Standard disclaimer: When reviewing any Grateful Dead release at this point, it needs to be noted that a lot of the truly great shows from the band have already been professionally released. (If you are new to the band, check out RtBE's Beginners Guide to The Grateful Dead Part's one and two.) With their vast back catalog on archive.org and all of their previous releases, the band's selections are running thin when it comes to must own, professionally released concerts.
That said, the band still release shows because rabid fans (RtBE included) will listen to everything they put out. So let's dive in...
We search the murky back waters of youtube to find full concerts and post them to the site weekly, come back every seven days to help us celebrate Full Show Friday's. These shows are of varying quality and may not be here for long so enjoy them while you can...As always, please support the artist every which way, but especially by seeing them live (if they are still playing)...This week...New York Dolls!
Some incredibly rare footage from the Dolls in 1973 upstairs at Max's Kansas City.
It looks awful, sounds worse, but hot damn it is the Dolls in the prime! A cool historical capturing if not the best sounding.
As RtBE has mentioned in past reviews of recent Grateful Dead releases, there aren't that many major Grateful Dead shows to still officially release. The band and their archivists have done an amazing job of getting their best music out through Dick's Picks, Dave's Picks, Box Sets, Road Trips, Download Series and the list goes on.
For the last year live music was on lock down (like everything else in New York City). Live streams and old concerts have become essential for live music junkies like RtBE. Things are improving on the pandemic front in this city, but live streams will be an option for the foreseeable future. We will highlight various shows/streams/virtual events for your viewing and listening pleasure and as a way to help out the artists. You can always check out or weekly Full Show Friday series for concerts from the past and as always please support the artists any which way you can.
Today we highlight: Hot Tuna Acoustic and Electric - Live @ The Capital Theater
The long running act bring their talents to the Cap tonight, grab tix here.
To get in the mood here is a throwback tune from 1973 from an electric version of the Tuna:
On this day 48 years ago, the Grateful Dead played a show that has now become the 38th entry in the ongoing Dave's Picks series. This was an early part of the Fall 1973 tour, when the band was excited about their upcoming Wake of the Flood album which would be released a month later. The night in Nassau Memorial Coliseum captured here was the second night of the tour which would find the Dead criss crossing the country, playing some excellent shows to wrap up a very productive year for the band.
The Long Island event kicked off with a cooking "Bertha" as the band seemed locked in from the get go, in fact this is one of the shows where the first set outshines the second in all aspects. The show overall is a bit unique for the band during this time period as it doesn't contain any of the big jam vehicles from the group. No "Playin' In The Band", "Dark Star" or "The Other One" but the players just make the most of the songs presented. In particular Bob Weir and Phil Lesh are especially on their game this evening as Bill Kreutzmann pushes the beat while Keith Godchaux twinkles the ivories.
As always Jerry Garcia leads the way and brilliant versions of "Sugaree" and "Row Jimmy", his guitar and voice primed, ring out strongly. Clear crisp versions of tunes like "Tennessee Jed" and "Jack Straw" solidify the early section of the show with Weir delivering a gutsy "Looks Like Rain". As always Dave Lemieux and the Dead team have delivered top notch audio quality for the listening public as all of the songs vibrate beautifully placing you in the Coliseum on this night with the best seats in the old barn.
The highlight of the show as a whole happens at the end of the first set as "Weather Report Suite" complete with "Prelude" drips gorgeously out into the air delivering over fifteen minutes of blissful emotion, being played live for only the second time ever. Not to be outdone a "Eyes Of The World" drips, mellower then other versions, but still strong before a sorrowful "China Doll" shows off Garcia's wizardry with a slow ballad, ending a strong set.
Things become noticeably more relaxed, slower/sleepy and a bit less cohesive for the second set. Some interesting moments are "Let Me Sing Your Blues Away" which allows Keith to do a rare lead vocal and a messy "China Cat Sunflower" which recovers with a "Feeling Groovy" jam in the following "I Know You Rider". The best song of the underwhelming second set is "He's Gone", this show was played on Pigpen's birthday exactly six months after his death and there is a hypnotic spiritual quality to this jam that speaks to something higher as the band delivers the languid tune.
