Set Lists

5/10/78 ~ New Haven, CT 

Dick's Picks Volume 25 review

Dick's Picks volume 25 is almost two complete Grateful Dead concerts from 1978; May 10 from Veteran's Memorial Coliseum in New Haven CT, and May 11 from Springfield Civic Center Arena in Springfield, MA. From the first evening "Maybe it was the Roses" the third song in set two, and the encore "U. S. Blues" were left off, and from the second evening "Mexicali Blues," > "Mama Tried"  and "Peggy-O" from set one. As a result of the cuts "Tennessee Jed" and "New Minglewood Blues" order was switched to give the songs a better flow. 

The first set of the Grateful Dead’s May 10 concert at New Haven is great throughout. A powerful “Jack Straw” sets the stage for a perfect beginning to a great evening.  The less than five-minute version of “Cassidy” proves that a Grateful Dead song doesn’t have to be ten minutes or longer to jam. The set closer of  “Let it Grow” > “Deal” is what Dead Heads hunger for. 

The second set of Dick’s Picks Volume 25 from May 10, 1978, is the best of the four sets by far. The first songs two songs of the set end the first disc, “Bertha” > “Good Lovin’” a splendid opening indeed. However, the highlight of the set is a spring flowing “Estimated Prophet” > “Eyes of the World.” 

Discs 3 and 4 include most of the Grateful Dead’s May 11, 1978, performance in Springfield, MA. Some highpoints of the first set include “Loser” where Garcia not on wails on his guitar, but after the instrumental he wails on the vocals with a growl, a la Tony the Tiger; a warm up for their encore. Even better is the “Friend of the Devil,” that has a great instrumental that starts out slow and builds to a powerful peak. The set closer, “Lazy Lightning” > “Supplication” is another gem seeping with rhythm, melody, and power. 

The second begins on the first disc with a good “Scarlet” > “Fire on the Mountain.” The last disc has good versions of all the songs, but no real definitive ones. “Dancing in the Streets” hits some interesting rhythmic patterns, but they got carried away with the ending vocals dialogue that goes on too long. The “Stella Blue” is stellar with great dynamics and an outstanding closing instrumental. The “Werewolves of London” is a fun selection, featuring some cool vocal interchange between Jerry and Donna, and Weir seems to be enjoying his opportunity to play slide guitar.