DF 5: 8/24/72

8/24/72 - Berkeley Community Theater - Berkeley, CA

Yeah, I know I'm early. Thing is, I'm going out of town on Friday morning, so I decided to throw this up a bit early.

1972 was the year that Donna and Keith joined the band. It was also the year of the Grateful Dead's massive tour of Europe, which has been mined for quite a few official releases, such as Europe 72, Hundred Year Hall, and a few others. And since that tour is so famous, I decided to stay away from that part of the year for this first DF in five months.

1972 is a favorite year among many Heads, possibly ranking only behind 1977 and 1973. As such, it's hard to find good shows that have fallen under the radar, but I think this one fits the bill quite nicely. One of the more famous shows in Dead History happened just three days later: the 8/27/72 benefit for the Springfield Creamery in Veneta, OR. That show is great, to be sure, but this one holds up pretty nicely against it, and even matches it in many spots.

The first set is played in typically-fine 1972 fashion. A "Promised Land" opener played really nicely gives way to a fine "Sugaree," even though 1-2 opening punch was used extensively during 1972's Fall Tour. A decent "China Cat Sunflower" gives way to what I think is a remarkable "Rider," with the vocals sounding a lot like the song did way back in the sixties. Keith then either teases "Bird Song" or honestly thinks that's what they're going into. When the song finally does come, it's wonderful - 1972 had some great "Bird Songs," the most famous of which is probably the Veneta show I mentioned earlier. But I think I like this one a bit better, at times soft and delicate, at other times loud and intense -- wonderful extremes in the same tune.

Donna then takes the mic to say she hopes it's cool with everyone to see a chick singing with the Grateful Dead. She'd gone on the European tour, of course, but American audiences were still getting used to seeing her up there. The band then launches into "Playin'" which rocks, as most 72 Playin's do.

The second set start starts with "Mississippi Half-Step", and I must confess I'm not a fan of the way the band did this tune in its relative infancy. The jams that served as a bridge between the main part of the song and the "Across the Rio Grandeo" part is missing here, and was a much needed addition in later years. Here, it just sounds a little abrupt to begin singing that very different part almost right away. I should cut it some slack though, as this was only the 7th time it was played.

"Truckin'" is great, and has an AWESOME solo at around the 5:13 mark. What comes next, though, is what makes this show what it is. "Dark Star" starts in typical fashion, and remains really nice and mellow for around 18 minutes, but then everyone on stage goes nuts. Then, just as quickly, the music stills and mellows, and then goes nuts again. It may sound chaotic and useless to the virgin DS ear, but it's a great example of the togetherness of the band, even when playing the most seemingly-chaotic music. The "Morning Dew" that DS settles into is a nice builder -- it gets more and more intense as it goes, and Jerry's playing with Phil and Bill is powerful.

The rest of the set is good if not unremarkable. "Greatest Story Ever Told" is a pre-cursor to its top-notch Veneta version. "Sing Me Back Home" has some audio problems in the archive I've linked to above, but is a typically sweet and gentle version (minus some Donna warbles). The song was to be played only ten more times after this night. Sometimes I'd really like to have been a fly on the wall during the conversations in which the band chose to not play songs anymore but continue to play others until they'd been (Estimated) done to (Prophet) death.

In any case, a really good show that's great in parts, and a worthy addition to an extended collection. If 1972 is your year, I'd say it's essential.

Next time, I really am going to do a Vince-era show, and I might even have the show in mind already. But, I need to listen to some more stuff. Right now 1991 looks very nice, as do a few '93 shows. But here's the hint: the one I've got in mind is from 1994, not exactly a renowned year.