Don’t fear the reaper or the calendar year 1995. Here’s the first of several mixes from The Grateful Dead’s first tour of the year (late February to early April).
This Philadelphia stand featured a full-fledged, out-of-nowhere jam as well as multiple high-intensity improvisational passages during the “Spaces,” all of which I’ve edited into one big 18-minute jam. Nom Nom. There are also the strong debut of “It’s All Too Much,” a hot performance of the just-resurrected “Alabama Getaway,” a famous "Visions of Johanna," and enough other Beatles tunes to make a medley out of them all. The “Ramble on Rose” has some fantastic Garcia solos.
(“Unbroken Chain” also made its live debut in Philadelphia, but I’m holding out for the far better second version a week later – featuring Hornsby on grand piano. The only released song here is “Visions of Johanna,” which appeared on “Fallout from the Phil Zone.”)
Set One (78 minutes):
- Alabama Getaway
- Hell in a Bucket
- Walkin’ Blues
- Ramble on Rose
- Easy Answers
- Jack-a-Roe
- I Know You Rider
- Lazy River Road
- Visions of Johanna
- One More Saturday Night
- Promised Land
Set Two (77 minutes):
- Jam (18-minutes from 3 nights)
- Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
- It’s All Too Much
- Rain
- Standing on the Moon
- All Along the Watchtower
- Brokedown Palace
- Encore: Iko Iko
Cover art by Robert Rauschenberg.