The top 5 Grateful Dead shows at the Boston Garden, ranked
The five best Garden shows from the band who played the iconic venue more times than any other.
This weekend, the remaining members of the Grateful Dead will come together to “Fare Thee Well’’ to their vast fanbase for three final shows at Soldiers Field in Chicago, capping off a long, strange, half-century trip that defined the group as one of the greatest American rock bands of all time.
The band’s lineup with Jerry Garcia has played more than 60 Massachusetts shows, 24 of which took place at the historic Boston Garden. Of course, with Garcia’s death 20 years ago this August, some could argue that the Dead played their final shows long ago, but Garcia’s legacy continues to live on, and he has been honored by other band members in various projects throughout the past two decades.
Despite the heat, questionable acoustics, and rickety structure toward the end, the Dead played the iconic Boston venue more than any other band in history. That’s why we decided to rank their top five Boston Garden performances with the help of Jim Harris, the rhythm guitarist for New England’s top Grateful Dead tribute act, Playing Dead, and a former member of touring cover band Dark Star Orchestra.
A history of the Grateful Dead in Massachusetts (story continues below):
[bdc-gallery id=”113832″]
5. September 18, 1982
[fragment number=0]
In one of only a few appearances the Dead made at the Garden in the ‘80s, they delivered a thunderous second set. An excellent “Playing in the Band’’ jam paves the way for standout takes of “The Wheel’’ and an eerie “Wharf Rat.’’
“My seats were behind the stage, it was the first time I got to see these drummers, Mickey and Billy, wailing on this big rack they had set up behind them,’’ says Harris. “I remember having the thought like, ‘Whoa, this is the Boston Garden, this place is kind of old and rickety.’ I looked around and saw an older guy, like a big hippie with a beard and stuff, and he was staring up at the ceiling, and his hands were trembling, and he looked all nervous. I remember thinking, ‘Oh my god, this guy is thinking the same thing as me.’ Then I was thinking that his thoughts were maybe a little more enhanced, if you will. But of course, the Garden didn’t cave in, but it was cool because they opened that second set with ‘Samson and Delilah’ (the chorus ‘If I had my way/I’d tear this old building down’). I thought that was kind of cool.’’
In the recording, you can hear Bob Weir dedicate “Samson and Delilah’’ to the Garden itself, adding a cheeky “Because it needs it!’’ after the final chorus.
4. October 3, 1994
[fragment number=1]
“It was my last show. First of all, they were hitting on all cylinders, the band was just sounding really good,’’ says Harris. “They came out on fire, or as Bobby on occasion said in the early ‘80s, ‘Just like a Swiss watch.’ They didn’t miss a beat after ending ‘Touch of Grey’ and going right into the opening lyrics of ‘Beat It On Down the Line,’ it was totally unexpected. That was always the thing that was attractive to me about the Grateful Dead. They were unpredictable.’’
The action didn’t stop at the opener, either. Garcia’s final show at the Garden was one for the ages. A 13-minute first set of “Bird Song’’ is a treat, but the second set truly comes alive. The fire of “Shakedown Street’’ and “Cassidy’’ is pacified by solemn closers of “Attics of My Life’’ and “Brokedown Palace.’’ The elation of “Loose Lucy,’’ however, is enough to bring a smile to your face with Garcia’s parting words to Boston: “Thank you for a real good time.’’
3. September 25, 1991
[fragment number=2]
“Pretty unusual, in my opinion, to open a show with a [‘Help on the Way’ into ‘Slipknot’ into ‘Franklin’s Tower’],’’ says Harris. “That opener was pretty different, and I remember bringing a friend who wasn’t really into the Grateful Dead at all, and I was like, ‘I can’t believe they’re opening with this.’ To him, of course, it was no big deal.’’
This show didn’t stop with the smokin’ opener. Later featured on Dick’s Picks, Volume 17, the second set “Terrapin Station’’ is masterfully played with the help of two keyboardists, and it’s almost impossible to complain with a set-closing “Not Fade Away.’’
Further, despite historically shaky acoustics at the Garden, the Dead had figured out their own workaround by this point.
“By the early ‘90s, their technology for live sound production had gotten so much better that they really made the Garden sound pretty good,’’ Harris says.
2. April 2, 1973
[fragment number=3]
The closest to an early greatest hits set that the band played in Boston, this 33-song epic wasn’t long after the band’s highly documented Europe ‘72 tour, and it was about as tight an operation as the Dead achieved. The perfect balance of exploratory and palatable, they retained a bit of the grungy psychedelia of the early years, but delivered very focused hits as well, relying on one drummer instead of two.
Don’t be fooled by the throwaway “Promised Land’’ to kick things off. They more than compensate with a vibrant “China Cat Sunflower’’ into “I Know You Rider,’’ and a brawny “Eyes of the World’’ in the second set. This is a good gateway show for newcomers of the Dead.
1. May 7, 1977
[fragment number=4]
The late ‘70s were an important time for the Grateful Dead. They were amidst a period when disco was getting big and they, too, were becoming pretty funky. The crystalline structures of their early psych jams were becoming shattered, and they were re-writing their own book.
“That whole East Coast tour from ‘77 is amazing,’’ Harris said. He’s right. The night after this show, the Dead played Cornell’s Barton Hall in New York, and it is revered as one of the greatest they ever played. Don’t sleep on this one though. If Cornell was the meat of the sandwich, consider this Garden show a tasty slice of bread (the other being Buffalo on May 9).
Everything has a little extra bass to it in this set, even toned-down numbers like “Peggy-O.’’ But between the “Terrapin Station,’’ a sleek “Estimated Prophet,’’ and an extra-twinkly “Eyes of the World,’’ this show is almost flawless.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com