Guest
Jerry Garcia Band performs “Valerie“ as featured on GarciaLive Vol. 20: June 18th, 1982 Cape Cod Coliseum. Learn more pre-order: GarciaLive Volume 20: June 18th, 1982 Cape Cod Coliseum presents the complete, previously unreleased Jerry Garcia Band performance in The Bay State’s vacationland – plus 45 minutes of additional incendiary, uncirculated recordings captured on June 1st, 1981 at The Stone in San Francisco. The early 80’s marked a transitional period for the Jerry Garcia Band. After beginning the decade with the lean & mean quartet showcased on After Midnight and GarciaLive Volume One, Garcia & John Kahn would go on to experiment with personnel configurations expanding the line-up considerably. By the time the Jerry Garcia Band rolled into the Cape Cod Coliseum co-headliners Bobby & the Midnites, the line-up included Grateful Dead bandmate Bill Kreutzmann (drums), Melvin Seals (organ), Jimmy Warren (electric piano) and Liz Stires & Julie Stafford (backing vocals). While the co-headline format limited each group to a single 90-minute set, Garcia’s 8-song set packed plenty of punch. The requisite “How Sweet It Is” opener wastes no time getting down to business with a galloping tempo punctuated by crisp solos from Garcia, Warren, & Seals. The relative rarity “Valerie,” marking its first appearance here on an archival release, and extended, show-stopping takes on “Dear Prudence” and “Don’t Let Go” follow to the crowd’s obvious delight. Other highlights from Cape Cod include a poignant take on Dylan’s “Simple Twist of Fate” and the freshly written “Run for the Roses.” For the first time in the series, GarciaLive Volume 20 also includes a bit of filler. We turned to the Jerry Garcia Band’s June 1st, 1981 performance at The Stone in San Francisco to select four stand-outs from the previously uncirculated/unheard recordings, including a high-octane performance of “After Midnight,” “Deal - Tangled Up in Blue,” and Jimmy Cliff’s “Sitting In Limbo.”
