Vince Gill @ Mountain Stage,about new CD

Vince plays and talks about his hot new CD "Guitar Slinger", in my opinion, one of this years best.

Joan Osborne Singing The Blues

Next year, Joan will be sharing some great new blues, watch for it as She brings it on home.

Grascals Featured in GACTV'S 12 Days of Country Cookies

Nashville, TN (December 12, 2011) -- The Grascals head in to the holiday season full of good cheer and, well, pie. "We're just full of it," laughs the group co-founder Jamie Johnson. "El's wife, Catherine Lundy-Eldredge, makes a mean Upside Down Apple Pie, and we've been doing some serious taste-testing!" The dish is so delightful that GACTV.com is including the recipe in their 12 Days of Country Cookies (& Treats) feature, and fans can grab the recipe for this down-home dessert at www.gactv.com/gac/pac_ctnt/text/0,,GAC_26058_104272,00.html or from http://www.grascals.com/.



Grascalites who want to see more of their favorite band can catch The Grascals' November 7 performance (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3b1qbrIHGg) on THE LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON. The audience loved the group's version of "Louisiana Saturday Night," and it's the perfect Christmas Eve entertainment for Bluegrass lovers since December 24 falls on a Saturday this year.





Learn more about these engaging entertainers at http://www.grascals.com/

Europe 72 - May 3, Olympia Theatre, Paris France

  

The Grateful Dead never sounded better than this night, this is a show that I ordered separately from the Huge box set. It is like listening to the original Europe 72 for the first time, The review below tells the story, great sound quality, what a band, this could be their best concert on CD.

Jerry and Bobby playing their 2 iconic guitars that you will most likely only hear on this show, Weir kept up with the Gibson for awhile, but the natural Strat would be replaced by the Irwin Wolf soon. The Strat tones really shine on this recording.

Highly Recommend.

"Pryme Tyme" - Russell Moore and IIIrd Tyme Out - a Review

This group plays traditional bluegrass music. They mix in a little swing on couple of tunes. Russell Moore takes care of guitar and lead vocal on most songs. Steve Dilling plays banjo and sings harmony. Wayne Benson plays stellar mandolin through out the album. Justin Haynes plays fiddle and sings harmony. Edgar Loudermilk plays upright bass and sings harmony vocals and lead vocals on track #9.

   This sounds like a live recording, real sweet recording with great tonal characteristics. Greg Luck does a great job of engineering and also mastering.

   Great selection of material. Songs bring images of Montana to mind to love songs and songs about life. I love "Goodbye Old Missoula", "Hooverville", "Moon Magic", and "Whippoorwill." My favorite song is the last, "What's the World Coming To", a slow paced, emotion filled song about life as we know it.

   By the way, it is good to see Rural Rhytmn Records in Tennessee "where they belong". Visit IIIrd Tyme Out @

       www.iiirdtymeout.com

Welcome to the Country, country pedals

Country music that is. Compressors are big in the country scene.

Part 3 or Discs 3 + 4 of Europe 72 Olympia ,Paris Show - Review by Steve Seachrist

Disc Three

1. Truckin'

Bob repeats the Number-One-in-Turlock bit and the band plays like they are playing a

hit single. It’s a typical daydream in most ways. It’s nice that the verses and choruses

are remembered, lyric-wise. It helps with the credibility. I’m buying this version. We

arrive at the last verse unscathed but for Jerry’s awesome and unpredictable fills. Bones

are patched and we are on our way home. Jer winds up and bursts into a series of rock

figures before heading out on a more esoteric excursion. Pig backs him up admirably

with good jams on the Hammond. Before 7:30 we are certainly setting up for that repriseof the last verse, and that happens from a whisper to a scream within its short lifetime.The jam after this is short and rocky. It is fully flavored with the taste of the main song rather than any other side trip. This very suddenly drops into something that promises to

become…

2. The Other One

Why on Earth the top of this CD track did not rate the “Jam” title (like 4/16 did) is way

beyond my pay scale. We basically land here on a desolate other world, dust our only

friend. This could make you cry if you did not know that rescue was imminent. Each of

