Watch Grateful Dead Deliver Rousing ‘Samson & Delilah’ At 1990 Concert In Pittsburgh

Grateful Dead shared pro-shot video of “Samson and Delilah” as the latest in their All The Years Live series. The footage is from GD’s July 8, 1990 concert at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh.

As per Dead archivist David Lemieux on the ‘90 Pittsburgh “Samson and Delilah”:

“Debuting upon the Grateful Dead’s return to touring in 1976, ‘Samson and Delilah’ was played frequently until 1995, and was a song that you could count on hearing on a Sunday night in the Dead’s later years, as the Dead Heads at Three Rivers Stadium heard in 1990.”

As Lemieux pointed out, the Grateful Dead debuted “Samson and Delilah” on June 3, 1976 in Portland, Oregon. The song’s appearance on Sundays is likely due to it being inspired by the biblical story of Samson and Delilah.

Grateful Dead’s version of “Samson and Delilah” on Sunday at Three Rivers Stadium is a particularly strong performance kicking off with the Bo Diddley beat from Rhythm Devils Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart laced with thumping bass from Phil Lesh.

Guitarist Bob Weir delivered a typically impassioned vocal on the tune with smoking solos from both keyboardist Brent Mydland — the performance took place just weeks before Brent’s untimely death — and guitarist Jerry Garcia.

Watch the Grateful Dead perform “Samson and Delilah” at Three Rivers Stadium in 1990 below: