Grateful Dead Performs ‘Bird Song’ In 1993: Pro-Shot Video
By Nate Todd Mar 5, 2020 • 1:56 pm PST
The Grateful Dead shared the latest edition of their All The Years Live video series featuring pro-shot video of “Bird Song” from RFK Stadium in Washington D.C. on June 26, 1993. The performance also saw Bruce Hornsby on accordion for the first set jam vehicle.
“Grateful Dead first sets were generally reserved for shorter songs, going back to 1970 or so,” Grateful Dead archivist David Lemieux explained. “There were a few very important exceptions to this rule, though, with ‘Playing In The Band’ being a major jamming vehicle for the Dead 1972-1974, usually as the first set closer. ‘Bird Song’ was played mostly in the first set 1971-1973, and provided the Dead loads of run to stretch and explore. When it returned to the repertoire in 1980, first acoustically for the Warfield-Radio City shows, and then in November electrically, it would stick around until 1995 as a first set improvisational juggernaut. This typically out-there version shows where the Dead could take off to in their later years.”
Watch “Bird Song” from DC in ‘93 below:
