The Grateful Dead once held the record for most shows at Madison Square Garden but in the intervening years they've fallen to fourth place, behind Billy Joel, Elton John and Phish.

Ask pretty much any Dead Head and they will tell you a Garden story and remark on the special nature of the band's relationship to the venue. It may be more about the band's relationship to New York City. I recall an interview once with Jerry Garcia where he commented that from his perspective the band played in three places: home in the Bay Area, New York City, and on the road. I am not sure that sentiment is all that rare with touring artists. I have heard tales of artists cleaning and sobering up in anticipation of New York shows and of wanting to have a certain amount of a tour under their belt so they are road-hardened but not worn out for New York. If you have ever seen your favourite artist at Madison Square Garden you may have even perceived this as a fan. 

The Grateful Dead were pretty well known for their inability to deliver in high stakes situations, most famously at Woodstock, but more often than not they were at their best at MSG, a testament to their long history and mutual love affair with fans throughout the New York City region, itself the result of a need-driven strategy that saw the band conquer the Northeast very early in their touring career. That "strategy" even (inadvertently) contributed to the culture of fans following the band on tour. More on that in the links below. 

This show took a little bit to get going. Show opener 'Touch of Grey' is a certified train wreck and is followed by a fair pass at Willie Dixon's 'Wang Dang Doodle'. They take a breather and use the third song, traditional folk ballad 'Peggy-O' to restart. Once Weir gets into his cowboy song for the night, Johnny Cash's 'Big River', things start to gel and the second half of the first set is solid, capped by a lovely and exploratory 'Bird Song'. 

 

Truth be told, for the moments of heat in the show, and they're there, the band remained a bit 'off' all night. Jerry botched some Bob tunes (he cannot seem to find his way out of his solo in 'Victim or the Crime') and so, while the show never sustained stratospheric heights, it is exactly the kind of Grateful Dead concert I have come to appreciate in retrospect. It's a Rorschach test for fans and commentators. A quick Google search will reveal fans who were certain they witnessed a gem, others a dud. The Grateful Dead, and their fans, were funny that way.

Listen:

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So Many Roads:

Listen to / Watch this Show on YouTube

List of Madison Square Garden Walk of Fame Inductees

How the Grateful Dead Blew Their Set at Woodstock

Essay on The Grateful Dead in Upstate and Central New York 1969-79