Grateful Dead: “Dave’s Picks Volume 40” (2021) CD Review

In early July of 1990, six of us loaded into my ’86 Chevy G-10 van and headed out to Pittsburgh to begin a portion of the Grateful Dead’s summer tour. In addition to Pittsburgh, I caught shows in Raleigh, D.C., Foxboro and Buffalo. I didn’t have tickets for the last couple of stops of the tour, but after that great show in Buffalo, the urge was strong to just keep going. I wish I had, for two reasons. One, that tour turned out to be the last for keyboardist Brent Mydland, who died just three days after it ended. And two, word about that next show at Deer Creek reached us in Massachusetts almost immediately afterward (this was word of mouth, you understand). Supposedly, it was the best show of the tour. Well, for the fortieth volume of the Dave’s Picks concert series, David Lemieux has chosen both that show and the one from the following night, so we can all hear what the excitement was about. This four-disc set contains the complete show from July 18th, and nearly the complete show from July 19th (only the encore – “U.S. Blues” – is missing), both performed at Deer Creek in Noblesville, Indiana.

Disc 1

The first disc contains the entire first set from July 18th, along with the first part of the second set. The band kicks off the show with “Help On The Way,” and the moment they start it, the crowd erupts. Often in the 1980s, “Franklin’s Tower” was separated from “Help” and “Slipknot,” played on its own, but here the three songs are together. And the band is on, with “Slipknot!” being particularly good. Everything is tight and just exactly right. And then the energy in “Franklin’s Tower” is fantastic. It’s wonderful when the band is flying high right out of the gate, as the guys are here. Just listen to Jerry Garcia’s guitar dancing! There is a tremendous amount of joy here. This is the band at its best. This is what I was hoping for every time I bought a ticket, every time I walked through the gates, every time the band took the stage. This is what it was all about. And from the response at the end of “Franklin’s,” it is clear the crowd knew it. After a brief pause, Bob Weir leads the group into “New Minglewood Blues,” and they deliver here as well, moving with that groove, and Bob enjoying the reverb on his vocals. “A couple shots of whisky, women around here start looking good/A couple shots of whisky, these Hoosier fillies start looking good.” This is a fun, hopping rendition. Brent Mydland then delivers a pretty sweet rendition of “Easy To Love You.” It might feel a bit choppy at moments, but his vocal performance is really good, and that lead on keys is wonderful, and this version has a strong ending.

The band then eases into an excellent “Peggy-O,” a song that feels so good, particularly when Jerry’s voice has that kind of passion in it as it does here. Bob makes the perfect choice to follow it, Bob Dylan’s “When I Paint My Masterpiece.” “Someday life will be sweet like a rhapsody.” Ah, it sure felt that way when we were at shows like this one, didn’t it? Bob really digs into this one, delivering an absolutely wonderful version. It seems the band can do no wrong at this show. Jerry follows that with the always-appreciated “Brown-Eyed Women,” another inspired choice, keeping with the mood. I love that gentle ending. The crowd then does one of those “We want Phil” chants that I remember being popular around that time. But Phil does not oblige. Instead, the band plays one of my personal favorites, “Cassidy.” And it’s a really good rendition, both powerful and beautiful, the jam building perfectly. It is everything I love about this song. The band then wraps up the first set with “Deal.” I don’t often get too excited about this one, but this version rocks. The boys obviously want to leave the crowd in a great place going into the set break.

The second set then opens with “China Cat Sunflower,” another song that never fails to make the audience happy. Pretty much everyone in the audience knows just exactly what Jerry is singing about here, and the jam develops a delicious groove before they segue smoothly into “I Know You Rider,” and it’s clear the band lost none of its energy during the break. This is a fun, cooking version of “Rider.” And that’s where the first disc ends.

Disc 2

The second disc contains the rest of the second set from July 18th and the encore, beginning with “Looks Like Rain.” It’s not the best version I’ve ever heard, but still it contains moments of beauty, particularly in Bob’s passionate vocal delivery. They then ease into “Terrapin Station.” “Let my inspiration flow.” Indeed. The band certainly seems inspired at this show, so why not tackle one of those great songs for exploration, see where it takes everyone? The jam immediately goes in some interesting directions, spiraling around the earth, until we return to the story. “Since the end is never told…” Ah, but here is the sense we might reach the conclusion of the tale, create it ourselves in the moment. And the music feels like pushing open a series of doors, getting closer and closer. Things get a little weird there at moments, like cautious or hesitant, but we hang on, and the band pulls us through. The opening leads to a cool jam, which is here presented as a separate track, with a groove that seems to send the message to whatever lifeforms might be out there that we are not there to harm, but just to enjoy the ride and to learn, and it carries with it an invitation to join the party.

“Drums” emerges naturally from that, and it isn’t long before they move on from that good beat and explore more interesting territory, a place of shadows within which lives a gentle beast, his large heart beating, drawing us to him. But things suddenly turn on us, leaving us in a place of mad clowns trapped in a metal box hurtling into “Space,” the ride turning sinister and harsh, and we wonder just who is in control here, for there seems to be some alarm, something that needs to be addressed. But, whether addressed or not, it passes, and now we are just tiny particles in a much larger realm, bits of light, and nothing can hurt or soothe, but just communicate, illuminate. And then there are hints of what is to come. Before we get there, things become gentle, pretty, a return to the warmth and wonder of infancy. And then we ease into “The Other One.” This is one reason I love this song so much. Each time they played it, the band approached it differently, making it one of the most exciting songs in the band’s repertoire. After a while, Phil Lesh’s bass leads to that explosion, signaling the band was completely going for it. And, boy, there are some haunting, disturbing dark patches here which are fantastic. Some different sounds, some interesting places. This is absolutely one of the highlights of the show, keeping in mind that basically this entire show is excellent. And where can we go from there? To the end of the world, of course. “Morning Dew” is often moving by its conclusion, and Jerry Garcia is already there at the start of this rendition. Holy moly! This is a stellar, powerful version, one of the best I’ve heard (and that is saying something). Jerry completely inhabits the song here, breathing it, giving it full expression and life. What a performance. And that’s how the second set ends. The encore is “The Weight,” a wonderful and gentle way of wishing everyone a good night.

Disc 3

The third disc contains the complete first set from the July 19th show, along with the first two songs of the second set. The band opens this show with “Jack Straw,” always a good choice to start things off. It sets a certain pace, and seems to make certain promises about the show ahead, about the journey the band and audience will take together. And this is a sweet rendition that shows its true strength during the jam and then in the vocal work following that. Jerry then begins “They Love Each Other,” and the flavor of the set is becoming clear. It’s always interesting how different two shows can be, while both still being excellent. Here we are getting into a cheerful, easygoing groove, and we can almost see the pleasant smiles of the crowd, particularly as the guys begin to jam. There is just a bit of tuning before Bob leads the group into Dylan’s “Desolation Row.” And right from the matter-of-fact delivery of “The circus is in town,” you get the sense this is going to be a special rendition. And indeed, the boys don’t let us down. I love Bob’s vocal performance. He knows when to hit a line, and when to let it go, taking on the role of storyteller here. I could do without that weird effect on his vocals during those couple of lines, but other than that this is a superb version. Jerry allows a short pause then before going into “Row Jimmy.” Yeah, it’s a fairly mellow first set, but really good, and Jerry’s guitar work here flows wonderfully. Brent’s work on keys has a similar feel, and everything is coming together so well. “Rock your baby to and fro/Not too fast, and not too slow.”

Bob then takes things in a somewhat different direction with “Picasso Moon,” the first song of the set with a harder edge, but also the first with a more playful sense about it at times. After that, Jerry takes things back to a more easygoing mood with “Althea,” the song that is essentially responsible for Dead & Company’s existence. And listening to this version, you’ll have no trouble seeing why this song moved John Mayer so much. It’s a great song, and this is an excellent rendition, particularly Jerry’s vocal performance. And there is some power to the jam near the end. After that, Bob leads the band into Chuck Berry’s “Promised Land,” the one real rock and roll song of the set, trying to leave things on an upbeat, energetic note as they take their break between sets.

