Spring ’90 is synonymous with many things to many people, but in the Grateful Dead world, it was perhaps one of the most vital tours in the beloved band’s history: everything was clickin’. Over the next few weeks, Glide will be revisiting Grateful Dead’s Spring ’90 tour in honor of its 30th anniversary, with recaps and video highlights. For those stuck at home during these bizarre times, there’s no better time than now to go back 30 years and couch up this run…
March 19, 1990 – Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, CT:
The second, and final show of the Dead’s two-night Hartford stand was an uncharacteristically energetic affair, with a setlist weighted heavily in favor of the band’s more upbeat material and only one pre-encore “Jerry ballad” (a moving take on the Garcia/Hunter chestnut “China Doll”) which was a relatively rare occurrence for that era.
The evening started off on a high note with Bob Weir’s trademark rocker “Hell in a Bucket” which set the tone for the remainder of the opening stanza – and the rest of the show, for that matter – as the only “breather” to appear prior to set-break was a well-played version of Brent Mydland’s tender eco-friendly composition “We Can Run.” The remainder of the set was anchored by a particularly strong version of the somewhat polarizing Weir/John Barlow/Bob Bralove track “Picasso Moon” as well as a smoldering cover of Bobby Womack’s “It’s All Over Now” before closing with a spirited take on another Garcia/Hunter gem, “Deal.”
A relatively unusual sequence of “Box of Rain”, “Foolish Heart”, “Playing in the Band” and “Eyes of the World” filled in the second set’s pre-”Drums” segment with tight playing throughout, especially from the percussive duo of Bill Kreutzmann & Mickey Hart, who were locked in and driving the band with a locomotive-like purpose. A somber “China Doll” emerges out of “Space” before giving way to a blazing trifecta of covers – The Steve Winwood/Spencer Davis Group organ rocker “Gimme Some Lovin’”, the traditional “Goin’ Down the Road Feelin‘ Bad” and Chuck Berry’s “Around & Around” – to close the set. The encore saw the band bid farewell to the Nutmeg State with a subdued – yet fitting – take on Garcia’s “Brokedown Palace.”
“It’s All Over Now”: This scorned-lover’s diatribe, popularized by the Rolling Stones in 1964, is among the Dead’s oldest covers, with a handful of performances from 1969-1972 before becoming a first-set staple for Weir in 1976 where it remained in regular rotation through 1995 with just over 175 live outings. This version is a particularly hot rendition that features unapologetic vocals from Weir and an astounding scat-vocals-flavored solo from Mydland and his trademark Hammond B-3.
“Eyes of the World”: This evening’s performance of the whimsical Garcia/Hunter composition is notable as it marks the final occasion in which the song was played at the remarkably quick tempo it had adopted during the 80’s. This speedy version allowed Garcia’s left-hand to confidently race up and down the fretboard, delivering highly melodic leads with spider-like agility, before yielding to a rare bass solo from Phil Lesh and a beautiful piano outro from Mr. Mydland. The subsequent performance of the song, which came a week later in Albany, was dramatically slower and featured a noticeably jazzier feel akin to the more flowing 70’s versions.
“Foolish Heart”: The opening track from the previous year’s studio effort Built to Last – and the supposed “can’t-miss follow-up hit” to “Touch of Grey” according to record executives (spoiler alert: it wasn’t) – was still one of the more successful late-era original songs in the band’s repertoire, with typically poignant lyrics from Robert Hunter and a pair of infectious riffs from Jerry & Brent. While this version admittedly contains some shaky vocals from Garcia, he and the rest of the band more than makeup for it with razor-sharp playing throughout, leading to a well-executed climax of the song’s signature jam.
“Picasso Moon”: Perhaps the ultimate “love it or hate it” Dead song, along with “Victim or the Crime”, this Built to Last track was met with a decidedly mixed reaction from Deadheads after it’s 1989 debut. Somewhat angular and jarring, the band was clearly pleased with the results despite public opinion and (thankfully) kept the Weir specialty in regular rotation, with nearly 80 performances through 1995, often as a first or second set opener. During a 1993 Guitar Player interview, Bob commented on his affinity for the song. “On ‘Picasso Moon’ for instance, I found that I could fret both the sixth string and the first string with my pinky finger. I arch it over the rest of the fingerboard so I’ve got this sound that’s a lot like one of Keith Richards’s weird five-string tunings. It took a little bit of work, but that kind of stuff pops out and there are happy little surprises, that give you enough joy to come up with a melody that has some life to it. Also, when you’re in that joyous space you can bond the melody with the lyric and see where the lyric needs adjustment or whatever.”
Previous Tour Revisits
