Dylan and the Grateful Dead

Rehearsals / Concerts

In 1987 the Grateful Dead and Bob Dylan toured together for six stadium shows. At these shows, Bob Dylan performed a set of his material with the Grateful Dead as his supporting cast. In addition, the Grateful Dead performed their own set(s), occasionally Dylan would join them for the encore.

This material is often regarded as not Dylan or the Dead's best work. Perhaps true on certain levels. Though, for Grateful Dead fans that love Dylan's music, it is an absolute joy to hear this stuff. The way Garcia grabs hold of the melody and sings the vocal line through Dylan's catalogue of material is a treasure.

I saw the first concert performance of this collaboration at Foxboro and could sense the magic of this one-of-a-time collaboration. Smartly, I made arrangements to see the two remaining East Coast shows.

The Dylan and the Dead Rehearsals
Prior to concerts, Dylan and the Dead rehearsed at the Grateful Dead's Club Front Studio. Much of this material circulates among traders. The list of songs and track listing is below that we are aware of. There are fours discs of the main rehearsals, a pre-rehearsals disc, and the Grateful Dead Hour show. Many of the songs are not played from start to finish, but are simply fragments. Personally, we love this material.

There are some treats like Garcia playing pedal steel and banjo on a few songs throughout these rehearsals. The version of "Stealin'" from the Grateful Dead Hour is different from the main rehearsals, and is rumored to be Bob Dylan on mandolin. Most of the material from the Dylan and the Grateful Dead rehearsals are Bob Dylan songs, though they performed several cover versions too.

The Dylan and the Dead Concerts
Unfortunately, there is not much available to purchase of this collaboration. They released a single album titled Dylan and the Dead which does give the feeling of the magic they created, not even close. For active traders though, they may want to seek out a recording of a concert or more of these six magical events. The song versions and set lists are not different enough from night to night to recommend getting all six for casual fans. Garcia played pedal steel on a few tracks at these shows, "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight," and "Tomorrow is a Long Time."

Dylan and the Grateful Dead Set Lists
7/04/87 ~ Sullivan Stadium ~ Foxboro, MA
7/10/87 ~ John F Kennedy Stadium ~ Philadelphia, PA
7/12/87 ~ Giants Stadium ~ East Rutherford, NJ
7/19/87~ Autzen Stadium ~ Eugene, OR
7/24/87 ~ Oakland-Alameda County Stadium ~ Oakland, CA
7/26/87~ Anaheim Stadium ~ Anaheim, CA


Dylan & The Dead - The Rehearsals From soundboard cassette masters transferred to DAT, then CD-R.

Dylan and the Dead - Pre-rehearsals

CD #	Track	Title	Author	Length
1	1	The French Girl / Blues Stay Away From Me	Ian Tyson - Delmore / Raney / Glover	0:06:33
1	2	Conversation		0:06:03
1	3	John Hardy [John Hardy Was A Desperate Man]	Traditional	0:05:42
1	4	Conversation		0:02:19
1	5	Instrumental Jam	Dylan / Dead	0:02:44
1	6	I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry / Blues Stay Away From Me *	Hank Williams - Delmore / Raney / Glover	0:03:12

Dylan and the Dead: The Main Rehearsals Set

CD	Track	Title	Author	Length
1	1	The Times They Are A-Changin'	Bob Dylan	0:03:14
1	2	When I Paint My Masterpiece	Bob Dylan	0:04:02
1	3	Man Of Peace	Bob Dylan	0:04:06
1	4	I'll Be Your Baby Tonight *	Bob Dylan	0:03:44
1	5	The Ballad Of Ira Hayes	Peter LaFarge	0:04:23
1	6	I Want You	Bob Dylan	0:03:36
1	7	Ballad Of A Thin Man	Bob Dylan	0:02:18
1	8	Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again	Bob Dylan	0:05:17
1	9	Dead Man, Dead Man	Bob Dylan	0:04:51
1	10	Queen Jane Approximately	Bob Dylan	0:04:21
1	11	The French Girl	Ian Tyson	0:03:16
1	12	In The Summertime	Bob Dylan	0:04:37
1	13	Man Of Peace	Bob Dylan	0:03:35
1	14	Union Sundown	Bob Dylan	0:04:07
1	15	It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue	Bob Dylan	0:05:44
1	16	Joey	Dylan / Levy	0:09:12

