I’ve been immersed in the Grateful Dead’s 1975 doings thanks to the newest Blues For Allah-centric season of the ever-great Deadcast. And so I wondered, as one does, what Jerry Garcia was up to 50 Halloweens ago. Turns out he was playing two sets in Upper Darby, PA, with his old friends John Kahn and Ron Tutt, plus new friend legendary session pianist Nicky Hopkins. Trick or treat!?
Unless the quartet was decked out in vampire costumes, there’s nothing particularly spooky about the performance ? unless we’re counting “Friend of the Devil” as a Halloween song? But both the early and late shows are excellent, as we can hear on the audience tapes, packed with laid-back boogies, groovy workouts, sweet balladeer-ing and plenty of solo trading between Jerry and Nicky.
Of course, the Garcia/Hopkins partnership wouldn’t make it to ‘76, but it’s always fun to hear these two masters onstage together. As is to be expected, things get very stretched out at the Tower Theater … when you’re jamming with Edward, you might as well jam, right?