The second set opens with “Victim Or The Crime,” a song I always had a bit of trouble getting into. There is something kind of ugly, kind of harsh about its sound, and in its lyrics, lines like “And even the purest of romantics compromise.” It’s a fairly dark song, and one I never wanted to hear when on acid. This version seems to fall apart deliberately toward the end, then builds again into something ready to explode and take us all with it. It’s a wild moment. Jerry leads us out of the darkness with “Foolish Heart,” an interesting pairing. “A foolish heart will call on you to toss your dreams away/Then turn around and blame you for the way you went astray.” And that’s where the third disc ends.

Disc 4

The fourth disc contains the rest of the second set from July 19th (but not the encore). It begins with an energetic “Playing In The Band,” one to get you bouncing around. As it settles into the jam, it mellows somewhat, but keeps a groove and doesn’t get too far out there. This isn’t one of those epic versions of “Playing,” it’s only ten minutes or so, but what we get is good, especially the work on guitar. They leave the song unfinished, never returning to the main theme, but rather going straight into “China Doll.” This is a gorgeous, haunting version of “China Doll,” one that will transport you to some other place. There is an ache in Jerry’s voice, and yet the song ends gently. They follow that with “Uncle John’s Band,” which is wonderful because it’s like we’ve emerged from a strange, troubled area into friendly, familiar territory. This song seems to welcome us, to tell us things are going to be okay, and even if they aren’t, we’ll be okay.

“Drums” follows, and it begins slowly, kind of easing in rather than immediately exploding into a frenzied pounding. But it soon gets going, finding a cool rhythm that feels like it comes in part from deep within a jungle, and part from a city street. After a few minutes, Billy and Mickey begin exploring less familiar territory, a landscape of dust and splashes of light, with strong winds and rumbles from beneath. Comets streak by overhead, sometimes a tad too close. But a rhythm is found to appease the celestial forces and those eager to erupt from below, and communication is established, though it quickly seems to become an entreaty to those forces. Then as we move into “Space,” it seems that something from those outer places has landed here, turning our ground into a strange land, and our footing is uncertain. Fumes and clouds push up in bursts from holes that weren’t there yesterday, and reality is in the hands of tricksters and extraterrestrial carnival barkers. Step right this way, two tokens, and enjoy the show, we’re not responsible for lost limbs or minds. See you on the other side. At some point the ride we are on begins to separate into its components and we are set adrift in a tunnel of sorts before new beings arrive to make repairs, not minding our presence or offering clues as to our part in all this. But they sure do become busy with their work, and they are fascinating to watch, their tools emerging from their skin, their bones. And then there is only one of them left, still hard at work. From there, the band goes into “All Along The Watchtower.” “There must be some way out of here,” indeed! I think the band has found it. That leads to “Black Peter.” Hey, I’m not convinced the guy really is dying, but I understand his desire to have a couple of close friends with him. Particularly these days. This is a good rendition of “Black Peter,” with some great vocal work, particularly when their voices blend in that section in the middle. They then wrap up the set with a rousing rendition of “Not Fade Away,” featuring a good amount of jamming, with the audience singing at the end.

CD Track List

Disc 1

1. Help On The Way >
2. Slipknot! >
3. Franklin’s Tower
4. New Minglewood Blues
5. Easy To Love You
6. Peggy-O
7. When I Paint My Masterpiece
8. Brown-Eyed Women
9. Cassidy
10. Deal
11. China Cat Sunflower >
12. I Know You Rider

Disc 2

1. Looks Like Rain >
2. Terrapin Station >
3. Jam >
4. Drums >
5. Space >
6. The Other One >
7. Morning Dew
8. The Weight

Disc 3

1. Jack Straw
2. They Love Each Other
3. Desolation Row
4. Row Jimmy
5. Picasso Moon
6. Althea
7. Promised Land
8. Victim Or The Crime >
9. Foolish Heart

Disc 4

1. Playing In The Band >
2. China Doll >
3. Uncle John’s Band >
4. Drums >
5. Space >
6. All Along The Watchtower >
7. Black Peter >
8. Not Fade Away

Dave’s Picks Volume 40 was released in early November, 2021. My copy arrived on November 4th. This release is limited to 25,000 copies. Mine is number 24,601.