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’. Glide is continuing to revisit 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 30, 1990 – Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY:
Clearly still energized from the previous evening’s historic collaboration with Branford Marsalis, the Dead closed their penultimate tour stop at Nassau with yet another sterling performance, full of confident and precision playing from all six members.
Starting off with the first show-opening “Help on the Way->Slipknot!->Franklin’s Tower” sequence since 1977, this version was also selected to be included on Without A Net – the third evening in a row in which material was culled for the fan-favorite live double-LP. This set the tone for the remainder of the set as every subsequent song is an up-tempo number, without a breather in the bunch. Fiery takes on “Little Red Rooster”, “Dire Wolf”, and Bobby Womack’s “It’s All Over Now” kept the arena buzzing with electricity before a relatively rare – but always welcome – “Phil song”, as the bassist stepped up to the mic to tackle Bob Dylan’s “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues.” The exceedingly energetic set came to a thunderous close with strong performances of Weir’s oddity “Picasso Moon” and the traditional “Don’t Ease Me In.”
The intensity remained palpable throughout the entire venue as the second set began with standout versions of “Iko Iko” and “Playing in the Band” before the first ballad of the evening finally surfaced – a haunting rendition of the Garcia/Hunter jewel “China Doll.” This was followed up with adventurous takes on “Uncle John’s Band” & “Terrapin Station”, surprisingly marking one of the very few times that three “Jerry tunes” were played in a row. The post-”Drums” sequence is anchored by a stunning version of Garcia’s “Standing on the Moon” as well as a rousing “Not Fade Away” to close the set before returning for a heartfelt reading of the recently-resurfaced American Beauty gem “Attics of My Life.”
“Help on the Way->Slipknot!->Franklin’s Tower”: This infamous Grateful Dead trio, lovingly referred to by tapers as “Help-Slip-Frank”, made its concert debut in 1975 and was ultimately performed nearly 110 times, despite two multi-year performance gaps between 1977-83 and 1985-89. Dense & jazzy throughout, this musical triptych was – and still is – a fan-favorite and was often trotted out on nights when the band was seemingly playing at their best. This version was no exception as Garcia & company nail the complex instrumental changes in “Help” & “Slipknot!” before delivering a remarkably breezy & flowing “Franklin’s Tower.”
“Dire Wolf”: Debuted in 1969 and recorded on Workingman’s Dead the following year, this Garcia/Hunter classic was a popular first-set standard with nearly 230 total performances. Taking place in one of Robert Hunter’s favorite fictional locales, Fennario, this ominous tale came to the lyricist in a slumber-induced haze, as he explained in a 1986 interview with Relix. “The imagery occurred to me in a dream. I woke up and grabbed a pencil before I was entirely awake and wrote the whole song down. I think I managed to capture the quality of the dream by writing it down before I was wide awake.” While most live renditions remained relatively similar to the album cut, this version is particularly well-played and bursting with energy from Messrs. Garcia & Mydland.
“China Doll”: This From the Mars Hotel track was among the Dead’s most cherished numbers, often delivering some of the group’s most tear-jerking second-set moments, particularly with lines such as “Just a little nervous from the fall.” According to a 1988 interview with Robert Hunter, the piece was originally entitled “The Suicide Song” after a close friend had attempted to take their own life. “I think it’s a terrifying song. And then it’s also got some affirmation of how it can be mended somehow. There’s a bit of metaphysical content in there, which I kind of leave open, not that I subscribe or don’t subscribe to it. At the time it resonated right. That song is eerie and very, very beautiful the way Jerry handles it.” This version is a fine example of Jerry’s fragile yet masterful vocal delivery.
“Attics of My Life”: This somber yet inspirational ballad was debuted in 1970 and appeared a dozen or so times before being shelved for 17 years after 1972. While the band surprisingly brought it back in 1989, it still remained a bona fide rarity during the Brent Mydland-era with only four performances during the keyboardist’s tenure, including tonight’s performance, marking the final occasion in which Brent performed on this tune. This version, featuring stunningly haunting harmonies from the group’s vocalists, left the New York faithful without a dry eye in the house as the band finally bid farewell to the Empire State.
Previous Spring ’90 Tour Revisits
