1. November 6, 1980...John
Lennon was still among the living when Jerry Garcia joined Bob Dylan on stage
for the first time on November 16, 1980, during Dylan’s twelve-night residency
at San Francisco’s Fox-Warfield. Bob was still singing songs of faith, but he
mixed in some old classics and cut back on the number of gospel songs for his
backup singers. Prior to Garcia’s appearance, Carlos Santana played with Dylan
on 11-13, and Mike Bloomfield joined him on stage two nights later. It was the
last time they’d see each other. Bloomfield died three months later from a drug
overdose.
After a slippery start, Dylan rallied to give Garcia a flattering
introduction: “Well, I don't know exactly what to say here. Different peoples
been coming down to the theater every night so far. And this night is no
exception I guess. Anyway this is, keep . . . here’s a young man I know you
know who he is. I’ve played with him a few times before. I’m a great admirer
and fan of his and support his group all the way, Jerry Garcia. He’s gonna play
with us, in the key of C.”
The song was “To Ramona,” and Garcia unleashed an A+ jam in the key of
C. It was a long solo by Dylan standards. Garcia remained on stage for eleven
songs, including a song covered by the Jerry Garcia Band, “Simple Twist of
Fate,” and a tune that would later be covered by the JGB, “Senor.” After his
spirited outburst in “To Ramona,” Garcia dutifully fit in as just another guy
in Dylan’s band. Everything from Dylan’s performance to the sound of the band
was spot on during this Fox-Warfield residency.
2. July 2, 1986… At the second concert of the tour, in the Rubber Bowl in Akron,
Ohio, on July 2, Dylan joined the Grateful Dead on stage for three songs during
the first set. Dylan played along on “Little Red Rooster” before the Dead
played their only version of “Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright.” It was a rocky
adventure because the Dead had a slow, methodical style that didn’t naturally
match with Dylan’s unpredictable cadences and rhythms. Garcia adjusted to
Dylan’s style nicely, but more practice was needed if Dylan and the Dead were
to play together. “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” was in the Dead’s rotation as
an encore, but with Dylan on stage, they gave it a go in the opening set.
Garcia took lead vocal and made space for Dylan to join him, but Bob’s voice
was rough, and didn’t mesh with Garcia’s polished, high-pitched interpretation.
Deadheads roared lustily as Weir thanked Dylan for joining them on stage.
“Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright” showcased that Dylan and Garcia could easily
adapt to each other, however, the three-song preview hinted that a possible
Dylan/Dead affair wouldn’t be as smooth as Dylan’s transition to playing with Tom
Petty.
Dylan and the Grateful Dead: A Tale of Twisted Fate @ Amazon
3. July 7, 1986… Deadheads, Dylan & Petty, and the Grateful Dead reconvened for a
pair of shows at RFK Stadium in Washington, DC on July 6 and 7. The temperature
at showtime was 100 degrees with hazy sunshine and stifling humidity for both
concerts. Survival and hydration took precedence over transcendent music. The
Grateful Dead performances were abysmal. The jams were short, the song
selections were unimaginative, and Garcia’s performances were consistently
lethargic. Dylan seemed to deliver a better show with Petty & the
Heartbreakers, but Dylan added to the Grateful Dead’s dilemma by joining them
for horrible renditions of “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” and “Desolation Row.”
As Dylan’s abrasive voice croaked along with Garcia and Weir, it was obvious
the Dead had a better handle on these songs. What happened to the confident
performer from the Hard to Handle
video earlier in the year?
Commenting on this tour, Garcia said, “I found myself in the weird
position of teaching Dylan his own songs. It’s just really strange! It was
funny. He was great. He was so good about all this stuff. Weir wanted to do
Desolation Row with him, y’know, and it’s got a million words. So Weir says,
‘Are you sure you’ll remember all the words?’ And Dylan says, ‘I’ll remember
the important ones.’”
4. July 4, 1987...The Grateful Dead became Dylan’s backing band for six shows and
their debut collaboration was a star-spangled debacle. The Dead opened for
Dylan in Foxboro and played a sluggish and unimaginative one-set show—not a
good omen for the upcoming Dylan/Dead set. This was Dylan’s first show in
eleven months, and he was rustier than an old dirt shovel in a porous toolshed.
This gig is only noteworthy because Dylan played his first live versions of
“Queen Jane Approximately and “Joey,” and he also performed “John Brown” and
“Chimes of Freedom” for the first time since 1963 and 1964 respectively.
5. July 10, 1987… Dylan and the Dead greeted a fired-up Philadelphia crowd with “Tangled Up in
Blue.” The Dead played it in the style of Jerry Garcia Band, and Dylan strung
the lyrics out in an interesting chant that might have worked if a different
band backed him. Garcia, a considerate player, was cautious about jamming and
stepping on Dylan. Garcia played pedal steel guitar on “I’ll Be Your Baby
Tonight,” something he hadn’t done prior to this tour since 1970. Wearing a red
jacket and black beret, Dylan was bobbing and weaving like a dazed fighter as
he shouted lines and hung onto syllables uncomfortably long, in a self-mocking
manner. Dylan’s live debut of “Frankie Lee and Judas Priest” was solid as he
managed to remember most of the words. There was still room for improvement,
but the JFK show was worth seeing.
