The Grateful Dead Played Their First MSG Show On This Date In 1979 [Listen]

On January 7th, 1979, The Grateful Dead graced the most famous arena on the East Coast, Madison Square Garden in New York City, for the first time ever. The show, held on this day 37 years ago, would be the first of 52 total times the Dead performed at the historic venue.

A clear turning point in their career, the band opened strong with ‘Jack Straw’, a great indicator for a night leading into other classics ‘Tennessee Jed’ > ‘El Paso’ and ‘Estimated Prophet’. Tune in and drop out with this full stream:

Last year, the Grateful Dead were awarded a spot on the Madison Square Garden Walk Of Fame for their legacy at the beloved venue. Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann, and Trixie Garcia were all on hand for the ceremony.

Check out the setlist from this fateful performance below:

Setlist: Grateful Dead at Madison Square Garden, New York, NY – 1/7/1979

Jack Straw, They Love Each Other, Cassidy, Jack A Roe, Looks Like Rain, Tennessee Jed, El Paso, Stagger Lee, Passenger I Need A Miracle-> Shakedown Street, From The Heart Of Me, Estimated Prophet-> Eyes Of The World-> Drums-> Space -> Not Fade Away-> Black Peter-> Around & Around

E: Good Lovin’

[Forever Grateful to Archive.org]