Got this from Dead.net Hold on to your hat, we’re coming in strong with one from the Windy City that’ll have you movin’ and shakin’ from start to finish. DAVE’S PICKS VOLUME 31: UPTOWN THEATRE, CHICAGO, IL 12/3/79 signals a true rebirth of the Grateful Dead, reimagining classics and foreshadowing their 80s sound. This is as much in part due to freshly-minted member Brent Mydland bringing the organ back in as it is to Jerry finding new vivacity with his custom Wolf guitar. New guy, new guitar – it all makes for a heck of a good time!Set One rolls like never-ending thunder with one standout after another – truly epic versions of “Brown-Eyed Women,” “Ramble On Rose,” “It’s All Over Now,” “Althea,” and “The Music Never Stopped.” Set Two hits with a crack of not-so-lazy lightning, barreling through an outrageous 28-minute “Scarlet>Fire” to a unique “Lost Sailor>Saint of Circumstance” and wrapping with a “blow the roof off the place” version of “Truckin’” and a rippin’ “Johnny B. Goode.” Ready for some quiet after the storm? You’ll have to wait just a little bit longer – we’ve filled in the gap on Disc 3 with a sprinkle of 12/4/79 – “Estimated>Franklin’s Tower>” and an incredibly improvised “Jam.”

favorite favorite favorite favorite

This fall '79 tour marks the new band's first trip through the Midwest. They had been recording Go to Heaven (July '79-January '80- released 28 April 1980) and so here we get Chicago's first treat to some new tunes: Alabama Getaway, Althea, Lost Sailor, Saint of Circumstance. By then they had only played these about a dozen times. Must have been an exciting time in the band's history, for band members and fans, alike. This is the sound I imagine Jerry and co. were looking for, that unfortunately K & D couldn't (or wouldn't) provide. I think Brent simultaneously helped bring the band and its sound forward into the eighties -- and backward, to the soulful rhythm and blues of its co-founder, Pigpen. It's hard to believe, by the sound of him in these shows, that he'd still feel like "the new guy" nearly a decade into his tenure with the band. Hard to believe because just a few months in, he already sounds great. More of this fall '79 sound is featured on the first volume of Road Trips (1:1), showcasing 10/25, 10/31, 11/6, 11/8, 11/9, and 11/10. Just a few weeks later is Dick's 5, an absolute monster on 12/26/79.



At any rate, this show lifts off with a pumped up Alabama opener. Here's that new sound, again, give it a whirl. Early on in its history AG typically segued into a Bobby rocker-- like this night's Promised Land and the third night's Greatest Story Ever Told. It became their number one opener the next couple years (80-81).



Then again - who's with me? - after listening to a whole bunch of 78, I can't help but long for Donna a bit, especially near the end of Ramble on Rose. Where's her screaming, yeaaahhh? Notwithstanding, this is a great version. The Jack-A-Roe is also excellent. The supplication jam is slower, mellower and groovier than years prior. It builds with focus to crescendo starting at and around 3:30. First set also's got a tight Althea, and a solid Music Never Stopper- everyone popping off near end.



Next up, scarlet-fire set two opener! Phil and the rhythm devils are all over this scarlet. Bobby weaving some nice slide off of Jerry's jamming. Brent filling in wonderfully. The scarlet is longer than the track listing it at around 9 minutes, or at least the transition stretches out longer. Segue is hot, fire fire! Check out Brent around 5:45-7:15 on Terrapin. This, at least to me, is the more familiar Terrapin sound. Slow, focused, stretches with those electric keys. PITB around 8 minutes in is awesome. Rare trucking set closer - although they seemed to do this more in '79 than any other year. This is one of 3x they closed out set 2 with truckin' in '79.



All told, as with this entire run, first sets are solid, but they really bring it in the second. This second set clocks in at over 100 minutes. Check it out!

- May 14, 2018Dec79- First Brent-era Chi run, n1