Photo Credit: Brooks R. Johnson

On Sept. 20, 2024, the Rhino in collaboration with Grateful Dead will release its latest pull from the crypt, a series of eight previously unreleased concerts, all of which took place during the band’s 70s post-hiatus era. The limited edition, 19-CD boxed set, Friend Of The Devils, picks up chronologically, beginning with their April 6, 1978 show at Curtis Hixon Convention Hall, Tampa, Fla., and ending with Cassell Coliseum at Virginia Polytechnic Institute in Blacksburg, Va., on April 17, 1978. As a preview, “U.S. Blues,” recorded at Duke University on April 12, 1978, was dropped today. 

Friend Of The Devils present a vital moment in Grateful Dead history, at a time when their mid-70s interval was seemingly a thing of the past, and fortifying their live show with second set instrumental interludes, “Drums” and “Space” were becoming increasingly popularized. Inevitably, the broader push for rhythm became a belovedand  adopted tradition, forever shaping the audience’s experience with Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart–a sonic feature of the impending collection. 

In the liner notes, Steve Silberman describes the scene: “[It] began with Billy thrashing on his kit and using his elbow to change its pitch, making it sound like a talking drum. Mickey, equally engaged, was wearing a Jerry T-shirt. Then the road crew joined the party. What’s that? Steve Parish is playing a cowbell! Finally, the big man himself comes out, strokes his beard, sits down, maybe takes a puff or a toke, and picks up a pair of sticks. Mother of God, Garcia is playing steel drums – and loving it!”

Grateful Dead archivist David Lemieux also commented on the box set via press release: “These eight shows tell the story of a band that was engaged, inspired, and focused on bringing their A-game every single night…If there was ever a tour on which the Dead deliver every single moment, it’s this one.”

In addition to the start and stop of the eight-concert series mentioned above, Friend Of The Devils fills the gaps with April 7, 1978, at Sportatorium in Pembroke Pines, Fla., April 8, 1978, at Veterans Memorial Coliseum, in Jacksonville, Fla., two nights at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre on April 10-11, 1978, Cameron Indoor Stadium at Duke University in  Durham, N.C., on April 12, 1978, and West Virginia’s Huntington Civic Center gig on April 16, 1978–totaling a week-plus block of live shows. 

Betty Cantor-Jackson recorded the original concerts, which were mastered by audio engineer Jeffrey Norman. Steve Vance designed the collection’s individualized box, which features a removable wave drum, while artist Matthew Brannon created the set’s original artwork. Besides a stunning pull of concerts, Friend Of The Devils has a 48-page book with original liner notes by author Steve Silberman and photos by James Anderson, Bob Minkin, and more.

Duke ’78

CD Track Listing

Disc One

1. “Jack Straw”

2. “Dire Wolf”

3. “Beat It On Down The Line”

4. “Peggy-O”

5. “Mama Tried”>

6. “Mexicali Blues”

7. “Funiculi Funicula”

8. “Row Jimmy”

9. “New Minglewood Blues”

10. “Loser”

11. “Lazy Lightning”>

12. “Supplication”

Disc Two

1. “Bertha”>

2. “Good Lovin’”

3. “It Must Have Been The Roses”

Disc Three

1. “Estimated Prophet”>

2. “Eyes Of The World”>

3. Rhythm Devils>

4. “Truckin’”>

5. “Wharf Rat”>

6. “Around And Around”

7. “U.S. Blues”

Friend Of The Devils: April 1978

Track Listing Curtis Hixon Convention Hall, Tampa, FL (4/6/78)

“Bertha”>

“Good Lovin’”

“Dire Wolf”

“Me and My Uncle”>

“Big River”

“Friend Of The Devil”

“Passenger”

“Candyman”

“Lazy Lightning”>

“Supplication”

“Samson and Delilah”

“It Must Have Been The Roses”

“Estimated Prophet”>

“He’s Gone”>

Rhythm Devils>

“The Other One”>

“Wharf Rat”>

“Around and Around”

