JUST GOTTA POKE AROUND

On this date in 1979, the Grateful Dead played the first of three nights at Madison Square Garden. While it is an exception show for that year, the shocking thing is that this show is the most downloaded Grateful Dead show ever on Archive.org.

All Grateful Dead tape collections start with two shows; Venture 72 and Cornell 77. The next show that belongs in this classification of excellence has to be the Branford show with from Nassau 90. Especially if your ripping them off of archive.org. Then what? Red Rocks 7-8-78, Hartford 7-31-74, Fillmore East 5-15-70, Port Chester 2-18-71, Denver 11-21-73, or MSG 9-18-87? And if you are stranded on a dessert island, you know that you're gonna take your first show, so does half of the New York City DeadHeads think that this is their first show. Is that why this show has and continues to be the archive.org featured show?

The show features a "Straw" opener that leading into an open ended "Sugaree." The jam in this is expanded on as the band gets the Garden in the groove. Later in the set they play "Sailor" and "Saint," with the original lyrics, before closing with a killer "Deal."
The second set jumps with the "China/Rider" opener. A sublime "Ll Rain" peaks into a wide run "He's Gone." That features a jam features some nice entwining from Phil and Jerry before Billy and Mickey drums take over. A beautifully fragile "Wharf Rat" emerges from "Space" before "Around." closes out the set. The crowd picks up the wah-wah before the band "Pokes around" in a 12 minute tour de funk.

This is the Grateful Dead's second run at MSG in 1979. They played their first two shows in the big room in January of that year after playing the Felt Forum (the Theater at MSG) in 1971.

I: Jack Straw, Sugaree, My Uncle, Big River, Candyman, Minglewood, Jed, Sailor, Saint, Deal

II: China Cat, Rider, LL Rain, He's Gone, Drums, Space, Wharf Rat, Around E: Shakedown

This past weekend I was at the Baseball Hall of Fame. As I made through the museum, I came across the San Francisco Giants locker replica. Front and center in the locker was the Jerry Garcia bobble head from August first of this year.

Next blog on 9/8