Best Grateful Dead Shows on Archive.org
Archive.org is a treasure for fans of bootlegged music shows. Their live music archive is one of the most underrated sources for music on the web, featuring free sets of artists ranging from John Mayer to Hank Williams. And then of course there’s one of the greatest live bands ever: The Grateful Dead. Bootlegs are geared more toward diehard fans than any other type, but a legendary live group like The Grateful Dead is one of the rare acts where one could fall in love from a live set alone. That’s why Archive.org has a page and community specifically devoted to them. Most other artists require fans to become immersed in a studio recording or two before they come obsessed, but the live ingenuity and passion of The Grateful Dead made most of their individual performances seem album-worthy alone. An entire nation of Dead Heads can attest to that, especially the hundreds who post daily on Archive.org’s specific message board for The Grateful Dead, where fans exchange their favorite shows, thoughts on albums, and general chit-chat. As many of the band’s fans are in their 40s, 50s, and beyond, some Dead Heads have described the band’s Archive.org page as their introduction to the internet. With over 2000 Grateful Dead bootlegs available for free download, it must have felt like they found heaven.
Dead Heads have been trading bootlegs with the band’s smiling approval since the late ‘60s, so longtime traders must have fallen in love with the archive. Especially as the band have always been stern that no one should profit off of bootlegs, it seems like an optimal place for them to exist – in the free public domain. Relatively young fans may feel a bit overwhelmed browsing the archives, though. Just as The Grateful Dead’s prolific discography features more than 130 albums, it can be even more daunting to dig into the group’s massive collection of live shows. Spanning several decades and interpretations of material, diehards often scour their favorite decade or period and start there. If you’re entirely new to The Grateful Dead’s bootleg scene, then the suggestions below will get you started:
Barton Hall, Cornell University on 1977-05-08
Back when universities had quality artists perform on campus, Cornell hosted the Dead in May of 1977 for a phenomenal performance. Jerry Garcia’s “Loser” plays with its hypnotic shuffle early on, as a rousing crowd reacts warmly to the entry of Garcia’s soothingly emotive vocals. Alongside more jaunty efforts like “Brown Eyed Woman”, this set presents a wonderfully diverse collection of melodic burners and traditional rock ‘n’ roll jams. For those just getting into the Dead, this is a tidy representation of one of their finest eras, and how the diversity within their songwriting makes shows fly by in a flash.
West High Auditorium on 1980-06-21
By the early ’80s the Dead were coming down from a longstanding studio album reign that lasted from the late ’60s to the mid ’70s, where 1977 album Terrapin Station represented one of the group’s first regressions. Even though their studio work started to decrease in quality, their live shows were just as memorable. This 1980 show at West High Auditorium shows just that. With whiskey-scented bluesy rockers like “New Minglewood Blues” co-existing alongside displays of speedy guitar virtuosity like “Supplication”, it is yet another showing of the Dead’s wonderfully diverse range of songwriting styles. From bluesy sing-alongs to exciting stomps that are nearly instrumental in their entirety, this show is one that captures the energy and vibe of Dead Heads well.
Robert F. Kennedy Stadium on 1973-06-10
One of the most popular Grateful Dead bootlegs of all time, this 1973 performance finds the band in their prime – both on the stage and in the studio. The result is absolutely breathtaking; it’s a tour-de-force performance with both concise jazz-infused sprites like “El Paso” and 20-minute lessons in jamming (“Eyes of the World”, “Playin’ in the Band”). There is a heavy improvisational and jazz-friendly tone throughout as the band flexes their creative muscles. Add to the fact that the recording is in nearly pristine quality and those interested have a great starting point for early Grateful Dead.
Carousel Ballroom on 1968-03-29
This short, early set shows the Dead at a wonderfully creative point that resulted in tracks like the seductively infectious “Dark Star”, which alternates from enthusiastic guitar rhythms and poly-rhythmic percussive trickles to a slick guitar lead that floats by with tactile precision. This set shows the Dead at a very early point in their career, where they were still tinkering with their live sound, the genius remains undeniable even at such an early point.
The list can go on and on for quality Grateful Dead sets, but these four remain good starting points that show a variety of the Dead’s sounds. If anything, listeners will be able to see why the Grateful Dead have attained such a dedicated following, and why there is a page devoted specifically to them on Archive.org. Feel free to browse the site’s amazing archives. With the Dead’s mesmerizing tunes, a few hours will pass by before you know it. It’s a super library for some of the most passionate music fans alive.