The band opens the show with
“That’s What Love Will Make You Do.” There is a slight hesitation at the
beginning, but once that great groove is established by Bill Kreutzmann and
John Kahn, things start moving, start flowing well, and Martin Fiero adds great
touches on saxophone, supporting Jerry’s wonderful vocals. I’m particularly
fond of John Kahn’s bass work on this rendition. Merl delivers some fun stuff
on keys during the jam, really leading the band during that section. Martin
then takes a turn at lead on sax. I always loved the addition of saxophone to
the Jerry Garcia Band, and was fortunate enough to see Clarence Clemons play
with Jerry a couple of times. Here, Martin really propels the song to another
level, and you can hear the crowd respond appreciatively. Martin Fiero then
switches to flute for his own composition, “La La,” a light and pretty
instrumental number that Fiero leads from the beginning. But check out Bill
Kreutzmann’s wonderful jazzy drumming here. This song has kind of a pleasant
vibe, but also has surprises and some phenomenal playing. This is one to pay
attention to. There are some moments that feel akin to those delicious 1973 and
1974 versions of “Eyes Of The World,” especially in the way Jerry’s guitar has a free-flowing
and joyous sound. The song starts to soar toward the end, and then right at the end
becomes spacey. This track is wonderful. They then dip into bluesy waters with
“It Ain’t No Use,” with Martin Fiero back on saxophone. This one builds nicely
to become an energetic blues number. The first set then concludes with a
seriously fun and groovy version of “Mystery Train.” This one just gets
better and better.
The second set gets off to an
excellent start with “The Harder They Come.” The first reggae album I ever
bought, when I was like fourteen or fifteen, was a Jimmy Cliff cassette, and I’ve
had a love for his music ever since. Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders deliver a
nice, long rendition here, really digging into that groove. And this is a song
that still resonates strongly. Plus, there’s some great work on saxophone, as
well as some joyous work on guitar by Jerry Garcia. This track should put a
smile on your face. “Ain’t No Woman (Like The One I’ve Got)” is not a song I
would associate with Jerry Garcia. It’s not a bad song, but seems an odd,
surprising choice. Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders deliver an instrumental
rendition. For this one, Martin Ferio switches again to flute, playing what
would be the vocal line on it at the beginning. But a little later the track
develops a funky groove, with Jerry Garcia and John Kahn working so well
together, and Merl free to go for it on keys. The jam gets a little weird, at
one point sounding like a computerized phone dialing or something. They follow
that with “It’s Too Late,” which has a delicious, classic vibe, especially with
the presence of saxophone. Things get even more fun with “(I’m A) Road Runner,”
a song about a restless soul hitting the road, certainly an appropriate subject
for Jerry Garcia, and for fans of the Grateful Dead. They then conclude the
show with “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.” It’s not a bad rendition, but
the version on Garcia Live Volume Eight is much better.
CD Track List
Disc One
- That’s What Love Will Make You Do
- La La
- It Ain’t No Use
- Mystery Train
Disc Two
- The Harder They Come
- Ain’t No Woman (Like The One I’ve Got)
- It’s Too Late
- (I’m A) Road Runner
- The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
Garcia Live Volume Nine was released on July 28, 2017.
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