CD	Track	Title	Author	Length

2	1	If Not For You	Bob Dylan	0:01:03
2	2	If Not For You	Bob Dylan	0:02:38
2	3	Slow Train	Bob Dylan	0:05:15
2	4	Tomorrow Is A Long Time*	Bob Dylan	0:04:08
2	5	Walkin' Down The Line	Bob Dylan	0:03:45
2	6	Gotta Serve Somebody	Bob Dylan	0:03:56
2	7	Gonna Change My Way Of Thinking	Bob Dylan	0:02:57
2	8	Maggie's Farm	Bob Dylan	0:03:49
2	9	Chimes of Freedom	Bob Dylan	0:03:33
2	10	All I Really Want To Do	Bob Dylan	0:03:45
2	11	John Brown	Bob Dylan	0:05:55
2	12	Heart Of Mine	Bob Dylan	0:03:54
2	13	Rolling In My Sweet Baby's Arms **	Traditional?	0:03:13
2	14	John Hardy [John Hardy Was A Desperate Man] **	Traditional	0:03:20
2	15	The Ballad Of Frankie Lee And Judas Priest	Bob Dylan	0:06:15
2	16	John Brown	Bob Dylan	0:05:35
2	17	I'll Be Your Baby Tonight *	Bob Dylan	0:03:51

CD	Track	Title	Author	Length

3	1	Don’t Keep Me Waiting Too Long [Go Ahead, Baby]	Unknown	0:03:54
3	2	Stealin’	Will Shade	0:02:53
3	3	I Want You	Bob Dylan	0:04:11
3	4	Oh Boy	Bob Dylan	0:02:19
3	5	Tangled Up In Blue	Bob Dylan	0:05:19
3	6	Simple Twist Of Fate	Bob Dylan	0:05:49
3	7	The Boy In The Bubble	Motloheloa / Simon	0:05:34
3	8	Heart Of Mine *	Bob Dylan	0:04:01
3	9	Pledging My Time	Bob Dylan	0:03:32
3	10	Señor (Tales Of Yankee Power)	Bob Dylan	0:04:28
3	11	The Wicked Messenger	Bob Dylan	0:03:18
3	12	Watching The River Flow	Bob Dylan	0:03:50

CD	Track	Title	Author	Length

4	1	Under Your Spell	Dylan / Bayer Sager	0:05:04
4	2	I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry	Hank Williams	0:02:48
4	3	Blues Stay Away From Me	Delmore / Raney / Glover	0:03:34
4	4	If Not For You	Bob Dylan	0:02:41
4	5	The Ballad Of Frankie Lee And Judas Priest	Bob Dylan	0:07:10
4	6	Señor (Tales Of Yankee Power)	Bob Dylan	0:04:54
4	7	I'll Be Your Baby Tonight *	Bob Dylan	0:04:01
4	8	I'm Free *	Jagger / Richards	0:03:45
4	9	They Killed Him	Kris Kristofferson	0:03:32
4	10	Pledging My Time	Bob Dylan	0:03:29
4	11	Oh Boy	West / Tilghman / Petty	0:02:18

Dylan and the Dead The Grateful Dead Hour #705, broadcast week of 3/25/02

CD	Track	Title	Author	Length

1	5	Stealin’ ***	Will Shade	0:03:04
1	7	Oh Boy	West / Tilghman / Petty	0:02:20
1	8	John Brown	Bob Dylan	0:07:50
1	9	Folsom Prison Blues	Johnny Cash	0:03:57
1	10	Gotta Serve Somebody	Bob Dylan	0:07:07
1	11	Hide Away / C C Rider	Freddie King - Chuck Willis	0:03:41
Footnotes and personal ramblings from the Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead rehearsals * Garcia on Pedal Steel Garcia on Banjo * Dylan on Mandolin Pre-rehearsals There are several conversations that take place in the segment. You can feel the Garcia's excitement as he talks about pedal steel guitar, banjo, and traditional acoustic songs. Disc Three Comment The Boy in the Bubble - Everyone sings a verse or two on the Paul Simon song. Senor - Garcia takes the lead on vocals and even the arrangement. Disc Four Comment "Blues Stay Away From Me" has a similar riff to Freddie King's "Hide Away." Senor - Like disc 3, Garcia leads. Dead Head Hour In addition to the music with Dylan and the Dead noted above, there is an interview with David Gans where he discusses the Dead performing Dylan CD, Postcards of the Hanging, and the disc includes some samples of that release. During the interview, Gans discusses the rehearsals, and he noted they played "Franklin's Tower" with Dylan on harmonica. He also mentions that Dylan played mandolin on Stealin', which is a different version from the main rehearsals.

Cover versions performed at the Dylan and the Dead rehearsals The songs below were played at the rehearsals, and are not Bob Dylan compositions. Additional information about these songs is available in our common songs section. The Ballad Of Ira Hayes Under Your Spell They Killed Him Stealin’ Hide Away / C. C. Rider Oh Boy Blues Stay Away From Me I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry The Boy In The Bubble The French Girl I'm Free Folsom Prison Blues John Hardy [John Hardy Was A Desperate Man] Rolling In My Sweet Baby's Arms Don’t Keep Me Waiting Too Long [Go Ahead, Baby]

The Dylan and the G. Dead Concerts The Grateful Dead's DVD

7/04/87 ~ Sullivan Stadium ~ Foxboro, MA
Grateful Dead ~ Set 1 Touch of Grey, Hell In A Bucket, West L.A. Fadeaway, Tons Of Steel, Little Red Rooster, Box Of Rain, Althea, Uncle John's Band > Playing In The Band > Jam > Drums > Space > Truckin' > The Other One > Wharf Rat > Throwing Stones Dylan and the Dead ~ Set 2 Times They Are A Changin', Man Of Peace, I'll Be Your Baby Tonight, The Ballad Of Frankie Lee And Judas Priest, I Want You, Ballad Of A Thin Man, Stuck Inside A Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again, Queen Jane Approximately, Chimes Of Freedom, Slow Train Coming, Joey, All Along The Watchtower, E: Knockin' On Heaven's Door Note: Jerry on Pedal Steel on I'll Be Your Baby Tonight

7/10/87 ~ John F Kennedy Stadium ~ Philadelphia, PA
Grateful Dead ~ Set 1 Set 1: Iko Iko, Jack Straw, Sugaree, Minglewood Blues, Althea, My Brother Esau, When Push Comes To Shove, Cassidy, China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider, Looks Like Rain, Terrapin Station > Drums > Jam > I Need A Miracle > Black Peter > Around and Around > One More Saturday Night Dylan and the Dead ~ Set 2 Tangled Up In Blue, I'll Be Your Baby Tonight, Man Of Peace, Judas Priest, John Brown, Simple Twist Of Fate, Ballad Of A Thin Man, Stuck Inside A Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again, Chimes Of Freedom, Queen Jane Approximately, Gotta Serve Somebody, Joey, All Along The Watchtower, E: Touch of Grey

