Best Bluegrassy Grateful Dead Shows

**FodForThoought** · Nov-30-2011, 10:34pm

Just watched a great video of Grateful Dead playing Midnight Moonlight 11-9-1991. Haven't checked out the rest of the show yet, but it got me hungry to find some shows were Dead's going heavy on the grass (bluegrass that is

). Before anyone mentions it, I'm very familiar with Old & In the Way (love em) and all Jerry's other projects (love those too), but right now I'm talking strictly Dead. Any decade, acoustic or electric. Just looking for Dead playing some classic bluegrass tunes or shows that have some great bluegrass flavor to them.

**journeybear** · Dec-01-2011, 8:18am

Are you sitting down? Good, because I wouldn't want you to fall over when you read this. Go to http://www.dead.net and look through the song lyrics list. They have every song Grateful Dead ever did there. Every one, even if done only once. Then go through the shows list to see what set lists are there.

BTW, I don't see Midnight Moonlight there. Don't know how to interpret that. The contributors to this site are seriously devoted and I have always thought of this as being all-inclusive. But I don't see that show listed. http://www.dead.net/shows?page=102 Do you have the date right?

My gushy review of the free show at Expo '67 is a fun read.

**barry** · Dec-01-2011, 8:27am

That wasn't the Grateful Dead. It was the Jerry Garcia Band with Bruce Hornsby sitting in as a special guest.
Check out the Dead's live acoustic album "Reckoning" compiled from some fall 1980 shows. You'll find quite a bit of what you're looking for in there.

**Mandomax** · Dec-01-2011, 8:29am

Harpur College-5-2-1970 is one of my favorites- I think that's the right date- it is a Dick's Picks. check Archive.org and the years 1970-1972 when an acoustic set was usually part of the show. The Reckoning shows are not my favorite, as by this point, their acoustic tone had gotten so piezo quacky, I couldn't get past it.

**barry** · Dec-01-2011, 8:53am

I agree about Garcia's later acoustic tone. He was an acoustic musician in his early years, but was universally known as an electric player. Acoustic shows became a novelty for him and his gear was crossover appropriate for the time. An onboard piezo and EXTRA-light strings gave him a familiar feel. The tone, especially for true acoustic music fans, was lacking. If you can force yourself to listen through the tonal inadequacies the ideas expressed though some of those 1980 jams (Cassidy, Birdsong....)are stellar.

**Wolfboy** · Dec-01-2011, 9:35am

Originally Posted by Mandomax

Harpur College-5-2-1970 is one of my favorites- I think that's the right date- it is a Dick's Picks.

Dick's Picks 8, to be exact. An acoustic set and two electric sets. The acoustic set, which covers disc one, is:

Don't Ease Me In
I Know You Rider
Friend of the Devil
Dire Wolf
Beat It On Down the Line
Black Peter
Candyman/Cumberland Blues
Deep Elem Blues
Cold Jordan
Uncle John's Band

Probably the most concentrated dose of acoustic Dead on an "official" release other than Reckoning (and maybe Bear's Choice).

**AlanN** · Dec-01-2011, 9:49am

Always thought side 1 of Bear's Choice was as good an acoustic sound I had heard from the band. And side 2 was great.

**SternART** · Dec-01-2011, 10:22am

FodForThoought..........if you thought the Jerry Garcia Band was the Grateful Dead, you might be a younger person & have never seen them in person. Welcome to the vast world of the Dead. You might want to check out two of their studio recordings "Workingman's Dead" and "American Beauty". These albums ushered in the more acoustic side of the band........and like said above, there was an era where they opened with an acoustic set, followed by a longer electric set. I wore the grooves off those albums back in the day. Like Alan says "Bear's Choice" is a great one too, defining part of this era.......BTW if you don't know.....Bear is Owsley.

**Paul Kotapish** · Dec-01-2011, 11:55am

Here's the transcript of a really interesting interview with Jerry about playing acoustic guitar.

He gets into some detail about the differences in setup and technique when he switched between electric and acoustic and he talks a lot about his thinking regarding soloing, theory, etc. He also discusses his approach to banjo.

