Dead of the Day: 06-01-1991
Los Angeles Coliseum
Los Angeles, California
It is easy to pick the best show for a given date when there is only one recording out there. The Dead had played a few nights on this date back in the sixties, but the only recording in circulation is of their ’91 show at the LA Coliseum (though there are some awesome studio outtakes below). Thus, it is our Dead of the Day, but it is also a sweet show enlivened by Bruce. A Shakedown opens the action in fine fashion, building energy through seventeen minutes. A song later, the boys deliver a Bertha funked up with some unusual riffs and fills – mainly from Hornsby on piano – bringing a welcome new sound to this relatively routine tune. Later in the set, Bruce, now on accordion, again adds some delicious licks to the Queen Jane. Following that, Deal closes out the set on a high note with a ferocious jam in the latter half. A Picasso Moon for the ages opens the second set, with Bruce going nuts on piano and pushing Jerry into some new territory. A solid Playing in the Band leads into Uncle John’s before Drums and Space. Out the other end, the boys quickly bring it around for a short Miracle. After a Black Peter, the Dead send it out in a very standard manner, though no less rocking, with a Throwing Stones> NFA and then a One More Saturday Night encore.
Shakedown Street, Walkin’ Blues, Bertha-> Greatest Story Ever Told, Candyman, Queen Jane Approximately, Deal
Set 2
Picasso Moon, Foolish Heart, Playin’ In The Band-> Uncle John’s Band-> Drums-> Jam-> I Need A Miracle-> Black Peter-> Throwing Stones-> Not Fade Away, E: One More Saturday Night
There is a big disconnect in the comments around the internet on this show between the folks who were there and those who have just listened to a traded tape. Those who have only given it a listen tend to praise the show, especially the Deal and Picasso Moon. But, for those who were there, it seems the scene, and most notably, the security and police seriously harshed the vibe. With the massive, 100,000+ capacity coliseum – where USC plays football – only about half full with reserved seating, heads started making for the floor by the middle of Shakedown. Just months after the Rodney King riots, the rent-a-cops along with LA’s finest went all Stacey Koon on the kids, manhandling the little hippies. Even after the “threat” ended, the officers continued to act like dicks, knifing beach balls, pushing folks dancing in the aisles, and trying their best to keep anyone from having a good time. Consequently, most of the reports from those fans who attended indicate the show was terrible, and many were surprised by how good the music actually was when they gave it another listen years later.
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