Which is probably why the Dead didn’t put it on the album and why they gave up playing it live. The problem, so to speak, is that the music is bland and there’s not a ton of room for a killer guitar solo, a la Standing on the Moon. For example: “I know I’m no angel, my prospects are high / As the flood line in summer when the river’s gone dry / But I’ll roll up my shirt-sleeves and make my best shot / To show how I love you, believe it or not”. I’ve never reviewed any of those shows, which is why the song seemed brand new.įrankly, the lyrics here are not the issue – this is actually a pretty tasty country tune. ![]() The Dead played it seven times – six in 1988 and once, randomly, in 1990. It was on So Many Roads, so I must have heard it at least once before, but it’s not very memorable. This song was recorded for Built to Last, but it wasn’t included on the album. It’s not often that I need to stop in the middle of listening to a Dead show because I don’t recognize the song that the band is playing, but midway through today’s first set I was surprised to hear something totally new – a Garcia / Hunter composition, none the less, called Believe It or Not. Not tonight – once this one gets a little warmed up, it’s a good one. Here’s hoping we’ll find more gems like this in future installments (there are many to come).Īs you may know, corporate Dead was pretty strict about taping at these shows since they were recording everything for official release, so you’ve got to deal with what are sometimes pretty crummy audience tapes. So far this one is the pick of the litter when it comes to the 1980 acoustic / electric bonanza. The ending stretch is a little weaker, unless you like the party songs, which are all played here tonight and they are all played well. Deal smokes – led on by the raucous NYC audience – and the Playin’ in the Band>Drums>Space>The Other One combo wouldn’t be out of place in 1972, were The Other One a lot longer. There are more incredible harmonies on High Time (played electric, although it would have worked acoustic too), and the band doesn’t let us down harmonically with Uncle John’s Band, either. There’s really something for everyone here: Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo is a fitting opener and a fine way to move into the aforementioned Franklin’s Tower. Since a lot of the acoustic performances from these shows tend to blend together, I think it’s the electric moments that really make or break a show, and tonight’s electric component is top notch 1980 Dead. of Circumstance) but, alas, it never found a role in the band’s repertoire after these runs. This is a song that could have worked really well as a transitional bridge between other songs (I’m thinking Lost Sailor / St. In the acoustic first set, Bird Song, as usual, soars, and the instrumental Heaven Help the Fool is tremendous. There are a bunch of other great moments here at Radio City. It’s a really nice testament to where this song stood in 1980. This is not an overpowering Franklin’s, but it achieves a swinging ease that reminds me a lot of the feeling on the album version, with much longer solos. ![]() Franklin’s Tower is powerful, in part because they get all of the words right, too. As you probably know, this band frequently had trouble hitting all of the notes, lyrically, but when they did, it could be breath catching, and today’s performance of this song illustrates that proposition. ![]() To Lay Me Down achieves that emotional heft that you only get on the best versions, and here the harmonies are simply spectacular. The highest of the highlights here happen to be the two songs that the band released commercially – an absolutely stunning To Lay Me Down released on Reckoning and the sublime Franklin’s Tower which was highly edited and included on Dead Set. Maybe I’m partial to the venue, which is where I saw the best concert that I’ve ever seen (the Allman Brothers in 1995 if you’re checking), or maybe it’s just the New York City vibe, but whatever the reason, this show really pops. Well folks, after three shots at the Warfield Theater in San Francisco, I finally got around to reviewing one of the Grateful Dead’s Radio City Music Hall shows from the band’s fall acoustic / electric showcase, and let me tell you, the quality here seems to be much higher than any of the previous shows from this “tour” that I’ve heard.
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