DF 2: 5/6/89

5/6/89 - Frost Amphitheatre - Palo Alto, CA

1989 was a great year for the Dead. Some of the most famous shows of the Brent Mydland era are from this year, most notably 10/9/89 at Hampton Coliseum, in which "Dark Star" was busted out for the first time in over five years. There were also great runs of shows at the Meadowlands, the Spectrum, and their final appearance at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley (also a great show, and one that was almost this week's DF).

This show presents us with a much better first set than I supplied in DF1. "Jack Straw" kicks off the set and immediately you can appreciate the high quality of this recording. Jerry's "Peggy-O" is next, and oh what a version it is. Gorgeous vocals (believe it or not, his crackly voice is perfect for this song), and his soloing is very nicely stated, with the band playing perfectly behind him.

Then comes a neat little sequence of tunes. "Walkin Blues" is normally one I skip, but this is a pretty darned good version. Great stuff from Brent in there. "They Love Each Other" is performed well, and then followed by "The Race is On", an old standard that they hadn't played in three years. "Race" is a song that was performed almost to death by the band back in 1973, and was blessedly shelved for awhile. It's fun to hear a latter-day-Dead version of the tune, and the band would only play it four more times after this night at the Frost.

"West LA Fadeaway" was the first song I ever heard Jerry sing live, so it owns its own particular place in my soul. This is followed by Brent's "Just a Little Light", possibly the weak point of the set. I like the song, but it didn't really hit its stride until the following year, most notably in Albany, recorded for posterity on Dozin at the Knick. Bobby then channels Dylan by performing a wonderfully tight "Queen Jane Approximately" and then the band surprises everyone with a sweet "China Cat Sunflower" > "I Know You Rider" to end the set.

There is a fair amount of static in the recording early on in the second set, which is a great shame, because the set opens in fine fashion. "Let the Good Times Roll" followed by a ecstatically-perfomed "Hey Pockey Way." Gosh I love that tune. "Samson and Delilah" is pretty standard, far from its hey-day of the late 70s. But "Ship of Fools" begins a run of perfection. That song gives me shivers every time, and the intro to this one is gorgeous. Then "Playin!" What a great choice to follow "Ship of Fools." This song just grows on me every time I hear it, since it takes awhile to warm to the long jammed-out part of the tune. But dang, I love it now.

"Eyes of the World" follows, which as you know, is the easy way into this reviewer's heart, then Drums > Space. Space leads into a Brent-weeper, "I Will Take You Home." Dah, this song makes me cringe, but not why you might think. The man wrote it for his daughter, then goes and dies of an overdose. What a waste. Every time I hear that song, I just get mad, since that little girl then had to grow up without her daddy, the exact opposite of what the song is saying.

Thankfully, the band picks up from there, going in sequence through the last five songs of the set. "The Wheel" is always beautiful, and then Bobby delivers a fantastic "I Need a Miracle." "Wharf Rat" contains a gorgeous jam at the end, and then the set ends in normal fashion: "Around and Around" > "Not Fade Away."

The encore is a treat. "Black Muddy River" is a song that just wasn't played enough. Perhaps that's what made it special, but it's gorgeous. Not quite as incredible of a song as "Comes a Time", that other rare Jerry-weeper, but it's beautiful, and having Brent singing backup vocals makes it better. He and Jerry add some very sweet instrumental flourishes.

Next time: primal Dead!