Grateful Dead archivist David Lemieux selected each of the tracks from the band’s vault, which were rolled out on each day last month. This year’s installment featured live tracks spanning 1969 – 1994. Also included were an “Eyes Of The World” studio outtake from 1973 and a “Crazy Fingers” rehearsal taped at the band’s Club Front space on March 26, 1982 — months before the Dead busted out the song in concert for the first time in nearly six years.
30 Days Of Dead 2020 mostly consisted of single songs, but did include a handful of multi-song performances such as a run of “Sugar Magnolia” > “Scarlet Begonias” > “Fire On The Mountain” from April 27, 1991. The 1970s were represented on 11 days, while 12 days were devoted to the 1980s and six to recordings from the 1990s. A take on “Casey Jones” recorded at Reed’s Ranch in Colorado Springs on July 3, 1969 was this year’s lone track from the 1960s.
- Jack-A-Roe (12/06/1981 — Rosemont, IL)
- Looks Like Rain (04/18/1978 — Pittsburgh, PA)
- Never Trust A Woman (06/21/1984 — Maple, ON)
- Bird Song (02/24/1971 — Port Chester, NY)
- Friend Of The Devil (04/01/1980 — Passaic, NJ)
- Little Sadie (02/23/1970 — Austin, TX)
- Ship Of Fools (07/25/1974 — Chicago, IL)
- Stella Blue (05/18/1977 — Atlanta, GA)
- Feel Like A Stranger (10/23/1989 — Charlotte, NC)
- He’s Gone (09/16/1987 — New York, NY)
- Casey Jones (07/03/1969 — Colorado Springs, CO)
- Playing In The Band (09/16/1972 — Boston, MA)
- Here Comes Sunshine (03/29/1993 — Albany, NY)
- Shakedown Street > Bertha (10/10/1981 — Bremen, West Germany)
- Hell In A Bucket > Sugaree (03/17/1991 — Landover, MD)
- Dark Star (12/12/1992 — Oakland, CA)
- Shakedown Street > Estimated Prophet > Eyes Of The World (04/01/1986 — Providence, RI)
- Truckin’ > Terrapin Station (03/31/1989 — Greensboro, NC)
- That’s It For The Other One > The Main Ten (06/07/1970 — San Francisco, CA)
- Feel Like A Stranger > They Love Each Other (09/03/1985 — Kansas City, MO)
- Eyes Of The World (08/08/1973 — Studio Outtake)
- Loser > Playing In The Band (11/14/1971 — Fort Worth, TX)
- Eyes Of The World > Fire On The Mountain (07/03/1994 — Mountain View, CA)
- Crazy Fingers (03/26/1982 — Rehearsal)
- Let It Grow > Don’t Ease Me In (11/30/1981 — Dayton, OH)
- Black-Throated Wind (10/20/1990 – Berlin, Germany)
- Sugar Magnolia > Scarlet Begonias > Fire On The Mountain (04/27/1991 — Las Vegas, NV)
- Uncle John’s Band (04/13/1971 — Scranton, PA)
- China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider (10/11/1989 — East Rutherford, NJ)
- Brokedown Palace (11/15/1972 — Oklahoma City, OK)
