According to The Grateful Dead Family Discography, the particular performance captured for Skull and Roses is uncertain-something for someone to correct or fill in the blank.

Nevertheless, “Playing in the Band” was first released on an album as a live track, on Skull and Roses, in September 1971. The band recorded those shows for potential use on the Skull and Roses live album, but apparently none of it was used, according to DeadBase X. They played six nights in that run, and “Playin” was played every one of those nights. Robert Hunter wrote the lyrics, and the music is co-credited to Bob Weir and Mickey Hart.įurthur is currently, perhaps as you are reading this, playing at the Capitol Theater in Port Chester, New York, and that is where “Playing in the Band” first appeared, on February 18, 1971, along with the debut of “Bertha,” “Greatest Story Ever Told,” “Loser,” and “Wharf Rat.” It was Hart’s last show until his return to the band in October 1974.

By then, we would have been dancing for the entire night: through the New Riders, the Blues Brothers, and then the Dead coming on at midnight to start their three-set show. Daybreak would truly come as they were playing.

I remember this hitting home for me at the Closing of Winterland concert, as we repeatedly saw the phrase “breakfast served at dawn” on t-shirts and posters all night long. Like “The Music Never Stopped,” “Playing” is a song that could be taken as an autobiographical song (others would include “The Other One,” “Truckin’,” “Golden Road.”). “I don’t trust to nothin’, but I know it come out right.” Therefore, the best part, I would hope, would not be anything in particular that I might have to say, but rather, the conversation that may happen via the comments over the course of time-and since all the posts will stay up, you can feel free to weigh in any time on any of the songs! With Grateful Dead lyrics, there’s always a new and different take on what they bring up for each listener, it seems.(I’ll consider requests for particular songs-just private message me!) Here’s the plan-each week, I will blog about a different song, focusing, usually, on the lyrics, but also on some other aspects of the song, including its overall impact-a truly subjective thing.

Grateful dead space album