There’s a reason that The Capitol Theatre was revived; the building is pure magic. Back on this day in 1971, the Grateful Dead came to the Port Chester, NY venue, guns ablaze, for what would go down in the history books as one of the band’s greatest shows.
Of course, the early 70’s were a prolific period for the band, as the albums Workingman’s Dead and American Beauty defined the Dead’s psychedelic ethos in a more comprehensible format. However, their work as songwriters was far from over, as evidenced by this 1971 performance. The band debuted not one, not two, not three, but FOUR original songs, all of which have since become staples of the jam band scene.
“Bertha.” “Loser.” “Greatest Story Ever Told.” “Wharf Rat.” Instant classics, all of them. They even debuted a cover of Chuck Berry’s classic “Johnny B. Goode” during the show, which would be performed hundreds of times in their career.
Fortunately, the audio from this whole show can be streamed below:
Grateful Dead – 2/18/1971 (Full-Show Audio)
[Audio: GratefulDead]
These songs are true staples of the Dead’s repertoire. As the Grateful Dead continue to inspire, their music has undergone countless iterations. Listen to unique reimaginings of each of these four songs below:
Los Lobos – “Bertha”
[Video: angryprotein]
The Travelin’ McCourys – “Loser”
[Video: DelFest]
Billy & The Kids w/ Bob Weir – “Greatest Story Ever Told”
[Video: NIck Dauphinais]
Dead & Company – “Wharf Rat”
[Video: Eric Loew]
Setlist: Grateful Dead | The Capitol Theatre | Port Chester, NY | 2/18/1971
Set One: Bertha, Truckin’, It Hurts Me Too, Loser, Greatest Story Ever Told, Johnny B. Goode, Mama Tried, Hard to Handle, Dark Star, Wharf Rat, Dark Star, Me and My Uncle
Set Two: Casey Jones, Playing in the Band, Me and Bobby McGee, Candyman, Big Boss Man, Sugar Magnolia, St. Stephen, Not Fade Away, Going Down the Road Feelin’ Bad, Not Fade Away, Uncle John’s Band
The post Listen To The Grateful Dead Debut “Bertha”, “Loser”, “Wharf Rat” And More, On This Day In 1971 appeared first on L4LM.
