Day 132: Little Sadie, 10/31/80

This version of Little Sadie was included on the expanded Reckoning album that was part of the Beyond Description box set (link below).

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Little Sadie was performed by Jerry Garcia solo more frequently than it was with the Dead (see The Pizza Tapes for an easily available example), which is why I find it unique. This was the only performance of the song during the 15th anniversary shows in October 1980, and the first time they played the song since 1970 when they were still doing acoustic sets fairly regularly.

If you follow the link about for the song’s lyrics you’ll see that it’s one of these traditional folks songs that has a lot of verses and not all of them are sung in this version. But it’s a song that tells a story and I’m always a sucker for those.

A little slower than some versions, but that’s more of an observation than a quibble. This song has a catchy melody. Jerry sounds a bit mush-mouthed here, and there’s a ton of kick drum starting with the second verse. What’s going on here? Nevertheless, the tale of Little Sadie continues unabated. All told this is a pretty straightforward rendition of the song. It ends a bit abruptly, as it seemed like there was at least one more run through the main melody on deck, but that’s life.

Complete Setlist 10/31/80

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One comment to “Day 132: Little Sadie, 10/31/80”
  1. Jerry lightens the mood with a sprightly tale of wife-killing. Around the second verse a ridiculously loud bass drum enters and if Garcia’s vocals were not loud enough before, they are definitely not now. His guitar is nice and present however, and although this is clearly a raw version it holds the interest pretty well if you can hear past its sonic issues.

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