6. July 12, 1987…This Giants Stadium gig was easily the best of the Dylan/ Dead shows,
and the most thrilling concert I’ve ever seen. I dedicated a chapter in my
book, Dylan & the Dead: A Tale of Twisted Fate, to analyzing this show.
Garcia had a sensational night on guitar, inspiring Dylan to raise his
intensity. Dylan’s debut live performance of “Wicked Messenger” might be the
premier tune of this overwhelming show which was ignored when Dylan selected
the tunes for the subpar Dylan & the
Dead album (1989). Dylan and the Grateful Dead: A Tale of Twisted Fate @ Amazon
7. July 19, 1987…After a week layoff, the tour reconvened in Autzen Stadium, Eugene,
Oregon. There were some interesting moments at this show, but this is weak
compared to their Giants Stadium masterpiece.
8. July 24, 1987…The Oakland show features outstanding versions of “I Want You” and
“Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.” Jay Blakesberg captured some great photos at this
show including the photo on the cover of my new book, and this one.
9.July 26, 1987…No reason to get excited. The last Dylan/ Dead show in Anaheim went
by like a puff of wind.
10. February 12, 1989… Dylan/Dead relations took their strangest turn when Bob joined the
Dead on stage for the second set of their show on February 12 at the Great
Western Forum in Inglewood. Dylan played guitar out of the spotlight in between
Garcia and Weir as the band opened with “Iko Iko.” That was followed by unusual
selections: “Monkey and the Engineer,” “Dire Wolf,” “Alabama Getaway,”
“Cassidy,” “Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again.” Most of these
were tunes that the Dead played in the first set, and the band had never played
an electric “Monkey and the Engineer” before. Dylan added meager backing vocals
in places, and showed no interest in singing his own song. The music had no spark,
and it was bizarre to see Dylan this passive on stage. (This can be seen on
YouTube.) After the Dead finished off the second half of their set, Dylan
re-emerged for a “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” encore, and grunted the lead
vocal. It was fine for a novelty version, but Dylan’s odd phrasing clashed with
the lush, methodic pacing of the Dead’s version of “Heaven’s Door.”
The day after his guest appearance, Dylan phoned the Grateful Dead
office in San Rafael to ask if he could join the band. This was a serious
request. The band members voted on the proposition, and if the vote were
unanimous, Dylan would have been a member of the Grateful Dead for at least a
tour. One no vote shot down the dream. Weir has publicly stated that he voted
to give it a go, and we know how Garcia voted. The no vote likely came from
Lesh or one of the drummers, and it was a great business decision, nothing
personal. Dylan tried to fit in as one of the boys the night before, and it was
awkward at best. Even in a legendary line-up like the Traveling Wilburys, Dylan
was a huge presence. The Dead would have had to, on some level, restructure
what they were comfortable doing, and there was little benefit to having Dylan
in the band, except for the fact that Garcia and Weir greatly admired Dylan. It
turned to be a fortuitous no-vote for Dylan who went down to New Orleans and
recorded Oh Mercy with Daniel Lanois.
11. May 5, 1992…Garcia joined Dylan on stage for “Cats in The Well,” and one of four
rare 1992 performances of “Idiot Wind.” Some tapes and CDs of this are in
circulation, but I’ve yet to hear one. Garcia and Dylan were going through tough
times in ’92, but I bet this must be a compelling listen.
12. October 17 1994… Dylan and the Dead were reunited on the stage at Madison Square Garden.
This was their first get-together since February 12, 1989, which was followed by
Dylan’s request to become a member of the Grateful Dead. Dylan was in town to play
at the Roseland Ballroom the following night, so he dropped by for a “Rainy Day
Women #12 & 35” encore. Dylan seemed to be in fine form as he began to sing,
but his vocals were barely audible as he sang into Weir’s microphone. Apparently,
Dylan’s mic gets turned up much louder at his shows. Garcia took a weak stab at
singing a verse, Vince played some lame keyboard, and another Dylan/Dead debacle
was in the books. Individually, Garcia and Dylan had created some of the most memorable
moments in the history of Madison Square Garden. Together, the soul brothers bombed.
13. June 25 1995…Dylan opened for the Dead five times in 1995; one in Highgate,
Vermont, twice in Giants Stadium, and twice
in RFK Stadium. On their final night, Garcia grabbed his axe and joined Dylan on
stage. This was just like their first time on stage together in 1980, when Jerry
joined Dylan on his stage in the Warfield. Garcia added a solo to one of his favorite
Dylan tunes, “It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry,” and the results
were much better than the last few times Dylan tried to join the Dead. Garcia would
have benefited from leaving the Dead to do something with Dylan more than the other
way around. It was fitting that Jerry and Bob shared this final moment together
in the nation’s capital.
“Like to bring on a friend
of us all, Mr. Bob Dylan.” With that intro from George, Dylan kicked off the evening
show with “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna-Fall.” Dylan’s voice is smooth, with the same tonality
displayed on Nashville Skyline. There’s
some tentativeness early, but by the second verse Dylan’s cadence is mesmerizing,
and the tension builds precisely throughout. Backed by George Harrison, Ringo Starr,
and Leon Russel, there’s great excitement because Dylan’s playing “Hard Rain” with
two ex-Beatles. As Dylan brings “Hard Rain” to a perfectly pitched climax, the audience
explodes. Already, this is a historic Madison Square Garden moment.
