top of page

This Week In Grateful Dead History #4 (Week of 1/27)

Writer's picture: Mason's ChildrenMason's Children

For the week of 1/27 - 2/2 we have some amazing music along with one really big historical event that became a defining moment for the band. This week I've written listening guides for 10 outstanding shows:


1/27/68 Eagle's Auditorium, Seattle, WA

1/28/87 San Francisco Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, CA

1/29/87 San Francisco Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, CA

1/30/70 The Warehouse, New Orleans, LA

1/30/78 Uptown Theater, Chicago, IL

1/31/70 The Warehouse, New Orleans, LA

1/31/78 Uptown Theater, Chicago, IL

2/1/70 The Warehouse, New Orleans, LA

2/1/78 Uptown Theater, Chicago, IL

2/2/70 The Fox Theatre, St. Louis, MO


So grab your copy of my book if you have it to follow along and let's jump into it. Here's the highlights for Issue 4, for the week of January 27th, 2025 so check it out:


Interesting historical facts for this week:

  • Tom Constanten’s final show

  • The band is busted down on Bourbon Street in New Orleans after a show on 1/30

  • First performance of Saw Mill, Katie Mae

  • Final performance of Old, Old House

  • Only performance of Get Back


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!


 

January 27th


  • 1/27/68 Eagle's Auditorium, Seattle, WA – Partially officially released on Road Trips Volume 2 Number 2 Bonus Disc. If you recall last week, I reviewed 1/26/68 Eagle’s Auditorium, and pointed out that the music that circulates under the spurious date of 1/22/68 actually belongs to 1/26/68. Well, this week we have the 2nd show of that 2-show run, and there is music that circulates out there labeled as 1/23/68 Eagle’s Auditorium, and guess what? It’s been shown to actually be from 1/27/68. If you want a really nice in-depth analysis of all of this, check out John Dunn’s comprehensive writeup on Corry Arnold’s blog Dead Essays. So now that we’ve got the right date, let’s talk about how good this music is. The exact order of the songs played is not certain, but the tape starts with a powerful Cryptical > Other One > Cryptical (which contain those interesting alternate early lyrics). There’s a nice outro jam which segues into that strange, pleasant and elusive number known as Clementine. I love this song, and wish they had developed it more before dumping it. It has that jazzy shuffle, and I feel like it had a ton of potential, but I don’t think it ever coalesced with Jerry lyrically. He seems to be very confident on the guitar, but not when singing the song. Soon enough it segues into the last segment of music on the circulating tapes: New Potato (vocal harmonies are perfect, and Pig’s organ riffing is pretty hot) > Born Cross-Eyed > Spanish Jam (which unfortunately gets cut on SHNID 97343, but you can hear the rest of it on SHNID 97344 which is linked below). On Road Trips you can pick up where that left off and hear more of this fantastic show: Lovelight, Dark Star > China Cat > The Eleven, Viola Lee, Beat It On Down The Line, Hurts Me Too.

  • Music link: https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1968/01/23 https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1968/01/27/spanish-jam?source=335249


 

January 28th


  • 1/28/87 San Francisco Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, CA – 1st of a 3-show run. This was a highly anticipated run of shows, since there was still some pent-up demand from a truncated ’86 touring schedule due to Jerry’s coma. Jerry and Bobby both struggle vocally throughout this show, but it’s the only show with circulating music on this date and there’s still some great music to appreciate so we’ll make the best of it. 1st set highlights include the Shakedown Street opener, followed by the only performance of Get Back. Musically they nail it but Bobby struggles, as it seems to be just outside of his optimal vocal range. Dan Healy applies some annoying chipmunk vocal effects on Bobby’s mic, and it just makes it worse in my opinion. Other highlights include Walkin’ Blues, Must Have Been The Roses, Row Jimmy, Brother Esau, Bird Song, Jack Straw. 2nd set highlights are He’s Gone > Spoonful > Drums > Jam with Jose Lorenzo and Sikiru Adepoju on percussion. They do not play Space at this show. Eyes suffers from being a very rushed, short version but Black Peter is pretty powerful. Jerry musters up some extra effort vocally on the song, in stark contrast to some earlier moments. Around & Around and Sugar Magnolia are good but standard renditions. Bobby’s voice seems to be in jeopardy by the end of the show. After a short break they encore with an average U.S. Blues.

  • Music link: https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1987/01/28?source=342370


 

January 29th


  • 1/29/87 San Francisco Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, CA – 2nd of a 3-show run. Returning for a second night, the boys come charging out of the gate and kick off the 1st set with fine Bucket > Sugaree combo that establishes the vibe and gets the party started. Healey adds his chipmunk vocal effects to mess with Bobby. No way in hell he would do that to Jerry! Or did he…? El Paso is up next, and it’s kind of a disaster. They seem to get lost in the middle of the song, Bobby is very distracted and either forgets the words or is preoccupied with his gear (Jerry mentions that he’s having issues before they start the show), and they just kind of end it. Moving on. Loser is a standout version and all is forgiven. It’s funny how the band could just flip a switch and sound completely different. Other highlights are Brown Eyed Women, and a nice Cassidy > Don’t Ease to end the set. 2nd set highlights are a strong Scarlet > Fire to open, a delicate Looks Like Rain that builds with intensity at the end. Terrapin Station emerges from the thunder of Looks Like Rain, and they give it a good workout. After the extended outro jam, Drums takes over and it’s Chinese New Year, so there’s a procession with lots of Chinese symbols. There’s no time for Space, and the rest of the band emerges back on stage. Phil drops a massive bomb on the audience and they go straight into I Need A Miracle. A soft and emotive Stella Blue follows with lots of nice inflection and passion. They quickly switch gears into a nice upbeat Going Down The Road Feeling Bad and a rousing rendition of Johnny B. Goode. Bobby sings “he could play a guitar like a bat out of hell” which I don’t think I’ve ever heard him say before. Bobby’s voice seems to struggle at points but they’re really playing their hearts out. Jerry sings sweetly on Baby Blue for the encore.

  • Music link: https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1987/01/29?source=342582


 

January 30th


  • 1/30/70 The Warehouse, New Orleans, LA – 1st of a 3-show run (2 scheduled and 1 impromptu). The band rolled into town on January 30th for what would be one of their most infamous moments in the band's history. It’s an adverse event that would later inspire those well-known lyrics in the song Truckin’, thereby successfully parlaying a physically and financially painful incident into an extremely profitable situation. In the early morning hours of 1/31, the New Orleans police would launch a drug raid at the hotel that the bands were staying in, and arrest the entire band. You can read all about it here and here. This would also turn out to be Tom Constanten’s final show, although it’s generally understood that he was informed of this decision when the band was in Hawaii for the 1/23-1/24 shows. For some reason (likely because they already purchased travel arrangements for him and couldn’t afford to send him home) he decides to go with the band for this show. I also wonder if they hadn’t been busted, if he would have played the show on 1/31. Anyways, you can read more about TC leaving the band here and here. Now, on to the show. The music from this night isn’t earth-shattering or adventurous, but it’s all pretty strong for the time period. The tape cuts in on the last couple minutes of Casey Jones. It sounds like they’re having fun. There doesn’t seem to be many people in the audience based on the amount of applause afterwards. A good but standard Me & My Uncle is next. After that, Black Peter is the first highlight of the tape. Jerry sings with some nice emotion, although the levels on his mic are kind of low in the mix. Other highlights include Cumberland, Easy Wind, Mama Tried > Good Lovin’ > Drums > Good Lovin’, Cryptical > Drums > Other One > Cryptical. They segue into Cosmic Charlie, but unfortunately the tape is cut after about 30 seconds.

  • Music link: https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1970/01/30?source=1861617


  • 1/30/78 Uptown Theater, Chicago, IL – 1st of a 3-show run, and the kick off of the Winter 1978 Midwest tour that would have the band playing 6 shows in 3 states in the Midwest (IL, WI, IA). This was the first of 19 times total the band would play the beautiful Uptown Theatre, located at 4816 N. Broadway, in a northern city section of Chicago just west of the iconic Montrose Park along the north shore of Lake Michigan. The 1st set kicks off with a perfunctory Promised Land followed by a nice rendition of Dire Wolf. Following that are good but standard renditions of Mexicali > Big River, Brown Eyed Women, Looks Like Rain, Brown Eyed Women, Peggy-O, It’s All Over Now. Then they flip a switch and turn on the heat for rousing renditions of Deal, Lazy Lightning > Supplication to end the set. The energy put forth at the end of the fist set carries forward into the 2nd set with a powerful Bertha > Good Lovin’ opener, then a soft and poignant Ship Of Fools. The jam segment of the show is the big highlight, featuring a funky Estimated Prophet with an extended wandering outro jam full of juicy envelope filter effects by Jerry, which melds into a fierce Eyes that has a long intro jam, and a perfect pace – not too fast, and not slow at all. The band is in sync and clicking. For the first solo Jerry plays some frantic fanning on the guitar, and it builds the energy up to a nice level, and then he gently brings it down for the second verse. The audience loves it, and it’s met with lots of applause. The middle jam is nicely extended, and Phil is chasing Jerry up and down the fretboard resulting in a seductively thick groove. The outro jam gets real spacey, real quick. It dissolves into a cacophony of instruments which lands very gently and beautifully onto Stella Blue. Jerry sings it with strong emotion and passion. The buildup in the middle has a massive peak, followed by a floating solo that gently makes its way back down to Earth for the final verse and the outro jam. It’s a gorgeous rendition. And then, the curve ball. Seemingly out of nowhere, at the end of Stella Blue, Jerry starts strumming the intro chords to Franklin’s Tower. This version exhibits the total control and finesse that the band was capable of achieving. There are multiple natural build-up and releases built into this song as it progresses, but what’s unique about this version, at about 9 minutes into the song they finesse it down to an extremely quiet, delicate level, to where the instruments are almost inaudible. There must have been near silence in the room at that moment. They then build it back up for the final verse in a dramatic manner and segue into a fine reading of Around & Around to close the set. The Johnny B. Goode encore is a fierce and satisfying way to rock out the end of the show.

  • Music link: https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1978/01/30?source=337689


 

January 31st


  • 1/31/70 The Warehouse, New Orleans, LA – 2nd of a 3-show run. After lots of harassment and negotiations with the New Orleans police, the band makes bail and is able to get back on stage for the second night. Other bands playing were Fleetwood Mac and the Flock, so the Dead seemingly only played for about an hour and a half, but we're treated to a short acoustic set after a truncated electric set because of a breakdown of Phil’s bass amp. All the music is well played. Highlights are Cold Rain & Snow, Dire Wolf, Big Boss Man, Morning Dew, Hard To Handle. Right when things are starting to heat up in Hard To Handle Phil’s amp starts to have trouble, so they switch to acoustic and it’s Bobby country music time. He plays Long Black Limousine, Seasons Of My Heart, the first performance of Saw Mill, the final performance of Old Old House, and The Race Is On. Since they only have one acoustic guitar, it’s passed to Jerry, and it’s his turn. A nice version of Black Peter emerges, followed by Little Sadie, I’ve Been All Around This World. After that, the acoustic guitar is passed to Pigpen for the world premier of his blues song Katie Mae. A fun rendition of Cumberland Blues with some excellent vocal harmonies is the last song on the tape. I don’t know if they fixed Phil’s amp and played more music, or if that was the end of it.      

  • Music link: https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1970/01/31?source=335588


  • 1/31/78 Uptown Theater, Chicago, IL – 2nd of a 3-show run. This whole show is incredible and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it officially released someday. It features strong, energetic and passionate playing throughout. All-in-all, this is one of the best first sets of the entire tour. 1st set highlights include a monster Half Step opener, and a rousing Passenger and Tennessee Jed. Other highlights include Candyman, They Love Each Other, and Let It Grow to close the set. The energy and enthusiasm flow straight on through to the 2nd set as they come charging out of the gate with a standout Scarlet > Fire, followed by a ripping Samson. The jam segment starts off with a soft and floating Terrapin Station, that progresses nicely to a powerful outro Lady With A Fan segment that takes you up to great heights. They smash the pedal to the metal, and then gently bring you down into the intro of Playing In The Band. It’s one of the most undeniably satisfying segues that the band can produce. Clocking in at about 11 minutes, this version of Playing isn’t as long as some of those monster version of ’72 – ’74, but they certainly don’t waste any notes. Phil has a strong presence, especially towards the end as he weaves an interesting melody in between spooky, spacey piano and guitar sounds. This is brief, however, and Drums > Space quickly takes over. A soft and poignant Black Peter emerges from Space, followed by a rollicking take on Truckin’ which segues perfectly into a lively Good Lovin’ to end the show.   

