Disc 1
The first disc contains the entire first set. The band kicks off the festivities with “Feel Like A Stranger,” always one of my favorite choices for show opener, with lines like “You know it’s going to get stranger/So let’s get on with the show” and “It’s going to be a long, long, crazy, crazy night” setting the mood and expectations. The energy is there nearly from the start. I love Brent’s work, and particularly the vocal play between him and Bob Weir. And then the jam keeps that delicious groove going. Sometimes you can tell how things are going to go from the first song, and it is clear here that the boys are having a good time and are ready to deliver. There is tremendous energy as the song builds to its climax. Jerry Garcia then leads the band into “West L.A. Fadeaway,” which also has a strong, if somewhat mellower and bluesier groove, and I find myself focusing on Phil Lesh’s bass here, that deep force driving things. Bob then shifts gears with “Me And My Uncle,” which has a rather pleasant, relaxed vibe. It leads straight into “Cumberland Blues,” which is hopping in just the way you want it to, something to keep your feet in motion and your whole body happy. And again, Phil’s bass is taking us up and down the line. “I don’t know now, I just don’t know/If I’m going back again.”
Brent then gives us “Far From Me,” and the energy here is mainly in his vocal performance, as when he sings, “We can’t relate, no we can’t relate, no we can’t relate at all.” They then ease into “They Love Each Other,” a song with a delightfully sweet vibe. Brent delivers some good work on keys, and then Jerry’s guitar rises to some beautiful heights, as if proclaiming that love to the heavens. Some playful tuning follows that song, before they go into one of my favorite Grateful Dead songs, “Cassidy.” This is a beautiful and energetic rendition, and the jam takes us into a wild undersea community, where things are in constant motion and communication always carries with it a certain level of excitement. We find our feet dancing back on solid ground with “Tennessee Jed,” with Jerry telling us just how it is, and everyone totally digging it. “Well, you know, children, it’s like I said/You’d better head back to Tennessee Jed.” And that jam takes on some fantastic energy. The band then wraps up the first set with Chuck Berry’s “Promised Land,” sending folks dancing and smiling into the set break.
Disc 2
The second disc contains the first hour or more of the second set. Some tuning and a rolling beat soon lead into “Eyes Of The World,” with its delightful groove that creates a better place and opens its door wide to let in all who would hear the call and feel the draw. Such joy in this song, in its rhythm, in Jerry’s guitar, in that realm it creates. “The seeds that were silent all burst into bloom and decay.” There you have it, all of life in one sentence. And still the music continues, beyond that, the dance overcoming any obstacle. There are some odd electronic drums suddenly, for a brief time, and then that passes too and still the rhythm continues, and a little later we get to the third verse. “Sometimes the songs that we hear are just songs of our own.” As the song and its rhythm begin to drift off, or away, another approaches, Bob leading everyone into “Looks Like Rain,” this version pretty and tender yet strong, certain, and Jerry’s guitar like sparkling streams gently playing on our skin. And where are those sounds of a storm coming from? A dark pounding at the end, but with joy inside. And what emerges is “Crazy Fingers,” which soothes and calms even as it keeps us swaying and moving. “Something new is waiting/To be born.” Everything is okay, the dream tells us. Suddenly we enter stranger territory, like the dream rounded a bend into darkness, and it is our light that is able to pierce it and soon dispel it altogether.
Right when everything seems good again, relaxed, peaceful, the group drives forward into “Playing In The Band.” This song makes sure we’re all together, and seeing we are, begins to take off. The energy is so good, in part because it is everyone’s. The jam pushes beyond illusory boundaries and manages to keep things tight for a while, keeping everyone together, more or less, you know, a stray limb occasionally floating in an unexpected direction. The groove’s landscape may get disturbed, but hold on, and don’t worry, you can’t slide off this universe, so far as we know. As things deteriorate slightly, “Uncle John’s Band” emerges, and again we are in prettier territory, familiar territory, where we feel safe, where the air itself seems to be smiling. But there is excitement here too, and that jam is crackling with power. Then the group eases back into “Playing In The Ban” before bursting in with a tremendous energy, exploding back into the main part of the song. Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart then take over, and at first it is just movement, keeping that momentum, but soon it’s time to explore a strange anomaly, a star with skin and an arm that can reach forward to palm a particularly impertinent planet. Something sinister lurks nearby and we duck, but when it appears, we see it is not aggressive, but insane, and its playful lunacy might be the thing that in fact destroys us. Unless, perhaps, we just dive into the game, don our own pinwheel suit and leap through the nearest rubber tube. It’s then a matter of plucking the correct fungus, while the others sit about and cackle from various trains and perches. Meanwhile, someone is sawing off the controls, and unleashing haunted machine voices, who hover there, as if not sure of their range. Soon more voices shout out and swirl around. And that’s how this disc ends, as “Drums” becomes “Space.”
Disc 3
The third disc contains the rest of the show, as well as one song from the show the Grateful Dead did on December 26, 1969. “Space” has electronic pulses that may be part of an elaborate game that the universe is playing with us and with itself. The guitars are the voices of the larger deities or creatures of this universe, and it is clear some sort of dance is going on among the celestial beasts. Soon we move into the spiritual houses, where an angel attempts to repair a demon’s organ. Or is it the other way around? Communication is achieved, either way, and what passed is now forgotten, though clues were left behind in the machinery. With the right tools, we could read all the answers. For now, we step on beams of light in order to cross an emptiness, sparkling though ephemeral gems at our feet. And then “The Wheel” comes from the light behind the place, and we are once again on firmer ground, though a ground far above that where we started. “Got to get back to where you belong.”
And then we’re into “I Need A Miracle,” which barrels in with a rocking force. “Too much of everything is just enough.” The guys find a really good groove and rock on it for a while. That leads to a powerful and soulful “Morning Dew,” to close out the second set. There is an undeniable force to this rendition, and so then its softest moments seem more delicate and important. And when it builds again, it feels that nothing could stop it. This is a fantastic rendition. What a great ending to the set. The crowd is clearly elated. The encore is “One More Saturday Night,” because it was, after all, Saturday. It’s a good version, with a fiery energy, and the post-show announcements are included. That’s the end of the show, but not the end of this disc. Dave’s Picks Volume 43 contains two complete shows from 1969, or rather one complete show and one nearly complete show. Just one song is missing from that three-disc set. And that song, “Cold Rain And Snow,” is included here.
CD Track List
Disc 1
- Feel Like A Stranger
- West L.A. Fadeaway
- Me And My Uncle >
- Cumberland Blues
- Far From Me
- They Love Each Other
- Cassidy
- Tennessee Jed >
- Promised Land
Disc 2
- Eyes Of The World >
- Looks Like Rain >
- Crazy Fingers >
- Playing In The Band >
- Uncle John’s Band >
- Playing In The Band >
- Drums
Disc 3
- Space >
- The Wheel >
- I Need A Miracle >
- Morning Dew
- One More Saturday Night
- Cold Rain And Snow
Dave’s Picks Volume 44 was released in early November 2022. My copy arrived on November 3, 2022. This release is limited to 25,000 copies. Mine is number 2993.
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