• https://www.dead.net/features/daves-picks/daves-picks-volume-2-gallery
    Dave's Picks Volume 2 Gallery

    Get on the bus back to the summer of '74 as we explore the exceptional 7/31 show from Dillon Stadium, Hartford, CT - the selection for Dave's Picks Volume 2 - with a groovy gallery of photos taken by Jim Anderson and John Cantamessa. One of the longest, most exceptionally well-played shows of the entire year, the limited-edition 3-disc set will feature the complete performance and is due early May.

    Launch the slideshow. (And don't forget to turn up the volume to hear a track from 7/31/74 while you're viewin'.)

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    numbsy
    12 years 8 months ago
    Hartford July 1974
    This was my second Dead show. It was 3 years to the day in 1971 @ the Yale Bowl. What a difference in venues! I remember the show started either late in the afternoon or early evening; there was lots of daylight left. Also, it was miserably hot and humid and dusty. Still was a great time.
  • pyro513
    12 years 8 months ago
    Dillon Stadium!
    In '74 I was 12 and this was the one place my parents just wouldn't let me go................what a loss, just 7 miles from home. ugg at least I'll be able to enjoy now.Dale
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    Parkas4Kids
    12 years 8 months ago
    Never Too Late for Time Travel
    Such a fantastic set of photos! Having been born in 1980, I was sadly born a bit late to experience the wild and crazy '70s, which I find to be a terrific era for the 'Dead. It also didn't help that I didn't get into their music until the late '80s/early '90s. However, I do find these retrospectives to be rather exhilirating in getting a true feel for such a legendary band. I just wish we didn't all have to wait until May to hear this show....
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15 years 8 months

Get on the bus back to the summer of '74 as we explore the exceptional 7/31 show from Dillon Stadium, Hartford, CT - the selection for Dave's Picks Volume 2 - with a groovy gallery of photos taken by Jim Anderson and John Cantamessa. One of the longest, most exceptionally well-played shows of the entire year, the limited-edition 3-disc set will feature the complete performance and is due early May.

Launch the slideshow. (And don't forget to turn up the volume to hear a track from 7/31/74 while you're viewin'.)

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Get on the bus back to the summer of '74 as we explore the exceptional 7/31 show from Dillon Stadium, Hartford, CT - the selection for Dave's Picks Volume 2 - with a groovy gallery of photos taken by Jim Anderson and John Cantamessa.

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16 years 3 months
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These are great photos, I hope most of them are included in the released album. I noticed that in some photos, Phil is wearing an inverted a white sailor's hat, or so it looks to me. On other pictures, he is not wearing the hat. Is it every other song that Phil is wearing the hat?What gives here?
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17 years 6 months
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Great photo's. Man, oh man, I sure do miss going to Grateful Dead concerts. Right now the spring tour would be in full swing and summer mail order would be about to go out. I'm looking forward to this release.

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17 years 6 months
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What a great time capsule.
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15 years 6 months
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Nice photos. I was looking at Jerry and thinking what looks different? Then I noticed he had no beard! I don't recall ever seeing photos of him from this period without one.
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17 years 6 months
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...Damn Hippies!
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17 years 6 months
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...why not have tunes with the slideshow? Thanks for the blast from the past. Man that looks like fun! I especially like the Jolly Roger...(and the microphones right behind!)

