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  • Grateful Dead – Madison Square Garden, New York, NY 3/9/81 (Rocktober 2023 Edition, 5-LP Vinyl Box Set)
  • Grateful Dead – Madison Square Garden, New York, NY 3/9/81 (Rocktober 2023 Edition, 5-LP Vinyl Box Set)
  • Grateful Dead – Madison Square Garden, New York, NY 3/9/81 (Rocktober 2023 Edition, 5-LP Vinyl Box Set)
  • Grateful Dead – Madison Square Garden, New York, NY 3/9/81 (Rocktober 2023 Edition, 5-LP Vinyl Box Set)

Grateful Dead – Madison Square Garden New York NY 3/9/81 (Rocktober 2023 Edition 5-LP Box Set)

$ 139.99
$ 139.99
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Learn more about this release in our Grateful Dead from Madison Square Garden, New York, NY 3/9/81 vinyl announcement on jambands.com.

On March 9, 1981, the Grateful Dead played their sixth show ever at Madison Square Garden—and only their third run at the venue that would become their East Coast home for the next 13 years. This 5-LP Rocktober 2023 Edition captures the complete show, remastered and pressed as part of the limited annual Rocktober series that celebrates classic live recordings. With Brent Mydland now two years into his tenure as keyboardist, the band had found its creative stride again after the Go To Heaven era, energized by his Hammond B3 organ and powerful vocals.

The setlist reads like a masterclass in early-1980s Dead: Set 1 opens with "Feel Like a Stranger" and moves through "Althea," "CC Rider," "Ramble On Rose," and a rarely played "Deep Elem Blues," closing with an 11-minute "Bird Song" that spreads its wings. Set 2 delivers the classic "China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider > Samson and Delilah" sequence, then builds through "Estimated Prophet > Uncle John's Band > Drums > The Other One > Stella Blue > Good Lovin'," with "U.S. Blues" as the encore. Mydland's creative personality shines throughout—especially his B3 solo on "CC Rider" that pushes Garcia into extended improvisation.

This era of the Dead—1981 to 1983—remains underestimated and overlooked compared to the legendary '71-'73 or '76-'78 periods, but these MSG shows prove the band was operating at a new peak. They were playing faster, tighter, and with more energy than the late-'70s slog, revitalized by Mydland's presence and freed from the pressure of chasing hits after Go To Heaven. This Rocktober pressing, limited to 12,500 copies and newly restored using Plangent Processes, gives these performances the fidelity they deserve.

Rocktober 2023 Edition: Limited to 12,500 copies. 5-LP box set. Newly restored audio by Plangent Processes. Mastered by Jeffrey Norman.