June 27, 1969: Veterans Auditorium

Listen to this show.

    The Grateful Dead were steadily moving into the next phase of their career by mid-1969. The early portion of the year saw them at the height of their psychedelia, as jams became longer and previously performed numbers hit new, exciting highs. Their February-March stint at the Fillmore West is certainly the finest example of this pinnacle, but that's all a story for another time. By June, however, new material was trickling in, old material was being revisited, and other mainstays were slowly trickling out: songs like "New Potato Caboose," "Born Cross-Eyed," and "Caution" were becoming rarities, if they were even performed at all anymore. In their place was a new batch of Americana material, slowly trickling their way into setlists as time passed. 6/27/69 is a show that captures this transition in full force, and the results are more than worthwhile throughout.

    The fast-paced country number "Ol' Slewfoot" opens the set, featuring Garcia adorning the pedal steel guitar as Weir takes the lead. Peter Grant sits in on the banjo, but you can hardly hear him in the mix unfortunately. Earlier in the year, it's almost unbelievable that the Grateful Dead could yield such a crisp country rock sound, and yet it flourishes on this opening, getting things off to a proper start. The country path continues with a cover of Merle Haggard's "Mama Tried," this performance being only the second time the group ever performed it live. The performance comes off fairly laid back, with a solid beat and some good vocals from the likes of Weir & Garcia. There's clearly some room they have to grow with the song, but it comes off well, and it segues cleanly into the first original of the night. "High Time" debuted a week prior on 6/20/69 (along with "Mama Tried"), and it seems that unlike a few other early performances of Workingman's Dead songs, this one seems fully realized from the beginning. Credit to the gentle percussive textures added to Kreutzmann and Hart, as well as some gospel-leaning organ work under the song's contemplative space. Combined with the sensitive vocals, it makes for a very lovely performance. The following "Dupree's Diamond Blues" is leaning on minimal, and is one of the less fantastical moments of the show, but it keeps things mellow going out of "High Time." In comparison to the warmth of the previous two tracks, the following "Me and My Uncle" keeps a good tempo. Jerry's pretty clean on the solo, and the whole performance feels peppy, helped by some good grooves and a spirited vocal from Bobby.

    "Casey Jones" had debuted earlier in the year, but it had not yet taken proper form yet, evident in this performance. There's long periods of jamming on C, a more laid-back beat, and the snappy riff that carries the song forward has not yet been written. This makes for a very primitive version of the track, but not an unenjoyable one. The vocals are fine and similarly laid-back, and there's a certain groovy quality to the performance. As far as early performances of "Casey Jones" go, this is a particularly sharp one that captures the song in its developing stages. Similarly in development is the following "Dire Wolf," featuring Bobby on lead vocals and Jerry on pedal steel. While I think Jerry gives the song a sensitivity that Bobby doesn't deliver, he certainly sounds great here, and Jerry's sparkling playing on the pedal steel gives plenty of life to the performance. I wish that Jerry would've played it more during live shows! From there, we get a return to "Sittin' on Top of the World," a song that had been largely abandoned by 1966 before it's return in April of '69. It comes out largely the same as it did in '66, but with the energy of a group who's grown familiar with the material. Maybe not the best version of the song ever performed, but certainly welcome. The following "Big Boss Man" is the only Pigpen representation we get on this recording—a bit disappointing that we don't have a "Lovelight" or "Caution" or even a "Hard to Handle," but at least he lets it rip once. His role as the group's bluesman is well-displayed here, both in his unpolished vocals but also his fantastic harmonica playing on this cut. The Jerry solo that follows makes it all the better.

    You can never go wrong with "Dark Star." By 1969, it had become the most fantastic representation of the Dead's live improvisation. 6/27/69 is gifted with a particularly experimental version of "Dark Star," one that's dynamic and evolving across all of its 26 minutes. What starts gentle and pondering builds after the first verse, as Jerry's guitar picks up heat along with Phil carrying momentum along with him. As the drums build, "Dark Star" takes on shades of "The Other One" before falling back into space. What follows next is an absolutely fantastic groove, driving and relentless from Bill and Phil, the latter even teasing "Lovelight" on bass. Bob's chords become bright and peppy, and for a moment the jam is optimistic and beautiful. This continues for a while before they fall back into the second verse of "Dark Star," a gentle ending to a truly inspired and exciting performance. The "St. Stephen" that follows doesn't carry the same heat, but it carries on smoothly, including a particularly beautiful and tentative bridge. I would talk about "The Eleven" that naturally follows, but it quickly disintegrates into a performance of "Green, Green Grass of Home." Slow and slightly melancholic, with Jerry quickly picking back up the pedal steel, it's an unusual but well-executed moment. They follow it there with an equally slow and reflective "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" for an encore, with more gospel-leaning organ and a loose drum beat. Unfortunately, the tape cuts early: it's all over now indeed.

     There are better performances from 1969, but it's hard to contest that 6/27/69 is a damn good show. The Dead throughout are energized, running through an exciting and unique set with a vitality and inspiration that's such a large part of what makes their shows so wonderful in the first place. Situated at a transitional point in their career, the Grateful Dead's experiments that Garcia once said led to more failures than success pay off throughout. New songs, old songs, and just enough inventiveness makes for a proper Dead show, and at only 90 minutes it makes for a quick and highly enjoyable listen. This is a show that is not one for passing up!

Show Rating: ★★★★☆

Thank you for reading, and I bid you goodnight.