The Grateful Dead‘s 1978 Spring Tour was more than just a peak of its post-hiatus period; it forever redefined the band’s concert experience by establishing “Drums” and “Space” as regular live segments. An upcoming boxed set includes eight shows from the start of that historic tour, capturing the early days of these second-set traditions.
Friend Of The Devils: April 1978 will be available exclusively from Dead.net on September 20. This 19CD boxed set is limited to 10,000 individually numbered copies and contains eight previously unreleased concerts. Pre-Order HERE. An unreleased live version of “U.S. Blues,” recorded at Duke University on April 12, 1978, is available today digitally. Listen HERE.
Betty Cantor-Jackson originally recorded these shows, which audio engineer Jeffrey Norman has mastered using Plangent Processes tape restoration and speed correction. Steve Vance designed the collection’s custom box, which features a removable wave drum, inviting you to unleash your inner Rhythm Devil. Acclaimed artist Matthew Brannon created the set’s original artwork. Celebrated for his unique approach to printmaking, Brannon’s works have been exhibited in prestigious institutions like the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Kunsthalle in Düsseldorf. The deluxe collection also includes a 48-page book with original liner notes by author Steve Silberman and photos by James Anderson, Bob Minkin, and more.
Grateful Dead archivist David Lemieux says: “These eight shows tell the story of a band that was engaged, inspired, and focused on bringing their A-game every single night…If there was ever a tour on which the Dead deliver every single moment, it’s this one.”
Friend Of The Devils: April 1978 includes complete shows from Curtis Hixon Convention Hall, Tampa, FL (4/6/78); Sportatorium, Pembroke Pines, FL (4/7/78); Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Jacksonville, FL (4/8/78); Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA (4/10/78 and 4/11/78); Cameron Indoor Stadium, Duke University, Durham, NC (4/12/78); Cassell Coliseum, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, VA (4/14/78); and Huntington Civic Center, Huntington, WV (4/16/78).
The concert at Duke will also be released separately. Duke ’78 will be available on September 20 from Rhino.com in 3CD, 4LP, and digital configurations. Pre-Order HERE.
On Friend Of The Devils: April 1978, the Dead mine their rich 13-year history, performing early songs (“Dupree’s Diamond Blues” and “New Minglewood Blues”), favorites from the 1970s (“Jack Straw” and “Eyes Of The World”), deep cuts (“It Must Have Been The Roses”), and traditionals (“Iko Iko” and “Peggy-O.”) “Estimated Prophet” and “Dancing In The Street” from their latest album, 1977’s Terrapin Station, were already in heavy rotation. Meanwhile, “Fire On The Mountain” was an essential part of the tour, even though it wouldn’t officially come out until the fall.
Christened Rhythm Devils by Mickey Hart, the “Drums” segments from the 1978 Spring Tour were unique affairs. Members of the band and road crew would join Hart and Billy Kreutzmann on stage for extended rhythmic explorations that frequently lasted over 15 minutes. On Friend Of The Devils: April 1978, the “Drums” and “Space” combination was emerging as a permanent feature of Dead shows, one that would continue for the next 17 years. Indeed, these intervals of free playing became so central to the Dead experience that it’s hard to imagine shows unfolding any other way.
The “Drums” performance at Duke University was particularly intense, lasting more than 20 minutes. In the liner notes, Steve Silberman describes the scene: “[It] began with Billy thrashing on his kit and using his elbow to change its pitch, making it sound like a talking drum. Mickey, equally engaged, was wearing a Jerry T-shirt. Then the road crew joined the party. What’s that? Steve Parish is playing a cowbell! Finally, the big man himself comes out, strokes his beard, sits down, maybe takes a puff or a toke, and picks up a pair of sticks. Mother of God, Garcia is playing steel drums – and loving it!”
Celebrating its 10th season, the Good Ol’ Grateful Deadcast debuts on August 29th, exploring these eight shows and this era in depth, and inviting fans to contribute their memories at stories.dead.net. With more than five million downloads and counting, the official Grateful Dead podcast is a treasure trove of new interviews, rare archival audio, and surprising cultural history. Listen to previous episodes of the Good Ol’ Grateful Deadcast, read transcripts, and subscribe here: https://www.dead.net/deadcast.
