Grateful Dead’s ‘Friend of the Devils’ to Feature 8 Unheard Shows

The newly announced Grateful Dead box Friend of the Devils: April 1978 will include eight complete previously unreleased concerts. Available on Sept. 20, this 19-disc set returns to the post-hiatus era when “Drums” and “Space” were becoming established as second-set traditions.

The Grateful Dead had released Terrapin Station the previous summer. They’d return to the studio in July to begin work on Shakedown Street, which followed in November 1978. Neither was a big hit, but Grateful Dead archivist David Lemieux notes that the group kept their momentum out on the road.

“These eight shows tell the story of a band that was engaged, inspired and focused on bringing their A-game every single night,” Lemieux says in a news release. “If there was ever a tour on which the Dead deliver every single moment, it’s this one.”

READ MORE: Top 10 Grateful Dead Songs

This month of shows found the Grateful Dead performing early songs (“Dupree’s Diamond Blues” and “New Minglewood Blues”) and more recent favorites (“Jack Straw” and “Eyes of the World”) as well as deep cuts (“It Must Have Been the Roses”) and traditional songs like “Iko Iko.” Newer material included “Estimated Prophet” and “Dancing in the Street” from Terrapin Station, and “Fire on the Mountain” from the upcoming Shakedown Street.

Where to Buy Grateful Dead’s ‘Friend of the Devils’

Friend of the Devils: April 1978 will be available exclusively from Dead.net and is limited to 10,000 individually numbered copies. Pre-ordering is already underway. See the complete list of unreleased concerts below and stream a previously unissued live update of “U.S. Blues” from an April 12, 1978, concert at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.

The Duke concert will issued separately on Sept. 20 through Rhino Records in 3CD, 4LP and digital formats. Preorder Duke ’78 here; the complete track listing is also below.

Audio engineer Jeffrey Norman mastered Friend of the Devils: April 1978, while Steve Vance designed the custom box featuring a removable wave drum. The deluxe collection also includes a 48-page book, with exclusive photos and original liner notes by Steve Silberman. Matthew Brannon created the set’s artwork.

Previously Unreleased ‘Friend of the Devils’ Concerts
4/6/78: Curtis Hixon Convention Hall, Tampa, Florida
4/7/78: Sportatorium, Pembroke Pines, Florida
4/8/78: Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Jacksonville, Florida
4/10 and 4/11/78: Fox Theatre, Atlanta, Georgia
4/12/78: Cameron Indoor Stadium, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
4/14/78: Cassell Coliseum, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, Virgina
4/16/78: Huntington Civic Center, Huntington, West Virginia

Duke ’78 Track Listing
Disc One
“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”

Disc Two
“Bertha”>
“Good Lovin’”
“It Must Have Been the Roses”

Disc Three
“Estimated Prophet”>
“Eyes of the World”>
Rhythm Devils>
“Truckin’”>
“Wharf Rat”>
“Around and Around”
“U.S. Blues”