A rare treat (they only played it 9 times in 1987). Well your brain is on the ceiling by now, and so not expecting the boogie down version of GDTRFB that suddenly erupts out of nowhere. Lots of mellow digital noodling from Garcia with quiet background layers from Bob. The post drums is almost like another show. ![]() Because as good as the show is up to this point, when they start Space, it's obvious they've decided to play at another level entirely. This is a show where you have to wonder what goodies awaited the band backstage during the break. Is this the Who? Wow!! And the crowd goes wild. ![]() Jerry hits the notes with confidence and the drummers thunder with passion. Jazz fusion, prog rock, call it whatever. Some have called Terrapin the Dark Star of the 1980's, and indeed it does have a similar beat and often serves (though not to my satisfaction) as a substitute trippy jam vehicle for the second set. A long call and response coda follows - which drops us squarely into the first chiming chord of Terrapin !! Women continues the danceable theme with lots of energy and great B3 work from Brent. Jerry and Phil lay down the funk even George Clinton would be proud of. Shakedown is a fantastic spine-shaking start to the set. The trickster element of this show is that you're not expecting the Warp Ten over the top music that's to follow in Set Two, especially in the post Drums section. Although there is nothing really 5 star outstanding about the set, it gets the job done. Set One is solid, with no embarrassing songs. And for a mega-emotional show like this one, some crowd reaction is an essential part of the listening experience. ![]() The crowd cheers the return of the chorus, and BTW - that's a nice feature of this SBD in that you do get a bit of the feel of the hall and the crowd in the mix. Garcia churns up the lightning with lots of Townsend type strumming. The drummers weave tapestries of pulses behind Jerry on the jams, yet never get in the way. Rather than drag along, Masterpiece continues the momentum and prepares us for a stellar Bird Song. We get a good version from Bob here, and the Dead do their best to sound like the Band with fine honky-tonk piano from Brent. Masterpiece was predictable, as in the Fall of 1987 they played a Dylan song almost every show. But, I'm sure if you were present and dosed, it sounded amazing. I don't care much for Jerry's wah pedal use on Candyman, however. You know, the legend, ballad type of songs with symbolic lyrics that point both inward to the personal psyche and outward to the cosmos.īird Song is one of those. Candyman shows that Jerry is feeling comfortable and is in his "epic song" mood. Okay, two great songs out of the gate, Bucket and Sugaree. Jerry really stretches out the solo, plus delivers some not so croaky vocals. Sugaree is taken at a good tempo, laid back but with a kick. Listen to the guitars, what edge and drive!! This show simply rocks.īucket blazes out with an attitude and sound that makes me think of the Beatles recording Revolution (the fast version). But the clarity and strength of the playing quickly overcomes such critical bias. ![]() Although I admit it's a slam dunk for a top ten, the majesty of this show can't be passed over, even at the risk of being cliche.Īs with many of these 87 post-coma shows, there are not many trippy or long jams. I've wanted to review this show for a long time. Madison SG was one of those places (see also MSG runs in 19). Even though the Dead's quality of playing during the 1980's was a hit or miss affair, depending on the year, there were certain runs at certain venues that you could always count on for the Dead being on their game and playing some memorable music.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |