Near Nirvana: The Nine Times China>Rider and Scarlet>Fire Were Played In The Same Show

I like lists at Christmas, so today I present the nine times that China Cat Sunflower flowed into I Know You Rider and Scarlet Begonias streamed into Fire On The Mountain in the same show!

Luckily I saw two of these, at the New Year's Eve show 1980 in Oakland and the next summer at the Saturday show at the Greek 9-12-1981.  You can listen to any or all of these below.
All the China Riders were in the first set (first electric set in 1980) followed by a second set Scar Fire.

So of the more than 300 times the Dead played Scarlet Fire starting in 1977 to the end in 1995 only 9 were played in the same show as China Rider. You had to be lucky to see one of these babies

Note that three shows in a row in 1980 and 1981 also had a Lost Sailor>Saint of Circumstance in them for a trifecta evening.

These were special nights when you got the double dose. I hope you were there too.  Merry Christmas to everyone and thanks for reading my cryptic notes on my life and yours with the Dead


1. 2-3-79 Indianapolis

2. 11-8-79 Cap Center, a rare later era mid first set China here


3. 10-22-80 Radio City
4. 12-31-80 (I was there) Oakland. Here's the fine Wagner Miller NAK aud.
5. 7-8-81 St Louis Kiel
 6. 9-12-81 (I was there)  The Greek
 7. 12-9-81 For the third 1981 double dose, the Dead move from 9-12 in UC Berkeley to 12-9 at U Colorado. Poetic for the Band
8. 9-4-83 Park West Mountain High
9. 3-28-85
Also see  http://gratefulseconds.blogspot.com/2016/04/scarlet-less-fires-and-fire-less.html  and http://gratefulseconds.blogspot.com/2016/01/china-less-riders-and-rider-less-china.html for more Dead rarities involving these four master classes among Dead tunes.

JGB hits UMass, Blasts Sugaree Solo February 20, 1980

For the first day of Christmas, listen to this sweet Jerry Garcia Band Sugaree solo. Howard of Positively Garcia says this is the one, even with the fair recording.

Highgate, July 13, 1994

For my 300th post, I give you a massive big outdoor in the woods type show.

Late in their life, The Grateful Dead played Highgate. Twice actually, but this is the tale of the first show there.  This was the first Dead show in Vermont in 11 years. The first visit was in 1978  http://gratefulseconds.blogspot.com/2016/11/the-deads-first-visit-to-vermont-may-6.html

More than 60,000 were there.  This is an era where the Dead could generate almost $2 million a night in ticket sales (see Billboard accountings of shows near this one) as well as hang with congress (a different breed back then too).

I don't listen to much Dead music from 1994, but it's all here as well as several Vermont papers account of the show. And a little insight from the Dead Zines too.  Check the More here below for full issues that deal with the Summer 1994 tour including Highgate.  Only 7 of 60,000 in attendance voted for this one as sow of the year, so it was definitely more an experience than a mind-blowing show. It was like Standing on the Moon.  Have fun with all these memories here; if you can't read the fine print, click below and the PDFs are better.

Music and more here

December 22, 1978 in Dallas: Jerry's Voice Shaky But Guitar Rocks, Bobby Talks Texan

I never realized that the songs after Wharf Rat are missing in Grateful Dead History at Dallas 12-22-1978.  No Deadheads with a pen in Texas back then? I would guess Around & Around and US Blues except that's no fun.  So I'll guess they encored with Dark Star>St Stephen as a tune up for New Year's and then swore the audience to secrecy

In took only two weeks after the cancellation show in New Haven for the Gratetful Dead to be back on the road in December 1978 (and then the make-up tour in January 1979).  Jerry was still a bit below par in the voice department, though he rocked out on his guitar in each and every tune.

Three days after the only Mississippi show, we find the gang back in Dallas, home of many a good show. We can share

The Dead played Texas a lot late in the year probably because it was warm and nine nights before the monster Winterland show, they played all of 1978's Dead "hits", Shakedown, Scarlet Fire. Estimates Eyes and NFA Wharf Rat. The Dallas paper thought Jerry still had voice problems (fuck 'em) but played his guitar like ringing a bell. I like that Pete, the reporter thought they were playing Sugaree during the opening Shakedown Street.

Apparently like 8-25-1972, no one remembers how the show ends after Wharf Rat.  I'm pretty sure it was Dark Star>St Stephen as a warm-up for New Year's Eve as I guess above, but you can disagree.

There is a nifty interview of Bobby, which surprises me that Pete can talk shop to Mr. Weir but not identify Shakedown Street in 1978 (and Tennessee Jake). 

Shakedown Street
Me and My Uncle
Big River
Tennessee Jed
Looks Like Rain
Stagger Lee
Beat it on Down the Line
Candyman
New Minglewood Blues
Deal

Scarlet Begonias
Fire on the Mountain
From the Heart of Me
Estimated Prophet
Eyes of the World
drums
Not Fade Away
Wharf Rat

We're an American Band: Grateful Dead play 96% of their Concerts to US Audiences

Wave that flag because we truly are an American Band.  Only the Allman Bros and Phish are as uniquely American as the Dead.  Prior to his Dead-ness, John Mayer played about 80% of his shoes in the US, while many bands originally from European like The Rolling Stones and the U2 typically play only between 30% and 40% of their shows here.  As an aside, The Beatles only played 4.5% of their concerts in the US.

The post-Jerry versions have stayed here in the States with a few concerts South or North of the Border.  Bob Dylan has been a wanderer with nearly 1,000 shows or almost 33% of his performances outside of the US and Great Britain.

Hope you like this little slice of life.

Band	Debut	Shows	US	% US	Intl	% Intl
Grateful Dead	1965	2,325	2,234	96.1%	91	3.9%
Allman Bros	1969	1,952	1,884	96.5%	68	3.5%
Bob Dylan	1957	3,595	2,259	62.8%	1,336	37.2%
The Beatles	1960	1,435	65	4.5%	1,370	95.5%
Rolling Stones	1962	1,974	658	33.3%	1,316	66.7%
U2	1976	1,685	700	41.5%	985	58.5%
Phish	1983	1,782	1,684	94.5%	98	5.5%
Muse	1994	1,467	333	22.7%	1,134	77.3%
John Mayer	1999	936	762	81.4%	174	18.6%
The Other Ones	1997	33	33	100.0%	-	0.0%
The Dead	2003	101	101	100.0%	-	0.0%
Furthur	2009	242	237	97.9%	5	2.1%
Dead & Co	2015	84	84	100.0%	-	0.0%
Total Dead Spin-Offs		460	455	98.9%	5	1.1%

A modern band like Muse covers the four corners of the world with an equal number of shows in North America. Great Britain, Europe and Asia/South America.  The Rolling Stones followed a similar pattern but doubled-down on shows in the US ans Great Britain.

	USA	Can/Mex	Britain	Europe	Asia/Other
Band
Grateful Dead	2,234	25	24	38	4
Allman Bros	1,884	28	6	16	18
Bob Dylan	2,259	180	228	503	425
The Beatles	65	9	970	347	44
Rolling Stones	658	79	655	321	261
				-	-
U2	700	85	443	243	214
Phish	1,684	25	7	55	11
Muse	333	41	390	357	346
John Mayer	762	44	30	40	60
				-	-
The Other Ones	33	-	-	-	-
The Dead	101	-	-	-	-
Futhur	237	5	-	-	-
Dead & Co	84	-	-	-	-
Total Dead Spin-Offs	455	5	-	-	5

Data from setlists.fm