Welcome back to the Tapers' Section, where this week we have music from a short, but excellent, period in the Grateful Dead's touring history, with tunes from 1978, 1979 and 1981.
Our first selection is from 5/7/78 at the RPI Field House in Troy, NY, just outside of Albany. I saw a hockey game here (Capital District Islanders vs the St. JohnS Maple Leafs) in 1993, the on March 26, the night before the Dead started a great three night run at the Knickerbocker Arena in Albany. From Troy in 1978, we have the end of the show, featuring this unique sequence of Iko Iko > The Other One > Black Peter> Around And Around, US Blues.
From a year later on 5/5/79 at the Baltimore Civic Center, Brent Mydland's 4th show as a member of the Grateful Dead, we have this Scarlet>Fire, Samson. The head and the tail of this sequence is cut off, but what does exist here is pretty darn fine.
From two years later, on 5/2/81 at the Philadelphia Spectrum, we have the start of the first set, featuring Jack Straw > Sugaree > El Paso ; Bird Song ; Cassidy ; Candyman. I've always been a huge fan of Jack Straw>Sugaree as a show opener, which was quite rare, but always well played.
Be sure to join us here next week for more tunes from the vault.
David Lemieux
vault@dead.net