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Rounding out today's Dead Drops with a deeper look at September 15, 1988 @ Madison Square Garden Listen Here: live.gd/1988-09-15 Recorded By: Dan Healy Tape Transfer: Sonicraft Mastered By: David Glasser Master Sample Rate: 24-bit/96 kHz Source Media: Sony DT-90&120 DATs "Night two of the nine-night stretch at the Garden, and the room is full. The band meets the New York energy at the door. Hell in a Bucket > Sugaree opens with purpose. Desolation Row brings lyrics to the forefront a Dylan Masterpiece nailed by Weir, never ceasing to amaze. Bobby nailed it more often than not, you're gonna love this version. Jerry is doing a lot of singing along before taking over with one of his favorites, Row Jimmy. Cassidy says her piece and Deal closes the set with everyone smiling. The second set keeps things moving. Samson and Delilah opens into Crazy Fingers, then Playing in the Band > Uncle John’s Band, into Drums > Space. Out of Space, I Will Take You Home brings a quiet moment for Brent before All Along the Watchtower > Goin’ Down the Road Feeling Bad builds things back up. They close the set with Turn on Your Lovelight and it’s shining everywhere. A raucous New York Crowd brings them out for a U.S. Blues to finish the night." - Martin Knott #PlayDead #GratefulDead #GDVault

Our first highlight from today's Drop: September 14, 1988 @ Madison Square Garden🗽 Listen Here: live.gd/1988-09-14 Recorded By: Dan Healy Tape Transfer: Sonicraft Mastered By: David Glasser Master Sample Rate: 24-bit/96 kHz Source Media: Sony DT-90 DATs "Opening night of a nine-show run at the Garden, structured in three sets of three. The band comes in focused, and the New York energy is there from the start. Let the Good Times Roll opens, followed by Alabama Getaway > Greatest Story Ever Told, setting an upbeat pace. The first set moves through Stagger Lee, Walkin’ Blues, and a really nice version of It Must Have Been the Roses, with Queen Jane Approximately, Ramble On Rose, and Let It Grow closing it out. The second set opens with Box of Rain, everyone loves it before Victim or the Crime and Foolish Heart. Looks Like He’s Gone takes us into Drums > Space. Out of Space, I Need a Miracle > Gimme Some Lovin’ lock the room in before Morning Dew brings it down to a strong close. They finish with Black Muddy River, a fitting encore for the night. A solid start to the Garden run." - Martin Knott #PlayDead #GratefulDead #GDVault

Madison Square Garden, September 14 & 15, 1988, are now live for this week's Dead Drops from the @gratefuldead Vault⚡ "Lemieux says “In and out of the Garden we go” and that’s got everyone smiling.. The band is feeling it after great Spring and Summer Tours, we arrive at the Fall Tour September, 1988, after four shows at the Cap Centre, including a rare Ripple, four more at the Spectrum, and the band rolls into the Garden piping hot. Let the Good times roll gets things started, the bands telling us exactly what we’re all gonna do. This is the first of two 9-show runs at the Garden and it starts with today’s Drop. What follows is one of their strongest runs in New York: nine shows deep, with the band locked in and feeding off the NY energy." - Martin Knott Newly mastered from the original recordings, both shows are now streaming in Hi-Res exclusively with Play Dead. Listen in the app, or unlock the vault at playdead.app 💀 #PlayDead #GratefulDead #GDVault

