The Grateful Dead shared video of “Wharf Rat” as part of their All The Years Live series. The performance comes from GD’s July 16, 1990 concert at Rich Stadium in Orchard Park, New York near Buffalo.
The Grateful Dead debuted “Wharf Rat” during a storied concert at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York on February 18, 1971. The song remained a steady staple until 1995 as Dead archivist David Lemieux highlights in his notes accompanying the ‘90 Orchard Park “Wharf Rat.”
“Wharf Rat appeared steadily in the repertoire since its debut in February 1971 until 1995, and was always a very welcome song to appear in the ‘ballad slot’ in many second sets,” Lemieux wrote. “It first appeared commercially on Skull & Roses, and is one of the few Grateful Dead originals for which there is no recorded studio version, with the Skull & Roses rendition being the definitive version.”
Watch the Grateful Dead perform “Wharf Rat” from Rich Stadium in 1990 below via the JamBase Live Video Archive:
