For the week of 3/10 – 3/16, we’re remembering three incredible individuals who joined the great gig in the sky. First, on 3/10 we say happy heavenly birthday to Sam Cutler, who passed away in 2023. 3/12 is the 14th anniversary of Owsley’s death. And of course, most recently Phil himself, who would have been 85 on March 15th. Thankfully, we have 12 outstanding performances this week to soothe our soul:
3/10/1981 Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
3/11/1993 Rosemont Horizon, Rosemont, IL
3/12/1981 Boston Garden, Boston, MA
3/13/1981 Utica Memorial Auditorium, Utica, NY
3/13/1982 Reno Centennial Coliseum, Reno, NV
3/14/1981 Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, CT
3/14/1982 Recreation Hall, U.C. Davis, Davis, CA
3/14/1990 Capital Centre, Landover, MD
3/15/1990 Capital Centre, Landover, MD
3/16/1973 Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
3/16/1988 Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center, Oakland, CA
3/16/1990 Capital Centre, Landover, MD
So grab your copy of my book On This Day In Grateful Dead History: A Daily Listening Journal if you have it to follow along. Ok, let's jump into it. Here's the highlights for Issue 10, for the week of March 10th, 2025:
Interesting historical facts for this week:
Happy heavenly birthday to Sam Cutler (3/10)
Remembering Augustus Owsley “Bear” Stanley who died on 3/12/2011
Happy heavenly birthday to Phil Lesh (3/15)
By the way, if you're new here, this is my weekly listening guide that brings you the most interesting and significant facts from Grateful Dead History, along with reviews of the music for the week ahead. The idea is to give all you Heads a "Heads up" on the interesting and cool stuff the Grateful Dead were up to on this week in history. So hit the Subscribe button below to go to the top of my blog page where you can enter your email to get this delivered to your email every week!
March 10th
3/10/1981 Madison Square Garden, New York, NY – This whole show was released on In and Out of the Garden box set and is a glorious performance. There was some serious magic (and pot smoke) in the air on this night, for sure! Kicking off the 1st set with a Jam Anthem version of Half Step that moves straight away into a frolicking Franklin's Tower. Other first set highlights are a blistering and funky Jam Anthem version of Lazy Lightning > Supplication, and Deal, where Jerry absolutely tears it up at the end with a heavily sustained distortion effect on his guitar. The 2nd set kicks off with a, groove-filled, fan favorite Scarlet > Fire, but the Lost Sailor > Saint of Circumstance that follows is another Jam Anthem version, and is the real highlight of the set. And that's just before Drums > Space! There's so much more good music to go. There's a nice Smokestack Jam out of Truckin' before Sugar Magnolia. The rest of the set is filled with gratifying performances, all the way to the Satisfaction and Brokedown Palace double encores. What a night!
Music link: https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1981/03/10?source=338808
March 11th
3/11/1993 Rosemont Horizon, Rosemont, IL – The fine folks of Chicago were treated to a nice show with an equally nice set list. They kick off the 1st set with an excellent Help > Slipknot! > Franklin's which gets the party started. A few more good-but-standard songs follow, including Rooster, Althea, Masterpiece. Jerry delivers a passionate rendition of So Many Roads which flows straight into a hot Music Never Stopped to close the set. The 2nd set opens with a funky, tight Iko that has everyone grooving. Wave To The Wind follows, but doesn’t take off. Truckin’ however soars and it inspires Jerry to pull out a Spoonful riff, and Bobby is more than happy to jump on board. They segue into a passionate He’s Gone followed by one of the best Drums > Space passages on tape, made special by Chicago's own Ken Nordine reciting his word jazz poems Flibberty Jib on the Bippity Bop and The Island. Someone’s asleep at the soundboard, and unfortunately we miss the first few lines of the first poem, but once they turn Ken’s mic on, it gets epic. Man, it would have been cool if they’d done more guest poets during Space. The Other One is powerful, but not as jammed out as you’d like. It’s not one of those versions that starts with a bang. It gradually starts to take form out of Space, until everyone starts rowing in unison. But it does build to a nice peak before the first verse. It quickly winds down into a beautiful rendition of Days Between. The outro jam builds into a big crescendo, but floats back down to earth. Bobby switches gear and takes us out with some Chuck Berry Around & Around to get us dancing again. Liberty, the #2 most common encore song of the year closes out the show.
