The Dead and Poe are an unexpected duo, but think about it: The Grateful Dead? That’s a scary name. The words start at 1:58-“quoth the Raven, ‘Nevermore’”-and the nitrous oxide is a constant throughout (you can tell because of the audience member exclamations of, “Oh, not the dentist,” and a band member saying, in a frightening voice, “More nitrous.

This is likely what moved them to turn their experimental semi-improvised songs “Drums” and “Space” into the Poe-influenced “Raven Space”: ambient drums become groaning, creaking, deranged laughing. The Dead performed the “Raven” tribute on the last day of a tour, in Baltimore, Maryland-Poe’s hometown. The Grateful Dead, for instance, weren’t moved by norms, seasonal or otherwise, on April 19th, 1982-when they chose to pay tribute to Edgar Allan Poe’s frightening classic “The Raven” via a twelve-minute, nitrous oxide-fueled freestyle.

For me, this enthusiasm for the eerie is limited to a week in October, but some don’t let month dictate their mood. It’s less than a week away from Halloween, and I’m feeling the excitement that always comes with an agreed-upon atmosphere.

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