Grateful Dead Records, Books & More

Robert Hunter and Comfort Opened for the Jerry Garcia Band.

Click on the picture below for the concert

Robert Hunter performed and recorded with the band Comfort for about a year, from mid-1977 to mid-1978. In particular he wrote a lengthy suite of songs called “Alligator Moon” which is well worth listening to for any Hunter fan. Hunter was unhappy with his studio version of the suite, so the album was never released.
Circulating live versions of the suite are excellent—it’s a shame they never saw an official release.
A few Hunter/Comfort studio recordings were released on the album Promontory Rider.

March 18, 1978 Warner Theater, Washington, DC (early and late show)
Jerry Garcia Band/Robert Hunter and Comfort
A tape of a Comfort set from an WHFS-fm broadcast has surfaced. I assume that the Comfort set was broadcast along with the JGB show. It does beg the very interesting question of who paid for it (for a band to play live on commercial FM radio, the record company had to pick up the lost advertising costs).

ROBERT HUNTER AND COMFORT 1977-78
Robert Hunter-vocals, guitar
Kevin Morgenstern-lead guitar
Rodney Albin-violin, mandolin
Richard McNees-keyboards
>Ozzie Allers joins in February 1978, replacing McNees
Larry Klein-six string bass
Pat Lorenzano-drums
Marlene Molle-vocals
Kathleen Klein-vocals

for sale > > >

Grateful Dead 25th Anniversary Concert Europe Tour

“There is a human drive to celebrate, and we provide ritual celebration in a society that doesn’t have much of it”
Jerry Garcia

And so the Grateful Dead decided to do an Europe ‘Without a Net’ Concert Tour. My first chance of seeing the band live in concert. I teamed up with Bob Mayes from Oxford to see the gigs at the Gruga Halle of Rockpalast fame, and two more concerts at the International Congress Centrum in Berlin.

Lots of americans on the parking lots selling hand-made stuff and looking for concert tickets. At the Rockpalast venue in Essen is felt like the floor was moving! And in Berlin I had to get used to the enthousiasm of the US dead-heads. Sometimes the songs of the Dead get very emotional and these are the moments european fans experience the music a little different. Wharf Rat’s “I know that the Life i’m living is no good. I get a new start. Live the Life I should” is such a moment.

From Germany to England. Three more concerts! All at the Wembley Arena in London. The second concert was a Halloween Special, and the band decided to do an extra concert at the first of november. I teamed up again with Bob Mayes and this time Dangerous Dave Phillips from Cornwall accompanied us. Dave provided me with with some unique Grateful Dead stuff like the press conference the band gave before the concerts. See the video > > >

The bass-bombs of Phil Lesh were like thunder in the heart! Inbetween concerts drummer Mickey Hart did a signing session for his new book. He had to search for his glasses when i asked him to sign the ‘Drumming at the edge of Magic” book. Later that night a great Halloween concert followed by an extra concert on the first of november. A big thanks for Bob for letting me stay at his place in Oxford and for Dave for sending me great Grateful Dead stuff!

Tag: gig

Robert Hunter & Comfort

Without a net