March 29th, 1993 - Knickerbocker Arena in Albany, NY 20 Days of Dead 💀 3/29/93 Listen now on Play Dead: live.gd/Albany032993 Recorded By: Dan Healy Tape Transfer By: David Glasser Mastered By: David Glasser Master Sample Rate: 24-bit/96 kHz Source Media: Ampex 467 R-120 DATs "Albany was always a strong stop, and by the early ’90s the Knick had become a regular home for the band. The city showed up for it - welcoming, engaged, and ready for a run of shows that has that town hopping.. This one starts fast. Let the Good Times Roll into Feel Like a Stranger sets the pace, and the first set locks the audience in with a Loser, Little Red Rooster, and Ramble On Rose. Black-Throated Wind and Lazy River Road round out the set before Johnny B. Goode closes it out. The second set opens with Here Comes Sunshine, a strong reintroduction in this era, followed by a bunch of rain tunes Looks Like Rain and Box of Rain. From there, He’s Gone moves into Drums > Jam, and the closing stretch - The Last Time > Wharf Rat > Throwing Stones > Not Fade Away - keeps the crowd on their feet and clapping their hands… They finish with Liberty to help everyone find their own way home.." - Martin Knott #PlayDead #GratefulDead #GDVault

August 17th, 1991 - Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, CA 20 Days of Dead 💀 8/17/91 Listen now on Play Dead: live.gd/MountainView08… Recorded By: Dan Healy Tape Transfer By: Sonicraft Mastered By: David Glasser Master Sample Rate: 24-bit/96 kHz Source Media: Ampex 467 R-120 DATs "Night two at Shoreline, and the band comes out sharp. The Bay Area crowd is ready, and the energy is there from the start. Help on the Way > Slipknot! > Franklin’s Tower opens - one of those sequences that immediately sets the tone. The first set stays steady through Wang Dang Doodle, Brown-Eyed Women, and Queen Jane Approximately, with Tennessee Jed and The Music Never Stopped closing it out. The second set opens with Women Are Smarter, keeping things moving before Ship of Fools brings it down a notch. Smokestack Lightning > He’s Gone have great jams that lead into Drums, and out of space a Dark Star-tinged jam sets up Morning Dew, and we’re off to church for a little medicine. One More Saturday Night closes things out. Encore is It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue which Jerry’s voice just shining…" - Martin Knott #PlayDead #GratefulDead #GDVault

August 16th, 1991 - Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, CA 20 Days of Dead 💀 8/16/91 Listen now on Play Dead: live.gd/MountainView08… Recorded By: Dan Healy Tape Transfer By: Sonicraft Mastered By: David Glasser Master Sample Rate: 24-bit/96 kHz Source Media: Ampex 467 R-120 DATs "Another Bay Area stop, coming right off the Cal Expo shows earlier in the week. Shoreline had become a regular outdoor home for the band, and the setting fits this one as the band is relaxed and dialed in. The first set opens with Jack Straw > Bertha, a strong start under any circumstances. It’s All Over Now follows, then the set stretches out with Ramble On Rose > Desolation Row > Dark Star > Promised Land - an unusual sequence that’s got everybody happy! Scarlet Begonias > Victim or the Crime > Fire on the Mountain begins set 2, a combination they revisited a few times in this period. Truckin’ leads into Drums > Space, then to a Playing in the Band reprise - echoing the Cal Expo run - connects into Standing on the Moon, before Good Lovin’ closes the set. They finish with U.S. Blues. Another strong outdoor night in the Bay Area." - Martin Knott #PlayDead #GratefulDead #GDVault

August 13th, 1991 - Cal Expo Amphitheatre in Sacramento, CA 20 Days of Dead 💀 8/13/91 Listen now on Play Dead: live.gd/Sacramento0813… Recorded By: Dan Healy Tape Transfer By: Sonicraft Mastered By: David Glasser Master Sample Rate: 24-bit/96 kHz Source Media: Ampex 467 R-120 DATs "Night two at Cal Expo - one of the band’s regular outdoor stops in the Bay Area, along with Shoreline. By this point in ’91, the band is coming off a strong summer tour, settled in and playing with confidence. The first set opens with Picasso Moon, then moves through Sugaree and Walkin’ Blues. Candyman and Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again add some range before High Time slows things down. Let It Grow closes the set. The second set is built around a trifecta of Foolish Heart > Saint of Circumstance > Eyes of the World, a strong opening sequence that leads into Drums > Space. Out of Space, All Along the Watchtower and Black Peter carry the set forward with all of his friends, Sugar Magnolia closes it out in style. They return with Black Muddy River, a fitting encore." - Martin Knott #PlayDead #GratefulDead #GDVault

