band was the live experience. It’s the improvisation. It’s the knowledge that this is happening right now. And that this song is being played this exact way only once. Fans of the Grateful Dead aren’t looking for your typical rock ‘n’ roll concert experience. We are chasing that indescribable thing that happens when magic is being made in front of you, in the moment, for the first time. When band members are communicating almost telepathically with each other. When the music plays the band.
Bill Graham put it best. “They aren't the best at what they do, they are the only ones who do what they do".
God Bless the Good Ol’ Grateful Dead. Thanks for having me, it’s been an honor!