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17 years 6 months
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For a split second when I first started the slide-show, the first few notes of Jack Straw played, but then they stopped. Maybe that's supposed to be playing.
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17 years 5 months
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Wow!!! I just had another flashback!!! THANK YOU, DEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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17 years 5 months
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Wow!!! I think that I just had an awesome flashback!!! watching the slideshow that you put together reminded me of the great summers of my past, waiting to see the greatest band of all time, and hoping to get my tickets to the shows in the mail!!! Doing the artwork on the mail-in envelopes was always exciting and waiting to see if we (our group of fellow deadheads) got our tickets to the shows for the summer. We always got our tickets, and we always had the best summers of our lives, traveling to and from the shows. Wow!!! I miss the Dead summers the most of anything that has changed in my life. I think that some of my best memories and some that I have forgotten (you know what I mean) were the best times ever!!! What a great trip!!! I loved seeing the "wall of sound" again and remembering what that sounded like. I have never ever heard anything that came close to that since. The sound was indescribable, unbelievable, awesome!!! I loved Jerry's "wolf" guitar also, the best sound ever. Phil's giant bass was the best sounding bass of all time too. Wow!!! I just had another flashback!!! THANK YOU, DEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I will never be the same, after seeing the Dead in Summer!!!
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14 years 1 month
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Phil wore the hat during soundcheck? Just a guess. Looking forward to the release. peace
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15 years
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This was my first show. I was 14 and attending a pretty cool co-ed summer camp in Cornwall CT. We went to a lot of great concerts that summer ,all over Connecticut and Massachusetts, but this was the one everyone was going nuts for. The band did not disappoint, the show was definitely a long, strange trip. I first signed up for the mailing list that night, at the little table they used to have at the shows, and they used to send out all kinds of cool free stuff, including stickers and even mini-lp's of some of the solo projects on Round Records. I've heard versions on archive.org and others, but the re-mastered discs should be amazing. Hard to believe it was 37 summers ago, but the wheel is turning and you can't slow down.
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14 years 10 months
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Where did you get these photos? Like a bag of technicolor M&M's. :))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
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16 years 6 months
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I saw the Louisville show a month before and -- as the only fan in my group of 4 high school teens -- said "that's not them, it's the warm up band, Jerry has a beard! I kept insisting it wasn't them, throughout the Promised Land opener until the first notes of Roses. Maybe it was the windowpane. Marcus
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15 years 10 months
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Looks awesome, I'll never get over the fact that I was born 30 years too late and didn't get to see them until 1992.
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17 years 5 months
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I saw this Wall of Sound set up a few times in '74, including the Soundcheck at the Cow Palace. It's nice to see a "fit" Jerry vs. what he became much later. I prefer to remember the band from this summer of '74 and before. RIP Jerry and thanks for these memories and the inspiration you provided all.
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15 years 6 months
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The Allman Bros & the Dead played back-to-back nites at Dillon. The Dead came a day early & showed up to do a mind-bending show with the Allmans. The Brothers returned the favor by staying to jam with the fellows the next nite. Or it might have been the other way around. Anyone remember if that was the show these photos are from?
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17 years 1 month
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Thanks another great look at the good ol grateful dead. Can't wait to hear the whole show. Dave sure picked another stellar show.
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17 years 6 months
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jack straw and pictures! oh what an awesome sight-- sounds fine too!
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16 years 7 months
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Sorry about the duplicate post, though it's really the fault of this system that doesn't allow deleting. At least I think you can't. :)
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16 years 7 months
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For anyone looking for more Photos of this show check out my Dillon Dead '74 web page here: http://www.photog.com/gdead/70s/74/7-31/index.html - I've got them all up in the Gallery. Reviewing the photos of this extraordinary show when editing the DP V2 project was simply amazing. I saw people and things at Dillon Stadium for the very first time - I was familiar with a handful of these photos picked out years ago but had no idea I'd captured so much of what was going on that day until pulling out and scanning all the film! I'm glad so many people will now see these shots and be able to relive, or have a first gander of, this Warm Summer Day & Night of the Dead in Hartford 1974. btw, the Allmans/Dead, back to back at Dillon, was 1972-07-16. Peace - jra
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13 years 4 months
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Dear walton8799:Don't fret (no pun intended). We are all born at the right time.
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12 years 10 months
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...and along comes Vol. 2 in a month or so. Sounds superb! Cannot wait!
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17 years 6 months
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Can anyone tell me where are the two highway tunnels in the photo? I grew up just south of Hartford but don't recognize them?
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17 years 5 months
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it is actually south of hamden ct. the picture shows the boys headin north on rt 15 the merrit parkway. once u got thru the tunnell you were in hamden ct. at the bottom of the hill is an exit which if you bear right would take you to yale and long island sound. other than the amount of traffic in photo not much has changed. takes me back for sure. my cousin atteded the show an asked me to go n said no. oh well
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17 years 1 month
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I live about 5 minutes from there, and was at the concert. This is East Rock Tunnel on Rt. 15 (Merritt Pkwy). It's at the top of the hill in Woodbridge looking east towards New Haven and Hamden. Once you're through the tunnel you're in Hamden. Hope that helps.
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17 years 5 months
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dont know about you guys but i like the packaging of the road trips cds alot better than vol 1 of daves picks. seemed a little low budget
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13 years 1 month
