First Set

Another pre-1972 sequence of songs opens this show at Nassau Coliseum. I asked a friend if the backstage area was as, um, filled with character as much as the rest of the building was, and was told that DW on the recording crew had whacked a roach, so, yes, it was. The show opened with a couple of tour repeats, which is to be expected by this, the 9th show on the tour, opening with the classing Europe ’72 sequence of Jack Straw and Brown-Eyed Women. Next was Dylan’s It’s All Over Now Baby Blue, followed by Easy Wind and then the first big surprise of the night, Death Don’t Have No Mercy, a tune I’ve heard many people calling for. Although nothing can really touch the way the GD did this in 1969, with some Jerry’s finest, most emotive singing ever, this band certainly does play these bluesier songs very well. The GD’s versions from 1989-1990, while not of the intensity of the 1969 versions, are definitely worth seeking out, as all of them were excellent, with each of Brent, Bobby and Jerry taking a verse. And Jerry’s solos were spectacular, particularly the one at Shoreline on 9/29/89. Next up is another song that entered the Grateful Dead’s repertoire around the same time as Death Don’t (1966), Don’t Ease Me In. This is followed by the Weir-Barlow combo of Lost Sailor-Saint of Circumstance, something I’ve been awaiting all tour, as I’d heard it a couple of times in soundchecks. It’s such a great pair of tunes, and at a time like this, 14 years after the end of the Grateful Dead, there’s really never been a more appropriate time to hear that this ain’t the real thing “but it’s close enough to pretend.” The music and band members might be different, but there’s still nothing that compares to looking around a full arena and seeing 16,000 people genuinely getting off on the music, moving as one, listening to the same songs that they’ve been hearing for 5, 10, 20 or 30 or more years. So, an entire set of music from 1979 and before. Pretty cool.

A quick set break note on the recordings from these concerts: they’re brought to you by the same recording team that has brought you more than 300 RatDog shows, David, Peter and touring member of the team, Derek. So, whether you get these recordings at the concert as you walk out (a totally cool concept!) or download them, these things sound great.

Second Set

A very nice way to open the set, with another Bob Dylan song that was added to the Grateful Dead’s repertoire in 1987, When I Paint My Masterpiece, followed by Peggy-O, two always-fun-to-hear songs by the Grateful Dead. Following this is Looks Like Rain, which is to say three mellowish tunes to open the set, but all of them are excellent. And, it seemed like an appropriate song selection considering they were played acoustically, the first acoustic segment since the second show of the tour in DC on 4/14/09. They then jumped into some electric music with Alabama Getaway, a song that always rocked. Jeff has really carried on the tradition of those amazing Brent solos on this great Garcia-Hunter tune. This was followed by the tour’s second Dark Star, last played in this building a little more than 19 years ago, on 3/29/90, with very special guest Branford Marsalis sitting in for the first of a few mighty fine collaborations with the Grateful Dead. Dark Star flowed into Rhythm Devils, which, as I’ve mentioned a few times during the tour, have been exceptional all tour long, with the inspired drummers taking this portion of the show way out there. Space led into the tour’s first Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door, the show’s third Dylan song of the night. Nice. Then come a couple of rockers, Goin’ Down The Road Feeling Bad and Touch of Grey to wrap things up, as we bid farewell to La Casa De La Cucaracha, and move over to Madison Square Garden for the Saturday night show.

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