The encore picks back up that vibe as a gorgeous "Stella Blue" and and a succinct "One More Saturday Night" wrap up a mixed bag of a show. After so many official releases, not every one is going to be in the best-ever category and while there are certainly many better official releases from this 1973 Fall tour (Winterland 1973: The Complete Recordings, Road Trips Vol 4 No 3) this offering is pleasant, relaxed listen.
Dave's Picks 38 is far from vital, except for completists, but it is always worth checking in on the outfit night in and night out to see what they are up too, especially during 1973, a very fruitful year in their long career.
There is a lot of music out there and some artists have massive catalogs which can paralyze new listeners with overwhelming choices. This Beginners Guide series will attempt to give new listeners entry points to some of these artists. Today we will look at: The Grateful Dead.
This post was very long so we are breaking it into two parts. This first offering will discuss the five places RtBE feels are the best entry points to the band. The follow up post will dive into the different eras of the Dead and pull out some well known and underappreciated shows for further listening.
In part oneRtBE discussed live shows and albums which will ease a listener into the band. The group has such a wide range of music/sound/shows that RtBE went through the years they were active and pulled out specific highlights. While this gets long, it is literally the tip of the iceberg. The Internet Archive is a digital gold mine for amazing Grateful Dead shows, but below are are choices throughout the years for highlights and further listening.
We search the murky back waters of youtube to find full concerts and post them to the site weekly, come back every seven days to help us celebrate Full Show Friday's. These shows are of varying quality and may not be here for long so enjoy them while you can...As always, please support the artist every which way, but especially by seeing them live (if they are still playing)...This week...New York Dolls!
Today we have the New York Dolls from 1973 the year of their break out first album. Full set list below, Enjoy:
0:00 - Personality crisis3:45 - Bad girl7:03 - Stranded in the jungle11:35 - Pills (Bo Didley)14:10 - Trash17:21 - Looking for a kiss20:35 - Jet boy25:15 - Looking for a kiss28:10 - Personality crisis
The continuation of the Dave's Picks series (Dave Lemieux took over the Dick's Picks series started by Dick Latvala in 1993) proves how many nights The Grateful Dead were truly on and flowing. This is the fourth time a show from 1973 has been selected in Dave's series after four shows from 1973 arrived in Dick's original series, slotting in behind 1972 and 1977 respectfully rounding out the three best years of their career.
The most recent selection finds the band playing in one of their "home away from home's", the Philadelphia Spectrum. The band had recently lost one of it's original members as Ron "Pigpen" McKernan died earlier that month and the group was still feeling the loss on this night. Also of note Mickey Hart was no longer in the band leaving Bill Kreutzmann the lone man on the drums during this period and on this night he is the MVP of the show.
The thirty one tracks over three CD's are prime Dead as they start off with the rollicking "Bertha" to kick start the show with Jerry Garcia's fluid lines wrapping around Phil Lesh's upbeat bass bumps. Early highlights are a moving "Cumberland Blues" a Lesh vocal lead on the rare live version of "Box of Rain" and great take on "Me and Bobby McGee" lead by Bob Weir who also closes the set by singing "Playing In the Band", but this version does not reach the heights other '73 versions do.
A fine jolt of poetry and playing is rolled out for the "China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider" pairing and an excellent mid set "Stella Blue" beautifully shines giving Keith Godchaux (who is noticeably low in this mix) some space to roam around the piano, but the real reason for seeking out this release starts on the third CD as the end of this show is one for the ages.
The disk starts with a gorgeous version of "He's Gone", a heartfelt tribute to Pigpen, as the band winds it's way through adventurous and exciting musical passages. "Truckin'" picks up the pace with a tightly played version that should be in the all-time great conversation before things morph into the unknown.
