On today's Grateful Musical Monday Grateful Dead show: 4-19-82 "The Raven" Space

Everyone I hear from seems to love them some Brent. He was the most prolific and longest-tenured keyboardist the Grateful Dead ever had. This is a show from the Brent years but is famous for another reason. 

This show, besides containing some wonderful songs and ensemble playing, also contains probably the most famous"Space" of all time. This show is Phil's "Raven" space show. So not only does it have Jerry and Bobby and Brent at the top of their game. Phil was feeling frisky too.  The setlist for this show is one of those great ones from the eighties that would pop up before they started getting a little more predictable and set during the later eighties shows. There is a nice "Jack Straw" opener and a lovely "Peggy-O" along with a "Roses" and a "Man Smart, Woman Smarter" in the first set.  "Women are Smarter" would later become almost a standard in the later years but here it is almost the end of the first set and still a relative newcomer to the setlist.

The second set has a smoking combo of "Feel Like a Stranger>Franklin's Tower". Before starting a segue-fest that goes into "Estimated Prophet>Terrapin Station" before going into Drums and Space where Phil recites the Edgar Allen Poe poem "The Raven" before the band rolls into "The Wheel> Truckin > Stella Blue> Around and Around> Good Lovin'" with a "Brokedown Palace" encore. It's a good show that has some hot moments and is a unique look at an oft-skipped part of the show. "Space" became a bathroom break for many and many didn't pay attention. Well, this is one you need to listen to just to see how weird the band could still be when they wanted too.

in his book, Bill Kreutzmann said that it became the only place where the band, especially Jerry, was truly free and in the latter years, you could hear Jerry's pain and the effect of the life he was leading was having on him, coming out of his "horn" or whatever effects he put on his guitar during the space jams.  This show though was a Phil zone during space but enjoy the show. Let me know how you guys are enjoying these shows and what years you want to hear. 

Written by: Greg Heffelfinger

SBD Matrix of the famous Phil "Raven" Space

Grateful Dead

Baltimore Civic Center

Set One:

1 - Jack Straw
2 - They Love Each Other
3 - On The Road Again
4 - Peggy-O
5 - Cassidy
6 - It Must Have Been The Roses
7 - Little Red Rooster
8 - Cumberland Blues
9 - Man Smart (Woman Smarter)

10 - Might As Well

Set Two:

1 - Feel Like A Stranger >
2 - Franklin's Tower >

3 - Estimated Prophe >t
4 - Terrapin Station > 
5 - Drums >
6 - Raven Space >
7 - The Wheel >
8 - Truckin' >
9 - Stella Blue >
10 - Around And Around >
11 - Good Lovin'

Encore:

Brokedown Palace

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