I almost feel like picking anything from Sunshine Daydream is cheating. It seems like a case can be made for every song played that day as being a definitive version – not necessarily the best ever rendition, but rather the version that represents what the essence of the song is.
For those that are unaware, portions of this concert were filmed and after years of negotiations and starts and stops between the owners of the film and the band it was finally released on DVD last year. This is a rare treat because for a band that is so well documented on the audio side there is a dearth of video of the Grateful Dead available, especially in the first decade or so of their existence. So this is an opportunity to see the band at one of their creative high points (sadly sans Pigpen though). The entire show wasn’t filmed, but the portions that were provide a snapshot of the band and the scene in 1972. Really it’s a must-have for any Dead music collection.
It’s also interesting to see how Playing In The Band itself evolved over the course of 1972. What used to be a 5-8 minute song, gradually got stretched to the 10-15 minute mark during the Europe ’72 tour. By the last night of that tour the song clocked in at 18 minutes, and would remain one of the primary jam vehicles for the Dead for the rest of their touring days.
Things get interesting almost right away as the band moves into the jam sequence. Jerry leads the way. He has just enough distortion on his guitar to give it some extra bite. Keith offers some pronounced runs of his own before ceding the floor back to Mr. Garcia.
Billy is a beast here. I don’t know how else to describe it. How he was able to play like that in such heat is quite amazing. Garcia runs circles around the fret board and Bobby matches with some punctuated rhythm slashes that match the treble Jerry is issuing.
The jam almost seems like a life form all its own. The dynamic changes not only offer contrast to what came before and what comes next, but provides an opportunity for someone else to come to the fore in the mix; oftentimes it’s Keith or Bobby.
Jerry continues to work the song into a fever pitch only to leave one wondering how long it can last before taking a brief respite, where Keith takes charge briefly while Jerry collects himself. The search for that elusive sound continues… Jerry’s playing is exploratory, yet focused. There is a sense of direction here that is not always evident in “space.”
The single drummer dynamic is apparent here as well. When the band talks about being able to turn on a dime with one drummer the segues between passages here provide ample context for that as Billy swings from a barrage of cymbals, most notably the ride, to a snare roll in order to change things up.
It’s clear that Jerry has a lot to say this particular day and everyone else is only too happy to engage in that conversation. After about 10 minutes of feverish jamming interspersed with occasional breaks, Jerry returns to the main Playing riff. He meanders around that for a while until the entire groups hits the re-entry together. Donna wails again, but it’s still tolerable. She sounds a bit off in the final run of repeated choruses, but the music supporting the vocal efforts helps to outshine any vocal abnormalities.
The song comes to a slow, peaceful end, which, again, contrasts sharply with how they got there.
Complete Setlist 8/27/72
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Lunchbox,
Agree with your assessment of this show. It was well worth the wait having the dead playing one of their best and seemingly most relaxed show of the year. As you mention, there are many highlights from this show and Playin is truly one of them. The shows from this era are almost long novels as the band hurried nothing and had the energy to play twice the length shows that most other bands. This was also the time where Keith and Donna took the band in new directions that only added a new layer for the whole group to experiment with. Love the show and the recording is crisp and clean. All the more amazing with the temps in the low 100’s.
Nice call for the top of the second of three sets. After a quick complaint about the heat, Bob counts to ten, skipping several numbers, and the band launches flawlessly. The sound is big. The verses sail by beautifully. Everybody’s either playing or singing in the band, or both. Donna is mixed appropriately, even for her loud screech coming into the last verse. Then the chorus drops us neatly at the door of the large jam. The first jammer out of the gate is Keith this time, and this sounds mighty good. Jerry is not far behind, once he gets his wah pedal in gear. Bob slashes, Phil burbles and Billy knocks. Donna either dances or goes backstage for some water. The vibe stays very hot for a good couple of minutes while Garcia leads the charge to some very welcome intensity. He burns like the sun after 6:15, searing some lead lines into the collective consciousness. The weather is not getting these guys down. In fact, I think it is somehow propelling them into a realm just one bit beyond what you might have otherwise heard at this juncture. I’m sure the nice multi-track mix has something to do with it also. Another peak is reached coming up on 9:30 and this one grows from there into a sudden verbed-out guitar screech that signals the other guys to chill. Everyone but Phil does that, and his rapid figures here are a true wonder. How does he play like that? Slowly, we regain the tension and I will say I have never heard a better version of this song. Yet another climax occurs after 11:30, with Jerry just giving it complete Hell. Getting out of that requires sublime bass maneuvers as the bubble bursts. Wow. I will say it again: wow. Now it seems we are preparing for a big cat growl as Garcia pumps the pedal and fans the strings. But he’s not quite there yet. Does he hint at a re-entry? If so, he quickly changes his mind and digs in to another demonic fury of guitar madness. The mania does not subside as we tick through the 14:45 mark, then it finally does. Now what? That last salvo cemented my opinion that this is the version I want to play anytime someone asks me what is so special about this band. Nearing 16:00, the theme is explicitly stated by Garcia and everyone lines up, waiting for that one key-change signal note. There it is. Billy raps hard and the band sits up straight and flies right. Donna bellows the call of the wild and the joyous repeat choruses have everyone grinning, presumably. Bill makes a funny syncopation out of the ending figures and a slight mis-cue leads to Jerry working out his finale slightly out of tune. Bob introduces the Godchaux family and complains about his monitor being out.
A fantastic show for sure, many say its the best of 1972 , some say the best GD show ever. Seeing this in the theater last year gave it a new push towards greatness. My faves of this show are Sing Me Back Home ( Jerry is absolutely amazing) , Greatest Story and Bertha ( Jerry playing the fastest licks ever recorded my mankind) . Nekkid pole guy got his moneys worth at this one, its a classic of all time. Here is the official Bertha from SSDD…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HD3Y_-mA7yU