From the earliest years Jerry always gave interesting, insightful interviews, even when he was completely baked. I've read and reread many of those over the years and I always get something out of them.

**terzinator** · Dec-01-2011, 12:00pm

yeah, the Midnight Moonlight from 11-19-91 was Jerry Garcia Band in Providence RI...

here's a YT vid.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF09C...eature=related

here's one from a couple of years later (1993), also Providence...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qL0Lo...eature=related

**Tom C** · Dec-01-2011, 12:01pm

If you are not familiar with the "Kentucky Colonels", must listen. They were Jerry's favorite band and you can here how they influenced the dead. Jerry even introduces them one 1 of the cds. They played tunes the dead did and you can alomost hear Jerry singing too.

Almost "Old and in the way" is "Great american String band" Jerry, grisman, richard green and others.

**Miked** · Dec-01-2011, 12:06pm

Originally Posted by Mandomax

check Archive.org and the years 1970-1972 when an acoustic set was usually part of the show.

There is an incredible wealth of information at Archive.org if you're not familiar with it. A friend at work turned me on to that site about 10 years ago and I spent the next couple months downloading shows (during my lunch hour, of course

). I didn't have that may tapes as a kid (70's) and didn't have a good connection for trading. When I found out about Archive.org, it was like a kid in the candy store, except all the candy was free! Unfortunately, they don't have the *.shn soundboard files available for download anymore, but you can still get audience recordings.

**fatt-dad** · Dec-01-2011, 1:06pm

I saw the Dead in Williamsburg, Virginia (William and Mary Campus) about 1972 or 1973. The did like SternART said, first set acoustic and second set, electric. Great show. In those same years, I also saw OAITW at a bluegrass festival in Culpeper, Virginia.

f-d

**Markus** · Dec-01-2011, 1:31pm

For a one-off tune to see on Archive.org, have a listen to the Dark Star from 3.17.1994.
Jerry does an interesting sort of `breakdown' in it, reminds me of his acoustic playing.

And yes, that Midnight Moonlight is from JGB. 1991 was a good year for Jerry's health, one of last high points of his career - the last consistently good runs. I saw them a week later, had to drive through a huge first-of-year snowstorm to get there - worth the trip, great show.

**Perry** · Dec-01-2011, 1:42pm

Originally Posted by barry

I agree about Garcia's later acoustic tone. He was an acoustic musician in his early years, but was universally known as an electric player. Acoustic shows became a novelty for him and his gear was crossover appropriate for the time. An onboard piezo and EXTRA-light strings gave him a familiar feel. The tone, especially for true acoustic music fans, was lacking. If you can force yourself to listen through the tonal inadequacies the ideas expressed though some of those 1980 jams (Cassidy, Birdsong....)are stellar.

I'm a true acoustic music fan and love the tone of say a Tony Rice but I've come to enjoy Jerry's acoustic tone...it sounded like...Jerry!

On a side note check out some recent solo acoustic Bob performances...I think it's pretty cool what he did solo with Lost Sailor but I think you'll dislike his tone even more.

**neebee** · Dec-01-2011, 9:11pm

Originally Posted by fatt-dad

I saw the Dead in Williamsburg, Virginia (William and Mary Campus) about 1972 or 1973. The did like SternART said, first set acoustic and second set, electric. Great show. In those same years, I also saw OAITW at a bluegrass festival in Culpeper, Virginia.

f-d

Finally, I have found somebody who has seen OAITW. I'm a serious fan. Any idea if there are any video clips of them out there? I can't seem to find anything. Nothing on the Grisman/Garcia CD but there is a short clip with Vasser describing his experience. That must have been some sight, Vasser with those long hairs. Damn they could jam.

**Eliot Greenspan** · Dec-01-2011, 9:21pm

whoever mentioned The Kentucky Colonels earlier hit the nail on the head. From what I've gathered, Jerry saw them a fair amount, and it's hard to imagine a more impressive influence at the time than Clarence White. But despite his deep bluegrass roots, lifelong love for the form, and subsequent OAITW, Jerry became and electric guitarist. An amazing one at that. And it almost reminds me of a quote by Lowell George who said something to the effect that he wanted to be a jazz flautist until he hear Rashaan Roland Kirk...