the principals (minus Pigpen) carry on making all manner of rackets for several minutes.I really love these nebulous jams where searching is more important than finding. Jerry bows out near 4:45 and the others carry on beautifully without him. Bob strikes some really odd chords here. Jer comes tweedling back in a minute later, then he pushes out some volume-knob swells. This soon gets more aggressive, sparking Keith to make his own noise for a bit. At around 6:45 Phil makes several runs at the opening, but no one takes him up on any of them. More than a minute later, he pokes at it again and ever-so slowly everyone gets on board, but not all at once. In fact, they back off again, teasing us mercilessly with the entrance to the song proper. Phil rumbles through variations on his opening, now obviously just toying with it as the jam turns unpredictable corners again and again. The way this version blossoms is completely amazing. By 11:30 there is still tension even though a very high near-climax is reached. They back off yet again, setting up a little jam that Bob leads, again sans Jerry. Pig chimes in on organ and everyone except Jer comes to the table with the theme. Still no Garcia, they build it to its true structure and then the lead guitar finally warbles back into existence. Here the song has come around to its freakish form. It wails and wails here, all hands very much on deck. Parisian minds are being cracked open like oeufs. There is a slight cooling before Weir comes in with the verse. Pigpen is very active here and the backing vocals sound amazing. Piano leads the way out. Very quickly, the band leaves, and the only sound to be heard comes from the…

3. Drums

Billy displays his plentiful talents by knocking around on the trap kit for a few minutes.

It sounds like he has the snares turned off as he moves around the various three drums at hand. His right foot doesn’t do much but his left taps quietly on the high-hat pedal. His rolls are impeccable. A couple of minutes in, we can hear where this might go. Bill does a cool thing by pushing down on a drum head with one stick while hitting the drum with the other, then slowly releasing the hold, forming a change in tone kind of like a talking drum. We hear Phil warming up the bass as the track marker clicks over to one called…

4. The Other One

The top of this is a bass and drum solo, so I don’t know why it did not get a separate

title. Phil is front-and-center for almost two minutes before he plays the actual riff and

the band joins all at once. Jerry leads the jam into areas one would expect here but Bob

gets in some really tasty and unusual chording around 3:30. Soon after that both the hot

and cool dynamics of the song are displayed in turn. As space allows, more piano comes forward. The mood swings from bright to cloudy near 6:15 and it seems we will arrive at a verse soon. Before that can happen, a complete breakdown is called and Garcia works reverbed figures over slow, growling chords by Lesh. Next, Jerry clicks on the wah and dials it way back to a muted tone as he mimics demons. Phil and Bob are two ends of  the accompanying spectrum – one rumbling deep and the other strumming bright and squealing feedback. Jerry gets a grip on some pinch harmonics and lets them wail loudly. This is a fantastic little space jam. As its fruits dry on the vine, Bobby takes a chance on strumming the entrance to…

5. Me and Bobby McGee

Great song placement! As the cowboy ballads have been appearing in the midst of the

big jams, this one works just as well. It feels like relief. Groove, vocal harmonies, and a

catchy melody all come together as an antidote to the preceding madness. Pigpen warms the underpinning with organ as Jerry plays a perfect solo. The following verse is the one where Bobby McGee gets away and our singer wistfully regrets losing her. Wow, this is wonderful. The song builds to the wordless last verse and all cylinders are firing perfectly. Hear the guitar fills and piano embellishments. The cute last chord changes land kind of unexpectedly back on the still-unfinished…

6. The Other One

Oh, yes. We will hear a second verse soon, I can feel it right at the top as Garcia makes

no bones about playing the theme. The momentum is undeniable and the song moves

forward with that goal in mind. In less than two minutes, we are set up and Bob sings the one about Cowboy Neal. Note that it is Weir who plays those final guitar figures ending it and leaving an opening for Garcia to start…

7. Wharf Rat

I’ve really been enjoying the versions of this song from this tour. On this one, Weir rings some chiming chords in the first verse. Garcia sings it mildly at first, without as much conviction as I expected. He sounds a tad distracted, maybe. I think I detect some out of- tuneness in the guitar department and perhaps this is killing him. The song breaks down into its bridge and it becomes ever so delicate here. Bad things could happen. They don’t – the protagonist proclaims he will get up and fly away, and the song follows this sentiment. It lifts off and sails on. But it is still a bit of a struggle here. Nothing awful occurs, it’s just that the stars are not quite aligned. More barely off-color tones emanate from Weir at times when he could have been brought down somewhat in the mix to minimize this. Garcia decides to make the best of it and he gets busy with some colorful guitar work. The band jams out the ending only for a minute or so and lets the greater jam finally die here.

Disc Four

1.Jack Straw

I am dying to hear this. All previous versions have had Weir singing the verses instead

of alternating with Garcia as he had on the original

Europe ’72 album. So, was the

alternating idea something that came about in the field, or back at the ranch during

overdubbing sessions? Now we will find out (maybe).

Yup, the opening sounds precisely like the official version from all those years ago. But

then again so do these vocals, so I am guessing these are the overdubbed ones. Do I hear a ghost Weir voice during the Garcia parts? Maybe. We’ll know more after we hear the version from the next show. I’m really tempted to go straight there now, but I’ll wait. Even so, I’m pretty sure we just have a re-mix of the parts you’ve already heard a million times. It’s drier and more live sounding, for sure. It wraps up exactly like you knew it would. Great version. Weir says he wants to hear a pin drop and a crowd member yells something in English about California.

2. Sugar Magnolia

The band responds with this. It is a picture-perfect version, sung expertly by an audibly

hoarse Bob Weir. The verses are tight and rocking. Once they are dispensed with, Weir

quietly requests “rock-n-roll” and the band obliges. They set up the song-ending groove

and Garcia lets the changes go around a few times before chiming in with a lead. And

what a lead it is. He quotes familiar riffs and also goes somewhat sideways with these.

Unfortunately the false ending is a premature little wreck. Oh, well. They burst into

the coda with such force that the transgression is instantly forgotten and this is where

Weir earns his keep. The end is a scream fest and Garcia is so turned on that he begins

cranking immediately on…

3. Not Fade Away

Jerry’s gonna tell us how it’s gonna be. He sets a fast pace, Pigpen and the others climb

aboard and the song rocks hard. And by hard I mean very hard. The singing is yelling

and the playing is wailing. Stuff cools nicely after two choruses and Garcia takes the

opportunity to play some nice patterns. I am halfway expecting a familiar melody to

come forward (like “Mountain Jam” or something) but that does not occur. Instead, the

band jams on that one chord for a good while and Jer delights in playing over it. When it mellows sufficiently he begins working the riff for…

4. Goin' Down the Road Feeling Bad

As the singing starts, Donna is onstage and the boys share vocal duties with her. Check

out Pigpen’s swirling Hammond here. Nice addition. The first guitar solo is fantastic in

its studied restraint. Donna lets out a yelp to celebrate and Jerry busts right into the next

verse with audible joy in his voice. Dig this! Another solo, why not? This one pushes

harder and includes some of the fastest little licks I’ve ever heard Garcia pull off. Don’t

miss this. Back to choruses and they of course build and build, with the not-bashful

Donna Godchaux adding interpretive screams. The breakdown lands on the “Bid You

Goodnight” changes which Jerry decides to double up on at the last split-second. Then

those quiet two chords are but a fakeout as we of course explode back into…

5.Not Fade Away

Hear Keith at the top of this, adding bluesy greatness. Then Pig gives us a taste too

before he jumps forward to join Bob on the vocal tradeoffs. This ending segment is one

for the ages. It cements my opinion that this whole show is near the top of the list for the tour.

6. One More Saturday Night

As the two guitars play the intro in harmony, Bob somehow also manages to mention

that this song is the new single and he suggests that the French audience go out and buy

it. Could they find it? Who knows? At least they got to hear it live. The version has a

lot of charm but it is not as together as some. Jerry makes up for some of that by playing fantastic, noisy licks near the end of the first solo. Bob comes back strong with a couple more verses. His voice is ragged and also right. More harmony guitar leads to the fun key changes in the bridge, which of course climb right back to the final choruses. It’s a raucous way to end a show that will remain one of my favorites from any time. The last chord is beaten to a bloody pulp and the crowd goes bonkers.

Part 2 or Disc 2 of Steve Seachrist Grateful Dead Review May 3,1972

Disc Two

1. Tennessee Jed

Having played this song dozens of times previously, and many times on this tour already, the Dead finally nail it for posterity here. They had lots of versions to choose from for the album and this one certainly deserved its place in history. And, yup, when

you hear those first riffs it’s pretty obvious that this is the same groove and ambience

from   

Europe ’72. But right there in the first verse, it becomes clear that this is the

 original vocal and not the overdubbed one when Jerry sings, “Listen to the whistle of

the 

passing train.” I’ve never heard him sing that before. Otherwise, the lead vocal and

 the backing vocals in the chorus are pretty close to the final version. Jerry is a bit more

exuberant here, with some raw emotion cutting through from time to time. He muffs

the line about “a few winks” which may have been the deciding factor in overdubbing

it. When the middle instrumental segment arrives, it is the same series of licks and this

was definitely used on the album. No wonder! It is as hot as this ever got. I love it.