When an official release from the band states "Jam" as a track, there is always a skeptical pause needed, but what flows out from the end of "Truckin'" is truly a jam in the best sense of the label. The playing is a melodic mix of blues and jazz interplay as Kreutzmann seems to be pushing the way forward before Jerry takes over, then approximately twelve minutes in Lesh steers the band into their version of "Spanish Jam" based around "Solea" from Miles Davis'sSketches of Spain.
Things then freak out back to the groups acid trip roots while winding down into a brief journey into "Dark Star", but for once that song singles the end of the experimentation, not the beginning. This sequence is a glorious collection of improvised communal playing which ranks with some of the best the band has ever produced. Stout versions of fan favorites "Sing Me Back Home", "Sugar Magnolia" and "Johnny B. Goode" end a truly memorable set of music.
It is hard to go wrong with any entry in the Dave's Picks series and Volume 32 is just another example of the bands, flexibility, durability and talent. Fans need to hear this show (if they haven't already), newcomers to the band can also very easily start here as this night in Philly has it all from the psychedelic folk'nicks as they pay tribute to a fallen brother with the best way they know how; great music.
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Support the band, buy the album and peep some video below (Not official album sound source):
We search the murky back waters of youtube to find full concerts and post them to the site weekly, come back every seven days to help us celebrate Full Show Friday's. These shows are of varying quality and may not be here for long so enjoy them while you can...As always, please support the artist every which way, but especially by seeing them live (if they are still playing)...This week...Bill Withers!
The immaculate Bill Withers from 1973 pro shot from a BBC concert. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer chats and sings gloriously and is in great spirits. Enjoy:
Both audio and video are as broadcast by the BBC.
Setlist: 00:00:00:00 Ain`t No Sunshine 00:03:18:11 Lonely Town, Lonely Street 00:09:14:16 Grandma`s Hands 00:11:40:18 Use Me 00:16:01:00 Let Me In Your Life 00:20:15:18 Lean On Me 00:24:47:08 Harlem 00:29:19:00 end
RtBE loves listening to new music and prides itself on keeping tabs on up and coming artists but in 2019 we are also going to have a monthly spotlight on legendary artists who we really love. We are calling this series The Masters. It will focus on the best albums, live records, transcendent shows and other odd ways we appreciate the artists and their contribution to music, culture and our formation.
For October The Masters focuses on Bruce Springsteen
The next "new Dylan" Bruce Springsteen had high expectations and early in his career searched for his own sound which would be solidified in the mid 70's as Phil Spector inspired grandiose rock and roll that goes for it every time.
An artist who recently pulled back the curtain on his craft, Springsteen famously said he never worked a day in his life but yet can craft a song like "The River" or "Factory" which cuts to the heart of a working man. Poetic, bombastic, country tinged and inspired by that sweet soul music, Bruce's sound is his own yet he inspired tons of others. It is impossible for RtBE to listen to Thin Lizzy and not hear Springsteen B-sides and for that matter half of E-Street went over the top with Bat Out of Hell.
The Boss remains an artist striving for the sound, his newest record went all retro-pop country, he is willing to experiment and take chances and his best successes rank up there with the greatest in rock and roll history. He became meticulous in the studio and it shows on the five albums we selected below so let's not waste any more words.
As a reminder these lists are to start conversations not end them, with that in mind let's see all that heaven will allow...
RtBE loves listening to new music and prides itself on keeping tabs on up and coming artists but in 2019 we are also going to have a monthly spotlight on legendary artists who we really love. We are calling this series The Masters. It will focus on the best albums, live records, transcendent shows and other odd ways we appreciate the artists and their contribution to music, culture and our formation.
When RtBE hears the term 'Rock Band' (not rock and roll mind you) The Who are always the band who jumps to mind. The group were heavy/hard before there was punk/metal. They were over the top, before there was prog. They were in touch with their feelings like folkies, but would make you start a mosh before that was a thing and they never backed down from a fight.
Pete Townshend, Roger Daltry, John Entwistle and Keith Moon were the perfect rock quartet. Each played their roles, were amazing at their craft and produced some of the greatest albums in rock history. They were not prolific in the studio, but each record we talk about today could be in talks for best ever.