**SternART** · Dec-01-2011, 9:54pm

Originally Posted by Paul Kotapish

Here's the transcript of a really interesting interview with Jerry about playing acoustic guitar.

There is some GREAT stuff in there! I seem to recall reading that once ....a long time ago.
Thanks for posting.

**Phil Sussman** · Dec-01-2011, 10:23pm

Originally Posted by Mandomax

Harpur College-5-2-1970 is one of my favorites-.

I was at that show. I loved everything they did, acoustic and electric. As I recall the sound for the acoustic set wasn't so good. But somewhere at the beginning of the electric set, the top of my head came off and the room disappeared. And I wasn't indulging in anything but the music.

**fatt-dad** · Dec-02-2011, 8:54am

Originally Posted by neebee

Finally, I have found somebody who has seen OAITW. I'm a serious fan. Any idea if there are any video clips of them out there? I can't seem to find anything. Nothing on the Grisman/Garcia CD but there is a short clip with Vasser describing his experience. That must have been some sight, Vasser with those long hairs. Damn they could jam.

I'd doubt there's video. It was a scene for sure. Back in the early 70s the hippies and the bluegrass folks both enjoyed the show. The NGR was somewhat controversial, the Bluegrass 45 were somewhat unusual, but Minnie Pearl and Grandpa Jones did what they do best. Just like Bill Monroe and Earl Scruggs. Having OAITW at the event was just great, but it wasn't like they were some frontliner. They were just there. It was a lot of fun.

f-d

**AlanN** · Dec-02-2011, 9:18am

I know of no OAITW video, but there is the California TV studio video of Muleskinner (2/5 of OAITW, that being David and Peter), with Clarence White, Richard Greene, Bill Keith and Stuart Shulman on bass. The band that day took the slot of Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys, when their bus broke down and they couln't make it to the taping.

Great. Dawg picks NCR, and Opus 57 in G Minor. After they ended the latter, Rowan waves the studio crowd on, like "You just heard some good chit, give it up."

**Marty Henrickson** · Dec-06-2011, 5:39am

Heck, yes! There have been some "pow'rful" recommendations here. I second all of the above, and I'll add a couple:

"The Pizza Tapes" (first release and later expanded XL version) - This is Jerry jamming with David Grisman and Tony Rice in a very loose, informal setting. Jerry handles the vocals, and all three take some stellar breaks. You also get to hear some of the chatter between takes, which can be humorous, insightful, and goofy. My favorite quote (while discussing Tony's volume and tone on the old '35 'Bone, as compared to Clarence White's): "Louder is better, David, on this planet, anyway!"

"Shady Grove" - This is Jerry and David playing a wide variety of genres, from old-time to blues to old sea chanties. They put their own unique twist on each song, and again, the picking is incredible. Compare their version of "Jackaroo" to he Dead's version of "Jack-a-Roe" on Reckoning.

**AlanN** · Dec-06-2011, 5:53am

My fave exchange from Pizza Tapes is when Grisman flubs the intro to (I think) Long Black Veil. Rice mutters 'wtf is that'. Classic.

**Paul Merlo** · Dec-06-2011, 7:19am

You might also enjoy the Jerry Garcia / David Grisman stuff from '91 / '92. There's a bunch of videos on Youtube for appetizers.
See here for a bunch of shows you can download via bittorrent: http://bt.etree.org/?searchss=grisman&cat=74

Also, if you're searching the Live Music Archive for acoustic Grateful Dead sets, pay attention to the ratings and number of downloads. The bigger the better holds true if you're not sure what to look for. Here's one to getcha started:
http://www.archive.org/details/gd197...crp.26975.shnf (note: it includes the New Riders of Purple Sage set)

**Steve Ostrander** · Dec-06-2011, 7:39am

Midnight Moonlight is on one of the JGB CDs, as well as OAITW. I can't think of the name of the disk right now. Also listen to Peter Rowan's version on Quartet with Tony Rice. It's killer bee.