Grateful Dead My Brother Esau live versions: 104 shows
Explore 104 Grateful Dead performances of My Brother Esau from 1983-1987, with first and last dates, venues, setlists, and listening links.
Use this song page to choose a version, compare eras, and open show pages with listening links.
Start with these My Brother Esau versions
Best first listen: October 17, 1983 · Olympic Center · Lake Placid, NY, US
This Lake Placid date put the band in the Olympic Center sports complex known for its roles in the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics. Public audio circulates on Archive and Relisten, making it a useful exact-date stop for the fall 1983 tour.
Another strong choice: December 15, 1986 · Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena · Oakland, CA, US
Late 1986 already shows the band recovering some lift, and this Oakland set plays like a blueprint for the stronger years immediately ahead. The back-half Playing/Terrapin sequence is the main reason to revisit it.
Another strong choice: April 20, 1984 · Civic Convention Hall Auditorium · Philadelphia, PA, US
Philadelphia has the tough-edged attack typical of strong 1984 nights, but the setlist is unusually well shaped. The long Scarlet > Fire and the late Morning Dew make it more than just a brute-force mid-1980s show.
First catalog performance: March 25, 1983 · Compton Terrace · Tempe, AZ, US
Last catalog performance: October 3, 1987 · Shoreline Amphitheatre · Mountain View, CA, US
Top shows featuring My Brother Esau
October 17, 1983 · Olympic Center · Lake Placid, NY, US
December 15, 1986 · Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena · Oakland, CA, US
April 20, 1984 · Civic Convention Hall Auditorium · Philadelphia, PA, US
June 24, 1985 · Riverbend Music Center · Cincinnati, OH, US
April 27, 1985 · Frost Amphitheatre, Stanford University · Palo Alto, CA, US
October 20, 1984 · Carrier Dome, Syracuse University · Syracuse, NY, US
April 21, 1986 · Berkeley Community Theater · Berkeley, CA, US
June 16, 1985 · William Randolph Hearst Greek Theatre, UC Berkeley · Berkeley, CA, US
October 21, 1983 · Centrum · Worcester, MA, US
October 31, 1983 · Marin Veterans Memorial Auditorium · San Rafael, CA, US
July 1, 1985 · Merriweather Post Pavilion · Columbia, MD, US
April 15, 1983 · Rochester Community War Memorial · Rochester, NY, US
April 17, 1984 · Niagra Falls Convention Center · Niagra Falls, NY, US
July 3, 1984 · Starlight Theatre · Kansas City, MO, US
July 15, 1984 · William Randolph Hearst Greek Theatre, UC Berkeley · Berkeley, CA, US
April 26, 1983 · Spectrum · Philadelphia, PA, US
April 4, 1985 · Providence Civic Center · Providence, RI, US
April 13, 1983 · Patrick Gymnasium, University of Vermont · Burlington, VT, US
June 20, 1983 · Merriweather Post Pavilion · Columbia, MD, US
October 3, 1987 · Shoreline Amphitheatre · Mountain View, CA, US
July 2, 1987 · Silver Stadium · Rochester, NY, US
April 14, 1984 · Hampton Coliseum · Hampton, VA, US
October 28, 1984 · Berkeley Community Theater · Berkeley, CA, US
July 24, 1987 · Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Stadium · Oakand, CA, US
October 5, 1984 · Charlotte Coliseum · Charlotte, NC, US
December 31, 1983 · San Francisco Civic Auditorium · San Francisco, CA, US
April 9, 1983 · Hampton Coliseum · Hampton, VA, US
October 28, 1985 · Fox Theatre · Atlanta, GA, US
April 10, 1983 · Coliseum, West Virginia University · Morgantown, WV, US
July 14, 1985 · Ventura County Fairgrounds · Ventura, CA, US
March 29, 1985 · Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum · Uniondale, NY, US
July 7, 1984 · Alpine Valley Music Theatre · East Troy, WI, US
September 10, 1983 · Downs of Santa Fe · Santa Fe, NM, US
September 7, 1987 · Providence Civic Center · Providence, RI, US
June 27, 1984 · Merriweather Post Pavilion · Columbia, MD, US
November 8, 1985 · Rochester Community War Memorial · Rochester, NY, US
April 16, 1983 · Meadowlands Arena · East Rutherford, NJ, US
August 12, 1987 · Red Rocks Amphitheatre · Morrison, CO, US
July 30, 1983 · Ventura County Fairgrounds · Ventura, CA, US
March 25, 1983 · Compton Terrace · Tempe, AZ, US
September 7, 1985 · Red Rocks Amphitheatre · Morrison, CO, US
August 22, 1987 · Calaveras County Fairgrounds · Angels Camp, CA, US
November 2, 1985 · Richmond Coliseum · Richmond, VA, US
November 20, 1985 · Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center · Oakland, CA, US
June 22, 1983 · City Island · Harrisburg, PA, US
December 29, 1984 · San Francisco Civic Auditorium · San Francisco, CA, US
March 29, 1984 · Marin Veterans Memorial Auditorium · San Rafael, CA, US
June 12, 1987 · Ventura County Fairgrounds · Ventura, CA, US
October 9, 1984 · Centrum · Worcester, MA, US
December 30, 1985 · Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena · Oakland, CA, US
Related songs
Throwing Stones (43) · Not Fade Away (33) · Touch Of Grey (33) · Little Red Rooster (30) · Minglewood Blues (30) · The Other One (29) · Playing In The Band (28) · Samson And Delilah (28)