As we close out the 2019 Dave Pick's series, we deliver on our promise to give you the "whole thing" with the complete performance from The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA 3/24/73 and what a show it was! An upstanding "musical eulogy" to the recently departed Pigpen, the Grateful Dead conducted a potent study in contrasts on this bittersweet night. They found easy balance between tidy jams like "They Love Each Other," "Wave That Flag," "Playing In The Band," and introspective moments on "Stella Blue," "Sing Me Back Home," and a poignant "He's Gone." It was all laid down with a discipline and a polish unheard of in any of the truly exceptional shows that had come before it. Yes, you might say, they cleaned up nice to carry on the legacy as Pig would have wanted.

When it comes to photographing The Grateful Dead and its extended family, and in particular the late Jerry Garcia, Bob Minkin has, to coin a lyrical phrase, “Been here so long he’s got to callin’ it home.” And in “Just Jerry” (https://justjerry.net), a newly released glossy, coffee-table book, Minkin presents a definitive, through-the-lens compendium of Jerry Garcia images from 1977 till 1995.

It all started in the Haight Ashbury over 50 years ago: from the psychedelic ballroom bands of the late 1960's, the Grateful Dead emerged and went on to have a robust 30-year career with Jerry Garcia and another 24+ years post-Garcia. Rather than sticking with a scripted set list, the band flowed into the unfamiliar territory of improvisational concert celebrations that broke down the boundaries between musician and audience.

With the sorrowful passing of Robert Hunter, I sense the cool winds of fall sifting through the leaves of the Grateful Dead tree. As the leaves change colors and begin to drift back into the cosmos from which they came, it is ever so easy to become submersed within reflection.

“So swift and bright, strange figures in light, float in air.”

Maybe you were lucky enough and caught a glimpse of what might have been. You swayed to the unfamiliar, floating along with an unknown melody, joining in for a chorus when you felt confident you had it down. Maybe you jotted a fat question mark in your meticulous setlist, certain you'd figure it out before the next show, anticipating a formal introduction in due time.

The Chapel in San Francisco has announced a 50th anniversary celebration of the legendary Grateful Dead albums Aoxomoxoa and Live Dead on October 28 and 29.

Steely Dan and the Grateful Dead are both American musical treasures – but couldn’t be more different in their approach to music. The epitome of precision and setlist free, organic, and loose.  Studio perfectionists and the omnipotent live music band. Yet in spite of these differences, many of us love both these bands. They’re huge parts of the soundtracks of our youth and present day. What better way to celebrate both bands then enjoying a merge of the two in a night of American rock-n-roll supremacy. 

Steve Kimock and Friends wrapped up their mini-tour of the Northeast Saturday night to a sold-out Ardmore Music Hall just outside Philadelphia.  The night was started by Hayley Jane (Hayley Jane and the Primates) performing a solo acoustic set as the crowd worked their way in off the streets.  By the time her set was halfway through the crowd had largely filled the 600-person venue and were often delight