Listen especially to what Weir does just under Garcia’s ripping lead. His interjections

are legendary here. The return to the final chorus and ending are utterly perfect, as you

probably already know. One aside: there is very little organ in this mix and absolutely

none in the original album mix.

2. Good Lovin'

Phil rather tentatively begins this and first Jerry, then the others, join in and build it

to a giant platform for Pigpen to ride atop. He sounds fully engaged and the band

plays loud and just edgily enough to keep it very real. The second chorus deflates and

immediately puffs back into a frantic jam led by Garcia playing fantastic, ripping guitar.

It calms suddenly and Pig comes back in with his improv segment. Lesh somehow gets

crossways and plays in a disharmonious key for a few bars, then returns to the planet

the rest of the guys are on. The rap is similar to others in most ways but it certainly

improvised word by word. I get chills as he hollers, “Come on daddy! See about me!”

By 7:00 the band calms and Pigpen decides to come home from his four-day drunk. A

substantial amount of hell breaks loose after this, with the guys veering off into a spacedout rock jam that temporarily quiets our narrator. They get quieter and quieter and Pig must re-enter almost at a whisper. I’ve never heard him this gentle sounding. He needs a little greasin’ and teasin’ and pleasin’, he says. The jam builds as the sex presumably commences, although Pigpen is never totally explicit. He wants to shift on up into overdrive and keep your transmission alive. Soon, Phil and Bobby are playing odd harmony versions of the theme and Jerry finds an even odder harmony to throw into the mix. They shift slowly to the melody and the song reprises. This one is supremely hot, too. Jer even throws in some of the rapidfire licks he would use on much later versions.

3. Sing Me Back Home

Here we have the first version on the tour of what would end up being a long string of

takes. Maybe they were considering it for the album. Pig is back on organ, lending a

funereal tone to this sad death march. Donna chimes in on the chorus, sweetly. The song is a lengthy dirge and if you are in the mood for that, this version is really beautiful. By the third chorus, Donna embellishes the “come alive” line with nice muscle. Then Jerry lights into his solo and just kills it as Phil goes a few unexpected places. It all works perfectly. This makes the next verse sound that much more poignant. By the time the last chorus arrives, I’d have to say I’ve never heard a better version. Sure, it has its little glitches here and there but overall it kills. The ending is enormous. Love it.

4. Casey Jones

And now for something completely different, as Monty Python used to say. It’s time

once again for that tragic train ballad. Oops, Jerry gets confused coming into the verse.

He doesn’t let this stop him from chugging forward with great steam. In fact, this version is just full of all the right electricity. I wouldn’t be surprised if this song and this take in particular was in consideration for the album. The solo section is off the rails. Weir does some spectacular things just after that. The repeat choruses come up and Billy adds speed. Watch it! The song travels perhaps one bit past it as Jerry wants to end but gets carried by the rest of the guys into one more round. Intermission is called and we hear the Parisians calling out for more music.

5. Greatest Story Ever Told

Presumably the crowd stuck around. Bob introduces Donna and Phil introduces Keith.

The band kicks into this with tons of energy. Jerry and Keith especially grind into their

parts hard. Donna sweetens the first chorus and Bob adds that cool little lick to turn it

back toward a verse. Fantastic. Hear Keith just after the second chorus as he rocks the

keys. Then Jer takes over with a furious run on the wah-pedaled guitar. The changes

in the middle are again suggested rather than explicitly played at first, then they slowly

come into focus until the jam boils over into the return chorus. This is not subtle, it’s

great in every way. The wrap is noisy and sublime all at once.

Ramble On Rose

This thing stumbles a few times before righting itself and coasting into the first verse.

The groove is good by then, though. Jerry sings it in his best 1972 voice and the band

nails all of the accents. Pig heats up the first bridge with whistling organ and the other

guys create a mess of more percussive sounds. The little solo after that has a small hole

in it but once fixed it squeaks like the best of them. This version has enough tiny loose

ends that you can hear why it wasn’t selected for the album, but it’s a nice alternative.

The second bridge is perhaps just a bit more mellow than the first but it ends big. That

leads the energy coming into the last verse and the Paris crowd gets a dose of good

rocking here.

