The Grateful Dead Live is built on one rule that never bends:
every song played is the live version.
No studio tracks.
No remasters slipped into rotation.
No recreated “tributes” dressed up as originals.
If you’re listening to The Grateful Dead Live, you’re hearing the band the way it was meant to be heard—in the moment, in the room, on the night it happened.
That’s why tonight’s Don’s Pick matters.
Each Saturday night, Don chooses one complete live performance and presents it as a full, flowing listening experience—songs in sequence, momentum intact, and the story of the night preserved from first note to encore.
Tonight on Don’s Pick:
February 14, 1988 — Kaiser Auditorium, Oakland, California
A late-’80s Dead show with an uneven start, an increasingly confident first set, and a second set that delivers what Deadheads chase: multiple peaks, real movement, and that unmistakable feeling of the band locking in and lifting the room.
And yes—on The Grateful Dead Live, every song you hear tonight is live.
Don’s Pick: what makes it different
Don’s Pick isn’t just “a good show.” It’s an intentional weekly feature built around how the Grateful Dead actually worked:
- themes emerge across sets
- songs gain meaning through placement
- and transitions create the emotional map of the night
That’s why Don’s Pick spotlights full concerts, not isolated tracks. The Grateful Dead weren’t built for shuffle—they were built for narrative.
Don’s Pick airs every Saturday night, and it’s one of the purest expressions of what The Grateful Dead Live stands for: a station that only plays live versions, 24 hours a day.
The setting: Valentine’s Day 1988 at Kaiser Auditorium
Kaiser Auditorium holds a special place in the Bay Area concert story, and it’s the kind of venue where the Grateful Dead could feel simultaneously enormous and close enough to touch.
By early 1988, the band was balancing a few realities at once:
- newer material and late-’80s setlist habits
- the big sing-along energy of “Touch of Grey” era popularity
- and the enduring need to stretch out, improvise, and find the unexpected
This show captures that push-pull perfectly. It doesn’t pretend to be flawless. Instead, it feels alive—and that’s exactly what we want on The Grateful Dead Live.
First set: finding dimension as it goes
The opening stretch is a mixed bag on paper, but it tells an honest story: the band searching for the right gear, then gradually settling into it.
Set One (Live)
- Touch of Grey
- Feel Like a Stranger
- Franklin’s Tower
- Walkin’ Blues
- When Push Comes to Shove
- Cassidy
“Touch of Grey” arrives with ambition, but it doesn’t land cleanly from start to finish. Still, there’s something valuable in hearing the band go for dynamics instead of autopilot—especially in an era when the “hit” could have easily become routine.
“Feel Like a Stranger” keeps the room moving and functions as a familiar early-set anchor. The groove is there even when the edges are a bit rough.
Then “Franklin’s Tower” becomes one of the first moments where the show takes on color. The late-’80s sound palette can be polarizing, but this is exactly where it helps: Brent Mydland’s textures—hushed synth shading and bright keyboard filigree—add warmth and a kind of shimmering lift that pushes the song beyond “standard.”
“Walkin’ Blues” does its job—tight, sturdy, functional—before the set dips briefly into a section that many listeners treat as a skip.
But the closing “Cassidy” changes the temperature.
This version doesn’t just pass by—it opens up. It’s the first time all night the performance feels like it has real dimension: the band listening closely, stretching the internal conversation, and building energy in a way that suggests the second set might be where the real action lives.
Spoiler: it is.
Second set: rolling fun, multiple peaks, and a strong finish
This is the set that makes February 14, 1988 worth putting in the Don’s Pick spotlight.
Set Two (Live)
- China Cat Sunflower →
- I Know You Rider
- Samson & Delilah
- Terrapin Station
- Drums →
- Space →
- I Need a Miracle →
- Stella Blue
- Throwing Stones
- Turn On Your Love Light
Encore: The Mighty Quinn
The launch pad is classic: “China Cat Sunflower → I Know You Rider.” The transition carries that unmistakable lift—the kind of sequence that can flip an entire room from attentive to ecstatic in a matter of minutes. It’s not just nostalgia; it’s structural brilliance. “China Cat” sets the kinetic pulse, “Rider” releases it into full-throated celebration.
“Samson & Delilah” keeps the pace charging forward—one of those songs that, when it’s hitting, feels like a marching band disguised as rock and roll.
Then comes “Terrapin Station.” This performance is a vital effort: committed vocals, a clear sense of shape, and an emotional center that makes it feel like more than “the slot in the set where Terrapin goes.” It may not be the most transcendent Terrapin of the era, but it has urgency—and in 1988, urgency matters.
“Drums → Space” continues the nightly ritual. Not every night becomes a cosmic masterpiece, but even the “standard” Drums/Space has an essential role: it clears the air, resets the stage, and makes the post-space landing feel like a real return.
The landing sequence—“I Need a Miracle → Stella Blue”—is a classic emotional pivot. “Miracle” brings the energy back, but the heart of this pairing is “Stella Blue.” Even an “okay” Stella is worth hearing, because the song itself is built to deliver gravity. It turns the room inward before the closing push.
And that push is there.
“Throwing Stones” climbs steadily to a satisfying crescendo—one of the better late-set builds of the night—before “Turn On Your Love Light” brings the party back with swagger, bounce, and that loose, skiffle-style joy the Dead could summon when they wanted to remind everyone this is supposed to be fun.
Finally, the encore: “The Mighty Quinn.”
This is where Brent’s colors really matter again—his phrasing and tone complement Jerry’s vocal delivery and give the ending a buoyant, communal finish.
Why this show fits The Grateful Dead Live mission
The Grateful Dead Live isn’t about perfection. It’s about presence—the truth of what happened that night, played in the order it unfolded, with all the human texture intact.
February 14, 1988 at Kaiser Auditorium is a great Don’s Pick because it contains the full Grateful Dead experience in one performance:
- a first set that finds itself in real time
- a second set that builds and pays off with multiple climaxes
- the ritual of Drums/Space resetting the narrative
- and a finale that leaves the room smiling
Most importantly, it’s a show that reminds you why the band is still studied, collected, and followed: when they catch fire, the music becomes a living thing.
And on The Grateful Dead Live, every song played is the live version—including every note you’ll hear on tonight’s Don’s Pick.
Tonight on The Grateful Dead Live: Don’s Pick
Don’s Pick — February 14, 1988
Kaiser Auditorium — Oakland, CA
Every Saturday night
Listen now, turn it up, and let the night unfold the way it was meant to: live.
Latest Newsletter:
The Grateful Dead Live — Every Song Played Is the Live Version
Tonight on the station: Phil & Friends Radio — and a full night built entirely around live Grateful Dead history
The Grateful Dead Live is not a playlist.
It is not a mixed format station.
And it is not a nostalgia channel.
The Grateful Dead Live is where every song played is the live version.
No studio tracks.
No remixes.
No reconstructed performances.
Twenty-four hours a day, this station is dedicated entirely to live Grateful Dead performances and the living universe that grew out of them.
And tonight, that mission continues with our Phil & Friends Radio Show, a full-length deep dive into the post-Dead legacy of Phil Lesh, one of the great architects of improvisational rock.
Tonight: Phil & Friends Radio — five hours of live music
The Phil & Friends Radio Show is a weekly, live-only journey through the evolving musical world of Phil Lesh and the rotating ensembles he has led for decades after the original run of the Grateful Dead.
Every performance featured on the show is a live recording drawn directly from Phil & Friends concerts.
No edits.
No studio material.
No alternate versions.
It is a celebration of:
- open-ended ensemble improvisation
- fearless setlist construction
- and the collaborative spirit that Phil Lesh helped define on stage with the Grateful Dead
Phil & Friends Radio — tonight at 9 PM EST.
And yes — every song you hear is live.
A station built entirely on live Grateful Dead culture
The Grateful Dead Live is the only radio destination designed around a single promise:
the radio station only plays live Grateful Dead 24 hours a day.
Our weekly shows extend that philosophy across the full Dead universe:
- JGB Radio – live performances from the Jerry Garcia Band
- Ace Radio – live Bob Weir shows and solo projects
- Phil & Friends Radio – live performances from Phil Lesh’s post-Dead ensembles
- Music Plays the Band – live Grateful Dead cover bands from around the world
- Fare Thee Well – live post-Jerry projects featuring former Dead members
- Don’s Pick – one complete, hand-selected Grateful Dead show every week
- Planet Drum Circle – a full hour dedicated to the live Drums universe
Every show on this station exists to protect the original Grateful Dead idea:
songs are never finished — only performed.
The Grateful Dead Live spotlight: three major live events shaping 2026
Gillian Welch & David Rawlings Play Reckoning
In 2026, the Grammy-winning duo Gillian Welch and David Rawlings will present one of the most focused and historically meaningful Grateful Dead tributes ever mounted.
The tour is titled:
Gillian Welch & David Rawlings Play Grateful Dead Acoustic Reckoning
The entire project is built around a complete, live, acoustic performance of the Grateful Dead’s 1981 live album:
Reckoning
Rather than assembling a “best-of” set, Welch and Rawlings will perform the album’s material as a unified program.
Why this tour matters
The 2026 performances mark the 45th anniversary of Reckoning.
Welch has openly described herself as a lifelong Deadhead, explaining that she and Rawlings deliberately avoided a full Grateful Dead project for years until they felt ready to take on what they describe as a musical “mountain.”