Unlike a lot of other British Invasion acts, The Who didn't owe very much to the blues masters that came before them, they were much more influenced by the early American rock and roll inspired by those artists, almost a second generation influence. Unlike the Beatles and the Stones they kept the "roll" out of it and went more for a blasting, the already mentioned metal/punk/prog approach to their songs as they grew as a unit.
Townshend as a songwriter also tapped into constant themes of childhood abuse, teenage angst and mental confusion. The best part about his songs is that he somehow managed to keep a sense of humor about him and his lyrics. The Who were fun, deep, exciting and a kick ass band so let's dig into their top 5 studio albums....As a reminder, this list is meant to start discussions, not end them....
RtBE loves listening to new music and prides itself on keeping tabs on up and coming artists, but in 2019 we are also going to have a monthly spotlight on legendary artists who we really love. We are calling this series The Masters. It will focus on the best albums, live records, transcendent shows and other odd ways we appreciate the artists and their contribution to music, culture and our formation.
For August The Masters focuses on the great Neil Young.
Live music is the best thing out there. Being caught in the moment is religion. Palpable vibes of healing and energy are transmitted and shit...gets...real. This month's focus, Neil Young has been following his musical muse from soft acoustic one man shows to huge loud electric raging his whole career.
We already discussed best studio albums and will get to our favorites with Crazy Horse next week, but now it is the live show. Having seen Uncle Neil live in various formations this was a fun one to revisit. There have been a bunch of recent archive releases, and there promises to be even more in the future, which could alter this collection but this is how we feel now.
Also, there is one album in his catalog which could possibly top this list, but we will discuss why we kept it out later. Remember these lists are meant to start conversations, not end them, now let Neil guide the way....
RtBE loves listening to new music and prides itself on keeping tabs on up and coming artists but in 2019 we are also going to have a monthly spotlight on legendary artists who we really love. We are calling this series The Masters. It will focus on the best albums, live records, transcendent shows and other odd ways we appreciate the artists and their contribution to music, culture and our formation.
The Godfather himself, James Brown joins The Masters series here on RtBE. He is the visionary artist who helped invent funk and hip-hop as he moved through the amazing funky waters of time and his mind. Mr. Please Please Me is iconic and moved from The Famous Flames to Soul Brother #1 to the Godfather with ease as he aged.
He however joins the likes of Miles when RtBE is conflicted about the art and the artist. Longform collected just a few pieces on him, but it is safe to say that Brown's actions makes it tough with our love for the mans music. That said, we wrote about our feelings on Brown when he passed away for Glide as he had a huge influence on our musical ears and he won't be the first or last artist we are conflicted about loving.
Today we are going to dive into his studio output and rank our favorite studio albums by Brown. Perhaps not shockingly, but like Elvis Presley, Brown is a mega artist who does not have definitive studio albums. His early albums were almost random collections of singles, his later albums were scattered, many didn't even have the title songs on them or were mixes of live/studio/overdub Frankenstein's (looking at you Sex Machine).
Some of these actual records are out of print and honestly people aren't losing much because of that. Live albums, box sets, greatest hits, he checks all those boxes, but a definitive studio effort is hard to find...let's give it a go anyways...
As always, these lists are designed to start conversations, not end them.
RtBE loves listening to new music and prides itself on keeping tabs on up and coming artists but in 2019 we are also going to have a monthly spotlight on legendary artists who we really love. We are calling this series The Masters. It will focus on the best albums, live records, transcendent shows and other odd ways we appreciate the artists and their contribution to music, culture and our formation.
For April The Masters focuses on The Rolling Stones.
Live music is the best thing out there. Being caught in the moment is religion. Palpable vibes of healing and energy are transmitted and shit...gets...real. For this month's focus, The Rolling Stones are one of the best live bands in the world, but their studio albums get more respect than any live records and with reason.
While the the group has released a bunch of live records, throughout their career they acted more as stop gaps and contract fillers than devastating/must hear shows. Moments may feel transcendent but this is a group who managed to get the most out of their premier studio work and a lot of their live albums fall into the "release so we can stave off a studio record" category.
However, things have been changing over the last ten years as their archives have opened up and some great sets/shows/performances have been officially released to the world through the vault series and other venues. Longtime fans have had bootlegs of these for years, but now they get better quality and blessings from the band.
Below RtBE ranks their best five live albums, so let's get to it.
As always, these lists are designed to start conversations, not end them.
We search the murky back waters of youtube to find full concerts and post them to the site weekly, come back every seven days to help us celebrate Full Show Friday's. These shows are of varying quality and may not be here for long so enjoy them while you can...As always, please support the artist every which way, but especially by seeing them live (if they are still playing)...This week...Hound Dog Taylor!
This months focus in our ongoing Masters series are The Blues.
When we were ranking our best live blues albums Hound Dog Taylor'sBeware of Dog! album just missed our list. So to make up for that we are giving Hound Dog his own Full Show Friday this month. Sloppy video, gut bucket blues, just the way he would have liked it.
Full set list below, Enjoy:
0:00:00 Held My Baby Last Night0:04:30 Hound Dog's Farewell0:05:09 Hound Dog Talking0:06:15 Taylor's Rock 0:09:15 Hound Dog Talking0:09:47 Wild About You, Baby0:12:50 Hound Dog Talking And Introducing Band0:14:00 Roll Your Money Maker0:16:46 Hound Dog Talking and Tuning0:18:05 Sadie0:23:48 Hound Dog Talking About His Band0:24:43 Brewer Phillips' Song0:27:50 Ted Harvey's Song And Drum Solo
We search the murky back waters of youtube to find full concerts and post them to the site weekly, come back every seven days to help us celebrate Full Show Friday's. These shows are of varying quality and may not be here for long so enjoy them while you can...As always, please support the artist every which way, but especially by seeing them live (if they are still playing)...This week...Miles Davis!
It's Jazzy January again here at RtBE, so get ready to kick off 2018 with some different styled shows every Friday. For this series we skew into new (or more recent) jazz lands. Keeping it current proves there is amazing live jazz still being performed no matter what Ken Burns says.
For January The Masters focuses on Jazz great Miles Davis.
Continuing RtBE's Masters series this month we dig into a Full Show Friday from our favorite era of Davis, (and break our new jazz pledge again) his mid seventies live electrical phase. The concert from Vienna Stadthalle in 1973 may not be as powerful of some of the live albums we highlighted earlier this month, but it bright and cleanly shows a group of musicians getting after it with Davis.
That crew is: Dave Liebman (ss, ts, fl); Pete Cosey (g, perc); Reggie Lucas (g); Michael Henderson (el-b); Al Foster (d); James Mtume Forman (cga, perc). The alchemy and interplay is something to behold and while it certainly isn't for everyone it is some damn fine magic to these ears and eyes...
Pro shot with Pro Sound, which does wave in and out not always capturing all the instruments and I wish it was louder, but still worth hearing. No need for setlists...Enjoy:
We search the murky back waters of youtube to find full concerts and post them to the site weekly, come back every seven days to help us celebrate Full Show Friday's. These shows are of varying quality and may not be here for long so enjoy them while you can...As always, please support the artist every which way, but especially by seeing them live (if they are still playing)...This week...Earth Wind and Fire!
This is the second time we are showcasing Earth Wind and Fire, but this is a completely different beast from the Las Vegas'y 1997 version of the band. Dating back to 1973, this is a less showy, more organic version of the band captured on the television show Soul. The band is working with their first major album Head To The Sky and the wah-wah gets thick in front of the excellent low end.
The grooves start at the beginning and don't stop. Pro shot and Pro sound, but the sound from '73 isn't the greatest. It doesn't detract too much from the overall enjoyment of the half hour broadcast. We also need to give a shoutout to Pa'Dukes who rates EW&F as one of his all-time favorites. Enjoy:
We search the murky back waters of youtube to find full concerts and post them to the site weekly, come back every seven days to help us celebrate Full Show Friday's.
