Welcome back to the Tapers' Section, where this week we have music from 1970, 1976 and 1990. In addition to our usual batch of fine electric Grateful Dead, we have some excellent acoustic Dead.
We'll start this week with a complete acoustic set from 6/4/70 at the FillmoreWest in San Francisco, featuring a great mix of tunes that are classics from this short-lived acoustic era: Deep Elem Blues, Candyman, Silver Threads and Golden Needles, Friend Of The Devil, Black Peter, Cumberland Blues, Wake Up Little Susie, Swing Low Sweet Chariot, Uncle John's Band. Five of these are from the Dead's two classic albums from 1970, and four are cover tunes.
From the middle night of a three night run at the Capitol Theatre in Passaic, NJ on 6/18/76, we have the start of the first set, featuring The Music Never Stopped, Sugaree, Mama Tried, Crazy Fingers, Big River, Brown-Eyed Women. This comeback tour was played entirely in small theatres, and this show, from the first Grateful Dead in Passaic, NJ, is a hot one.
Our last stop this week is on the second night of a day run in Eugene, OR, at Autzen Stadium on 6/24/90. These were some of the most fun shows I ever saw, with noon show times. Little Feat played noon to 1, and the Dead from about 2 PM to 5 PM. The Other One>Wharf Rat>Sugar Magnolia; Brokedown Palace. I'd never been to a Dead show that ended at 5 PM before these, and it was fun being able to go for a nice, long dinner, and then see a movie, and still be back at the hotel at 11 PM. Lots of fun. After this, it was on to Kansas for the July 4th show, with a week's stop in Colorado. Good times…
Be sure to join us here next week for more tunes from the vault. And as always, we encourage you to write to us at the email address below with questions, comments, suggestions or jokes.
David Lemieux
vault@dead.net