Their approach is intentionally restrained and historically grounded:
- no attempt to recreate the original band lineup
- no note-for-note imitation
- no modern production overlays
Instead, the performances focus on:
- close-harmony singing
- acoustic guitar conversation
- rhythmic understatement
- and narrative phrasing
This mirrors the original intent of the Reckoning concerts, which stripped the Grateful Dead down to their folk, blues, and Americana roots.
2026 tour schedule
April 9–11
The Capitol Theatre — Port Chester, New York
April 17–18
Fox Theater — Oakland, California
April 23
Saenger Theatre — New Orleans, Louisiana
July 25
Newport Folk Festival — Newport, Rhode Island
Music drawn directly from Reckoning
Expect live acoustic performances of:
- Ripple
- Bird Song
- Cassidy
alongside traditional material such as:
- Dark Hollow
- Deep Elem Blues
This is not a jam-band tribute tour.
It is an album-driven live program built specifically for listeners who connect to the acoustic and Americana side of the Grateful Dead’s history.
Terrapin Roadshow 2026 — the living, evolving Dead tradition
If the Welch and Rawlings project preserves one historic album, the Terrapin Roadshow 2026 represents the opposite side of the Dead legacy: constant reinvention.
The series is organized by Grahame Lesh, son of Phil Lesh, and carries forward the community spirit of the former Terrapin Crossroads venue.
This is a live-first, rotating-lineup roadshow built entirely around improvisation.
2026 tour schedule
May 30–31
Monte Rio Amphitheater — Monte Rio, California
July 24–26
Forest Meadows Amphitheatre — San Rafael, California
August 1–2
Marjorie Holzgang Concert Bowl — Grants Pass, Oregon
August 15–16
Salty Gebhardt Amphitheater — Truckee, California
August 22–23
Two Rivers Park — Glenwood Springs, Colorado
Core performers
- Grahame Lesh
- Elliott Peck
- Jackie Greene
- Dan Lebowitz
- Ross James
Special guests
- Bill Nershi
- Kyle Hollingsworth
- Amy Helm
- Holly Bowling
- Stu Allen
- Nicki Bluhm
Themed performances
The Grants Pass shows will celebrate the birthday of Jerry Garcia.
The Truckee run will feature the special Terrapin Helm Ramble Band, honoring the musical connection between Phil Lesh and Levon Helm.
This is not a reenactment project.
It is an evolving live laboratory.
And, as always, every song is performed live.
Dave’s Picks Volume 57
Uptown Theatre, Chicago — February 1, 1978
One of the most celebrated nights in Grateful Dead performance history is being preserved in Dave’s Picks Volume 57, drawn from the February 1, 1978 show at the Uptown Theatre.
The original recordings were made by legendary engineer Betty Cantor-Jackson and mastered by Jeffrey Norman.
The release is limited to 25,000 numbered copies.
Performance highlights
The first set closes with a high-impact Sugaree, while the second set unfolds into one of the most celebrated sequences of the era:
- Samson and Delilah
- Estimated Prophet →
- He’s Gone →
- Drums →
- Jam →
- The Other One →
- Wharf Rat →
- Sugar Magnolia
Encore:
- Around and Around
The release also includes bonus material from January 31, 1978.
And yes — this same legendary show is featured this week on Don’s Pick.
Don’s Pick — this week
Don’s Pick: February 1, 1978 — Uptown Theatre, Chicago
This performance captures the Grateful Dead at a pivotal moment:
- the loose jazz-influenced flow of 1977 still present
- the sharper, more aggressive 1978 sound already emerging
Listeners consistently highlight:
- unusually strong vocals
- beautifully balanced room ambience
- and Garcia’s gritty, cutting guitar tone
Don’s Pick exists to present complete shows in sequence — not fragments.
Every Saturday night at 9 PM EST.
Planet Drum Circle — the rhythm of the Dead
Planet Drum Circle dedicates a full hour each week to the live percussion universe of Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann.
It is a celebration of rhythm, collective pulse, and the experimental core of the Grateful Dead experience.
Every Sunday morning at 11 AM EST.
The Grateful Dead Live — the only place built entirely on live music
From:
- Gillian Welch & David Rawlings performing Reckoning live
- to the evolving Terrapin Roadshow
- to historic releases like Dave’s Picks Volume 57
- to tonight’s Phil & Friends Radio Show
- to Don’s Pick, JGB Radio, Ace Radio, Fare Thee Well, Music Plays the Band, and Planet Drum Circle
The mission never changes.
The Grateful Dead Live is dedicated entirely to live Grateful Dead performances.
The radio station only plays live Grateful Dead 24 hours a day.
Every song played is the live version.
Listen now — and stay in the moment.
