Grateful Dead’s ‘Duke ’78’ Uncovers Complete Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, NC 4/12/78 Show (ALBUM REVIEW)

In the thirty-year history of the Grateful Dead, 1978 may be most notable for the group’s adventure to the Great Pyramid in Egypt and the imminent departure of Keith and Donna Godchaux from the band. But now, in a cull from the more extensive collection of eight shows on nineteen CDs titled Friend of the Devils, Duke ’78 also correlates to (and suffers slightly compared to) the latest Dave’s Picks, Volume 51. 

The timeline thus created between these April shows benchmark the outset and the end of an era. Ultimately, this three-CD set featuring the previously unreleased complete show on 4/12/78 from Cameron Indoor Stadium at Duke University is a tribute to Keith’s tenure with the psychedelic Warriors (ending in February of 1979). Oddly, however, the man who is arguably the most skilled keyboardist they ever employed is noticeably inconspicuous in this performance: his stasis of imagination may account for the lapses in positive energy that occur.

Fortunately, the recording by Betty Cantor-Jackson is the usual definition of sonic clarity up and down the dynamic range (and all across the stereo spectrum as mastered by Jeffrey Norman). At the heart of the audio’s impact, of course, is the playing of the band at large, and, with a day off from touring to follow immediately, the group often plays with unusual abandon, much like the final night of the famous tour of Europe, as documented on Lyceum Theatre, London, England 5/26/72. Nevertheless, that carefree attitude does get the better of them near the conclusion, during the atrocious vocal harmonizing during “Truckin'”.

The realism in the audio mirrors the no-frills approach of the Grateful Dead in this favored setting of theirs in Durham, NC. As with the vaunted concerts like Cornell of the year prior–far more streamlined than the edgier likes of this show–the band essentially warms up with six-to-eight-minute renditions of familiar material such as “Jack Straw” and “Dire Wolf” (where mic issues adversely affect Jerry Garcia’s vocals, then continue off and on throughout).

But slightly less than two minutes of a playful “Funicali Funicula” appears to signal the septet is ready to flex its muscles. Accordingly, eleven-some minutes of “Row Jimmy” slowly unfold shortly thereafter, its ever-so-delicate verses giving way to a comparably gentle, churning conclusion. The halting start of this approximately four-hour concert enhances the drama of the performance in its entirety.

To that end, nearly a half-hour of “Rhythm Devils” might seem daunting, but it is generally an effective set-up for “Estimated Prophet” and “Eyes of the World.” With both those selections running twelve minutes-plus and the cinematic ten minutes of “Wharf Rat” soon to follow, this progression is generally the definition of intelligent dynamism. 

Notwithstanding the fact it might well have been trimmed of five to seven minutes, the extended spotlight on Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart as they work on an early version of the so-called ‘Beast’ of beats maintains and elevates the intensity of what precedes, then follows it (even with roadies and Jerry taking part). In effect, the percussion workout is a microcosm of the edgy ebb and flow of Duke ’78, which includes the abandoned revelry of “Good Lovin'” and a most dense and involved “Loser.” 

At its pinnacles too, the participants’ interactions alongside the drummers mirror the precise instrumental counterpoint of Garcia and Lesh on “Eyes of the World.” That interplay in itself recalls the Live/Dead era and the sense of the sublime these two conjured up more than compensates for the minimal presence of Godchaux (whose spouse thankfully acquits herself with some self-restraint throughout).

That particular juncture seems more than a little removed from the sprightly “Mama Tried” early in the first set. But the music of the Grateful Dead, at its best, is nothing if not transportive. If this spring period, including Duke ’78 finds the band eschewing their most adventurous outings (at least compared to the 73-’74 ‘Wall of Sound’ era), that’s because the group’s development since 1971, when the now deceased keyboardist had initially joined, had reached its point of fruition. Although only apparent at fleeting moments, the ennui is palpable.

And, in a point of not wholly surprising serendipity typical of Grateful Dead outings, the packaging of Duke ’78 reflects its contents. Matthew Brannon’s rudimentary artwork gains style through the foil-like finish of the triple-fold digipak, while at least some of the action shots therein (or others like them taken during the performance) might have been interspersed with the essays that populate the twelve-page booklet. 

As it is, the sight of nothing but prose inside that enclosure is daunting and proves ponderous in the reading. Both authors’ writing could’ve used more scrupulous editing, the recently-deceased Steve Silberman’s to prioritize an over-abundance of themes and Eric Myln’s to fact-check the Young Rascals were the source of “Good Lovin’,” not the Lovin’ Spoonful. 

The contagious malaise creeping upon the Grateful Dead at the end of the Seventies would appear to have an incubation period stretching up to the present. Fortunately, the team of archivists headed by David Lemiuex retains at least some measure of healthy detachment, ergo the choice of this single show that reaffirms (if sometimes only indirectly) some salient and noteworthy points in the Grateful Dead’s career arc.