One Million Magazine Covers of the Grateful Dead (originally published 10-16-2017)

On Bobby's 70th Birthday, I don't have much to say.  They say a picture is worth a million words.    So special issue today is a collection of (almost) one million magazine issues around the world featuring the Grateful Dead. 

If you click to save the cover, you should be able to get the date of the issue. 

Don't Murder Me: Only Show in New Hampshire

Originally posted 1-16-16

In the backwash of Hanover, the Grateful Dead came to town. 

It was May 5, 1978 and it would be the only time that the boys ever played New Hampshire in the 30 year history of the band. 3,499 other deadheads and Dartmouth students were there.

http://thedartmouth.com/2012/05/22/deadheads-camp-outside-thompson-arena-for-1978-concert/

Edit 11-14-2017. My pal Craig MacLean took this photo of Phil, pre-show, who had walked into the crowd to visit a friend high up somewhere. Cool huh.




Sirius decided to play the show this morning as i drove to work immediately after I finished my blog post on the Beatles songs, s I had to write my New Hampshire piece because the Dire Wolf sounded so great in my car (best version ever played in New Hampshire). I think Jerry loved to play Direwolf especially when the Dead were in the woods like here and on November 5, 1977 in upstate New York. I loved when it was played second in the set (or open like in the 12-31-80 acoustic set Blog piece here)

This was my first show after starting college (Englishtown was the day BEFORE college) and I attended along with Jimmy Roux, Mike Barr ( i think), Katie Moody and I did run into Andover deadhead Lundy Bancroft the set break (not hard with only 3,500)

It was followed by Cassidy, Candyman, and later a heavy set-end Passenger, Brown Eyed Women and Lazy Lightning/Supplication, all greatest ones ever in New Hampshire. Ok, joking aside, this is a well played and great sounding show. It was my 12th Dead concert after 3 in 1976 and 8 in 1977, and although it might only rank 11th out of my first dozen shows in terms of my enjoyment, that speaks to the greatness of 1976 and 1978 and should not lessen the fact that this show rocked!  Thanks to Charlie Miller and his band of mischief elves that get these boards so he can do his magic on them.Archive Flac

The archive comments include "one of my most memorable shows", "listen to Phil go up one side of NFA and come back down the other", "Werewolves for Cinco De Mayo?" and "best Estimated I've ever heard".  This is indeed a boss show.  

Don't forget the second set Bertha>Good Lovin, Estimated>Eyes>my first of 69 Drums>Spaces?NFA>Stella and of course the encore which you hear now.  I only got to hear Werewolves twice, this night and a week later at the 5-11-78 Springfield "Mescaline" show, which were the 4th and 6th versions of nine that Spring between April 19 and May 17.  The Dead would only play it three more times on Halloweens 1985, 1990, and 1991.  The 1985 version opened the show, the rest were all encores.   

I recall the building at Dartmouth (Thompson Arena) was small, new (build in 1975)  and sounded good.

The FLACs and the MPs are here. Enjoy listen. Rinse. Repeat.

Nashua Telegraph June 9, 1995

Sam

Sam Cutler was the first hero that allowed the Grateful Dead to become a profitable band

 

You Betcha Show: October 19, 1971 U of Minnesota. Oh its Keith's first Show, and It's on the Radio and They Debut Six New Songs

 

So new big deal, the Dead were running late.  But Sam Cutler had his great new booking strategy in place.  The Dead and the Riders were blocked for 5 hours on KQRS for the opening night of the 18 nights in four weeks followed by11 more shows in December.  Six new songs were added to the songbook this night. And first day rookie Keith Godchaux would open his tenure with the band.

The six were Tennessee Jed, Jack Straw, Mexicali Blues, Comes A Time, One More Saturday Night and Ramble On Rose.  Wow.

It must have been a great show because the radio tape traded forever, or at least until Dave made it his 3rd Pick.  

the University of Minnesota review called it Dull Dead. Huh.  Austin must have been sad without a Dark Star>St Stephen>11>Lovelight.