August 12th, 1991 - Cal Expo Amphitheatre in Sacramento, CA 20 Days of Dead 💀 8/12/91 Listen now on Play Dead: live.gd/Sacramento0812… Recorded By: Dan Healy Tape Transfer By: Sonicraft Mastered By: David Glasser Master Sample Rate: 24-bit/96 kHz Source Media: Ampex 467 R-120 DATs "A year removed from Brent’s passing, and Vince and Bruce Hornsby have settled in. By this point, the sound is layered, energetic, and confident and the California crowd responds in kind. Here comes the energy with Iko Iko leading the way into New Minglewood Blues, and a great version of Althea. The cowboy tunes take their turn through Me & My Uncle > Big River before transitioning into a nice long Bird Song that stretches things out before The Promised Land closes the set. The second set opens with China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider, then moves into Playing in the Band > Terrapin Station before Drums > Space. Out of Space, The Wheel leads into a Miracle, leading into Stella Blue and a closing Turn On Your Lovelight. They return with a great version of The Weight with everyone getting a verse to finish the night. A strong early ’90s show with a full, layered sound." - Martin Knott #PlayDead #GratefulDead #GDVault

The second Dead Drops Tuesday release from the @GratefulDead's Vault is now live, and we have two shows, twenty years apart, connected by one Slipknot! Listen in the app, or unlock the vault at playdead.app 💀 Paramount Theatre, Portland, OR - June 3, 1976. Listen Here: live.gd/Portland060376 Recorded By: Betty Cantor-Jackson Tape Transfer By: David Glasser Mastered By: David Glasser Master Sample Rate: 24-bit/192 kHz Source Media: 7" Reels "After almost 20 months off the road, the band's return is filled with glory—new songs, a more measured approach, and a clarity in the playing that stands out right away. Short and sweet. Debuts of Might As Well, Samson & Delilah, Lazy Lightnin’ > Supplication, and The Wheel signal a new direction. The second set builds patiently, and then it arrives—Help On The Way > Slipknot! > Franklin’s Tower. Still very new, but the healing power of the four winds is there…lock, bolt and key…" Fast forward.  The Omni, Atlanta, GA - March 29, 1995. Listen Here: live.gd/Atlanta032995 Recorded By: John Cutler Tape Transfer By: David Glasser Mastered By: David Glasser Master Sample Rate: 24-bit/96 kHz Source Media: Ampex 467 R-120 DATs "Spring Tour ’95, that same sequence, is now one of many in the holy grail of partnered songs. Unbroken Chain opens the second set, for its 3rd performance ever and then Help > Slip > Franklin’s anchors the night—nearly two decades in, still intact and still taking everyone to their special place. Two eras, different sounds, same Slipknot. Tuesday Dead Drops, from introduction to institution." - Martin Knott #PlayDead #GratefulDead #GDVault

July 17th, 1988 - Greek Theatre, University of California in Berkeley, CA 20 Days of Dead 💀 7/17/88 Listen now on Play Dead: live.gd/Berkeley071788 Recorded By: Dan Healy Tape Transfer By: Sonicraft Mastered By: David Glasser Master Sample Rate: 24-bit/96 kHz Source Media: Sony DT-90 DATs "The Greek was always a special place for the band - nearly 30 shows here, stretching back to the late ’60s. An intimate outdoor setting that consistently brought out focused playing. The first set is steady and well-paced. The still-new Foolish Heart opens followed by Greatest Story Ever Told and Althea. Me & My Uncle > Big River keeps things moving, with Candyman easing it back before Let It Grow closes the set screaming I am I am I am I, I ammmmm. Box of Rain opens, then moves through Victim or the Crime and Crazy Fingers into Playing in the Band > Uncle John’s Band. After Drums, the closing stretch - Goin’ Down the Road Feeling Bad, All Along the Watchtower, and a rare Believe It or Not, Throwing Stones, Not Fade Away - keeps everybody Dancin’, it’s a workout in Berkeley! The encore stands out. A rare Blackbird, a nod to The Beatles, followed by Brokedown Palace. A strong night at the Greek, it’s what happened there." - Martin Knott #PlayDead #GratefulDead #GDVault

April 1st, 1986 - Providence Civic Center in Providence, RI 20 Days of Dead - 4/1/86 💀 Listen now: live.gd/Providence0401… Recorded By: Dan Healy Tape Transfer & Master: David Glasser Master Sample Rate: 24-bit/192 kHz Source Media: TDK MA-R90 Cassettes "The East Coast was always strong territory, and by the mid-’80s shows like this were getting harder to get into. The Providence Civic Center, smaller by arena standards, held just enough people to keep the room tight - and that energy carried. The first set opens with Gimme Some Lovin’ > Little Red Rooster, then moves through Stagger Lee and Cassidy before settling into Tennessee Jed. Looks Like Rain > Big Railroad Blues builds momentum towards The Music Never Stopped to close the set with purpose. The second set opens with Shakedown Street and moves into Estimated Prophet > Eyes of the World, a strong, connected sequence with great transitions that leads into Drums. Out of Space, I Need a Miracle resets the pace before Black Peter brings things down, and Sugar Magnolia closes it out. They finish with Box of Rain, a fitting encore. We want Phil!" - Martin Knott #PlayDead #GratefulDead #GDVault

July 15th, 1984 - Greek Theatre, University of California in Berkeley, CA 20 Days of Dead - 7/15/84 💀 Listen now: live.gd/Berkeley071584 Recorded By: Dan Healy Tape Transfer By: David Glasser Mastered By: David Glasser Master Sample Rate: 24-bit/192 kHz Source Media: TDK MA-R90 Cassettes "Closing night of a three-show run at the Greek, a venue that consistently raised the bar, bringing out the best setlists and playing for the hometown crowd. The first set opens with Dancin’ in the Streets > Bird Song, a pairing that stretches things out early. From there, Minglewood Blues and Cumberland Blues keep the blues alive and well while My Brother Esau and Ramble On Rose put about ten characters in play Hell in a Bucket closes the set and everyone is enjoying the ride… The second set opens with Why Don’t We Do It in the Road, an uncommon choice that pushes the energy forward into China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider. The sequence continues through Playing in the Band > Uncle John’s Band before Don’t Need Love, only played 16 times; this one has Brent leaning in as it transitions to Drums/Space. Out of Space, a pin drop China Doll with Jerry leaning in on the vocals tees up a Throwing Stones > Not Fade Away, a pair up that we see often to close. It’s the Greek Theatre, double encores happen here… Brokedown Palace and Johnny B. Goode finished the night and this incredible run..." - Martin Knott #PlayDead #GratefulDead #GDVault

Dead Freaks Unite! 💀 Get a deeper look into the Vault with weekly emails and special offers from Play Dead. Get your fan mail here and follow @playdeadapp for weekly drops from the Vault: live.gd/Emails #PlayDead #GratefulDead #GDVault

September 27th, 1981 - Capital Center in Landover, MD 20 Days of Dead - 9/27/81 💀 Listen now: live.gd/Landover092781 Recorded By: Dan Healy Tape Transfer By: Sonicraft Mastered By: David Glasser Master Sample Rate: 24-bit/192 kHz Source Media: TDK MA-R90 Cassettes “The Cap Center in Landover, Maryland - 29 shows deep with the band - and September 1981 finds them coming back East in peak form. Fresh off a powerful Spring and Summer tour, everything is clicking. The energy is high, and you can feel it from the very first note. This would be the last show before the band heads off to Europe for the month of October. Jack Straw hits and rolls straight into Alabama Getaway and Promised Land - a triple-shot opener that sets the tone right away. By the time Lost Sailor > Saint of Circumstance closes the first set, the room is fully locked in. The second set starts with a strong China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider that's got everybody “proud walkin’, jingling’.” Women Are Smarter, a deep He’s Gone > Truckin’ > Drums/Space > Wharf Rat, a Miracle and some good old-fashioned Good Lovin’ keep things going before the band brings it all the way home with Jerry soulfully delivering the Baby Blue encore. Another night at the Cap and Matty K’s first show is in the books.…” - Martin Knott #PlayDead #GratefulDead #GDVault

