7294 Omaha, NE 13:13
Main theme at 1:54, 2:33 and 3:06.
First verse at 3:38.
Verse melody at 7:17.
Sputnik at 7:53.
Bright Star at 10:07.
Main theme at 11:05.
Second verse at 11:45.
Goes into St. Stephen.
Weir seems a little louder than usual this time, which gives us a chance to examine his contributions a little more closely. There’s a nice bit from about 1:25 where all the instrumentalists are weaving together in a way that is quite busy but very euphonious, and what strikes me is how rapidly sections like this can come on, as the band is very mobile and light on their feet at this point. At 1:34 Garcia starts playing some licks that will appear again in future renditions, but for which we have no name. The first time the band hits the main theme, they play it for about 30 seconds and then Garcia spins off into something else; then they resume it at 2:33, and this time Garcia begins varying the theme itself before again taking off again; he then returns to the theme a third time before the verse. Garcia again follows the verse with the familiar lick from 1968. There follows a nice bit where Jerry is playing on the bass strings, and Weir’s chiming rhythm part is floating above him. For a good stretch Weir seems to be playing in a higher register than usual, although it’s possible he has been doing this more than I have noticed, as his guitar is notably audible and distinct on this recording. After the Sputnik, beginning at around 9:28, Weir joins Lesh, who has been flashing the main theme, in a percussive jam which gives this section a unique flavor, and this carries over into the bouncy Bright Star that follows. At 10:53 Garcia starts what will soon be indisputably the main theme; I’ve logged it as 11:05 above, but at times it’s ambiguous where the theme begins or ends, as their treatment of it is increasingly loose and discursive at the edges.
This feels like a fragment; at this point, they can really cram a 13 minute Dark Star full of ideas, and this one feels like it never fully develops into what it wants to be. Nevertheless, Dark Star is consistently engaging, and this is no exception.
What was said:
I liked this one more than the 2/2 Dark Star, it felt more meditative and adventurous. Jerry in particular seemed to be in more of a Dark Star mood here, not as hard-edged. Take just the intro: Jerry waits about 30 seconds after the opening theme before he starts soloing, except for a fleeting wisp of feedback. Already there's a sense of openness & spacey texture. So even though it's a short Dark Star, it doesn't feel especially condensed to me.
The banter before Dark Star shows the band's feeling relaxed, even in far-off chilly Omaha. It's very much a 3-guitar mix -- Phil and especially Bob are louder here. The rest of the band, not so much -- I could sometimes make out some organ but not often, and the scratcher's pretty quiet. It's nice to hear Bob as a full partner in this version.
The section of jamming between the verse & verse melody is very nice, intricate and building intensity. There's a tape-flip in the verse melody (around 7:40) which drops us into a quieter jam. The Sputnik that follows is kind of low-volume, restrained and mild (even with some percussion coming in), but I like how it trails off into clouds of spectral chimes. The transition into an upbeat rhythmic jam after that is gracefully done, and it's a technique that would become common in later Dark Stars. Jerry milks the Bright Star theme for all it's worth then spirals down into the main theme. Less flashy, but really neat: after 11:20 Jerry's playing a bass counterpoint to Phil's line, just a little spontaneous invention.
There is also an audience tape: cruddy-sounding, warbly and off-speed. I wouldn't recommend it as a listen, but it does confirm that the PA mix was pretty much the same as on Bear's tape: all guitars, the other instruments are lost in the crud. (And there's not a peep from the audience.)
The notes say: '"Dark Star" although having a cut of about 2:26 (starting at 2:03) also contains approximately 18 seconds that are missing from the soundboard that circulates (this is from around 7:39 in the soundboard)."
The cut includes the first verse. But the 20-second part that's missing from Bear's tape (around 5:00 in the audience tape) is actually really cool, the band drops right from the verse melody into a quiet near-space in a sudden change of mood.
You're right that it could have been longer, more intense, more explosive....but it was also packed full of interesting little nooks & crannies, more interesting to me at any rate than the previous Dark Star on 2/2....though quieter, it was more suggestive of grand vistas not yet explored....
[The Aud version] cuts in, leads up to some fast jamming, maybe they’re hyped on playing all the time and getting better, or maybe just they’re just getting through the concert, but by the time they get to the theme proper, they’re kicking it out. Then a real jazzy sound, the tone roll off with distortion, that goes a little off the rails with some accidentals before 3:00! There’s a little plateau at 3:50 but into some sincerely incredible jamming before the main them at 4:45, incredible runs from Phil and Jerry in the in-betweens.
New music section at 5:10, a die-off that builds into the sputnik space arpeggios into harmonics and feedback! Hi there, Omaha.
That wave crests and falls, into a new exploratory section on major chording at ~6:20 but slipping in key. I think the tape wound out, there’s a splice back directly into a bright star, more tape slippage and then a low-key section with a groove before the second verse. Gotta remember that second verse.
Well, maybe it really sounded like tape slippage for some of these kids in the audience.
I agree that there’s a lot packed into this version and having Jerry, Phil and Bob all fairly present in the mix makes for an interesting listen. The overall vibe is harder to pin down which I think is a testament to the variety of things that are happening and the change-ups along the way. It feels exploratory; not a deep space exploration or breaking new ground but an engaging journey nonetheless. The stretch from after the tape cut following the verse melody through the mellower Sputnik and the brief percussive jam that bzfgt mentioned into Bright Star is very nice.
[The Aud version] cuts in, leads up to some fast jamming, maybe they’re hyped on playing all the time and getting better, or maybe just they’re just getting through the concert, but by the time they get to the theme proper, they’re kicking it out. Then a real jazzy sound, the tone roll off with distortion, that goes a little off the rails with some accidentals before 3:00! There’s a little plateau at 3:50 but into some sincerely incredible jamming before the main them at 4:45, incredible runs from Phil and Jerry in the in-betweens.
New music section at 5:10, a die-off that builds into the sputnik space arpeggios into harmonics and feedback! Hi there, Omaha.
That wave crests and falls, into a new exploratory section on major chording at ~6:20 but slipping in key. I think the tape wound out, there’s a splice back directly into a bright star, more tape slippage and then a low-key section with a groove before the second verse. Gotta remember that second verse.
Well, maybe it really sounded like tape slippage for some of these kids in the audience.
I agree that there’s a lot packed into this version and having Jerry, Phil and Bob all fairly present in the mix makes for an interesting listen. The overall vibe is harder to pin down which I think is a testament to the variety of things that are happening and the change-ups along the way. It feels exploratory; not a deep space exploration or breaking new ground but an engaging journey nonetheless. The stretch from after the tape cut following the verse melody through the mellower Sputnik and the brief percussive jam that bzfgt mentioned into Bright Star is very nice.
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