Disc 1
The first disc contains the entire first set from the October 1st show, along with the first two songs of the second set. The sound is a bit muddy at the start, for they had to use an audience recording for the first song and a half. The band decides to rock out of the gate with a cover of the Chuck Berry classic, “Promised Land.” And you can hear the crowd at a certain point get on board. They follow that with “They Love Each Other,” taking things in a sweeter direction. And it’s partway through this track that the sound suddenly becomes crisp and clear, and now we are really underway. Bob Weir then leads the band into “Mexicali Blues,” which has a somewhat different feel as it starts, something in that guitar work which begins the song. And in the beat. This thing is hopping more than usual, with a more excited energy. “Dire Wolf” follows, and this one has an easygoing pace, with more of a country vibe than usual. I love how this band would approach a song differently on different nights, always keeping things interesting.
The band then delivers a strong rendition of “Cassidy,” one of my favorite songs. This rendition has a great amount of energy, seeming to move a bit faster than usual, and featuring some fantastic work by Jerry Garcia on guitar. It’s a short version, just over four minutes, but those are a solid four minutes. And you know many of the songs are going to be short when the Dead fit a whopping thirteen tracks on one disc. “Deal” is a song I generally don’t care all that much about. It’s just not that interesting. But I am digging the groove here, and as they repeat the main line at the end, the vocals take on some fire. That energy is then present from the beginning of “Passenger,” the band rocking and cooking here. Three and a half minutes. Holy moly. They follow that with “Tennessee Jed,” always an appreciated choice, a song that never fails to bring a smile to my face. “Drink all day and rock all night/The law come to get you if you don’t walk right/Catch a few winks, baby, down under the bed.” Oh yes, those days aren’t all that long ago, are they? This is a thoroughly enjoyable rendition, the band delivering a good jam here. Bob then rips into “New Minglewood Blues.” “Well, now the doctor called me crazy/Sometimes I am, sometimes I ain’t.” Ah, but which is it this time? We’re hoping for at least a bit of crazy. Keith Godchaux is rocking those keys as this beast surges forward. Jerry then slows things down, gives everyone a chance to breathe, as the band eases into “Peggy-O,” his vocal approach sweet and gentle at the start. This rendition has such a good vibe about it, a comforting quality. The band then wraps up the first set with “The Music Never Stopped,” always one to get people dancing. And I do love these 1970s versions with Donna Jean Godchaux’s vocals. This version also contains a delicious bit of jamming. The energy increases toward the end, Jerry’s guitar drilling holes into the ceiling, and the flames leaping out through those holes. Oo-wee!
The first disc then takes us into the second set, which kicks off with “Bertha,” an obvious indication the band intends to continue the energy of the first set. Oh yes, things are good. “Bertha” leads straight into “Good Lovin’” to keep things moving and shaking.
Disc 2
The second disc contains the rest of the show, beginning with a beautiful, sweet rendition of “It Must Have Been The Roses.” This song feels like a caring caress, the music reaching out a hand. “All I know, I could not leave her there.” Jerry’s guitar is like ripples in a pond, then building in power. Things then get interesting when Bob chooses to follow “Roses” with “Estimated Prophet,” a song with a strong groove and the capacity for exploration. This is another song where the 1970s versions benefit from the presence of Donna on vocals. And it is here that we push off into the farther reaches, that groove powering the trip, and as Bob sings “No, no, no, no, no” at the end, his voice is like a comet orbiting us until it is time to adventure farther, and we push past the voices, or need for voices, for now these instruments are speaking themselves, fluently in a language created in the music’s subconscious mind or by fiery, tiny winged memories gathered into form. The groove carries us safely into the lesser known regions. Until suddenly the groove changes, and we are into “Eyes Of The World.” Those two songs were paired so often. And now we are on firmer, more familiar land, the land being a dance floor in one of the remarkable areas of the Milky Way, a dance floor from where it seems the entire galaxy is visible. The song offers such cheer through its groove. And the guitar notes are like glorious luminescent seahorses flashing and swimming. Everything shines in this rendition, its own particular way. The jam has a more intimate feel as it begins, focused in on closer territory, and the rhythm grows and takes over, and leads directly into “Dancing In The Street.” And the now the dance floor is even more solid. “All we need is music, sweet music/There’ll be music everywhere.” They keep that groove going, and this one becomes a really good jam. A drum solo grows out of that, a pulse that we can see flies before us, then into different rooms while the spirits outside shake their bells and call for entry. What emerges is “Not Fade Away,” pulling us all through, and keeping us dancing. This is a delicious rendition, the song’s main line a call out into the universe, “You know our love will not fade away.” Until only a small portion of its beat is left. And then the band lets it go, and they ease into “Black Peter,” which features a really nice, heartfelt vocal performance. This song seems to bid the guy a farewell, growing quiet so he can slip away, before building again, “Run and see.” Then, bang, the band is into “Around And Around.” Hey, the band began the night with a Chuck Berry song, and they’re ending it with another. So, no need to disturb that symmetry with an encore. And it’s a strong rendition. I love that moment it gets quiet, like playfully ducking down, before then bursting up again with a renewed force.
