Momentum surged
throughout 1976 as the Dead returned to doing what only they can do. Their
10-9-76 Oakland show was the high point of the year, and their New Year’s Eve
show was a celebration of the progress they made during their comeback; and
simultaneously, it was a blueprint for the storied year ahead. More than any
other New Year’s Eve performance, 12-31-76 meshed the past and future as it
shined in the moment.
The ’76 New Year’s Eve soiree was
held in Daly City’s Cow Palace on the outskirts of San Francisco. The cow is sacred
in India, and the Cow Palace is sacred in Grateful Dead folklore. They only
played there twice. On March 24, 1974, the completed Wall of Sound was unveiled
for the first time in Cow Palace, and “Scarlet Begonias” and “Cassidy” were
debuted.
The
New Year’s Eve show gets off to an unassuming start with six ordinary
selections. The last song of the set, “Playin’ in the Band,” is an enormous
effort, and one of the last times that “Playin’” would be performed in its entirety
without being segued into another tune. The long, active jam is filled with
creative twists and turns, and it salvages what was shaping up to be a
well-played but dull set.
This show gets filed in the ’76
archives. It’s ironic that the best set of the year actually begins as the
clock ticks the opening seconds of 1977. A complete “Sugar Magnolia” opener
with “Sunshine Daydream” launches the new year, although it’s not a spectacular
version. As “Sunshine” ends, Garcia strikes with “Eyes of the World.” The
opening solo steams—raw euphoria as the band rages. Jamming with scary
precision, The Grateful Dead are Masters of the Universe. All the instrumental
passages smolder, and “Eyes” eventually melts into “Wharf Rat.” This is a rare
pairing that the band would revisit in the Hollywood Sportatorium on 5-22-77. I
like the “Rat” early in the set. It clears the way for heavy hitters later.
A transitory Drums interlude jumps
into “Good Lovin’.” This version is the third one with Bobby singing lead
vocals, and this arrangement burns with funky chord riffs à la ’72. The idea of
Good Lovin’ > Samson and Delilah wouldn’t thrill most Deadheads looking at a
set list, but on 12-31-76, it’s a minor masterpiece. This distinctive “Samson” has
the funkiest groove of them all. A standalone “Scarlet Begonias” follows, and
it’s one of the last of its kind because “Fire on the Mountain” was on the
horizon. In Cow Palace, the birthplace of “Begonias,” the post-verses jam
scrambled the minds of Deadhead Nation, and the playful ending was delightful.
“Around and Around” steps into its
prime as the band celebrates the power of their evolving sound. The skillful
shifting of tempo and the cage-rattling rock previews powerhouse versions to
come. There’s a two-second stoppage before the band hops into Help on the Way
> Slipknot! This musical flow embodies the spirit of ’76 “Slipknots!” with a
spacey instrumental that noodles on and on until it tumbles into Drums. Most
future versions of this rich instrumental would dutifully transition into
“Franklin’s Tower.” The “Slips” from ’77, and ’83–85
provided some of the best jamming from those years, but the full potential and
possibilities of “Slipknot!” were probably never realized or explored.
Phil pumps away with Billy and Mickey
during this second brief drum interlude. This set contains two hours of intense
and focused improvisation with minimal meandering. The Dead bounce into “Not
Fade Away” and the jams continue to smolder. We can debate what the best year
for the band is and why we feel that way. However, there’s a unified
professionalism as the Dead enter ’77, and it’s present throughout the entire
year. The 12-31-76 “Not Fade Away” is a precursor to the sensational ’77
renditions. As an instrumental “NFA” fanfare rings out, Phil hits the
unmistakable blast announcing, “Morning Dew.”
“Walk me out in the morning dew, my
honey.” Jerry’s voice covers the Cow Palace like a velvet blanket. The patient
commitment of the band is admirable bordering on heroic. At the end of a marathon
performance, the band digs in and commits to each note with heart and soul.
Keith’s piano playing sets the sacred and solemn tone. They say it takes ten
years to truly master your craft, and perhaps that explains how brilliant this
“Dew” and the ensuing ’77 versions sound.
This Cow Palace “Dew” is a steady
barrage of unrelenting magic that places it in the pantheon of killer “Dews.”
This must be the longest “Dew” jam as Garcia taps into all his creative genius
and the band reads his thoughts. Jerry scurries along, slicing and dicing like
a hibachi chef. If you like lobster meat, that’s what Chez Garcia is serving.
As the jam boils, Cow Palace is enchanted, engaged, and fully under The Dead’s
spell. Jerry concludes the ceremony with a final sigh, “I guess it doesn’t
matter anyway,” and the set is closed with a thunderous instrumental
exclamation point. The one thing that this “Dew” is missing is an incredible
closing crescendo like Cornell. Yet the Cow Palace “Dew” is an elite performance
of this revered anthem.
Like Cornell, 12-31-76 closes out an
epic set with “Morning Dew,” and a “One More Saturday Night” encore follows.
The New Year’s Eve revelers are treated to a bonus encore performance of Uncle
John’s Band > We Bid You Goodnight. And like several legendary ’77 shows,
Cow Palace has a unique set list and flavor that separates it from the pack.
The dawn of a new Dead era had arrived.
For more on New Year's Eve and the other essential dates of Dead history, check out Deadology:
