The Grateful Dead's first set of the evening is a condensed version of their normal full-show format, beginning with a first half consisting of shorter songs played in a straightforward manner, followed by a second half consisting of songs that are used as vehicles for improvisation.
Everything is played reasonably well but in a somewhat perfunctory manner. Keyboardist Brent Mydland is probably the most valuable player during this set, but…entire summary
Jerry Garcia - lead guitar, vocals
Bob Weir - guitar, vocals
Phil Lesh - bass
Brent Mydland - keyboards, vocals
Bill Kruetzman - drums
Mickey Hart - drums
Guest: Flora Purim - percussion, vocals
Guest: Airto Moriera - percussion, vocals
Guest: Boz Scaggs - guitar, vocals
Guest: John Cipollina - second lead guitar
The Grateful Dead's first set of the evening is a condensed version of their normal full-show format, beginning with a first half consisting of shorter songs played in a straightforward manner, followed by a second half consisting of songs that are used as vehicles for improvisation.
Everything is played reasonably well but in a somewhat perfunctory manner. Keyboardist Brent Mydland is probably the most valuable player during this set, but occasional sparks do fly from the others. The most interesting part of this set is the exploratory section following the jam out of "Truckin'," which includes South American percussionist, Airto Moriera, and improvisational vocalist, Flora Purim, adding their flavorings to the drums/space section of the jam.
The second set, which features Boz Scaggs and John Cipollina sitting in, is unquestionably the highlight of this concert. Here Garcia becomes more engaged and everyone is obviously having a great time. This set begins with "Walkin' Blues," a song the Dead hadn't played since 1966. Garcia and Cipollina add tasty leads as Boz Scaggs takes over vocal duties.
Scaggs then leads the group through a bluesy "I Got a Mind To Give Up Livin'." This is the only time the Grateful Dead ever performed this song and it is worth a listen for that reason alone, not to mention it being a fine performance. They end the set by resurrecting the classic "Turn On Your Lovelight" into "Johnny B. Goode" to end the set. While it doesn't hold a candle to the wild renditions of "Lovelight" that the band used to conjure up with Pigpen on vocals, it's a welcome resurrection and this final jam concludes their set on a high note.
Read more about the Grateful Dead in Crawdaddy!:
"Are You Grateful For the Dead?"
"The Golden Road: A Report on San Francisco"
"A Last Farewell to Bill Graham"
"Good Riddance to the 40th Anniversary of the Summer of Love"
"Record Business '68"
"Shopping For Vinyl With Paul Williams"
collapse
