The Godchauxs left in early 79 due to a mutual agreement and were replaced by synthesizer-and-organ-wielding Brent Mydland. The band took a new direction and embraced 80s electronic sounds to their hearts content. There's also the addition of Brent songs which kind of have to grow on you. Some like it, some don't. This is an era I visit rarely. It came to an abrupt end when Jerry went into a diabetic coma in the Summer of 86. He recovered, but some say things were never the same.
During 1980, the band briefly revived acoustic sets. A personal favorite is the 10/31/80 Halloween show.
10/10/82 is a great show for Bob in particular, who reminds everyone to "Vote yes on 12 if you can vote." Maybe a :LIB: but it was a nuclear non-proliferation measure. Nice cause for a band that rarely made political statements from the stage.
1987-1990: Downhill From Here
The band remained inconsistent in the late 80s, but Jerry came around after his coma and delivered some memorable shows. During this era, they finally released Touch Of Grey on an album. To this day, this song remains the dead's most recognizable and iconic song. It's funny, because they'd been playing it since 1982 (and it even shows up on an earlier recommendation in this list).
8/12/87 is the best Red Rocks show during the band's final run in Morrison, as the Dead's nascent commercial success made them outgrow the venue.
7/4/89 is a great 4th of July show with (of course) the US Blues encore. I'm a big fan of Bob's take on All Along The Watchtower here.
7/17/89 is noted by many heads as being the last incredible show. "Yah brah that show last night was great!" "Alpine great?" "Nah..."
1990-1995: The End of the Road
Brent's alcoholism - like Pig's - ultimately took its toll. When he died in 1990 you could see it make a major impact on the band. I often do not recommend shows from this era because despite great individual moments, there are a lot of forgettable moments mixed in.
The Grateful Dead ended for good when Jerry died in the summer of 1995, but the remaining members continue to perform live. Dead and Company is still one of the highest grossing acts every year.
Anyways, hope you enjoyed this guide. Let me know if you like what you listened to or if you have any q's about Dead history or music. I'm all ears.
To anyone interested in watching SD again, there is some absolutely-S-tier content available now. Mystery Incorporated absolutely floored me and some of the older Stenstrum movies like Zombie Island, Alien Invaders, and Witch's Ghost still hold up.
I’ve been here the whole time