On this day in 1981, The Grateful Dead closed out an East Coast tour with a memorable performance at the War Memorial in Syracuse. The band essentially lived in the Northeast for the first half of May in 1981, with shows scheduled almost every day as they continue their musical assault on college towns like New Haven, Providence, New Brunswick and Ithaca the night before. With the tour closer set for Syracuse, it’s clear that the Dead left everything out on the field as they deliver a show that doesn’t let up from start to finish.
There’s a tape cut in the very beginning of the recording for this show at the War Memorial, but it opens with a spirited “Alabama Getaway.” This was a fairly common show opener for this entire tour in 1981 with the lone exception being the one in Glens Falls almost two weeks ago. It features a rollicking organ solo on the Hammond from newcomer Brent Mydland. Jerry Garcia delivers a fitting response on guitar but seems to stumble over some of the lyrics before diving back into a run up and down the fret board. The Dead pair this with an impassioned cover of Chuck Berry’s “Promised Land” to start the show on this night in Syracuse. “Peggy-O” then brings the tempo down a little bit and sees a little more vocal juggling from Garcia, but he more than makes up for it with another signature, blissful guitar solo that’s generally the cornerstone for this song.
Fellow guitarist Bob Weir leads the way on vocals for the next two numbers, the M&M combination of “Mama Tried” > “Mexicali Blues,” two regulars in the live Dead playbook. “They Love Each Other” (slow version) follows this and is highlighted by a wonderfully intricate and patient solo on electric keys from Mydland that’s then mimicked almost perfectly note for note by Garcia and even taken a bit further with the chemistry between these two coming across crystal clear in the recording.
An appreciative War Memorial crowd is eager for more and the Dead deliver with an aggressive take on “New Minglewood Blues” which sees Weir adlibbing one of the lyrics to “Upstate girls start looking good,” putting his take on New York geography out in the open. The emotions stay locked on high with a “Candyman” that features another vintage effort from Garcia on lead guitar and a “Looks Like Rain” that has Weir passionately bellowing out every line of the song he and John Perry Barlow created together as the Grateful Dead continue to churn out classic after classic in a lengthy first set in Syracuse.
Things get bluesy once again before the opening stanza is completed, starting with “Big Railroad Blues,” another longtime member of live show setlists, and then “Little Red Rooster” a classic blues standard that the band debuted for the first time last summer which would go on to be a first set regular for the rest of their career. Weir’s spirited vocal delivery, an electric injection of soul from Mydland on organ and a guitar-driven jam led by Garcia that builds to a frenetic peak all contribute to a well done “Rooster.” To finally close out a stellar first set, the Dead deliver a flawless and crispy “China Cat Sunflower” that flows seamlessly into a classic take of “I Know You Rider” that has the Syracuse faithful clapping along and fully engaged.
Things remain in the old school to begin the second set at the War Memorial as the band trots through a ripping take of one of their older songs in “Cold Rain and Snow” that comes to a quick stop before pivoting right into an absolutely electric “Samson and Delilah.” Timely fills from Mydland and some fiery guitar licks thrown down from Garcia ignite the crowd and make for a pretty explosive version. Things cool back down a bit with the “Ship of Fools” that follows before a fiery and extended take on “Estimated Prophet” that has Weir showing off his vocal improvisational chops and an ensuing jam that’s spearheaded by some more inspired interplay between Garcia and Mydland.
The Dead use this as fuel and funnel the music right into the start of a rather joyous “He’s Gone” that has the War Memorial crowd reacting with roars of approval after every line. As the extended bluesy outro jam comes to a slow crawl, Bill Kreutzmann slowly crafts a new drum beat on the snare drum and soon after the band is off and running once again with an explosive but brief “The Other One.” Instead of any extended play on this one, the Dead throw in a fairly nondescript “Drums” > “Space” sequence before launching back into a bubbly “Saint of Circumstance.”
To close out this wild show, and the tour, in Syracuse the pair two more classics together with “Wharf Rat” and a standout version of “Sugar Magnolia” that serves as a more than fitting set closer. As a treat for the encore, the Grateful Dead do their best imitation of The Rolling Stones and break out “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” a new cover the band just debuted late last year. It caps off a tremendous show and another triumphant run of shows for the band in the Northeast.
Grateful Dead Syracuse War Memorial 5/17/81
Set 1: Alabama Getaway > Promised Land, Peggy-O > Mama Tried > Mexicali Blues, They Love Each Other > New Minglewood Blues, Candyman > Looks Like Rain, Big Railroad Blues > Little Red Rooster, China Cat Sunflower->I Know You Rider
Set 2: Cold Rain and Snow > Samson and Delilah, Ship of Fools, Estimated Prophet > He’s Gone > The Other One > Drums > Space > Saint of Circumstance > Wharf Rat > Sugar Magnolia
E: (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction
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