Unofficial 31 Days of Dead – 2012 Edition: Day Six

Welcome back to the third installment of “The Unofficial 31 Days of Dead.” The past two years were so much fun that I decided to do it again. The idea for these compilations came about after dead.net ran its “30 Days of Dead” in November 2010. While the Deadhead community at large was no doubt thrilled to receive previously unreleased tracks from the band’s vast archives, many of us were hoping for just a bit…more. Hey, we are Deadheads – we are always hoping for more! Therefore, I thought it might be fun to keep the music flowing by selecting my own daily picks. The month of December seemed more than appropriate since New Year’s Eve celebrations were such a big part of the Grateful Dead. Let’s think of these daily picks as an advent calendar leading up to New Year’s Eve. Unlike the “Official 30 Days of Dead,” there is no contest here. Instead, the prize is the music and the winner is the listener.

[Artwork by Brian Levine]

December 6

Space > Estimated Prophet > The Other One
7/1/78 Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, KS

Talk about a strange and obscure show. The Dead played a single-set show at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City as the opening act for Willie Nelson’s annual Fourth of July picnic. There is no soundboard in the vault. In fact, there is only one known audience recording to document this concert courtesy of legendary taper Dr. Bob Wagner. But, there is just as much magic here – if not more – than there was at Red Rocks later in the week. Judas! Say it ain’t so! The song combo here is identical to Red Rocks (i.e., Estimated > Other One) but in my opinion this version easily surpasses Red Rocks. If this show was available on soundboard it would rank high on everybody’s Best of 1978 list.

“If you are driving a car while listening to this combo of tunes I challenge you to drive slowly.” – Ed Martin

Today’s selection begins with Jerry noodling over Drums. His tone and style sound similar to his “Close Encounters Space” from the epic show in Eugene on 1/22/78 (see 2010 “31 Days”). This kind of weirdness always provides a clue that good things are to come. Eventually, he dials up the Mutron signaling the start of Estimated Prophet. This version is incredible. The buoyant “California” jam is huge but the outro jam is even better. Similar to the Red Rocks version, it starts out quiet, dark and smokey. Garcia patiently crafts a stunning jam that gradually builds – his playing becoming more urgent. The band is right there with him. Game on! A groove is found and the band is swinging! The notes soar higher and the music gets more intense. The climax is reached when Jerry suddenly takes off into a sustained trill. I’m guessing that the poor fans who came to get mellow at a Willie Nelson concert didn’t know what hit’em!

With nary a moment to catch your breath, the band drops right into The Other One. This driven version comes dangerously close to dethroning the epic versions in 1978 from the Uni-Dome (2/5/78) and Winterland (10/21/78). Unlike those versions which shone brightly at the end, this one has a real edge to it throughout the entire song. The momentum builds quickly. The sheer power and energy is simply breathtaking. If you are driving a car while listening to this combo of tunes I challenge you to drive slowly. Actually, don’t bother. I have tried. It’s an act of futility. Jerry is shredding everything in sight. His guitar licks are too vicious and nasty. Energy of this magnitude can not be sustained for very long. So, all too soon the band must put it back into the bottle. At a little more than five minutes this is probably one of the shortest versions of The Other One but what a ride! Now go listen to it.

Download Link: http://www.mediafire.com/?dur633es28xcai0
LMA Link: http://archive.org/details/gd1978-07-01.flac16
Review of show at deadlistening.com blog: http://www.deadlistening.com/2008/07/1978-july-1-arrowhead-stadium.html