Brizz Record Bin- Grateful Dead “Bertha” [VIDEO]

It's day three of our five day Grateful Dead marathon on the Brizz Record Bin in honor of their 50th Anniversary shows at Soldier Field in July, dubbed 'Fare Thee Well.' The phrase comes from their ballad "Brokedown Palace." Today's Record Bin tune is one of my favorite show-openers, "Bertha." I'm not sure who Bertha is or was, but she's asked to stay away throughout the song. Meanwhile, Jerry Garcia lets his guitar soar during the solos. The tune chugs along and was always a great way to kick off a show, which they did often throughout the band's existence.

The band did a legendary European tour in 1972 and released a live album from it titled appropriately, Europe '72. These were some of the final shows with their original keyboardist Pigpen. Pigpen was a bluesman and really kept the band grounded in that style, though by this time the Grateful Dead were really stretching their wings as would be evident on their 1973 release Wake of the Flood.

Today's version of "Bertha" came from a follow-up to that album that was released a few years ago called Europe '72 II. It was recorded in Copenhagen, Denmark on April 14, 1972. The following video comes from a show at Duke University on April 12, 1978: