Grateful Dead: “Road Trips Vol. 2 No. 1: MSG September ‘90” (2008/2021) CD Review

In September of 1990, I was eighteen years old and starting my first and only term at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York. I got my schedule, found my dorm room, met my roommate (he was a jerk), and then immediately took off, because the Grateful Dead were playing six shows down at Madison Square Garden in New York City. I wasn’t sure what to expect from these shows, since this would be my first time seeing the band without Brent Mydland, who had died right after the summer tour. The new keyboardist, Vince Welnick, was known for his work in The Tubes, but that band and the Dead, well, were quite different. And would Vince have had enough time to absorb the Dead’s large catalogue of music, to acclimate himself to the rather particular ways the band goes about its business? I wasn’t sure. There were two stops on that tour before New York – Richfield and Philadelphia – so that gave him a little time to warm up. And Bruce Hornsby was going to be playing with the band, so perhaps things would be fine. I had seen him sit in with the Dead that July in Raleigh, and Jerry definitely enjoyed his presence. So we went into the Garden hopefully, and were treated to some truly excellent shows. Road Trips Vol. 2 No. 1: MSG September ’90 is a two-disc set that focuses on the final two nights of that run, September 19th and 20th, with one song from the 18th as well. All of the music is from the second sets, which, as you know, is generally where the magic happens.

Disc 1

The first disc opens with the first few songs from the second set of the September 20th show, beginning with “Truckin’” to set everything in motion. The energy is extremely high, and of course mention of “New York” in the lyrics gets a cheer, even if the line doesn’t paint the city in the brightest of shades. And the line “What a long, strange trip it’s been” gets a huge cheer, we in the audience considering the changes, and how the band was continuing the trip. Man, the band is on fire here, moving at a great clip, and bursting with energy, as if daring mortality to catch them. It’s not a long jam. Pretty short, in fact, but that’s all right, for the band next goes into “China Cat Sunflower,” a song that never fails to please folks. And there is a good deal of cheer to the song’s rhythm, and to the band’s playing. The jam has a nice flow to it, the instruments themselves seeming to be dancing at times. And this jam too gathers more energy. You can feel the electricity in the room. It relaxes a bit as the band moves into “I Know You Rider,” but it isn’t too far into that song before it rises again. This song is so hopeful, and the audience latches onto it, then embodies it. And Bruce Hornsby is rocking the keys. Being there, you felt like nothing could stop them. If someone had said then that in five years it would be over, I would have said he or she were mad. But we weren’t thinking as far forward as five years then, just enjoying the moment, with perhaps one hopeful eye aimed a bit down the road.

The disc then goes to the beginning of the second set from September 19th, the band kicking off the set with “Playing In The Band,” often a vehicle for exploration, and so one that gets folks excited as soon as it starts. And it’s not long before we’re into the jam. The jam is solid, keeping things hopping, with some delicious work from Jerry Garcia on guitar, ribbons of space threaded through the music. But not going too far out yet. Our feet are still somewhat near the ground. And then, in a way so natural we might not even be aware at first, the band begins to voyage to farther reaches of our known world, and then beyond that, until some gentle winds from a celestial creature blow us into “Ship Of Fools.” This features a passionate vocal delivery from Jerry. “It was later than I thought,” indeed! As it finishes, we hear that “Playing” theme again, just hints, to remind us all where we are, what we’re doing, before diving right back into the more interesting territory. And suddenly they go into “Uncle John’s Band.” But not to worry, they finish “Playing” the next night (which is on the second disc). “Uncle John’s Band” has such a pleasant vibe, seemingly designed to make us feel good. You don’t find too many people frowning while this song is on. “Come on along or go alone.” And the band provides the vehicle to come along. We’ll figure it out together, the music seems to suggest. And what a smooth transition to “Let It Grow.” This is a really good rendition, having a great power within it, particularly as the jam begins, but not really abating until the very end. This band drives forward with its own force. There is then a gentle conclusion to this song, and that leads, not to “Drums” as you’d expect, but to a new jam that became a feature during those shows. My memory is that on tapes and set lists it was labeled “Keys,” or, as some wrote it, “Keyz.” It was wonderful how the band was still surprising us at this point. A sort of pre-“Drums” “Space” to extend the trippiest section of the show. This jam has a prettier sound at moments, and is never dull. This segment is proof the band still had a lot of life left in it, and that was part of the reason it thrilled us so much. As the drummers return and start to go into the “Drums” section of the show, the music fades out.

