Welcome back to the Tapers' Section, where this week we have Grateful Dead music from 1972, 1981 and 1989.
First up this week is music from 7/16/72 at Dillon Stadium in Hartford, CT, featuring Deal ; Mexicali Blues, Stella Blue, Beat It On Down The Line, Cumberland Blues. This is the first Grateful Dead show since Pigpen left the band after the 6/17/72 show at the Hollywood Bowl; the beginning of a new era of Dead. This is the second live version of Stella Blue, which had been debuted the previous month in Hollywood. If you get a chance, I encourage you to listen to that Hollywood debut of Stella Blue, which features a very beautiful organ line by Pigpen, the only time the song would ever feature that instrumental part. It's a remarkably strong debut for Stella Blue.
Next is music from the strong summer tour of 1981, from7/8/81 in St. Louis, featuring the start of the first set: Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo > Feel Like A Stranger ; Peggy-O > Little Red Rooster.
Lastly this week is the entire first set from7/12/89 at RFK Stadium in Washington, DC, featuring Touch Of Grey ; New Minglewood Blues ; Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo ; Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues ; Far From Me ; Cassidy ; Friend Of The Devil ; The Promised Land. This would mark the first year of seven consecutive years the Dead would play RFK. I remember it was very humid and overcast at both of these 1989 shows.
Be sure to join us here next week for more music from the vault.
David Lemieux
vault@dead.net