“U.S. Blues”

Sportatorium, Pembroke Pines, FL (4/7/78)

“Promised Land”

“Sugaree”

“Cassidy”

“Tennessee Jed”

“Mama Tried”>

“Mexicali Blues”

“Peggy-O”

“New Minglewood Blues”

“Loser”

“The Music Never Stopped”

“Jack Straw”

“Ship Of Fools”

“Good Lovin’”

“Terrapin Station”>

“Playing In The Band”>

Rhythm Devils>

“Not Fade Away”>

“Black Peter”>

“Playing In The Band”

“Johnny B. Goode”

Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Jacksonville, FL (4/8/78)

“Mississippi Half Step Uptown Toodeloo”

“Me and My Uncle”>

“Big River”

“They Love Each Other”

“Looks Like Rain”

“Deal”

“El Paso”

“It Must Have Been The Roses”

“Lazy Lightning”>

“Supplication”

“Samson and Delilah”

“Scarlet Begonias”>

“Fire On The Mountain”

“Estimated Prophet”>

“Eyes Of The World”

Rhythm Devils>

Space>

“Sugar Magnolia”

“One More Saturday Night”

Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA (4/10/78)

“Promised Land”

“Brown-Eyed Women”

“It’s All Over Now”

“Peggy-O”

“Cassidy”

“Dire Wolf”

“El Paso”

“Row Jimmy”

“Passenger”

“Candyman”

“The Music Never Stopped”

“Jack Straw”

“Ship Of Fools”

“Dancing In The Street”>

Rhythm Devils>

“Franklin’s Tower”>

“Black Peter”>

“Around and Around”

“U.S. Blues”

Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA (4/11/78)

“Bertha”>

“Good Lovin’”

“Friend Of The Devil”

“Me and My Uncle”>

“Big River”

“Tennessee Jed”

“Looks Like Rain”

“Brown-Eyed Women”

“New Minglewood Blues”

“Deal”

“Samson and Delilah”

“Scarlet Begonias”>

“Fire On The Mountain”

“Sunrise”

“Terrapin Station”>

Rhythm Devils>

Space>

“Iko Iko”>

“Sugar Magnolia”

“Johnny B. Goode”

Cameron Indoor Stadium, Duke University, Durham, NC (4/12/78)

“Jack Straw”

“Dire Wolf”

“Beat It On Down The Line”

“Peggy-O”

“Mama Tried”>

“Mexicali Blues”

“Funiculi Funicula”

“Row Jimmy”

“New Minglewood Blues”

“Loser”

“Lazy Lightning”>

“Supplication”

“Bertha”>

“Good Lovin’”

“It Must Have Been The Roses”

“Estimated Prophet”>

“Eyes Of The World”>

Rhythm Devils>

“Truckin’”>

“Wharf Rat”>

“Around And Around”

“U.S. Blues”

Cassell Coliseum, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, VA (4/14/78)

“Promised Land”

“Tennessee Jed”

“Me and My Uncle”>

“Big River”

“Peggy-O”

“Looks Like Rain”

“Dire Wolf”

“It’s All Over Now”

“Dupree’s Diamond Blues”

“The Music Never Stopped”

“Samson and Delilah”

“Ship Of Fools”

“Dancing In The Street”>

Rhythm Devils>

Space>

“The Other One”>

“Black Peter”>

“Sugar Magnolia”

“Johnny B. Goode”

Huntington Civic Center, Huntington, WV (4/16/78)

“Jack Straw”

“Dire Wolf”

“Cassidy”

“Peggy-O”

“Mexicali Blues”>

“Mama Tried”

“They Love Each Other”

“New Minglewood Blues”

“Scarlet Begonias”>

“Fire On The Mountain”

“Samson and Delilah”

“Ship Of Fools”

“Estimated Prophet”>

“Eyes Of The World”>

Rhythm Devils>

Space>

“Iko Iko”>

“Sugar Magnolia”

“U.S. Blues”