Duke ’78
CD Track Listing
Disc One
1. “Jack Straw”
2. “Dire Wolf”
3. “Beat It On Down The Line”
4. “Peggy-O”
5. “Mama Tried”>
6. “Mexicali Blues”
7. “Funiculi Funicula”
8. “Row Jimmy”
9. “New Minglewood Blues”
10. “Loser”
11. “Lazy Lightning”>
12. “Supplication”
Disc Two
1. “Bertha”>
2. “Good Lovin’”
3. “It Must Have Been The Roses”
Disc Three
1. “Estimated Prophet”>
2. “Eyes Of The World”>
3. Rhythm Devils>
4. “Truckin’”>
5. “Wharf Rat”>
6. “Around And Around”
7. “U.S. Blues”
Friend Of The Devils: April 1978
Track Listing
Curtis Hixon Convention Hall, Tampa, FL (4/6/78)
“Bertha”>
“Good Lovin’”
“Dire Wolf”
“Me and My Uncle”>
“Big River”
“Friend Of The Devil”
“Passenger”
“Candyman”
“Lazy Lightning”>
“Supplication”
“Samson and Delilah”
“It Must Have Been The Roses”
“Estimated Prophet”>
“He’s Gone”>
Rhythm Devils>
“The Other One”>
“Wharf Rat”>
“Around and Around”
“U.S. Blues”
Sportatorium, Pembroke Pines, FL (4/7/78)
“Promised Land”
“Sugaree”
“Cassidy”
“Tennessee Jed”
“Mama Tried”>
“Mexicali Blues”
“Peggy-O”
“New Minglewood Blues”
“Loser”
“The Music Never Stopped”
“Jack Straw”
“Ship Of Fools”
“Good Lovin’”
“Terrapin Station”>
“Playing In The Band”>
Rhythm Devils>
“Not Fade Away”>
“Black Peter”>
“Playing In The Band”
“Johnny B. Goode”
Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Jacksonville, FL (4/8/78)
“Mississippi Half Step Uptown Toodeloo”
“Me and My Uncle”>
“Big River”
“They Love Each Other”
“Looks Like Rain”
“Deal”
“El Paso”
“It Must Have Been The Roses”
“Lazy Lightning”>
“Supplication”
“Samson and Delilah”
“Scarlet Begonias”>
“Fire On The Mountain”
“Estimated Prophet”>
“Eyes Of The World”
Rhythm Devils>
Space>
“Sugar Magnolia”
“One More Saturday Night”
Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA (4/10/78)
“Promised Land”
“Brown-Eyed Women”
“It’s All Over Now”
“Peggy-O”
“Cassidy”
“Dire Wolf”
“El Paso”
“Row Jimmy”
“Passenger”
“Candyman”
“The Music Never Stopped”
“Jack Straw”
“Ship Of Fools”
“Dancing In The Street”>
Rhythm Devils>
“Franklin’s Tower”>
“Black Peter”>
“Around and Around”
“U.S. Blues”
Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA (4/11/78)
“Bertha”>
“Good Lovin’”
“Friend Of The Devil”
“Me and My Uncle”>
“Big River”
“Tennessee Jed”
“Looks Like Rain”
“Brown-Eyed Women”
“New Minglewood Blues”
“Deal”
“Samson and Delilah”
“Scarlet Begonias”>
“Fire On The Mountain”
“Sunrise”
“Terrapin Station”>
Rhythm Devils>
Space>
“Iko Iko”>
“Sugar Magnolia”
“Johnny B. Goode”
Cameron Indoor Stadium, Duke University, Durham, NC (4/12/78)
“Jack Straw”
“Dire Wolf”
“Beat It On Down The Line”
“Peggy-O”
“Mama Tried”>
“Mexicali Blues”
“Funiculi Funicula”
“Row Jimmy”
“New Minglewood Blues”
“Loser”
“Lazy Lightning”>
“Supplication”
“Bertha”>
“Good Lovin’”
“It Must Have Been The Roses”
“Estimated Prophet”>
“Eyes Of The World”>
Rhythm Devils>
“Truckin’”>
“Wharf Rat”>
“Around And Around”
“U.S. Blues”
Cassell Coliseum, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, VA (4/14/78)
“Promised Land”
“Tennessee Jed”
“Me and My Uncle”>
“Big River”
“Peggy-O”
“Looks Like Rain”
“Dire Wolf”
“It’s All Over Now”
“Dupree’s Diamond Blues”
“The Music Never Stopped”
“Samson and Delilah”
“Ship Of Fools”
“Dancing In The Street”>
Rhythm Devils>
Space>
“The Other One”>
“Black Peter”>
“Sugar Magnolia”
“Johnny B. Goode”
Huntington Civic Center, Huntington, WV (4/16/78)
“Jack Straw”
“Dire Wolf”
“Cassidy”
“Peggy-O”
“Mexicali Blues”>
“Mama Tried”
“They Love Each Other”
“New Minglewood Blues”
“Scarlet Begonias”>
“Fire On The Mountain”
“Samson and Delilah”
“Ship Of Fools”
“Estimated Prophet”>
“Eyes Of The World”>
Rhythm Devils>
Space>
“Iko Iko”>
“Sugar Magnolia”
“U.S. Blues”
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By: Bass Magazine