Disc 3
The third disc contains the entire first set from the October 2nd show, along with the first song of the second set and the encore. That is the one bit of reordering of songs in this release, the encore fitting at the end of this disc rather than at the end of the fourth disc. The band gets things going with “Casey Jones,” and the crowd erupts joyfully. After all, it had been like three years since the Dead had last played the song. The CD’s cover art work shows Train 102 heading straight for us. Well, here the band jams on this song, delivering an excellent rendition with a powerful conclusion. What a great start to the show. After a moment, they count their way into “Jack Straw,” everything sounding just right, and we are into this other sort of history the band has created, with these characters in the great open spaces of this land. The band then takes things into a completely different direction with “Sunrise,” which takes place in some darker, mysterious atmosphere or reality. Donna shines on this unusual song. It should lead us to even stranger territory, but the band gives us a moment, then goes into “Brown-Eyed Women,” establishing a good groove. It’s always wonderful to hear this one. And this version ends sweetly. That is followed by “El Paso,” these stories seeming to exist in the air, swirling about us, ghosts and spirits from some other realm. And we just want this poor guy to get to that woman before he succumbs to his wounds.
Jerry leads the band into “Dupree’s Diamond Blues,” which must have been an unexpected and wonderful jolt for the audience, since the song hadn’t been performed since the 1960s. And Jerry’s voice suddenly sounds like it did a decade earlier. This is a delightful rendition, certainly a highlight of an already excellent set. They then deliver a version of “Let It Grow” that is strong right from its start, and soon bright green shards of light softly burst about the fields, sending sustenance deep into the roots toward whatever creature maintains its lair down there, waiting for a time when the sun would reach down to pull it up. And that guitar shakes off whatever shadows might have gathered. This is when the band is pushing outward, pounding onward, and really going for it. Some wonderful jamming takes us to distant lands and invites us to take part in the rituals, to drink from the fountain. And a heavy curtain parts to reveal a soft, delicate scene playing within, until something bursts awake there, and the ground itself shouts with the thunder. This is an absolutely fantastic version, and at the end it sets us down so lightly. The band then decides to wrap up the first set with “Deal,” the only song repeated from the previous night. By and large, this is one hell of a good first set.
The third disc then goes to the first song of the second set, “Samson And Delilah.” There is a bit of stage banter before they start it, partly because things are just not yet exactly right. But soon Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart lead the others into a forceful rendition. Oh, if I had my way! Yes, before the end, the whole thing is torn down, destroyed, a glorious explosion of stone and guitar. This disc concludes with the concert’s encore, “Johnny B. Goode.” Yup, closing the show with a Chuck Berry tune, just like the night before. What’s better than some rock and roll piano and those drums?
Disc 4
The fourth disc contains the rest of the second set, and this is where a lot of the magic is. After all, the disc opens with “Scarlet Begonias,” always a good sign. Like “Eyes,” this song always makes folks feel great. “I knew right away she was not like other girls.” Indeed! This song tells us everything is going to be all right, and somehow leads us to a place where we believe that, where we see it. This version features some excellent jamming, and eventually leads to “Fire On The Mountain,” with Jerry performing the vocal line on guitar at first. Then when everything feels just right he begins to deliver the lyrics. Things are flowing so well, the dance could continue into eternity, with new people continually joining as others eventually fade out, step out. There is some playful “Funiculi Funicula” tuning before the band launches into “Playing In The Band.” You can sense they can’t wait to take “Playing” into stranger territory, but first give the main body of the song the energy it needs. And then they are soon passing the gates into points unknown, and taking us along on the trip. At a certain point, a corner is turned, and things slow for a moment, as the new territory comes into focus, and then a shadow creeps in. But the loss of sunlight presents no danger, as the drummers are well aware. They are at ease and quite at home in these strange locations, and anything at odds is welcomed. There is an unusual segue from “Drums” right into “The Wheel,” and this is when “The Wheel” was actually rather pretty as it began, with a more relaxed vibe. And, yes, we are “bound to cover just a little more ground.” That ground leads straight into “Truckin’” and there is that great sense that everyone is on this crazy ride together, and the jam insists on moving forward and has a potent power backing its efforts. “The Other One” tries to force its way through a couple of times, but it is not until the jam is subdued in some way that it can erupt. A different beast, indeed. And it isn’t long before Bob delivers the first verse. Things move quickly with this version of “The Other One” and the second verse comes along not too long thereafter. And then, oddly, the song kind of drifts off, leaving Jerry free to lead the band into “Wharf Rat,” which works well coming out of “Other One” because this song does begin in a darker, kind of somber place. But then it builds to something optimistic and glorious. “I’ll get up and fly away.” That determination makes us all feel better somehow, doesn’t it? They then shift gears for a rousing “Sugar Magnolia” to wrap up the second set. Send things off with a joyful energy.
CD Track List
Disc 1
- Promised Land
- They Love Each Other
- Mexicali Blues
- Dire Wolf
- Cassidy
- Deal
- Passenger
- Tennessee Jed
- New Minglewood Blues
- Peggy-O
- The Music Never Stopped
- Bertha >
- Good Lovin’
Disc 2
- It Must Have Been The Roses
- Estimated Prophet >
- Eyes Of The World >
- Dancing In The Street >
- Drums >
- Not Fade Away >
- Black Peter >
- Around And Around
Disc 3
- Casey Jones
- Jack Straw
- Sunrise
- Brown-Eyed Women
- El Paso
- Dupree’s Diamond Blues
- Let It Grow
- Deal
- Samson And Delilah
- Johnny B. Goode
Disc 4
- Scarlet Begonias >
- Fire On The Mountain
- Playing In The Band >
- Drums >
- The Wheel >
- Truckin’ >
- The Other One >
- Wharf Rat >
- Sugar Magnolia
Dave’s Picks Volume 45 was released in early February. My copy arrived on February 2, 2023. This is a limited edition of 25,000 copies. Mine is number 12,573.
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