  • Music link: https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1978/01/31?source=337566


 

February 1st


  • 2/1/70 The Warehouse, New Orleans, LA – This impromptu afternoon show was held as a “bust fund benefit” show, since the band had to spend all their proceeds from the previous two nights on bail. The tape starts off with an announcement of upcoming shows, followed by the MC introducing the band as “the group that made this show possible, the Grateful Dead”, but Phil burst in with “The New Orleans Police Department!”, which elicits some applause from the crowd. They launch into a rowdy version of Beat It On Down The Line but the mix is horribly off, and Bobby’s strumming will attempt to blow out your speakers. Phil is barely present (is he still having amp issues?), the vocals are low, as are the drums. But the energy and passion are undeniable, and this show is by far the best performance of the three shows. They are bound and determined to blow the roof off the place. Despite the mix issues, China Cat > I Know You Rider is scorching hot. A standout rendition of Black Peter is next, that builds into a nice outro and quickly segues into a rousing reading of Cumberland Blues. The mix seems to be pretty good at this point. Things really heat up for Good Lovin’ > Drums > Good Lovin. Pigpen is strong, and the jamming is energetic, but unfortunately the tape is cut and we don’t get to hear the second Pigpen verse. Other highlights are a very tight Dire Wolf, and after a quick Dark Star tease, they launch into Cryptical > Drums > Other One > Lovelight that is the big highlight of the show. The energy of the jamming is stratospheric. Peter Green from Fleetwood Mac joins as a guest guitarist on this epic 41+ minute version of Lovelight. It’s one of my all-time favorite versions.

  • Music link: https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1970/02/01?source=88537


  • 2/1/78 Uptown Theater, Chicago, IL – 3rd of a 3-show run. The boys cap off the run with a fine show that might not have the intensity of the previous night, but still has plenty of great moments to enjoy. 1st set highlights are a powerful Jack Straw opener, the less-common (only played 13 times) country combo of Mama Tried > Me & My Uncle, Ramble On Rose, Cassidy, and a strong Sugaree with a nice muscular jam in the middle to end the set. The 2nd set starts off with a strong rendition of Samson that would make Rev. Gary Davis smile. Things cool off for a pretty version of Must Have Been The Roses, followed by the big jam segment of the show: Estimated > He’s Gone > Drums > Jam > Other One > Wharf Rat > Sugar Magnolia.

  • Music link: https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1978/02/01?source=337451


 

February 2nd


  • 2/2/70 The Fox Theatre, St. Louis, MO – Officially released on Dave’s Picks Volume 6. The show must go on, for the band must survive. A mere 3 days after being arrested and detained by the New Orleans police, the band is on the run and they’re playing like they’ve just been given a second chance. The raw energy and enthusiasm are undeniable here. This show only partially circulates, so to hear most of these songs you’ll need Dave’s Picks Volume 6. Opening with a raw and fierce version of Casey Jones, followed by Mama Tried and Hard to Handle. Next, we get a powerful version of Cold Rain & Snow, followed by a plaintive take on Black Peter. Cumberland Blues is hot as usual for the time period. Then they launch into psychedelic mode with a crisp, exploratory Dark Star (including a nice early rendition of a “Feeling Groovy” jam) > Saint Stephen > Mason’s Children. After a vigorous Good Lovin’ with Pigpen in the spotlight, they segue into Uncle John’s Band. A final Pig-stravaganza unfolds with a brisk Lovelight > Not Fade Away > Lovelight sequence that closes out the show.

  • Music link: https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1970/02/02


 

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 will have to decide whether or not I'm going to have more made. The costs of printing and shipping have gone way up in the last few years since I had them printed so I'm not sure if it's worth it or not. So get one now while you can! https://www.gratefuldeadbook.com/tigdh





Peace out my good people. Until next week!



160 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comments


bottom of page