Music link: https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1993/03/11?source=346264
March 12th
3/12/1981 Boston Garden, Boston, MA – Overall this is a real high-energy show with above average versions of most songs. They open the 1st set with a smooth, tight Jack Straw. Jerry reaches some nice heights on his solo, and there’s a powerful re-entry into the final verse that makes this version special. The pace of Tennessee Jed is a little sleepy, but has some nice expressive moments. They tun up the intensity for Bobby’s country duo of Mama Tried > Mexicali. Bird Song follows, and is taken at a slightly faster-than-normal pace. The jam isn’t as exploratory or reach the soaring heights that some other versions achieve, but it’s still very satisfying. Nice renditions of C.C. Rider and Althea follow, and then a scorching curve ball of Let It Grow > Franklin’s Tower blaze out the end of the set. The 2nd set has some choice song selections, and opens with a rare Terrapin Station (5th of only 11). Jerry briefly gets lost in the lyrics but recovers. The outro jam reaches a nice peak and they segue into a long and exploratory Playing, clocking in at 16+ minutes. There’s some nice interplay between Jerry on the Wah-Wah peddle and Brent’s organ. Brent switches to the Rhodes electric piano, and Bobby lays down some atonal chord progressions, giving Jerry a platform to experiment on top of. Bobby’s strumming gets more and more frantic and Jerry starts matching him. The whole thing dissolves and we’re on the verge of space, but Jerry brings it back to reality with a passionate reading of He’s Gone, which leads into a relatively short Drums > Space, where Space is more like an extended tease intro to NFA. They jam that theme out for a few minutes, and finally after much build-up they break into a rather funky version. Brent switches on the Wah-Wah peddle on his keyboard, and it gives it a real juicy feel. After the outro jam, they segue into Black Peter, and Jerry delivers some poignant signing before Bobby kicks it back into party mode with some Chuck Berry rock and roll tunes (Around And Around > Johnny B. Goode). A good ol’ U.S. Blues encore sends the audience home smiling.
Music link: https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1981/03/12?source=92969
March 13th
3/13/1981 Utica Memorial Auditorium, Utica, NY – Kicking off the 1st set, the adrenalin is running high and the boys are all amped up for the scorching Shakedown Street opener. Due to the energy, they have to find their footing at the outset, but do so quickly and then blast through a very lively rendition. They quickly segue into a crackling Minglewood next, and it’s clear that there’s a certain “spark” in the air tonight. They cool it off a little with They Love Each Other and El Paso, but turn the intensity back up with a scorching, fast-paced Jack A Roe and a powerful Rooster that contains an incredibly intense jam that sends Jerry soaring before the final verse. Jerry cools off the tempo but not the intensity with a beautiful High Time. Up next is Cassidy, which is always a lovely song but it just doesn’t develop. Jerry then takes the spotlight and delivers a nice but standard Althea. A rousing Music Never Stopped that includes a nice peak in the outro jam closes out the set. The 2nd set opens with excellent high-energy renditions of Cold Rain And Snow and Samson followed by a riveting version of Roses, featuring some really passionate signing by Jerry. The jam segment of the set consists of a common sequence of Estimated > Eyes but has a nice long jazzy connecting jam. In similar fashion, the outro jam of Eyes is expressive and they’re not rushing it. A short Drums > Space follows, and leads to Lost Sailor > Saint Of Circumstance combo, which is not the usual position for these songs but are both well executed. A powerful Wharf Rat and then a rousing Sugar Magnolia close out the set followed by a hot Don’t Ease encore.
Music link: https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1981/03/13?source=338624
3/13/1982 Reno Centennial Coliseum, Reno, NV – This is a real heater of a show! It’s got all the ingredients for a real fun ride: high energy, passionate signing, extended powerful jamming that reach nice peaks and soaring solos. Kicking off the 1st set is a rousing Alabama Getaway > Greatest Story. There’s some sound system mix issues at first, but they eventually figure it out. There are also standout versions of Brown Eyed Women, Cassidy, and Minglewood before a scorching China Cat > I Know You Rider to close out the set. They dial up the intensity and the fun for the 2nd set. Opening with a real funky Stranger featuring a powerful outro segue that slams straight into a ferocious Franklin’s Tower. Jerry is fired up for all the instrumental passages, and sparks are flying off his fretboard. I’d like to officially file a petition to Howard Weiner to consider this for his Jam Anthem title! They break into a nicely jammed Estimated Prophet with a soaring middle solo and a stretched outro jam that goes through some interesting themes for a few extra minutes before winding down into a serious He’s Gone tease, but Jerry pauses and noodles for a minute while considering his options. He then opts for a wonderful rendition of Eyes instead. It’s a beautiful, flowing version that has moments of pure intensity that seem to instantly develop out of nowhere. They take their time on the outro jam and explore some interesting themes before ultimately landing on Drums > Space. They slow-roll the intro to The Other One, teasing it for more than a few minutes at the tail end of Space, but suddenly they pounce on it, and it explodes out of the speakers. Bobby is seriously possessed, and Jerry is on a tear. There’s an interesting wind-down sequence at the end, and it almost sounds like they’re going to play Strawberry Fields or Dear Prudence, but it doesn’t take hold, and they segue into a poignant Black Peter. Bobby switches gear into rock and roll mode with a swift segue into Around And Around, followed by a stomping Good Lovin’. A short but energetic Don’t Ease encore closes out this hot show.
Music link: https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1982/03/13?source=381934
March 14th
3/14/1981 Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, CT – Some really wonderful Dead shows went down at the Hartford Civic Center over the years. The Dead played there a total of 18 times, starting in 1977, and Jerry played there 3 times in 1989, 1991, and 1993. It was a nice size venue with a capacity of about 16,000. So, it had the potential to spark some great performances, and this is one of them. The band is hyped up and open the 1st set with a laid back but funky Stranger followed by a powerful Sugaree. An upbeat Me And My Uncle > Big River is up next followed by a pretty Peggy-O. Jerry’s solos are sharp an sparkling. They quickly transition into a shuffling C.C. Rider. Jerry’s fretwork is hot, Brent’s organ is jumping and Bobby’s slide is… contained. A good but standard Althea is up next followed by a rowdy Passenger. A powerful China Cat > I Know You Rider closes out the set. They kick off the 2nd set with an energetic Alabama Getaway > Greatest Story but the intensity feels a lot more subdued after that as they work through average renditions of Ship Of Fools and Lost Sailor but they dial it up for Saint Of Circumstance that includes a big outro jam leading to a peak before melting into a short Drums segment which is devoid of any semblance of Space. Jerry returns to the stage and teases The Other One by noodling the melody for a good 2 minutes, and then they pounce on it. Unfortunately, they don’t have the desire to build it up or stretch it out, and instead it falls into a quiet prolonged intro to a very beautiful Stella Blue. Jerry passionately belts out the middle verse and plays a sharp, emotional solo. The outro jam reaches a great height and Jerry’s solo soars. They very abruptly land on a quick rock-and-roll three-piece of Miracle > Bertha > Good Lovin’. Bertha is taken a breakneck speed, and Jerry wails out a nice solo. The intensity and pace of Good Lovin’ is amplified as well, and I like Bobby’s little rap at the end. They carry the energy through to the very end with an upbeat Saturday Night encore.
Music link: https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1981/03/14?source=596758
3/14/1982 Recreation Hall, U.C. Davis, Davis, CA – This whole show is excellent, and the tapes sound great. In a fun twist, they open this hot show with a rowdy Saturday Night, despite it being a Sunday show because they didn’t play the song the previous night. Bobby says “we forgot something last night” and launch right into it. They segue directly into a lively Sugaree, and the band is just bubbling over with energy. Me And My Uncle > Mexicali is nice, but Bird Song is especially gratifying. A wicked Rooster is up next, and Bobby manages to control his slide while Jerry erupts with a massive solo along with Brent. A good but standard Ramble On Rose is up next, but that leads into a very fine Looks Like Rain. Althea doesn’t have the same punch as the rest of the set. That’s ok, it’s still enjoyable and it gave them a chance to catch their breath for the explosive Let It Grow that has a big, soaring Jerry solo complimented by some fine work by Brent, Bobby and Phil. Of course, the drummers are super tight as well. The 2nd set kicks off with a powerful Samson and a poignant Ship Of Fools featuring some nice vocals and guitar work by Jerry. The most interesting part of the show is up next, with a killer Playing > Scarlet > Fire three-piece, and its finger licking good! Playing has a nice, long meandering jam in the middle. Jerry busts out the Wah-Wah pedal for a while, then builds the intensity up nicely before falling into what sounds like a strange, angular jazz jam. It sounds like they don’t know where to take it when all of a sudden, Jerry pulls out the intro to Scalet Begonias. The rest of the band jumps on board. The segue into Fire is long and mellow, as they take their time getting there. The very beginning has an interesting syncopated melody that I’ve never heard them do before as they try to find the groove. Eventually they all get in sync and they’re off to the races. Jerry’s solos are intense, and the outro jam contains an especially nice, swirling organ solo by Brent. It leads to a long Drums > Space sequence. A bold and powerful NFA gradually builds into a raging beast. There’s a long outro jam that winds down into an excellent rendition of Wharf Rat, and then Bobby spins the party mood back up with a rowdy Sugar Magnolia. A fine U.S. Blues encore caps off an amazing performance.