6. Hurts Me Too

Jerry very soulfully leads this in with a metallic slide solo. Pig is slightly flat in his

singing, and this was often the case on this tune. The first verses coast by, full of blues.

“Yes it does,” Pigpen intones quietly just before giving us a taste harmonica. He quits

that after one round and Garcia picks up the slide again and wails. His second time

through is pretty insane yet in tune (compare to later Weir slide solos for contrast) and

Godchaux helps land it with a cluster of chords. Back to Pig for a verse. High marks for

playing, kind of low for singing. The ending is trashy fun.

A review of May 3 Olympia ,Paris Show by Steve Seachrist,

Part 1

Steve Seachrist is a Deadhead, musician and a very good reviewer of Dead music, He writes in Musicians and Deadheads language, He has reviewed every Live CD that the Dead have released, Which is quite alot. I am priviledged to have Steve share his review of one of the concerts from the new Europe 72 Box Set. This is a show that I have ordered. Enjoy.

Europe ’72: The Complete Recordings – Paris, France 5/3/72

Overview

Thus begins a two-night stay at the venerated Olympia Theatre in Paris. Please do read

the liner notes to this one, again written by the highly enlightened Steve Silberman. And again his insight gives me license to just let him provide all of the context. That makes me very happy. But here’s a bit about the music played this night: first and foremost, no fewer than four songs were selected from this very gig for the original

Europe ’72 album: “China

 Cat Sunflower”, “I Know You Rider”, “Tennessee Jed”, and “Jack Straw”. These are

centerpieces of that album and became the definitive versions for the vast majority of

Dead fans for a long time. Am I overstating this? I don’t think so. Taping became a
huge phenomenon later, but for a while, these were the ultimate in live versions. In my
mind, this is still pretty much true. I love other versions, but these are to me the pinnacle of what was possible. There are good reasons these were selected for overdubbing and subsequent release. They’re just incredibly hot, even next to versions played either side of this date. Go ahead, argue with me. I want to debate it.

The sound quality has taken a noticeable turn for the better over the past couple of shows, although it is still perhaps one notch inferior to earlier releases from the tour, like

Rockin’

the Rhein 

or Steppin’ Out. Here’s hoping whatever was plaguing the sound has been

 improved from this show on out.

Disc One

1. Bertha

The Paris crowd is already rowdy at the top, clapping in rhythm and cheering loudly.

The band warms up only for a second, then lights into this contender for tightest “Bertha” of the tour. This song had recently (in 1971) been released as a live version so there was little chance it would appear on the live album being recorded on this tour. Maybe that allowed them to loosen up a bit and just pummel it. Pigpen adds nice organ colors, Keith is a god of piano fills, and Jerry hits this out of the park in terms of singing and playing. Oh, sure, the other guys are all over it too. When the guitar solo hits, it is fantastic. I thought the one on  

Skull and Roses was the monster (and it is) but this one is every bit as

 hot and I never thought I’d say that.

2. Me and My Uncle

Another refugee from 

Skull and Roses comes up here. Before it does, a woman speaks

 some French to the audience. Weir chimes in in German. Prankster! The song comes to

life full of the same flavors that “Bertha” enjoyed only moments before. It is a very hot

version from the top to the tail. The solo is completely without peer. I do not know how

a band can get lit up to this extent, I really don’t. But here they are supernaturally great.

Every single note and nuance is as good (probably better) than you have ever heard it.

3. Mr. Charlie

This grooves so deeply I am having a hard time understanding how any version could

beat it. Jerry’s solo is certainly better than the official version. It is scary and thrilling in

ways that cannot be explained. The return to the verses is full of electricity and I rate this absolutely essential in the annals of “Mr. Charlie”. Wow!!

4. Sugaree

This easily could have been a contender for the original album. It is so solid and confidently played that it must have been on the short list. It is interesting that this tune

and the next one appeared on the live album from two years later, the universally-reviled

Steal Your Face

 I don’t hate that album as much as most folks, and I do see it as another

noble attempt to present previously-unreleased live songs, a lot like

Europe ’72. But

 back to this: the song is so completely full of the vibrancy you want that it is utterly

undeniable in its ascendancy to the top of the Europe heap. It’s the best so far.

5. Black Throated Wind There are so many great versions of this on the tour already, I didn’t know if this one could possibly beat them. Sound quality alone could give this an edge. It is played magically, too. Typically, Jerry’s lines make the biggest impact, but Bob’s singing and Phil’s contributions are killer and Keith and Billy nail their respective parts. Just when you thought you’d heard the best one, here comes this! Dig it. It is superlative, and I don’t use that term loosely.

6. Chinatown Shuffle

This version is perfect in its context here. The sound rocks, the playing is hot, and

Pigpen has never been in better form. If I had to nit-pick with a gun to my head, I’d say

Jerry may have nailed the guitar parts a little better on other versions but I am certainly

not going to complain. This is worthy of all the love you could invest in it. It is also a

necessary Pigpen interlude to the next tunes, which happen to be the ones selected for the

Europe ’72   

album.

7. China Cat Sunflower

I’m really excited to hear this, since every nuance of the official version is burned deeply into my brain. Jerry gets the riff straight quietly then snaps to for real. That groove is undeniable – it is the one. To my ears, the vocal we are hearing here is the original one and the more familiar one was overdubbed. They are so close, I could be wrong. When “diamond eye jack” is sung, I know I am right. The instruments do precisely what you remember but they sound huge here. The instrumental bridge is like a Technicolor version of what you know. The last verse is again just different enough that you know there was a later revision. As the jam develops, it is that totally familiar sequence of  sublime playing. And, yes, there are very good reasons why this concise little version was the one selected. It gives me chills to hear it like this. Jerry comes to the fore more so than other versions before the quick set-up to…

8. I Know You Rider

This sounds exactly like the vocals we know. Either they got it perfect live, or we are

now hearing overdubs. I’m going to guess the latter – it is too good. After the “wild

geese” verse, Jerry plays that exact solo we have imprinted in our brains. The next

chorus is that sweetened stuff you’ve heard so many times. Ditto the Jerry “train” verse

and the following chorus. Then the solo blows the roof off. Is it overdubbed? We don’t

know for sure but it sure is inspired. This is what Grateful Dead dreams are made of.

Whether live or contrived, it is pure magic. The crowd goes for it.

9. Beat It On Down The Line

“How many?” someone, probably Jerry, asks. Answer: nine. The version is as hot as

anything preceding it at this show. Every nuance is in place and the full-on Grateful

Dead X-Factor is on display. I don’t want to disparage the earlier shows but we have

serious lift-off here. There is no contest, even though earlier versions were great. This

one is better. We have finally reached our happy, happy home.

Weir mumbles some faux Francais at the end.

10. He's Gone

You’ll notice right away that the opening riff is that static one from earlier versions but it switches halfway through to the one we all know and love. That aside, there are tuning issues and the song is oddly grooveless. I can’t explain this any better than anyone else could. The air has somehow escaped the balloon. The efforts here all sound less than half-hearted. How did this band suddenly become nonchalant after so much magic? That is the eternal Grateful Dead quandary, and the reason we keep digging for the gems. This is certainly not one of them. As of the previous show the arrangement includes an instrumental bridge, a guitar solo that is only the verse part, and then the vocal bridge. That’s what we have here. The final verses are still undercooked and the ending just self fades unceremoniously. This version is easily my least favorite on the tour so far, even given the unfinished arrangements of some earlier ones. A lot of crowd cacophony and tuning precede the next number, but no one in the band says anything.

11. Next Time You See Me

Pig to the rescue again. There is no way to play this song without some level of commitment. The band comes back to life and pushes the blues buttons. After the first

quick verses the harp solo takes over for two rounds and Jerry is then given the stage.

He plays a couple of verses of moderately hot blues licks and hands it back off to Mr.

McKernan for more harmonica blowing. It’s fine and all, but not the definitive version

you may have been hoping for. It does include two verses at the end instead one, which I think is one too many.

12. Playing in the Band

No introduction of Donna precedes this but she is there on the first chorus, mixed

pleasantly low. The verses are powerful and relatively in-tune. When the time comes,

a reasonable bellow emits from Ms. Godchaux. One more chorus gets us to the jammy

zone and it goes to the watery depths immediately. After a minute, the heat is up there

with the best of these short versions and redemption is nigh. It is hard to deny the powers of any of these versions of this song. The X-Factor is on tap at all times. Before 7:00, strains of the return theme can already be heard, but do not let that get you down. Jerry works on the tease a bit more and then does get to it more explicitly. As concise as it is, this version satisfies. The drop to the actual theme is less dramatic than some on the tour, but once it arrives, the fanfare into the chorus is pretty big. Donna screams us in well and the final rounds are full of hot energy. Overall, not my favorite, but most of the many versions on the tour are very solid, including this one.