Grateful Dead

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This was a period when Pigpen's songs weren't necessarily the highlight of the show. Europe '72 featured some of the last great performances from Pigpen. The Good Lovin' from this particular show is an example, or a hybrid if you will...of what had passed and what was to come. It includes Pig's usual vocals, but it's mixed with the hint of extended jams and ambient space. The '72 Europe tour should be listened to one show at a time. It's a turning point in the band's trajectory.

The version of Dark Star from this show is the closest thing you'll get to actually experiencing what it might be like to go through the event horizon of a black hole. The way the band plays before and after its jam into "Me And My Uncle" is nothing short of a musical articulation of how utterly weird it can be to go into a place where time and space do not exist, where physical laws do not apply....where angels dare not to tread....where the Ego cannot exist. That's why The Dead play such weird shit. It's meant to shake you out of your rational mind. I'll never forget a sign that I saw when I went to their new restaurant, "Terrapin Crossroads" in San Rafael. It read, simply, "Keep It Weird". Meaning, Get out of your rational mind, folks and "Be Free". Granted, we'll never be really able to experience the event horizon in a black hole but this particular version of "Dark Star" (which is their interpretation of Black Hole before physicists even discovered it) can take you there. I've listened to a lot of Dark Stars. My favorite used to be the version on "Live Dead". No more. This one takes you there if you are willing to brave the weirdness. The music will beckon you to let go. It actually feels scary to the uninitiated but just go with it and try to let go. This entire concert is awesome. What a treat it was for these German youths. You can tell by how the Dead played that they discovered something about their audience and the location and just grooved to it and the result was a a good time had by all. One of the all time best in my opinion and a free ticket to the infamous Super Massive Black Hole we've all heard told about at the center of our beloved Milky Way. Go There Now!!! You'll be glad you did.