The Grateful Dead perform one of their then-new songs, “Franklin’s Tower”, at the Tower Theater outside Philadelphia in 1976 in the latest preview of the upcoming Blues for Allah (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition). Out September 12th via Rhino, the reissue of the Dead’s eighth studio album includes previously unreleased live recordings from 1975 and 1976.
This “Franklin’s Tower” comes from the June 21st, 1976 Grateful Dead concert at the now-defunct Tower Theater in Upper Darby, PA, a suburb of Philadelphia. This marked only the Dead’s twelfth performance since returning to touring in June 1976 following a one-year hiatus, and just the eleventh-ever performance of “Franklin’s Tower”—which has since gone on to become one of their most enduring originals.
The conclusion of the “Help on the Way” > “Slipknot!” > “Franklin’s Tower” movement bounces along with the Dead’s renewed energy from the summer of ’76. After a Jerry Garcia-led initial jam and a twinkly breakdown lit by Keith Godchaux‘s grand piano to follow, all the pieces come together after the final verse for some group improvisation as the band achieves instrumental synchronicity.
The expanded Blues for Allah includes more highlights from the first two shows of the Dead’s four-night run at the Tower Theater (6/21/76–6/24/76), including “Help”/”Slip”/”Frank”, “Crazy Fingers”, and “The Music Never Stopped” from the album. Additionally, the reissue features recordings from Bill Graham‘s SNACK (Students Need Athletics, Culture, and Kicks) Benefit at Kezar Stadium on March 23rd, 1975, and the Dead’s soundcheck at San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall on August 12th, 1975, the night before the classic album-release show later released as One From the Vault.
Blues for Allah represents a coming-of-age moment for the Grateful Dead. Exhausted from years of heavy touring, the band went on hiatus following a five-night farewell run at Winterland Arena, which was filmed and later released as The Grateful Dead Movie. When they said goodbye, their return time was neither determined nor guaranteed.
Amid that state of uncertainty, the band surprised fans a year later with Blues for Allah, their most experimental album yet, which saw Dead enter the studio without any pre-written material for the first time. Following some sporadic gigs around San Francisco throughout 1975, the Dead returned to touring in June 1976 with a creative invigoration that would power them through the rest of the decade, including some of their most iconic concerts.
Revisit the Grateful Dead’s June 21st, 1976 performance of “Franklin’s Tower” from the Tower Theater in Upper Darby, PA. You can pre-order the Blues for Allah (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) on a variety of formats here.
Grateful Dead — “Franklin’s Tower” — Upper Darby, PA — 6/21/76