Disc 1
The first disc includes the entire first set, as well as the first song of the second set, the encore (which reminds me of the tapes we used to trade, for often the encore would be placed at the end of the first set cassette) and the final song of the first set from the January 31st show. After a brief bit of tuning, "Jack Straw" is counted off, always a good choice to set the night in motion. This version begins with a sweet, smooth sound, and builds from there. Everything is sounding so clear here. We can picture the eagles filling the sky so easily, picking up the vibe of the music below, for everything seems affected by the Grateful Dead when the band is on. Everything sounds right. And it isn't long before Jerry Garcia's guitar is leading us to some fantastic heights, right up there next to those eagles, and then past them. And that's when the power of this song is at its zenith, before then relaxing again toward the end. After a moment, the band eases into "Friend Of The Devil," which has a pretty vibe. "And if he catches up with me, I'll spend my life in jail." Jerry's voice, his delivery is so moving, and Keith Godchaux delivers some nice work on keys. This is a wonderful rendition, a gentle dance through the night. From what we can hear, it's clear the crowd there appreciates the beauty of this version.
Bob Weir then takes things in another direction with "Mama Tried." Yup, it's Country Bob time. And maybe the sheriff did catch up with Jerry after all. Just listen to him as he joins in on the "I turned twenty-one in prison, doing life without parole" line, the energy to his voice. That leads straight into "Me And My Uncle," itself having a good energy. At this show, Bob ends it with the line, "And I left him lying there by the side of the road." On the first couple of notes to "Ramble On Rose," the crowd reacts. There is almost a false start to this song, and then the song is underway. This is another that makes us feel all is right with the world. "Ramble on baby, settle down easy." It's a song that takes us in its arms and carries us through the fires, upon the shifting earth, and tells us just how it is. "The grass ain't greener, the wine ain't sweeter/Either side of the hill." And we can cope. That's something the Grateful Dead's music gives us.
Bob mentions some problems with the monitors, and promises to get everything "just exactly perfect." I love the playful banter, and I love that Bob then leads the band into one of my favorite songs, "Cassidy," a song where everything comes together in an extraordinary way. This is a rendition with both beauty and power, and is a good one to dance to. "Let your life proceed by its own design." And that guitar is ready to drive a spike right through the heavens to create a path that we can all travel upon. Wow. Then we get "Sunrise," a haunting and gorgeous song from Terrapin Station, one the Dead played only thirty times, and one that features Donna Jean Godchaux on lead vocals. She wrote this song. I love hearing the crowd cheer as it begins, because there were some fans who did not appreciate her contributions to the band. Jerry then chooses "Sugaree," always one to get the crowd feeling good. And this version has a really good vocal performance from Jerry. This rendition builds a staircase to a better place and pulls us up it during that jam. This jam could drive right through any barrier. And that's how the first set ends. Only fifty minutes or so, but what a great fifty minutes!
But the first disc isn't over. Next is the second set opener, "Samson And Delilah," which has a good energy, and features some delicious drumming by Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart. And Bob is tearing into those vocals at times, which is bloody great. There is a wild energy to the jam, which seems to be driving the band forward. That's followed by the show's encore, which is a cover of Chuck Berry's "Around And Around," with Bob adding some playful stuttering in the verses. They pick up the pace, delivering a great rock and roll jam, before then bringing it down, bringing it in close, almost a whisper, so that they can burst up to that high level again to wrap it up. And the first disc still isn't done. We get the final song from the first set of the January 31, 1978 show, an excellent version of "Let It Grow." There is an incredible amount of power behind this one, and there is some playing that will shake the lightning from those clouds. The drums are dancing, a boogie within the thunder. Incredible. I hope this year's Dave's Picks bonus disc contains the rest of this set if it's even half as good as this "Let It Grow."
Disc 2
The second disc contains the rest of the second set, picking up with a sweet rendition of "It Must Have Been The Roses." We can feel the passion. And the band lets that song rest with the crowd for a moment, before Bob counts in "Estimated Prophet." This song features some fantastic work by Phil Lesh on bass. And it aims to lift us to some possibly real, possibly mythical spot, "Way up in the middle of the air." The air itself seems to part, and a fresh light comes through. And then the groove carries us through, carries us across, dancing, smiling, ready, relaxed, the air smoothing the edges. It takes these wonderful, bright steps at the end, toward some great new dawn. And soon we find ourselves moving into "He's Gone," a really nice transition. The song begins in a mellow place, soothing us, mellow even in the "Steal your face" line. This is a gentle, touching rendition. Jerry's voice then raises on "Smile, smile, smile." Ah, what else can we do? What else should we do? "Going where the wind don't blow so strange." And the second time around, the "Steal your face" line has more energy. The vocal jam, as usual, is one of my favorite parts, and this time it's beautiful, almost like meditation at first, and is given time to grow and breathe.
