Veneta, Oregon, 1972. Apparently, the average Grateful Dead fan starts salivating when they hear those words, and for a long time, it was indeed the Holy Grail among the Deadheads. That was until the concert was released on CD in 2013. A DVD was also released alongside it, but unfortunately, that does not contain the full concert, as they did not have enough material to record the entire performance. Fortunately, the audio of the concert is complete, and indeed, it turned out to be a wonderful performance. I may not be as lyrical as many other Deadheads, but still...
In any case, this concert contains one of the most iconic Dark Star performances ever, if you ask me. With a running time of just over 30 minutes, the band jams away, and not a single note is wasted. It is also a period when Keith Godchaux and Donna Godchaux had only just joined the band, and Keith certainly delivers some very fine touches here. Donna is still fairly invisible vocally (I suspect I'm one of the few, but I find her vocals in a rendition of Playing in the Band - like on July 8 1978, at Red Rocks - really delightful), but here she delivers perhaps the most beautiful version of Sing Me Back Home ever. In any case, it is a fine setlist with the always good China Cat Sunflower and finally a version of Greatest Story Ever Told that truly captivates me completely. There are a few minor lulls here and there, like Black-Throated Wind, but you easily overlook that, especially when you are immediately treated to a fantastic China Cat Sunflower that transitions very smoothly into I Know You Rider.
In terms of its creation, this is also quite a legendary concert, by the way. Old Renaissance Faire Grounds was (and still is) not a concert venue, and an entire setup actually had to be built before the Dead could start playing. It was, after all, a benefit concert for yogurt manufacturer Springfield Creamery (fun fact: the owner was Chuck Kesey, brother of Ken Kesey of One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest fame, and the tickets were printed on the back of labels on yogurt tubs!) and quite a few things went wrong. The worst part was undoubtedly the fact that the stage was built facing the wrong way, causing the band to get the sun in their eyes as well as become loose on their instruments. Apparently, the instruments couldn't handle the heat very well, and at one point Bob Weir calls a brief break because the tuning is apparently off. Consequently, the show is interrupted several times for drink breaks (for both the band and the audience; a fire truck even comes to spray water over the crowd), and judging by the MC's announcements (apparently Ken Babbs), a whole lot of kids seem to have gotten lost. The DVD also features one of the more legendary concertgoers: Naked Pole Dancing Guy!
Ken Babbs was in the Shakedown Stream pre-show (together with Sue Kesey, Chuck's wife, and together they make perhaps one of the most enjoyable pre-shows of the entire series), and apparently they managed to identify the man back then; in real life, he turns out to be just a real estate agent who prefers not to talk about his “performance.” In any case, rightfully one of the band's most legendary shows, but the ultimate concert? No, not quite.
Tracklist:
- Promised Land
- Sugaree
- Me and My Uncle
- Deal
- Black-Throated Wind
- China Cat Sunflower
- I Know You Rider
- Mexicali Blues
- Bertha
- Playing in the Band
- He's Gone
- Jack Straw
- Bird Song
- Greatest Story Ever Told
- Dark Star
- El Paso
- Sing Me Back Home
- Sugar Magnolia
- Casey Jones
- One More Saturday Night
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