Disc 2

The second disc then gives us the post-“Drums” section of the second set from September 20, 1990, along with the encore from September 18th. This is what I remember most vividly from these shows. I’m sure that’s in part because it was the last of them, chronologically. But mainly it’s because the playing was spectacular. The band was heading to Europe after this set, and we had the sense they wanted to give us something fantastic before leaving. The disc opens with “Space” (here labeled “Jam”), and we are deep into the darkness right away, far from home, far from others, at first adrift. But soon we find a new power and are able to direct ourselves, as small lights spark near us, friendly bits of fairy dust to gently guide us in from the edge. And whatever exchange we engage in, it is done mentally, telepathically, for no words can be spoken out here. Language is an old joke here, far out of fashion. But others are gathering, and certain forms are now recognizable. There an eye, there an arm. And as the rains come down, our final notions are washed aside, and we stand brand new, partial, incomplete but ready. The band then launches into “Dark Star.” You can hear the audience explode as the song begins. From “Space” to “Dark Star,” so just as we were feeling the possibility of more solid footing, the band decides to take us even farther out. Which is where we all wish to be. It has a loose vibe, everything possible, everything probable, particularly as we are operating as light at this point, dancing across a dark canvas.  Jerry then delivers the first verse. If memory serves, this was my second time seeing the band play “Dark Star” (the first was in Washington D.C. a couple of months earlier), and it was the standout song of the night. It is what we were all talking about after the show. The band makes a home for itself in the outer realms of space, announcing its presence, and rearranging the place as they see fit. And then we begin to catch bits of “Playing In The Band,” and the band steers things in that direction. Then, pow, we are there, the band finishing the song begun the previous night, and the energy is high. It is not long before we push out in another direction and for further adventure, and are back in “Dark Star.” It is all working so well, this whole sequence is fantastic. Jerry delivers the second verse, and it’s after that that things really get strange. Our structure begins to melt and fracture, and the ground bubbles at our feet. Where even the air itself is considering donning a Halloween costume. But then things turn frantic, all the machines going on the fritz, even the ones with two legs, running into each other. It’s as wild as I remembered it, my memories riding by on a bright red seahorse with wings, nodding at me, meteors and geometric patterns in outlined form spinning past, a smiling mouth opening to allow planets to act like gobstoppers. And then we step through a curtain into another room, a place that is more intimate and manageable. Or it is just chaos on a smaller scale, a more intimate madness?

“Throwing Stones” emerges, and we are back on Earth. Or are we? Perhaps we are looking at it from space, as an early line mentions, looking at it fondly. But then as the dance begins in earnest, the thumping beat demanding it, we are drawn back to the planet, “down here.” But of course things are as wild down here, and the drama is more immediate. And we are on our own, on our own, on our own. But Bob Weir makes it sound like we can survive anyway. That piano work also encourages us. But it’s a serious dance we are engaged in down here. For a moment, it seems that they’ll go into “Not Fade Away,” as they often did, but instead they play “Touch Of Grey” to wrap up the second set, offering a promise of sorts, that the band would continue, that the music would continue, and uniting the crowd in this mighty endeavor. There is so much power. How could this ever end? The encore is “Turn On Your Lovelight,” to keep the energy high, to keep everyone feeling united and positive, to keep the festivities going out into the night. The disc then concludes with the encore from the show on the 18th, “Knocking On Heaven’s Door.” This is a moving rendition, with some beautiful guitar work, like strands of rain falling gently to the earth. Jerry’s earnest vocal performance is the focus of this beautiful version. While I wish this release contained the complete shows, I am happy to have this fantastic music on CD, to be able to revisit those moments whenever I wish.

CD Track List

Disc 1

1. Truckin’ >
2. China Cat Sunflower >
3. I Know You Rider
4. Playing In The Band >
5. Ship of Fools >
6. Playing In The Band >
7. Uncle John’s Band >
8. Let It Grow >
9. Jam

Disc 2

1. Jam >
2. Dark Star >
3. Playing In The Band >
4. Dark Star >
5. Throwing Stones >
6. Touch Of Grey
7. Turn On Your Lovelight
8. Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door

This re-issue of Road Trips Vol. 2 No. 1: MSG September ’90 was released on September 10, 2021 through Real Gone Music.