Light Into Ashes on Dead Sources finds a much more fine review by Marshall Fine of the Minnesota Star. https://deadsources.blogspot.com/2019/09/october-19-1971-northrop-auditorium.html

Disc 1[edit]

First set:

1. "Bertha" (Jerry Garcia, Robert Hunter) – 6:12
2. "Me and My Uncle" (John Phillips) – 3:24
3. "Tennessee Jed" (Garcia, Hunter) – 6:33
4. "Jack Straw" (Bob Weir, Hunter) – 5:01
5. "Loser" (Garcia, Hunter) – 7:28
6. "Playing in the Band" (Weir, Mickey Hart, Hunter) – 6:31
7. "Sugaree" (Garcia, Hunter) – 7:20
8. "Beat It On Down the Line" (Jesse Fuller) – 3:55
9. "Black Peter" (Garcia, Hunter) – 9:18
10. "Mexicali Blues" (Weir, John Perry Barlow) – 3:45
11. "Cold Rain and Snow" (traditional, arranged by Grateful Dead) – 6:11
12. "Me and Bobby McGee" (Kris Kristofferson, Fred Foster) – 5:57

Disc 2[edit]

1. "Comes a Time" (Garcia, Hunter) – 7:36
2. "One More Saturday Night" (Weir) – 4:37

Second set:

3. "Ramble On Rose" (Garcia, Hunter) – 6:27
4. "Cumberland Blues" (Garcia, Phil Lesh, Hunter) – 5:58
5. "That's It for the Other One" > – 28:06
   • "Cryptical Envelopment" (Garcia)
   • "Drums" (Bill Kreutzmann)
   • "The Other One" (Weir, Kreutzmann)
   • "Cryptical Envelopment" (Garcia)
6. "Deal" (Garcia, Hunter) – 5:33
7. "Sugar Magnolia" (Weir, Hunter) – 6:53
8. "Casey Jones" > (Garcia, Hunter) – 5:54
9. "Johnny B. Goode" (Chuck Berry) – 3:50

The Field Trip Continues into Boulder, Dead Attract 32,000 and Earn Biggest Payday to Date, September 3, 1972

 Most of us are most familiar with the very last Dick's Picks (36) on the very last CD (4) when we were blessed with a 50 minute slice of Folsom Field in JGMF's Boulder town on September 3, 1972:

5. "He's Gone" > (Garcia, Hunter) – 10:30
6. "The Other One" > (Weir, Kreutzmann) – 28:57
7. "Wharf Rat" (Garcia, Hunter) – 10:16

but this show is totally underrated.  Whole show is here https://www.dropbox.com/sh/6um5ud1om68j601/AADzXPO2PyZgSN42ODnWa17Fa?dl=0

Awesome The Other One  This show is not even in the top-20 of most people's 1972 shows but the great Mind Wonderin' review gives it five stars with an A+ set one and an A set three. 

But 50 years ago this week, the Grateful Dead played their first gig after The Field Trip at Kesey's Farm, which is also a famous show.  This was the first Grateful Dead gig to attract more than 30,000 fans at student ticket prices of $3.50 and $4.50 for  other fans.  The Colorado gig generated $133,456 in ticket sales so the Grateful Dead gig income was a record $57,000, almost double their guarantee of $30,000.  previously, the Dead had a similar guarantee in Hartford and Jersey City in July 1972 with upside but Boulder proved to attract the largest crowd   It would take Summer Jam at Watkin's Glen to break this record for a Dead pay-day, which was then broken again exactly five years from Boulder in Englishtown, New Jersey on September 3, 1977.  Serendipity the Dead played a monster three song medley starting with He's Gone at that show too.

The Dead went on to play 13 more shows in September 1972, 10 at small theaters like the Boston Music Hall and the Hollywood Palladium as well as Baltimore Civic Center, Philly Spectrum and a return to Roosevelt Stadium that they had just played in July.  For September, all the shows and expenses for the month were about breakeven, with the exception of the monster Boulder income, which went almost entirely to the band members/partners  in the form of cash dividends and tax payments.  This is a trend for the band through much of the 1970s and start of the 1980s, where the band plays a lot of gigs at relatively smaller places (think June and July 1976, followed by  Colt Park and Roosevelt and a cancelled outdoor London gig) which kind of break even and then a Big Show that can flow to the Band Members, or a Grateful Dead movie or to help Keith and Donna get a house.