Grateful Dead To Issue April 1978 Concerts, ‘Friend of The Devils’

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The Grateful Dead, 1978 (Photo © Brooks R. Johnson/ZUMA Wire; used with permission)

The Grateful Dead’s 1978 Spring Tour is being commemorated with a variety of releases. Friend Of The Devils: April 1978, a 19-CD box set, will be available exclusively from Dead.net on September 20, 2024. The collection is limited to 10,000 individually numbered copies and contains eight previously unreleased concerts. In addition, an April 12, 1978, concert at Duke University, also coming on Sept. 20 from Rhino, is available for pre-order on 3-CDs or 4-LPs in the U.S. here and in the U.K. here. Listen to live versions of “U.S. Blues” and “Truckin'” from that performance below.

From the July 31 announcement: The Grateful Dead’s Spring 1978 tour was more than just a peak of its post-hiatus period; it forever redefined the band’s concert experience by establishing “Drums” and “Space” as regular live segments, capturing the early days of these second-set traditions.

Betty Cantor-Jackson originally recorded these shows, which audio engineer Jeffrey Norman has mastered using Plangent Processes tape restoration and speed correction. The deluxe collection also includes a 48-page book with original liner notes by author Steve Silberman and photos by James Anderson, Bob Minkin, and more.

Grateful Dead archivist David Lemieux says: “These eight shows tell the story of a band that was engaged, inspired, and focused on bringing their A-game every single night…If there was ever a tour on which the Dead deliver every single moment, it’s this one.”

Friend Of The Devils: April 1978 includes complete shows from Curtis Hixon Convention Hall, Tampa, FL (4/6/78); Sportatorium, Pembroke Pines, FL (4/7/78); Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Jacksonville, FL (4/8/78); Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA (4/10/78 and 4/11/78); Cameron Indoor Stadium, Duke University, Durham, NC (4/12/78); Cassell Coliseum, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, VA (4/14/78); and Huntington Civic Center, Huntington, WV (4/16/78).

On Friend Of The Devils: April 1978, the Dead mine their rich 13-year history, performing early songs (“Dupree’s Diamond Blues” and “New Minglewood Blues”), favorites from the 1970s (“Jack Straw” and “Eyes Of The World”), deep cuts (“It Must Have Been The Roses”), and traditionals (“Iko Iko” and “Peggy-O.”) “Estimated Prophet” and “Dancing In The Street” from their latest album, 1977’s Terrapin Station, were already in heavy rotation. Meanwhile, “Fire On The Mountain” was an essential part of the tour, even though it wouldn’t officially come out until the fall.

Christened Rhythm Devils by Mickey Hart, the “Drums” segments from the 1978 Spring Tour were unique affairs. Members of the band and road crew would join Hart and Billy Kreutzmann on stage for extended rhythmic explorations that frequently lasted over 15 minutes. On Friend Of The Devils: April 1978, the “Drums” and “Space” combination was emerging as a permanent feature of Dead shows, one that would continue for the next 17 years.

The “Drums” performance at Duke University was particularly intense, lasting more than 20 minutes. In the liner notes, Steve Silberman describes the scene: “[It] began with Billy thrashing on his kit and using his elbow to change its pitch, making it sound like a talking drum. Mickey, equally engaged, was wearing a Jerry T-shirt. Then the road crew joined the party. What’s that? Steve Parish is playing a cowbell! Finally, the big man himself comes out, strokes his beard, sits down, maybe takes a puff or a toke, and picks up a pair of sticks. Mother of God, Garcia is playing steel drums – and loving it!”

The Grateful Dead Duke ’78 CD Track Listing

Disc One
1. “Jack Straw”
2. “Dire Wolf”
3. “Beat It On Down The Line”
4. “Peggy-O”
5. “Mama Tried”>
6. “Mexicali Blues”
7. “Funiculi Funicula”
8. “Row Jimmy”
9. “New Minglewood Blues”
10. “Loser”
11. “Lazy Lightning”>
12. “Supplication”