The Grateful Dead Live at the Spectrum, dedicated to Bob Weir! Hell in a Bucket and Sugar Magnolia- October 19 and 20, 1989

0:05 SPEAKER_00: Hey everybody, welcome back to the concert room. Inside the Philly Concert Experience. I'm your host, Bob Hill. The concert room is a podcast session dedicated to all the great performances and performers who played on the stage at the legendary Philadelphia Spectrum Arena. The Spectrum held numerous events and concerts over its 40 plus years of existence, earning the nickname America Show Place. The Spectrum was a special place for music fans and bands. And thanks again for joining me today. We're back with The Grateful Dead again.

0:40 SPEAKER_00: Check this out. Season one, I recorded a show shortly after Phil Lesh passed away. And I did and I dedicated that show and performance to him. That was actually the second show that I ever recorded on season one. I also went over and detailed the dead's importance to the city of Philadelphia and how they took over and ended up playing the Spectrum more than any other band to play there. Fifty-three sold-out shows. So when we think about the Spectrum concerts, regardless of whether you're a fan or not, the Spectrum and the Dead are forever intertwined because the majority of the band's performances here were regarded as some of their best, not only on that particular tour, but in their history.

1:23 SPEAKER_00: So again, Philly is really proud to have hosted this great West Coast band. We do feel honored they set up the Spectrum as their kind of de facto East Coast home base. Which kind of brings me to today's show. I was thinking of doing a podcast session for season two here. We're in the middle of the season. I was gonna Well, I am going to feature the later Dead in a performance. But unfortunately, Bob Weir passed away a few days ago as of this recording. And I'm gonna dedicate this show to to Bobby and his contribution to the dead in particular, and of course music in general is gonna be sorely missed.

2:07 SPEAKER_00: And it's just uh very sad, but let's celebrate and thank you know the music gods that we have a lot of music out there, not only recorded, but really where they shined and their the jewel of the band is their live shows. We have a lot of material to choose from. So as a recap, as far as the dead and the spectrum, I did mention they played a total of fifty-three times, more than any other band. All sold out, of course, the Philly shows were always big events here in town. Rock radio would promote it, and the atmosphere outside was you know fun, it was it was exciting, it was strange, it was interesting, it was always unique.

2:47 SPEAKER_00: I don't think any other band had followers, you know, quite like the dead, even if you didn't have tickets, you could just go down for the carnival and the tailgating, and it's uh the spectrum was nicely set up as far as that is concerned, you know, the party atmosphere, the the big parking lots, and a lot of room to walk around and just enjoy yourself and have a great time and take in the sights. If you had a ticket, yeah, you go in, you know, the party's inside. If not, the party is still outside.

3:19 SPEAKER_00: And that's what was great about the dead in the Philly in the Philly shows. I think the Philly crowds, you know, were next level. Which again, uh I talked about this in my earlier podcast. It kind of motivated the dead to play fun and loose and and jammy, they were jazzy and uh the rim prov just absolutely spectacular next level. I believe they just felt really comfortable in the spectrum, that rock room, and the crowd fed off of that. Of their energized vibe on stage, and it was just a mutual love fest.

3:56 SPEAKER_00: As far as my earliest memories of the dead, I just want to touch on this real quick because I'm a certain age. But I remember my older sis glaring out those early 70s albums, and you know, wearing the clothes, it's the seventies to kind of fit the music and that vibe. Later in the eighties, early eighties, I worked with a really true deadhead, and that was my first introduction of the tape trading and collecting between the fans. He knew every show, what shows he had in his collection, which ones he was after.

4:30 SPEAKER_00: I actually was just thinking about it just now. I wonder if he had the October 72 Spectrum show that in his collection, or if it was on his radar, because you gotta remember this was before the internet and YouTube, before Reddit, social media, etcetera. So I think they did everything by mail back then, if I remember. And phone calls. I can't remember. But it was it was just kinda neat. He had a stack of tapes in his workshop, and just playing the dead all day. And he could tell you what song is and what set and what show and what year.

5:08 SPEAKER_00: And it was kind of amazing, and it was it was pretty cool. Made the day a lot of fun, a lot of great hard times listening to the dead, and basically listening to him, he was uh just such a great guy, and it was more than a hobby though, but it was, you know, a lifestyle. Anyway, the dead was always present in our city of Philadelphia doing the band frequent touring and multiple nights days. So speaking of which, let's get to some performances. As I mentioned before with this podcast, I'm gonna go later in the eighties.

5:43 SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna go up to 1989. There's so many shows to choose from and highlight in the eighties. As I mentioned, some of these shows are really high highly regarded by fans as standouts. I think the 1989 tour, particularly the shows in October of the Spectrum, are uh highly recommended. And again, the dead coming to the spectrum playing in October on their fall tour, which I think brings out the best in them and our fans. So, the dead rolled into the spectrum on October 18th for a three night stand.

