03-10-1993
Rosemont Horizon
Rosemont, Illinois
The three-show run at the Rosemont that kicked off a tour through the Midwest and East offered some hope that 1993 might mark a return to form. Though this was not quite the case, these shows – and this middle one in particular – are strong. Stranger takes it out of the gate with a fiery energy. And the set continues to build through a jaunty Stagger Lee and Same Thing before an inspired Peggy-O turns everything up a notch further, leading to a top-shelf Queen Jane and Ramble On Rose before a sensational mid-90s Let It Grow closes the set out. Throughout the first half, Jerry provides energetic runs at nearly every turn, and Bobby is right there, lending his solid guitar and spirited vocals to the all-round effort.
Eyes of the World kicks the second set off, Jerry making it clear that his lucid, inventive playing in the first half was no fluke. Afterwards, the boys turn to a series of new tunes. First is Way To Go Home, which is one of the better versions the Dead played. Then the third-ever of that fine late Hunter-Garcia collaboration, Lazy River Road, comes out, as lovely as any. Corrina then takes it into the final Mind Left Body jam the band every played, which itself segues into Drums. Playing three new tunes in the heart of the second set might not look that appealing, but it works a good deal better than it appears on paper, and that Mind Left Body jam makes up for a lot.
Like most of the 90s Drums, this one has some meat to it as Billy and Mickey alternatively seethe and meander through a rapturous percussive landscape. As Jerry joins the action to start Space, he turns to a MIDI heavy blend of flute and low bass and leads the band on an intriguing sonic exploration of the outer realms. Eventually, all this anarchic searching coalesces around The Wheel, which seems to congeal and come forth in just a breath. And, despite all that has come before, this begins the real highlight of the show: the final Wheel> Watchtower> Standing On The Moon> NFA. It is the Standing On The Moon that really takes the cake. Jerry pensively pours out his emotions in a moving, meditative fashion until he gets to the final coda. There, he just unleashes, first vocally and then in a blistering guitar solo to the foot of Not Fade Away. Finally, a sweet Baby Blue encore leaves the crowd with one more treat.

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