Watch the Grateful Dead Jam with The Neville Brothers in 1987

October 24, 2018
Watch the Grateful Dead Jam with The Neville Brothers in 1987

 

Around 31 years ago on July 6, 1987, the Grateful Dead played to a packed crowd at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena, and the band had a special surprise in store for the fans during the second set, when they were joined by members of New Orleans icons The Neville Brothers for much of the remaining portion of the night, and now footage from that night has surfaced on YouTube.

The video shows Aaron, Art and Charles Neville, along with their bandmates Brian Stoltz and “Mean” Willie Green, joining the Dead for several songs, starting with the NOLA favorite “Iko Iko,” which leads into the Dead’s first live rendition of “Banana Boat Song (Day-O)” and another tune popularized by Harry Belafonte, “Man Smart (Woman Smarter).” After a “Drums” segment, the video skips the collaborative rendition of “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” straight to the Bob Weir-led “Good Lovin'” and the night’s encore of “Johnny B. Goode,” all featuring the Nevilles and company.

Even through the far-away, decades-old video, the onstage energy shared by the bands is palpable. The Dead obviously chose some of their liveliest covers to welcome the group of Crescent City royalty. The two groups had some history together, with Jerry Garcia even guesting on the Neville’s album Uptown, which came out earlier in 1987.

Watch below.