These shows are of varying quality and may not be here for long so
enjoy them while you can...As always, please support the artist every
which way, but especially by seeing them live (if they are still
playing)...This week...Freddie King!
This month RTBE will pay homage to The Blues with 5 special shows for every Friday in October. So get sad, get happy eat your greens and get the blues.
The man with the killer guitar face, Freddie King is our Full Show Friday this week as we still got the blues. Out of all the blues greats we probably know the least from Freddie King as he died at the young age of 42, but god damn do we love to hear him play and sing, what a treat. Having both Chicago and Texas blues styles is a perfect combo as the weeping/fiery guitar can intermingle gorgeously.
Simply put, one listen to him playing and singing "Have You Ever Loved a Woman" puts Eric Clapton's version to shame.
After a hot weekend how about some cool rock and roll to start things off? Going to hop right too it and blaze out the second set of the Grateful Dead's 9-15-1973 Show from Providence Civic Center,
click that link or listen right c'here:
This is a soundboard recording and the crystal clear sound is completely intact, but there is a distance to the playing as if the audience wasn't even there...I honestly would give up a bit of the pristine sound for some cheers in the mix, that said though all the levels here are smooth. Two of the MVP's on this night are the twinkling almost barroom piano rolling of Keith Godchaux and the crisp drumming of Bill Kreutzmann.
Bill is especially impressive as he was in all of 1973 while his Rhythm Devil partner was on the sidelines having left the band, working the engine fell to Bill and his fluid style is impressive on this night in Providence. Hearing Keith play with this much freedom is not something always experienced with his time in the the band, it is refreshing.
The opening trio of tunes are well played, and an emotional Jerry adds gravity to "Row Jimmy" but the reason that I picked this show starts with the loose "Truckin'" that wanders out and about half way through finds a few guests poppin' up, breaking out the horns, and blowing all over the joint. Martin Fierro joins on Sax and Joe Ellis contributes Trumpet from here to the end of the show, and as any time the horns show up, the boys give it their all. "Truckin'" is really all over the map, the horns are allowed to experiment and ramble, while on "Eye's of The World" there seems to have been charts and progressions worked out before hand. Both methods work just fine as either side gets to try new things out and add flair to some of the groups most loved songs.
It seems whenever the brass comes to the stage things get fierce, I will certainly cover a Branford show in the future, but this night was a different. It isn't perfect, there are some gaps, but you can tell the band is trying to play "in the moment" which is vital; they moved from a straight rock and roll group to more jazz laced outfit, especially around the 9 minute mark of "Eyes" when Jerry just starts riffing with Fierro, tasty stuff.
This second set is basically Wake of the Flood live, even the rare "Let Me Sing Your Blues Away" gets an airing allowing Keith to sing one...while this isn't the best performance, it is a funky little ditty and Jerry does a bang up job with the harmonies along with Donna.
Fierro picks up the flute for the "WRS Prelude" and it melds brilliantly with Garcia's dripping leads. The tightness with which all the musicians push into "Let It Grow" is a bit shocking giving the looseness that precedes and shows up again in the jam section, but it is a tight ship when this beast starts revving up. Once the vocals by Bobby and Donna are completed the horns are taken for a stroll starting around the 6:20 mark with Jerry dancing around the edges at a frantic pace before the tune really winds out into free jazz.
While the chaos eases out we get a beautiful rendition of my favorite Jerry ballad, "Stella Blue", and this rendition is weepingly glorious, a version worth coming back to again and again. The spicy trumpet pumping "Sugar Magnolia" finds Donna in a screeching mood and the party themed "One More Saturday Night" close things up on the is September Night in Providence, putting a stamp on a unique tour for the Dead. I have heard in various places that people didn't really like this horn combo playing with the fellas, but I have very little to critique from this night's show, I thought that Fierro and Ellis added tone, mood and color as well as serving to inspire the group to branch out or get tight when it was called for. A real winner of a show in the groups history.
