Dead of the Day: 04-14-1972
Tivolis Koncertsal
Copenhagen, Denmark
The Europe tour is too much to resist, so we head back there again for our Dead of the Day and the first night on the continent, in Copenhagen. The first set is nothing to take lightly with a spectacular Mr. Charlie and Black-Throated Wind, among other tasty nugs. The Playin’ – a complete ensemble effort – might take the first half cake, though. Keith is firing away on the keys, Jerry is delivering some squirrelly jams, Phil is dropping bombs, and Billy is keeping it all tight and together. In Playin’, the boys go from a pure rock n’ roll vibe to an outer, face-melting netherworld and back again in a moment. Depending on your opinion on the subject, Donna’s contributions will either seal it or have you reeling.
The second set opens with a Truckin’ that turns into a frenetic, cascading, roaring jam. The Brown Eyed Women that arrives a song later is awesome and familiar, as it is the one that made the original Europe ’72 release. Next, the Looks Like Rain has Jerry on pedal steel, sounding almost like there is a violin or two playing along and making for a sweet version. There are not words that can contain the epic massiveness of the Dark Star that comes next. Just go give it a listen. And, while you are there, keep it on as a blistering Sugar Mags comes down. Eventually, Pigpen comes along and slithers into a bawdy, outlandish Good Lovin’ with the rest of the band right there backing him up with downright rank playing. Towards the end, Billy starts banging out a voracious beat that carries into a phantasmagoric Caution. The frenzy of Caution gives way to a momentary release of a crazy Pig rap of Who Do You Love before curling right back into Caution> Good Lovin’. The night could have ended there – as it almost seems like it might – and people would still be calling it one of the best shows ever. But, instead, the Dead roll threw a sharp Ramble On Rose before rocking a NFA> GDTRFB> NFA with a little China Cat tease thrown in for good measure.
Tivolis Koncertsal, is an intimate little venue with a capacity of only 1660. The Dead would, of course, play there again three days later on the 17th.
Yesterday’s Dead of the Day:
Other April 14th Shows and Recordings:
- 1971 – Davis Gymnasium, Bucknell University – Lewisburg, Pennsylvania
- 1978 – Cassell Coliseum, Virginia Tech – Blacksburg, Virginia
- 1982 – Glen Falls Civic Center – Glen Falls, New York
- 1984 – Hampton Coliseum – Hampton, Virginia
- 1985 – Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre – Irvine, California
- 1988 – Rosemont Horizon – Rosemont, Illinois
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