December 30th, 1979 - Oakland Auditorium in Oakland, CA 20 Days of Dead 💀 12/30/79 Listen now: live.gd/Oakland123079 Recorded By: Betty Cantor-Jackson Tape Transfer & Master: David Glasser Master Sample Rate: 24-bit/192 kHz Source Media: 7" Reels "Deep into the New Year’s run, and the band is fully settled in. There’s a steady confidence to this one - nothing rushed, everything and everyone connected. The first set moves with a relaxed flow. Minglewood Blues opens, followed by Candyman, then Me & My Uncle > Big River. Ramble On Rose keeps it grounded, and Lazy Lightning > Supplication > Deal closes the set with another suspicious LSD run. The second set is built around Scarlet Begonias > Fire on the Mountain, which opens things up before moving into Let It Grow > Drums. Out of space, Truckin’ > Wharf Rat > Around & Around > Johnny B. Goode carries the set through to the end. They return with Don’t Ease Me In and Brokedown Palace to close the night. Another beauty from a band locked into the run." - Martin Knott #PlayDead #GratefulDead #GDVault

December 27th, 1979 - Oakland Auditorium in Oakland, CA 20 Days of Dead 💀 12/27/79 Listen now: live.gd/Oakland122779 Recorded By: Betty Cantor-Jackson Tape Transfer & Master: David Glasser Master Sample Rate: 24-bit/192 kHz Source Media: 7" Reels "The New Year’s run in ’79 stands with the best of them. Brent is fully settling into the band, and you can hear and feel the shift, new directions, and a different kind of space opening up in every song. Jack Straw gets things started with energy before the first set eases into a steady flow. They Love Each Other and Cassidy follow, then Peggy-O. El Paso’s the lone cowboy here, and Don’t Ease Me In > Beat It On Down the Line > Deal closes the set with an exclamation point. China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider opens, followed by Samson & Delilah into Eyes of the World. From there, one of my favorites, Lost Sailor > Saint of Circumstance, heads right into Drums > Space. Black Peter brings us out of Space as the band tiptoes into my favorite backside ballad and Bobby gives us the Sugar Mag > Sunshine Daydream to close the set. The band joyfully returns with U.S. Blues and Brokedown Palace to finish the night. Another strong show." - Martin Knott #PlayDead #GratefulDead #GDVault

The @GratefulDead’s Vault has opened and Dead Drops Tuesdays commence. 💀 Curated by archivist David Lemieux and newly mastered by David Glasser, our first weekly #DeadDrop features August 16-17, 1991 at Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, CA Listen in the app, or unlock the vault at playdead.app Recorded By: Dan Healy Transfer: Sonicraft Master: David Glasser Master Sample Rate: 24-bit/96 kHz Source Media: Ampex 467 R-120 DATs "We’re starting this series in the Bay Area, with a two-night snapshot from the Shoreline run in August ’91 - coming right off Cal Expo the week before. By this point, nearly a year into the Vince Welnick and Bruce Hornsby lineup, the band is settled, confident, and clearly enjoying exploring the music, this setting helps - outdoors, back yard, California crowd, safety achieved. Night one opens with Jack Straw > Bertha, and everyone loves that. The first set stretches out from there - It’s All Over Now, then Ramble On Rose > Desolation Row, and out of nowhere we get a Dark Star > Promised Land to end the first set in fine form. Note to self, this Dark Star is the first time it appears in the first set since 1971, and as always it just seems to fit, Desolation Row > Dark Star > Promised Land…what a treat.. Scarlet Begonias > Victim or the Crime > Fire on the Mountain anchors the front end of the 2nd set, before Truckin ’drives us into Drums > Space. Out of space they come back with a Playing in the Band reprise - started in Cal Expo - that transitions into a stand out version of Standing on the Moon, somewhere in San Francisco…giving way to some Good Lovin’ to close it down U.S. Blues finishes night one. Night Two takes us on a trip through Blues for Allah. Help on the Way > Slipknot! > Franklin’s Tower opens and joy is in the air, and let’s just say the band has the crowd’s attention. Next up we get a rocking version of Howlin Wolfs Wang Dang Doodle, which leads us into a crisp Brown-Eyed Women, followed by one of my favorites Queen Jane Approximately > Tennessee Jed > The Music Never Stopped for the close.... The second set builds gradually. Women Are Smarter opens, followed by Ship of Fools and a blues filled Smokestack Lightning > He’s Gone with a great jam that stretches into Drums, and out of space a Dark Star-tinged jam leads into Morning Dew > One More Saturday Night. The band is flowing and before the fans can catch their breath Garcia digs deep and takes it away again with a beautiful version of It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue to end the night." - Martin Knott #PlayDead #GratefulDead #GDVault

