Truckin' Up to Buffalo (2005) [Grateful Dead]

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The coronavirus pandemic affected everyone, and as Maggie De Block (our Minister of Health) so aptly put it: staying home is the most important thing. For some, that's easier said than done, but fortunately, numerous initiatives did emerge to ease the burden of staying home. For example, the Grateful Dead launched something called Shakedown Stream. Every week, a full concert was uploaded to YouTube, and for the night owls among us: the upload also included a Q&A. Truckin' Up to Buffalo kicked things off back in the day.

A Fourth of July show from 1989, and just like the recently released Saint of Circumstance (2019), it's once again a stadium show. Ironically, the show is called Truckin' Up to Buffalo (a nod to perhaps one of the band's most famous songs), but that song isn't even played. It's a somewhat atypical setlist, featuring I Will Take You Home, sung by keyboardist Brent Mydland. He wrote the song for his daughter, and knowing as a listener that he would die a little over a year later (on July 26, 1990, to be exact) from an overdose. It really hits home. Especially because you see Brent simply having so much fun playing. Not Fade Away, for example, is already an impressive song, and it really kicks into high gear when Jerry Garcia and Mydland start challenging each other. But overall, this is a band that's just having a blast. It always gives me a warm feeling to see Garcia playing guitar with a smile.

And this show is another perfect example of what a fantastic guitarist he was. The way he solos in Deal, the guitar riffs in All Along the Watchtower (where good old Bobby Weir fucks up the lyrics again), and so on. It's a joy from the first second to the last, but what else could you expect when you open with Bertha? That's such a fantastic song that immediately sets the tone. I do have to say, I find the first set a bit more laid-back than the second. I'm not a huge fan of songs like Greatest Story Ever Told, Row Jimmy, or Stagger Lee, but luckily there are still some personal favorites, like Cold Rain and Snow (I really like how they slowed it down) or When I Paint My Masterpiece. That buildup in Looks Like Rain is also incredibly impressive; I wonder if it's just as impressive when you only have the audio.

To be fair, I'm also a huge fan of the band, and they rarely do anything wrong. There are gradations in their concerts, of course, but so far, there's always something in them that I really enjoy. Truckin' Up to Buffalo won't end up in my top 5 of shows, but it does give me a few goosebump-inducing moments. I don't know any band I'd happily watch for 2 hours and 40 minutes without knowing anything about the setlist. Space and Drums are also quite short; it might be blasphemy, but that's the one aspect I rarely fully endure.

Tracklist:
  1. Bertha
  2. Greatest Story Ever Told
  3. Cold Rain and Snow 
  4. Walkin' Blues 
  5. Row Jimmy 
  6. When I Paint My Masterpiece 
  7. Stagger Lee 
  8. Looks Like Rain 
  9. Deal 
  10. Touch of Grey 
  11. Man Smart, Woman Smarter 
  12. Ship of Fools
  13. Playing in the Band 
  14. Terrapin Station
  15. Drums
  16. Space 
  17. I Will Take You Home 
  18. All Along the Watchtower
  19. Morning Dew
  20. Not Fade Away 
  21. U.S. Blues


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