headyversion

find the best versions of grateful dead songs

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NJFunk

George Matters

+511


Submissions

2
Let It Grow
April 11, 1982
Nassau Coliseum

End jam goes on and on - 13 min version!
8
Morning Dew
Aug. 27, 1972
Old Renaissance Faire Grounds

Sure it's only a tease that's aborted for El Paso, but it's Veneta, so it has to be the best!
3
Just A Little Light
Oct. 15, 1989
Meadowlands Arena

High energy. Part of a very underrated show.
2
Space
Oct. 15, 1989
Meadowlands Arena

Melodic and intense, by far my favorite space melts into Stella. Very underrated show.
3
Stella Blue
Oct. 15, 1989
Meadowlands Arena

Highlight of an underrated show.

Comments

Shakedown Street
Oct. 18, 1989
The Spectrum

Every Shakedown is at least pretty good, but this version was comparatively sloppy and disjointed. There are many better to seek out (wouldn't have blamed the band for being a little distracted though...). This whole show was a little off. I think between the earthquake in SF and coming off a scorcher on the 16th, it was a bit of a down night. The next two nights in Philly are much better. Any show where Little Red Rooster is the highlight is probably not a heady show. LOL.
Not Fade Away
July 4, 1989
Rich Stadium

Grendel, LOL, we used to use Throw > Away as actual setlist notation.
He's Gone
Dec. 1, 1979
Stanley Theater

This would easily be #1 except that there is some awful, awful bass feedback (it's in all copies - SBD, aud, or matrix). If not for that, the jam(s) out of this and into a raucous CC Rider debut easily equal the 5/6/81 version. Such a shame. The feedback is fixed during the "nothing's gonna bring him back" vocals at the end, so the whole jam segment where the real meat is (thankfully) isn't affected.
Truckin'
June 17, 1991
Giants Stadium

I love this. Obviously, no Truckin' in the 90s can hold a candle to the great 72-74 versions, but this is by far my favorite post-Brent. It starts with a long Dark Star tease, the play is lively throughout, and it ends with a great transition to Speedway. Hornsby era at its finest.
Scarlet Begonias -> Fire On The Mountain
March 22, 1990
Copps Coliseum

I don't get this one at all. It's not a 70's vs 80's-90's thing, either, because I love a lot of Brent-era Dead, but I never really got this whole show (the full Hey Jude is fun but sloppy, but the rest of the show is pretty blah, IMO). My favorite Brent-era Scarlet>Fires are 10/19/81 and 7/13/84 (Scar>Touch>Fire).