August 14th, 1979 - McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, CO 20 Days of Dead 💀 Listen now: live.gd/Denver081479 Recorded By: Betty Cantor-Jackson Tape Transfer & Master: David Glasser Master Sample Rate: 24-bit/192 kHz Source Media: 7” Reels “Early in the Brent era, and you can hear the band settling into a new shape. The Hammond B3 is on the stage, Brent’s voice is a welcome addition and his vocal backups are getting stronger every time they play. They open with a “Jack Jack” pairing - Jack Straw into Jack-A-Roe - before moving through some cowboy tunes Mama Tried > Mexicali Blues, Tennessee Jed, which leads to the very first Easy to Love You. Written by Brent Mydland and John Perry Barlow shortly after Brent joined, a new song is born. The second set takes a different path. Promised Land opens things up - an uncommon slot - and leads into Ship of Fools, Samson & Delilah, and a thunderous Terrapin Station, followed by a surprise Playing in the Band > Drums/ Space. This unfolds neatly into a Not Fade Away > Stella Blue > Good Lovin and everybody’s dancing… They finish with a double encore - U.S. Blues into Johnny B. Goode - always a good sign…” - Martin Knott #PlayDead #GratefulDead #GDVault

Today we revisit June 4th, 1976 at the Paramount Theatre in Portland, OR, featuring the debut of “Mission In The Rain” and an unearthing of “Cosmic Charlie.” 20 Days of Dead 💀 6/4/76 Listen now: live.gd/Portland060476 Recorded By: Betty Cantor-Jackson Tape Transfer & Master: David Glasser Master Sample Rate: 24-bit/192 kHz Source Media: 7” Reels “Night two of a short run, and the band is fully back after the long break. With a larger tour ahead, they lean into the new material - Blues for Allah songs are everywhere, shaping the sound of this period. The first set moves quickly but stays balanced. Promised Land opens, followed by Friend of the Devil and Mama Tried. Sugaree, Cassidy, and Candyman settle things in before Big River and Brown-Eyed Women keep it moving. Lazy Lightning > Supplication adds some edge, and then a rare Mission in the Rain stands out - its first appearance with the band, Garcia’s voice is shining. Bobby takes over with a Looks Like Rain and hands the reins back to Garcia for an early appearance of Help on the Way > Slipknot! > Franklin’s Tower to close the set. Pay attention to this Slipknot!, it is spectacular… The second set opens with an energetic Playing in the Band, followed by Might As Well and Samson & Delilah. A rare Cosmic Charlie appears before Let It Grow > Drums. From there, Stella Blue is nothing short of beautiful and it folds neatly into a Dancin’ in the Streets to carry the backside of the set, with U.S. Blues closing it out. They return to light another fire with Johnny B. Goode to finish the night. A standout ’76 show, with new material front and center and a couple of rare appearances.” - Martin Knott #PlayDead #GratefulDead #GDVault