Just past the half-century mark of entries in this ongoing archival series, the curators of Dave’s Picks may have outdone themselves with Volume 54. The bonus disc itself is a veritable microcosm of the main performance, a never-before-released show from Baltimore, Maryland, that is arguably the definitive release of the whole vault enterprise.
More importantly, 3/26/73 reaffirms why it is unreasonable to overlook this period in the Grateful Dead’s evolution in favor of the less adventurous output of 1972 or 1977. Pacific Northwest ’73–’74: The Complete Recordings (and its three-disc counterpart) made a similar case for this perspective, but that was back in 2018, so the refocus of attention with this exhumation from the archives is more than a little welcome.
Ostensibly available only to those who subscribe to Dave’s Picks, the bonus CDs usually punctuate the statement tendered with the primary content. 3/31/73 delivers more than just that though because, under different circumstances, it’d worthy of a standalone release on its terms: it vividly recalls the famous 1971 Grateful Dead live set (also known as Skull And Roses or Skull Fuck) and not just because a relatively brief drum solo of Bill kreutzmann’s segues into “The Other One.”
That interval mirrors the main virtues of the three CDs in Volume 54. Transitions between selections like “Playing in the Band” and “He’s Gone” are virtually indiscernible, indicative of the highly-sensitized instincts the group had developed from years of regular touring (as well as keyboardist Keith Godchaux’s integration into the lineup since his late 1971 recruitment).
It may be impossible to overstate the significance of Kreutzmann’s presence around this time in Dead history, either. His tenure as the sole drummer for the Grateful Dead—from February of ’71 to November of ’74—fostered some singular agility in the overall motion of the instrumental quintet, here clearly depicted in “I Know You Rider” and “Sugar Magnolia,” the closing of the seventy-five minutes from War Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo, NY.
Over the first ten minutes of “Truckin’,” Bill is also limber in maintaining the main rhythm patterns of the composition and arrangement as he is in the accents he provides. Moreover, he is indefatigable: neither his energy nor his imagination ever flags, and in that sense, he is the focal point for the rest of the band as they bond together on stage.
For instance, in the seven-minute “Jam” section of the conclusion above, Jerry Garcia’s guitar work may have never teemed with more invention. He seems to be fielding a seemingly endless stream of ideas, fingering the notes therein without hesitation or undue effort, the fluidity of his playing matching the rapidity with which the notes occur to him.
Bob Weir’s non-conformist instincts on rhythm guitar are just as nimble. As is also the case with Phil Lesh on the bass, he remains incessantly mobile even as he hits the deepest tones he coaxes from his instrument. Unfortunately, Donna Jean Godchaux lacks a similar awareness of her surroundings on occasion. As a result, her sweet harmonies that grace “Candyman” also give way to caterwauling on “Playing in the Band,” where her voice obscures more interesting activity.
A fairly succinct rendition of Lesh’s “Box of Rain” may be the only real surprise in the setlist from the Baltimore Civic Center. But telling too is the inclusion of as-yet-unrecorded tunes that would appear in October of this same year’s release of Wake of the Flood; the collective surety evident on such familiar numbers as “Brown Eyed Women,” clearly lent itself to utter confidence in the parlay of new entries to the repertoire such as “Row Jimmy” and “Here Comes Sunshine.”.
There are at least three points in the roughly four-hour duration of this Civic Center show where the Dead might’ve concluded their performance (which they ultimately finish in somewhat surprising fashion with melancholy yet deceptively optimistic “Morning Dew”).
But to stop with “One More Saturday Night,” to name just one prospective closing, would preclude hearing how Godchaux’ piano playing can be as elegant (“Wharf Rat”) as it is earthy (“Promised Land”). Nor would excising the additional ebb and flow allow for the uncanny back and forth between the latter and Garcia or the late guitarist/songwriter’s swift, circular counterpoint with Lesh at the end of “Eyes of the World.”
Such sublime moments, abbreviated as they are, distinguish Volume #54 from start to finish. As such, this Dave’s Picks re(de)fines the concept of a whole being greater than the sum of its parts.
