The Grateful Dead is one such band that has primarily toured in the United States, but there have also been a few visits to other countries. Some were less cautious than others (Canada, for example, probably wasn't too far out of their comfort zone), but they also went to Egypt (according to Kreutzmann's biography, not exactly their best concerts) and even completed a proper European tour with stops in the Netherlands, France, and Germany. It was in the latter venue that they played on April 21 1972, and it was a remarkable concert for several reasons.
It was certainly the shortest concert of the entire Europe '72 tour (for which a live album was released, drawing its songs from concerts between April and May 1972), but the April 21st show was recorded in its entirety for the Beat-Club TV show. The result is a show where the band plays in front of a psychedelic green screen (the backdrop was provided by Courtenay Pollock, who would later drive the car in the accident that killed Keith Godchaux). On the one hand, they get up to mischievous antics (Pigpen throws a towel over Garcia's head at one point), but on the other, they're incredibly hard on themselves. Sugaree is stopped at the beginning because Pigpen makes a mistake, Playin' in the Band is played a second time because Garcia wasn't happy with the first attempt, and Truckin' also fails at the beginning because Weir messes up the lyrics. The second attempt, however, goes well, and the result is a wonderful jam where Kreutzmann can sneak in a little drumming (it's funny to see how the other band members normally go backstage when a drum solo is coming, but now stand a bit awkwardly in a circle around their drummer). Everything comes together neatly in a cool The Other One.
1972 was also an unsettling year for the band members in terms of lineup. Mickey Hart had left the group out of guilt because his father - who was the group's manager - had run off with the money, so Kreutzmann became the sole drummer again. Pigpen was still recovering (although his Mr. Charlie is excellent), so Keith Godchaux (and Donna) had joined to back him up. Instead of two drummers, there were two keyboardists, which worked quite well. Opinions on Donna are somewhat divided (I'm a fan, anyway), and for those who don't appreciate her: she only plays on Playin' in the Band, which is perhaps understandable, since she had only been with the group for two months. A funny detail: in the end, only One More Saturday Night was shown on the television broadcast. The nearly half-hour jam at the end is perhaps slightly better, but One More Saturday Night is indeed more digestible material for broadcast. The rest of the footage sat on the shelf for years, dusted off for the Grateful Dead at the Movies in 2014.
It was temporarily posted online for Shakedown Stream. Unfortunately, it's still missing Loser & Black-Throated Wind's soundcheck, though chances are it was never filmed, and the ending is rather abrupt. However, it's simply wonderful to see them at work. Garcia's playfully raised finger when Weir forgets the lyrics to Truckin', their towel-playing, Weir breaking a string during The Other One and replacing it during the jam... Even Keith had a good laugh! A rarity, if you ask me.
Tracklist:
- Bertha
- Playing in the Band
- Mr. Charlie
- Sugaree
- One More Saturday Night
- Playing in the Band
- Beat It On Down the Line
- Truckin'
- Drums
- The Other One
Comments
Post a Comment