6:22 SPEAKER_00: And some of the highlights of these shows all three had kind of different elements during the evening. So, October 18th, 1989, the first show of the three night stand. The show was a long, energetic night with a strong opener in Shakedown Street. Kind of set the tone, and a classic second set that mixed psychedelic jamming with covers, and of course, all those great stables. October nineteenth, nineteen eighty-nine. This was a little different. It was fun, it was an energetic set, both of them, particularly a very dynamic second set, had really, really exciting improvs on it.

7:03 SPEAKER_00: And the last show of the three-night stand is October 20th, 1989. The show was actually the longest in 1989 on that tour. It featured a 75-minute first set, and over two hours in the second. What a way to close out the spectrum stand. The set featured California Earthquake, whole lot of shaking going on. Which is a cover song. This was the first time that they played the Spectrum. It was a tribute to the San Fran earthquake, which hit recently while they were on tour on the East Coast. So that uh great little tribute, you know, surprised the fans.

7:41 SPEAKER_00: I didn't know what it was. I mean, they did always call out some great covers. They were, you know, sending love back home with this with this cover. And the show was a great mix of Americana jams, of course, and rock covers. So all three nights featured extended improv sections with drums and space. Other segments were hallmarks of the lady dentures. And I mentioned covers, they kinda leaned into their uh collective taste. For instance, they uh covered Little Red Rooster and Dear Mr. Fantasy by Traffic, which was pretty cool.

8:18 SPEAKER_00: So something for everyone to satisfy the Philly Deadhead. Okay, it's time to let the music play the band. I've queued up some highlighted performances. All sung by Bob Weir. Kind of a bookend of songs.

8:35 SPEAKER_00: First is the evening opener on night two. Hell on the bucket. This is the October 19th set opener. Evening opener, and really sets the time for a great night of tattoos. After that, I'm just gonna go right into a great performance from the next night, October 20th, with uh Sugar Magnolia, and that closes the marathon set too. And I think that's just a great way to end the nightstand. So I'm just gonna kinda bookend this with Bob Weir on lead vocals. Okay, so here's the dead on the spectrum stage, October nineteenth and twentieth, nineteen eighty-nine.

9:16 SPEAKER_00: And rest easy, Bob Weir. Thank you again for the music.

9:57 SPEAKER_02: Well, I was drinking last night with a biker. And I showed her the picture view Sit down, did you know you like her? Seem like the least tackle Winnie's charging his chopper Up and down your carpet and hole. You think me by contrast by proper Livermine I stumble and fall? Livermine I stumbling ball You may be sitting, should be boo. Or tasty very elegant ride. Maybe going to hell in a bucket.

11:07 SPEAKER_02: Somehow baby got harder to get With your little books black spinner Your chick and your whip and your pits know you're the reincarnation The rabbit is Catholic brain Oh how you love your old fashioned C create C create More taste you're elegant Baby gonna hell on a bug at face really stomping to the ride Stand in Joe and the ride standing on the ride We make up the day I'll dance on the way money but to dance out of the cross money but to dance out of the cross dance on the You must really consider this circus Well it just might be a color zoo I can't think of the place it's more perfect More person as perfect as you It is not like I'm leaving alone Cause I won't know where to begin But I know that you think of me only With the snakes come arching in Yeah The snakes come arching should be elegant right on the hell in a button at least done enjoy the ride is done enjoy the ride Sweet sweet ride Miss Coming to the ride Why butter right the right way to run the bigger boss give us the raise of five ways to drop a too fast to last the wheel back?

22:00 SPEAKER_02: Shine day dreams. Walk you in the doll trees.

22:13 SPEAKER_02: Damn it, gone.

22:17 SPEAKER_02: Like I see and I catch you in the morning. Sunshine, I come out over here.

22:25 SPEAKER_02: Sunshine day dream. We come up, come out of a need. Sunshine day dream. We come up, come and come and see. Sunshine day dream. We need a gold stream. Roll out as your window. We got, I thought, I thought, I win a wind go. We never gonna miss that, but I know, I know we're such a way.

23:04 SPEAKER_02: Such a day we do a day.

24:33 SPEAKER_02: Should I be changed?

26:03 SPEAKER_00: Okay, there it is. That's the couple of performances. Uh an opener on the one night, and then the uh home stage on the one night. And it just found a great role in the crowd. Uh cheering up on your feet. And uh just one of the great party. So again, that was fun. I uh really hope you were able to see the dead back in the day. Maybe not if it's back room, but in your hometown venue. And I hope you this brings back a lot of great memories. If you've never seen the dead, I hope this uh helps kind of bring out the uh feeling and uh vibe of uh what the dead was all about when you were uh you know playing on stage and all the work.

26:48 SPEAKER_00: So I appreciate you tuning in and downloading my shows. Please feel free to subscribe and leave a comment. I do appreciate it. If you have any ideas for any upcoming shows, let me know. Open to anything. And I'm Bob Hill, and I will see you again in the concert room.