Dead Show/podcast for 7/23/21

The Deadpod

John Henrikson

Performing Arts, Gratefuldead, Grateful, Dead, Arts, Music

4.7 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 23 July 2021

⏱️ 91 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

I originally thought I would play Brent Mydland's last show with the band - 7/23/1990 - but at the last moment decided I would bring you something much happier - the famous soundcheck from the Watkins Glen festival that took place on July 27, 1973.

Long a favorite among Deadheads, you've likely heard this before - but this is one of those performances that deserve to be listened to again from time to time - like using that good china that is collecting dust in the cabinet. This is a fine recording of the complete soundcheck - including Bill Graham's introduction - that captures what made this band so exciting during this peak period of their evolution.

Only a few words are needed here as this will speak for itself.. listen to how animated Phil is right out of the gate - he drives that Promised Land and continues throughout! Bird Song has some wonderful moments where the band starts to take off into uncharted territory - a harbinger of things to come.

Of course the 'star' here is the jam following Uncle.. this is paradigmatic Grateful Dead - unexpected, new, never to be repeated.

The 'Wharf Rat' that follows is just what is needed to bring things back to earth.. then !bang! 'Around and Around' to end things up...

Grateful Dead
Grand Prix Racecourse
Watkins Glen, NY 7/27/73 - Friday

One

The Promised Land ;
Sugaree ;
Mexicali Blues ;
Bird Song ;
Big River ;
Tennessee Jed

Two

Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo ;
Me And My Uncle ;
Jam >
Wharf Rat ;
Around And Around

You can listen to this week's Deadpod here:

http://traffic.libsyn.com/deadshow/deadpod072321.mp3

Enjoy.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Hello, welcome to Dead Pad for the week of July 23rd, 2021.
0:04.3	This is a professor out so glad he could pick us up this week.
0:08.5	Of course, today's the anniversary of Brent Midlands last show with the dead,
0:11.9	which took place on July 23rd, 1990.
0:14.8	I thought about playing that show, but I decided instead to focus on a little
0:18.6	happier note, something that took place back not on this date, but close to this date,
0:24.1	back in 1973. And that was the famous soundcheck at the Grand Prix race court,
0:30.0	Watkins, Glenn New York, July 27th, 1973. Of course, this isn't the actual show.
0:36.0	This is a soundcheck to the show, which took place the next day,
0:40.0	featuring the Almond Brothers Band, the Band, and the Grateful Dead.
0:43.9	Huge turnout, larger than Woodstock. Certainly not everybody could hear everything,
0:49.2	and I'm sure it was a crazy scene, but this soundcheck has rightfully gone down
0:54.5	as a great piece of Grateful Dead lore and history, especially the jam.
1:00.8	It starts out, we get a nice introduction by Bill Graham.
1:04.3	Then the promised land starts it out, really nicely played.
1:06.8	You hear right away that Phil is anxious. He's hopped to play, and you'll hear that throughout.
1:12.0	It's sugary, follows, mexicanly blues, and then a great bird song.
1:16.4	Big River, Tennessee, Chad, Mississippi, uptown, half step two,
1:20.3	Mississippi, half step uptown, tuteloo, I always mix that up.
1:23.5	Me and my uncle, and then the famous jam that took place,
1:28.2	and that probably gives this whole soundcheck.
1:31.9	It's status as one of the great jams in Grateful Dead history.
	...

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