Unrelated Side Note:
Big ups to Spain, the World Cup is such a great sporting event I managed to catch the finals on the Lower West side at Brass Monkey's Block Party
under the sun with Pete and some other 500 or so people.
The joint was packed and we happened to be in the heart of the Spanish fans who were in a much louder mood then their Dutch rivals. I just wanted a good game, it wasn't the best, but it was engaging and the crowd made it fun, I wish Xavier or Doug was there to translate what the Spanish ladies next to us were saying, but overall a great time.
Can't wait for Chelsea to start up in a couple of weeks, and next World Cup, I think it might be time to head to Brazil.
Had the pleasure of spending most of the last week in Colorado, for the Webwise 2010 conference. It was a good event, that got me thinking about some things digital, and as an added bonus they played some great tunes between sessions...here are two examples:
The Velvets:
Muse:
Who says Libraries and Museums aren't hip?!? Actually it is amazing how good music makes everything better...more people should understand this, and by playing great music it actually raised peoples spirits, if the tweets were any indication (#webwise).
So now that I am back in NYC, time to mine the Archive for some Monday Mountain Music that the Grateful Dead produced in the great city of Denver. Been loving 1973 lately so why not stick around that year for one more show?
That is exactly what I am going to do with today's honeydew of a concert: 11-20-1973. Listen through that link on the archive or right c'here:
11/20 is a picture perfect example of 1973 Wall of Sound show from the boys.
Keith's pianos are high in the mix and really add a calming sense to the night's playing. The vocals may be a bit low but Kreutzmann is all over the place holding it down solo on the kit allowing the band to stretch out one moment that pull it in precisely the next. Early on, Bobby's "Black Throated Wind" is yelped excellently, "To Lay Me Down" is a pure weeper from Garcia (maybe an all time best version with a killer solo and Donna), along with a piano poppin' "Race is On" and a excellent cover of "Me and Bobby McGee". Jerry seems to be hitting the ballads and Bobby the rockers on this night.
Today I need to focus on the end of this gem. The setlist here states: "Truckin'-> The Other One-> Mind Left Body Jam-> Stella Blue" and on paper it looks good, but maybe not mind blowing...whoa there whippersnapper; rock concerts aren't played on paper! What is contained in those funky arrows is a whole lot of tripped out experimental playing and segue booms via Phil Lesh's bombs; exploding into righteous jamming. If you are pressed for time today just skip on down to "Truckin'" and buckle up...
Bobby fires off the lyrics, and manages to only stumble a few times...actually they all seem to fumble with the lyrics a bit here, but no worries as things take off around 5 minutes in. The build up to the 6 minute mark is is pure fire, lead by Keith's hard piano runs and Garcia's strums. Things settle back down into an almost "Spoonful" vibe before Phil and Bill take over with a drum and bass duet at the 9:15 mark. OK I love me some Phil and man this is a cool couple of minutes here...angular and inventive. Then the familiar rumble of Lesh's opening to "The Other One" hits and the full band is off and running. Keith again accents the proceedings wonderfully, before the group drop into a fluid jam that cooks around the 4:20 mark of this one (Insert lame reefer joke here).
They easily slip in and out of "The Other One" before a chaotic "Meltdown Jam" and gorgeous "Mind Left Body Jam". The word Jam has some stale connotations these days...not on this night in 1973; this is magical, and it is all capped off with a dynamite "Stella Blue" that gloriously ends this fantastic playing from the group. It gets you high as a kite for those Denver nights...speaking of which:
While I was in Denver this week I never left the city and didn't take any good pictures, however for the 4th of July 2007 I went out to Colorado with some good friends. The above is a picture of Echo Lake...below is a picture of us on the top of Mount Evans
When we made it back down thanks to our Sherpa/Lunatic/Driver/Tour Guide Wilson, we had some of the best pie of our collective lives...ah it's the little things. Enjoy the tunes....
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