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Covers and the best Cover band EVER


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OK..... so I have mentioned the people who have talked to me about the Grateful Dead being the best cover band ever and it got us talking about percentages of covers and originals and other such stuff so here is my question:

 

Are there any shows that the Dead did NOT play a single cover? which? we went looking into 69 bc by then they had some of those shows that were only a set but even there I am seeing a lovelight or a dew or a death don't etc...... so..... are there any?  and which era is most Dead original heavy shows vs more cover based.  i feel like there is more dead original material in 74 and 76 and more covers in pre-69 and 80s-90s but not sure if I am correct or if this is even something we could say had a trend one way or another by era.

 

and the second question after realizing that most of the Dead encores are covers, is: what songs did they encore regularly that were not covers (US blues and golden road are our answers so far)?

 

sorry if this has already been discussed, please tell me where if it has!

 

illumination, please?!?! 

 

this all started cause we were looking thru a friends record collection and I was shocked by how many songs i THOUGHT were Dead songs for so long that just aren't.  

 

happy holidays and have fun with NEW YEARS, see you all in the spring!

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Those are some pretty god questions and they really got me thinking and searching. Honestly couldn't find a show without a single cover. I would say '84-'85 maybe had the least covers. But really, I am certain there are quite a few other periods with few covers. It is some of their staple songs that really kill you. Song such as Big River, Not Fade Away, Me and My Uncle, It's All Over Now, etc. I just did a search on deadlists for the shows with either a Big River, Not Fade Away, or Me And My Uncle and it listed 1394 shows of 2421; if it left allowed me to type in more songs I would've done a more comprehensive search. Still makes me wonder.

 

They regularly encored One More Saturday Night, which is an original! Didn't think it was for a while, but I believe I'm right.

 

I also feel that covers were more common in those days. I could be easily wrong about this too. Maybe not progressive rock bands, but a lot of other rock bands back then all did covers. This is completely anecdotal with no hard evidence. Covers work well for the dead because they always put their own distinguishing, jammed-out rockin, spin on a song.

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I think you're right Mike. I think covers were more common among older bands.

I was reading a book this morning that I have about Woodstock. Reading the festival lineup and setlist of each band. A lot of Beatles covers. Not surprising as they were pretty popular at that time. Most every group had a cover of some sort in their set list. Our Dead played their cover of Lovelight ;)

The weather didnt seem to be in the Deads favor for their 12 midnight time slot. My book even says "Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir both received violent electric shocks, guitarist Weir being flung across the stage by the impact." Holy Shit!!! We could've lost our boys 45 years ago

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Steph,

 

No way you could you find a show without a cover.  A set without a cover maybe, but I bet not a first set.  Not with all the Weir cowboy covers as well as blues covers.  Perhaps a 2nd set?

 

Off the top of my head I thought of 9/18/90 MSG.  Close, but look at that pesky encore!

 

Eyes of the World -> Estimated Prophet -> Foolish Heart -> drums -> The Other One -> The Wheel -> Sugar Magnolia (e) Knockin' on Heaven's Door

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4/23/84 New Haven Coliseum. First set works, but mostly due to it's brevity. Yup. I'm pretty convinced you won't find a show without a cover, but I'll keep my eye out for one from this day forth.

 

 

One: Jack Straw [6:38] ; Sugaree [13:21] ; Cassidy [6:31] ; Dupree's Diamond Blues [7:04] ; Hell In A Bucket [6:26] ; Might As Well [4:24]

 

Two: Iko Iko [8:48] ; Lost Sailor [6:37] > Saint Of Circumstance [6:46] > Space [1:04] > Uncle John's Band [13:14] > Space [3:37] > Only A Fool (1) [3:19] > Jam (1) [1:12] > Drums > Space > Truckin' > Black Peter > Around And Around > Good Lovin' Encore Keep Your Day Job

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