Getting ready for tomorrow, December 17th, I realized we have a Baba O’Reilly> Tomorrow Never Knows encore from the December 17, 1992 show at the Oakland Coliseum. I have been listening to a lot of these recently. And I just love this pairing, bringing together all-time songs from The Who and The Beatles. The coupling of these two is just one of the many pleasures of the Dead’s later years.
It was Vince who brought these gems into the Dead’s repertoire. And his keys and vocals drive the songs, especially Baba O’Reilly. But let’s not overlook the drummers, who are consistently phenomenal on the tunes, adding layers of texture and rhythm that make the dozen performances of the duo so electrifying.
The first time the Dead broke out Baba O’Reilly> Tomorrow Never Knows was back on May 19, 1992, at Cal Expo. Listening to the soundboard, I was a little surprised the crowd didn’t go more bezerk at the first inimitable notes of Baba O’Reilly. But then, I went to an audience recording and was once again reminded how much you sometimes lose on a crisp board. On the aud tape, you can hear the Deadheads, far from unenthused, go absolutely nuts, especially when Vince finally delivers the opening “out here in the fields.” And the assembled are similarly thrilled by the surprise of the Tomorrow Never Knows follow up.
The band never wavered from playing the Baba O’Reilly and Tomorrow Never Knows as a pair. And the duo was always, save once, performed as an encore. That single variation came on November 29, 1994, which was also the last time that the Dead ever played the two tunes. And that Baba> TNK is arguably the best rendition the band ever gave us. On that night in Denver, the Dead open the second set with Iko and then go Playin> Uncle John’s. At the end of Uncle John’s, there is a bit of tuning, which might just have been noodling while the boys discussed what to play next. If you are really suggestive, you might hear some hints of Baba O’Reilly at this point. But it is Vince’s keys that bring the first sure sign of the song. And Baba O’Reilly is prime, Jerry ripping along, the drummers pounding it home, everyone adding to the stellar harmonies, and Vinny just nailing everything. The transition to Tomorrow Never Knows is smooth as butter, from the “they’re all wasted” line directly into the Dead’s far more hypnotic rendition of the Beatles’ classic. At the end, the drummers take over, sending it all into Drums. And out the back end of Space, the Dead bring out The Rolling Stones’ The Last Time to make a Who-Beatles-Stones trifecta of sorts.
Another version not to be missed, mainly because we have it on crisp video straight from the Dead, is the July 1, 1992 encore at Buckeye Lake Music Center. The video puts Vinny’s passionate delivery on full display. But you don’t want to miss Bobby’s power chord jump in Tomorrow Never Knows.
Check out all the version of Baba O’Reilly> Tomorrow Never Knows:
- May 19, 1992 – Cal Expo Amphitheater – Sacramento, California
- May 25, 1992 – Shoreline Amphitheater – Mountain View, California
- May 31, 1992 – Sam Boyd Silver Bowl – Las Vegas, Nevada
- June 6, 1992 – Rich Stadium – Orchard Park, New York
- June 14, 1992 – Giants Stadium – East Rutherford, New Jersey
- June 20, 1992 – Robert F. Kennedy Stadium – Washington, DC
- July 1, 1992 – Buckeye Lake Music Center – Hebron, Ohio
- December 17, 1992 – Oakland Coliseum Arena – Oakland, California
- March 21, 1993 – The Omni – Atlanta, Georgia
- May 21, 1993 – Shoreline Amphitheater – Mountain View, California
- September 20, 1993 – Madison Square Garden – New York, New York
- November 29, 1994 – McNichols Sports Arena – Denver, Colorado
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