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I agree, there was something special about those summer '74 shows. I was fortunate to be at the 7-21-74 show at the Hollywood Bowl just 10 days before this show. Just seeing the audience brought back memories of what a sense of community and mello love that was present in the bowl that day. Jer was in cosmic exploritory mode... just melting your sense of what you thought 'music' could do. But, unfortunately, all things must pass. Although '76 thru '78 was great, something changed and something was lost. Still waiting for the second coming of that truly extraordinary creative force that was Jerry Garcia. We are so fortunate for these magnificent recordings and the folks that make them available to all.
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12 years 8 months
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I'm glad everyone is enjoying the photo's. It's amazing what one can find in their closet after all these years. Peace.....
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16 years 5 months
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I didn't get on the bus till '79. I was only 11 years old in '74 - MAN I wish I was there. Enjoy the music ... Nothin' Left to do but Smile Smile Smile :>)
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12 years 8 months
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cant say how excited I am for this release....i was there and it was just great, quick story...I never ever yelled out a song request at a concert ever...but for some reason while the boys were huddling i yelled "us bluuuues!" I was right up front on the jerry side he looked me smiled hit a pedal and launched into it....fun
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17 years 6 months
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...it might be my slow connection - - definitely not lightning fast. I'm not too worried though, I can wait 'til May. After that, the wait is over!
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16 years 2 months
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I was only 10 years old this summer but do remember hearing about the show on WNCN or WCCC.I only lived 10 minutes away too.This slide show was a great treat, to see the Wall of Sound in all its glory on a hot humid day in July....very cool and ofcoarse the band. Are you sure Phil proofed these photos lol? I mean that Gilligan hat is hillarious. The quality of the sound is as good as the Cow Palace Dick's Pick from March that year. I would have my firs real GD moment in the summer of '77 at Musicland at WestFarms where they had a big display of Steal Your Face record and I was like this is so cool and went over and picked up an album and was just so struck by it.It was beautiful. I did not buy the album that day but three years later it was a different story.
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12 years 8 months
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Thanks for the pics/sounds, I cant wait to listen to the entire show. Sounds like its going to be a good one....
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12 years 8 months
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Set 1 1. /Scarlet Begonias 2. Me and My Uncle 3. Brown Eyed Women 4. Beat It On Down the Line 5. Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo > 6. It Must Have Been the Roses 7. Mexicali Blues 8. Row//Jimmy 9. Jack Straw 10. China Cat Sunflower > 11. China-Rider Jam > 12. I Know You Rider 13. Around and Around Set 2 1. Bertha 2. Big River 3. Eyes of the World > 4. China Doll 5. Promised Land 6. Ship of Fools 7. WRS Prelude> 8. WRS Part 1> 9. Let It Grow Set 3 1. Seastones 2. El Paso 3. Ramble On Rose 4. Greatest Story Ever Told 5. To Lay Me Down 6. Truckin'> 7. Mind Left Body Jam> 8. El Jamo Espanol > 9. Wharf Rat 10. U.S. Blues 11. One More Saturday Night Encore 12. Uncle John's Band
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17 years 6 months
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Garcia looks great. Kind of shocking how healthy he looks. They all look good. Definitely sounded good of course.
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17 years 5 months
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Jerry's birthday celebrated right after the show. Partied with the entire band at the Sonesta, the band plus Jerry's girl and my friends Sharon, Renee and I..What a crazy night. Great great show!
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12 years 10 months
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Such a fantastic set of photos! Having been born in 1980, I was sadly born a bit late to experience the wild and crazy '70s, which I find to be a terrific era for the 'Dead. It also didn't help that I didn't get into their music until the late '80s/early '90s. However, I do find these retrospectives to be rather exhilirating in getting a true feel for such a legendary band. I just wish we didn't all have to wait until May to hear this show....
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12 years 8 months
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In '74 I was 12 and this was the one place my parents just wouldn't let me go................what a loss, just 7 miles from home. ugg at least I'll be able to enjoy now.Dale
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13 years 2 months
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This was my second Dead show. It was 3 years to the day in 1971 @ the Yale Bowl. What a difference in venues! I remember the show started either late in the afternoon or early evening; there was lots of daylight left. Also, it was miserably hot and humid and dusty. Still was a great time.
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15 years 10 months
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I saw a few shows that year....UCSB Campus Stadium - May 25, 1974 Winterland Arena - October 19, 1974 Winterland Arena - October 20, 1974 But....the real highlight for me was my 1st show on 2/9/73 at Stanford. Wall of Sound. New songs being tossed in. You know the rest of the story!!!
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17 years 1 month
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Despite having no pictures of the band, their equipment, or the fans, I especially dig the highway pic! It evokes happy memories from my 70s childhood. Looking at that road, I'm suddenly riding in my dad's 40's era pick-up truck with a Coleman pop-up camper in tow. Not sure how Dad was able to keep that truck running as long as he did, but it was beautiful. And I hear Chuck Mangione's "Feels so Good" playing on the radio, although I don't think that album came out until the late 70s(?). Now if I could only get that truck back with a nice CD player instead of the old radio, I could cruise around happily, listening to my Europe '72 shows while I wait for Dave's No. 2!
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17 years 1 month
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Who is the very attractive woman sitting off to the side of the stage during the show?
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12 years 8 months
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wouldn't be cool if the dancing dead heads in slide #10 found this picture of themselves..
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15 years 10 months
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I saw a few shows that year....UCSB Campus Stadium - May 25, 1974 Winterland Arena - October 19, 1974 Winterland Arena - October 20, 1974 But....the real highlight for me was my 1st show on 2/9/73 at Stanford. Wall of Sound. New songs being tossed in. You know the rest of the story!!!
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17 years 5 months
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This was my second-ever Dead show and my involvement with their music (listening to it, talking about it, covering it in a band) was at its peak. I will never forget the experience of hearing the first few warm-up chords that Bob played through the Wall of Sound, followed by Scarlet Begonias, which was my obsession at the time, and then so much more music on into the night. So glad this is coming out in a better-sounding recording than the one I have.
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17 years 6 months
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Indeed one of those epic Wall Of Sound shows that sounds great. Yep, I'll up grade from the very good CM version to this one when it hits the books. I'm still waiting for some golden gem that no one has, some show, or even parts of several shows with music that never got out there, something really different, something truely cosmic!!! (~);}