The National Dusts Off ‘Peggy-O’ In St. Augustine

In 2015, The National debuted their cover of “Peggy-O,” the traditional tune that became a staple of the Grateful Dead’s live shows. Recently, the group revived their cover during a performance on June 17 at St. Augustine Amphitheatre in St. Augustine, Florida.

After debuting the cover during a set at their own Eaux Claires Festival in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, The National has established their love for the Grateful Dead. In the time since, Aaron Dessner and Bryce Dessner have worked on a series of Dead-related projects. They curated the massive Day of the Dead box set, which featured indie artists covering classics from the Dead catalog, and they’ve frequently collaborated with Bob Weir in the studio and on the stage.

During the show in St. Augustine, The National paired the tour debut of “Peggy-O” with the tour debut of “Brainy,” an original off their 2007 collection Boxer. The performance also saw a number of cuts from the band’s recent 2019 album I Am Easy To Find, including a set-closing “Rylan” and takes on the title track as well as “So Far, So Fast.”