Music link: https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1982/03/14?source=470535
3/14/1990 Capital Centre, Landover, MD – 1st of a 3-show run. Officially released on Spring 1990 (The Other One). Overall, this is a strong show, with a great set list and most songs are well executed and powerful. They kick off the 1st set with an excellent Cold Rain And Snow. Phil dominates as Jerry belts it out. They follow with a funky Stranger, and with that they’ve established a strong party vibe. They slow it down for Brent’s blues song Good Times Blues but Bobby picks up the pace again with a quick Mama Tried > Big River. Jerry pulls a rabbit out of his hat with Loose Lucy, and it’s a huge breakout. Last time played was 10/19/74 (991 shows!). The crowd goes bonkers when they realize what it is, and Jerry absolutely kills it. You can hear the smile on his face as he’s playing. A good but standard Memphis Blues follows and then they end the set with a hot Row Jimmy > Let It Grow duo. They keep the energy going for the 2nd set which is a wonderful sequence of songs beginning with a beautiful rendition of Crazy Fingers. Jerry’s singing is perfect, as are the harmonies and he plays a sweet, mesmerizing solo. The outro jam builds and transitions into the familiar Playing theme. After the first verse there’s a nice long jam. Jerry pulls out the envelope filter and Brent sprinkles some nice organ riffing. Jerry gets into a little bit of MIDI flute sounds and weaves through several themes until the whole thing tailspins into a free-form jam. Jerry pulls it all back together with the intro of Uncle John’s Band. There’s a nice outro jam that reaches a big peak of intensity as Jerry rips through his solo. After the last verse, they immediately segue back into Playing. But they don’t sing the last verse of the song, and opt to just fall into a subtle, wandering jam for 7+ minutes. Jerry again returns to his favorite MIDI flute sound and the drummers start to build intensity. The structure of the jam breaks down, and you end up with disjointed, syncopated participation between Jerry, Bobby, Phil and the drummers. Eventually they slip into Drums > Space, and the rest of the set is well played, but seems hurried as the songs are definitely on the shorter side. Dear Mr. Fantasy out of Space is a nice treat, and Black Peter is sung with passion, as is the Black Muddy River encore.
Music link: https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1990/03/14?source=103861
March 15th
3/15/1990 Capital Centre, Landover, MD – 2nd of a 3-show run. This whole show is excellent, and was picked by Phil for release on Terrapin Station as a fundraiser for the band's interactive Terrapin Station museum, which unfortunately never came to fruition. You can read about that project here. The 1st set kicks off with a rousing Jack Straw > Sugaree two piece opener that really sets the mood. They follow that up with a wonderful Easy to Love You, and it’s a huge breakout (682 shows). Next up are excellent renditions of Walkin' Blues and Althea which were both released on Without a Net. After Tom Thumb’s and Tennessee Jed, they close the set strong with Cassidy > Don’t Ease. They kick off the 2nd set with a good but standard China Cat > I Know You Rider, followed by Samson. The real treat is the reason this show was selected for release: Terrapin Station > Jam is a monster, and one of the best versions ever played. Another 2nd set highlights is Wharf Rat which is played with strong emotion from Jerry. They encore with another huge breakout Revolution (301 shows).
Music link: https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1990/03/15?source=1863605
March 16th
3/16/1973 Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY – This entire show is outstanding. They open this massive 1st set with a hot China Cat > I Know You Rider that contains a nice connecting jam. Jack Straw has some very nice vocal work and tight playing. They Love Each Other, El Paso, Row Jimmy, and Mexicali are all strong, energetic renditions. To end the set, they play Bird Song that contains a nice mesmerizing jam that stretches for several minutes, and a massive 20+ minute Playing closer. The energy gets dialed up for the 2nd set, and they charge out of the gate with a rousing Promised Land > Bertha > Greatest Story three-piece opener. After several good but standard songs we get the big jam segment highlight: Dark Star > Truckin' > Morning Dew. These are powerful renditions with tight jamming. Dark star is almost entirely instrumental (including some serious deep space exploration), with only a couple of minutes in the middle devoted to both verses sung back-to-back. Truckin’ is bursting with controlled energy and Morning Dew is powerful, sweet, and poignant. They close the show out strong with a stomping Sugar Magnolia.
Music link: https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1973/03/16?source=336519
3/16/1988 Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center, Oakland, CA – This is an absolute scorcher of a show. Some may argue the best show of the year. Either way, there is a lot to love here. Jerry is the star of this show. He’s lucid and energized, and putting extra effort into almost every song vocally and on the guitar. They charge out of the gate with Alabama Getaway > Greatest Story and it’s bubbling over with energy. They follow that up with a rousing Stagger Lee and he’s just belting it out. It’s Bobby’s turn with Walkin’ Blues and there’s some great interplay between him and Jerry. At this point its obvious that they’re having a great time. Candyman is picture perfect and Jerry’s solo soars. After a good but standard Queen Jane and Big Boss Man we get a standout Cassidy that has an intense jam. A powerful Don’t Ease closes out the set. They release a powerful storm of energy for the 2nd set. Opening up with a scorching Scarlet Begonias that has one of the most intense jams you’ll ever hear. Jerry is worked up into a frenzy during the transition into Fire. He switches to Wah Wah mode, and its game on. The middle jam of Fire is where things get really intense. It’s like Jerry just wants to jam out forever and the rest of the band is chasing him down. They eventually make their way into an intense Playing where they quickly get the first verse out of the way so they can get back to pushing the musical envelope. There are some unique moments of building up of intensity, then cutting back, and then building up again, proving that they’re in total control of this beast. After mellowing the intensity, they segue into Drums > Space, and I really like this segment because it reinforces the ferocious attitude of the set. Eventually a hypnotic Wheel emerges out of Space, followed by Gimme Some Lovin’. Phil sings it with strong emotion and passion. Bobby steps up and delivers a powerful Watchtower, and Jerry gives us everything he’s got for Morning Dew which includes some incredibly moving vocals and a soaring solo. They’ve barely got enough gas to get through the Touch Of Grey encore but somehow manage to pull it off.
Music link: https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1988/03/16?source=343082
3/16/1990 Capital Centre, Landover, MD – 3rd of a 3-show run. Officially released on Spring 1990. This whole show is excellent and includes some unusual setlist events. The boys are in an upbeat mood and open with a fun Let The Good Times Roll opener, and keep the momentum going with strong renditions of Touch and Minglewood Blues. After Peggy-O, Queen Jane, and Loser they pull out the huge Black Throated Wind breakout (993 shows!). This new arrangement includes new lyrics. Bird Song follows, and has a nice jam in the middle, and Blow Away to end the set includes an extra verse and extra passion from Brent. The 2nd set Kicks off with a unique Scarlet > Estimated > Ship of Fools opener (only time ever played). They segue into a swinging Women Are Smarter that includes a nice long outro jam. The rest of the set is all very well played, but isn’t the same level of intensity comparatively, except an emotional Stella Blue and a rare The Last Time encore (first of only 4 times played as an encore).
Music link: https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1990/03/16?source=344037
BTW, If you're not yet familiar with Jam Anthem versions of songs you can read all about it in Deadology II by Howard Weiner. Check it out here along with all his other great books.
And that's all for now! Of course, if you want to follow along in your very own copy of my book On This Day In Grateful Dead History: A Daily Listening Journal I still have some copies available here. Once they're sold out, I won't be getting any more made. The costs of printing and shipping has almost doubled in the last few years since I had them printed, and I've decided it's just not worth it. So get one now while you can! https://www.gratefuldeadbook.com/tigdh
Peace out my good people. Until next week!
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