7/12/87 ~ Giants Stadium ~ East Rutherford, NJ
Grateful Dead ~ Set 1 Hell In A Bucket, West L.A. Fadeaway, Greatest Story Ever Told, Loser, Tons Of Steel, Ramble On Rose, When I Paint My Masterpiece, When Push Comes To Shove, Promised Land > Bertha Grateful Dead ~ Set 2 Addam's Family, Morning Dew, Playing In The Band > Drums > Jam > The Other One > Stella Blue > Throwing Stones > Not Fade Away Dylan and the Dead ~ Set 3 Slow Train Coming, Stuck Inside A Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again, Tomorrow Is A Long Time, Highway 61 Revisited, It's All Over Now Baby Blue, Ballad Of A Thin Man, John Brown, The Wicked Messenger, Queen Jane Approximately, Chimes Of Freedom, Joey, All Along The Watchtower, Times They Are A Changin', E:Touch of Grey, E: Knockin' On Heaven's Door Note: Garcia On Pedal Steel on Tomorrow Is A Long Time

7/19/87~ Autzen Stadium ~ Eugene, OR
Grateful Dead ~ Set 1 Iko Iko, Feel Like A Stranger, Franklin's Tower, Minglewood Blues, Peggy-O, Addam's Family, When I Paint My Masterpiece, West L.A. Fadeaway, Let It Grow Grateful Dead ~ Set 2 Gimme Some Lovin' > Playing In The Band > He's Gone > Spoonful > Drums > Jam > The Wheel > Truckin' > Wharf Rat > Lovelight Dylan and the Dead ~ Set 3 Maggie's Farm, Dead Man, Watching The River Flow, Simple Twist Of Fate, Judas Priest, Stuck Inside A Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again, Heart Of Mine, It's All Over Now Baby Blue, Rainy Day Women, Queen Jane Approximately, Ballad Of A Thin Man, Highway 61 Revisited, Tangled Up In Blue, E:Touch of Grey, All Along The Watchtower

7/24/87 ~ Oakland Stadium ~ Oakland, CA
Grateful Dead ~ Set 1 Jack Straw, Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo, My Brother Esau, Friend Of The Devil, Me & My Uncle > Big River, When Push Comes To Shove, Far From Me, Cassidy, Deal Grateful Dead ~ Set 2 Hell In A Bucket, Scarlet Begonias, Playing In The Band > Drums > Uncle John's Band > Dear Mr. Fantasy > I Need A Miracle > Bertha > Sugar Magnolia Dylan and the Dead ~ Set 3 The Times The Are a Changin', Man Of Peace, Maggie's Farm, I'll Be Your Baby Tonight, I Want You, Highway 61 Revisited, It's All Over Now Baby Blue, Stuck Inside A Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again, Ballad Of A Thin Man, Shelter From The Storm, Slow Train Coming, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, E: Touch of Grey, All Along The Watchtower Note: Jerry on Pedal Steel on I'll Be Your Baby Tonight The Grateful Dead part is available on DVD on

7/26/87~ Anaheim Stadium ~ Anaheim, CA
Grateful Dead ~ Set 1 Iko Iko, Minglewood Blues, Tons Of Steel, West L.A. Fadeaway, When I Paint My Masterpiece > Mexicali Blues, Bird Song > Promised Land Grateful Dead ~ Set 2 Shakedown Street, Looks Like Rain, Terrapin Station > Drums > Jam > The Other One > Stella Blue > Throwing Stones > Not Fade Away Dylan and the Dead ~ Set 3 Mr. Tambourine Man, Dead Man, Maggie's Farm, Simple Twist Of Fate, Watching The River Flow, It's All Over Now Baby Blue, Chimes Of Freedom, Queen Jane Approximately, Stuck Inside A Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again, Ballad Of A Thin Man, Rainy Day Women, Gotta Serve Somebody, All Along The Watchtower, E: Touch of Grey, Knockin' On Heaven's Door The Grateful Dead part is available on DVD on

View from the Vault IV
GD 7/24 and 7/26

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Dylan and the Grateful Dead

Dylan & The Dead - The Rehearsals

Dylan and the Dead - Pre-rehearsals

Dylan and the Dead: The Main Rehearsals Set

Dylan and the Dead The Grateful Dead Hour #705, broadcast week of 3/25/02

The Dylan and the G. Dead Concerts