The music eases into the "Drums" segment, which has its own sort of meditative aspect early on, with blues and greens and purples bubbling up before something more insistent behind it emerges. Then there is a march of alien figures coming in through the ceiling, through the walls, coming together in a circle, dizzy and delighted on some sort of otherworldly medication. A new beat begins to take form, and it leads to a cool jam. I love how Phil kind of determines the direction then, the song soon becoming a really nice jam, with a positive vibe, skirting the darker territory and creating a great place to dance. Things change subtly, then, bam, we are into "The Other One," a monster that changes each time it is summoned, each time it is encountered, so that it must be approached differently. This time, it is from above, with forces spread wide, approaching simultaneously and driving into the thing with confidence. And then Bob delivers the first verse. The jam provides darker waves to ride upon, not to tame, leading us to stranger territory. Exploring from below, exploring its interior, its intricate construction, caught in the synapses and muscle. Bells are rung to summon reinforcements. But who rung it? It doesn't matter, for all become one, and there is a release of sorts.
The band eases into "Wharf Rat," and we're taken to a specific place where these two forgotten men find themselves. The story that is told grows and pulses and suddenly becomes our story too. "I'll get up and fly away." The jam will help us get off the ground. And the band suddenly shifts to "Sugar Magnolia," a rousing number to get everyone dancing. For we've come through okay, intact, stronger, more joyful, and so the song is a sort of celebration to wrap up the second set. And the "Sunshine Daydream" section tells us just where we are, where we've been heading all along. And it's glorious to be here.
Disc 3
The third disc contains almost all of the second set from January 31, 1978. The only thing that's missing is "Samson And Delilah" (yes, they played that song at both shows). The band opens the set with "Scarlet Begonias," and the moment it begins we can sense the audience is happy, but perhaps that's just because we are. "I knew without asking she was into the blues." There is a magic to this song, in the way it pushes aside all troubles, and a joy penetrates our skin, light coursing through our veins. And Donna's voice is like a sweet breeze against our faces. And Jerry's guitar causes ripples that spread out and come back to meet the next note. A circle is drawn in the brown earth, but nothing is contained within; things can dance in and out again as they please. Pieces like raindrops dance at the edge, existing in two places at a time. There is such a cool, natural transition into "Fire On The Mountain." And this is a fantastic "Fire On The Mountain," the vocals sounding just right. A dance you want to go on forever.
The band goes into "Terrapin Station," and now we're in for a whole other kind of ride, a journey to those generally unexplored nooks and corners of existence, and "things we've never seen will seem familiar." Flowers burst through articial surfaces, their colors pushing back the greys and the neons. An electric wire rounds everyone up, but then a different wind is what takes us up, and to a land we call Terrapin, a land that is in motion. "A rare and different tune," indeed! "Terrapin" goes directly into "Playing In The Band," and at the start we are solid footing, a land we recognize, can be sure of. The song has a strong puse, a pulse that can shift mountains. Then the band begins to reach out into those darker areas, those mutating spaces. If you look away and then look back, they've become unrecognizable. But that's all right. We see where the smaller pieces fit, entropy in reverse, repearing the broken spaces in between galaxies. And once that's done, creatures enter what is now a dance floor. And we found ourselves in an odder realm, with perhaps sinister elements. But that opens, and we are into "Drums." And soon it becomes clear there is a mass here, a heaviness whose presence is felt by any nearby entity. And then as small elements get nervous, it speaks a single gentle word. Then there is a shaking, a rolling, a rush of many feet. The jam moves with a twisted urgency in any direction, and we step in all directions at once, scratching at the edge of the universe, and soon hearing a response fom the other side.
There are hints ahead, and suddenly everything becomes much more human, much closer, as the band goes into "Black Peter." This rendition features a beautiful vocal performance from Jerry, the song gently rocking us. Ah, cradle or deathbed? This song can take us either direction. This is a tremendous rendition of "Black Peter," and there is then an interesting transition into "Truckin'" to get everything in motion again. Onward. And also to reflect, "What a long strange trip it's been." A great joy bursts forward from there. The jam seems like it could go in a couple of directions, and then surprises us by going into "Good Lovin'," a solid, fun rock number, a party.
CD Track List
Disc 1
- Jack Straw
- Friend Of The Devil
- Mama Tried >
- Me And My Uncle
- Ramble On Rose
- Cassidy
- Sunrise
- Sugaree
- Samson And Delilah
- Around And Around
- Let It Grow\
- It Must Have Been The Roses
- Estimated Prophet >
- He's Gone >
- Drums >
- Jam >
- The Other One >
- Wharf Rat >
- Sugar Magnolia
- Scarlet Begonias >
- Fire On The Mountain
- Terrapin Station >
- Playing In The Band >
- Drums >
- Space >
- Black Peter >
- Truckin' >
- Good Lovin'
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