Your 5 favorite Grateful Dead Europe '72 shows

Listening to the the Newcastle 4/11/72 show. The Other One really reaches the creative and atonic depths that I’ve never heard before in that song. Any other recs for Dark Star-like “out there” jams outside of Dark Star? Great show by the way... the 2nd half is just pure fire (especially considering the reputation of the frigid Newcastle crowd that night!). In all truthfulness, the 2nd set of 4/11/72 has to be in the top 5 of E72. Absolute perfection.

 

I don't know that it's top 5 for me, but repeated listenings have really bumped Newcastle up in my estimation.

 

Never anger a Geordie or else...

 

Was very fortunate to be able to acquire the E72 box set a while back and am going through the tour night by night listening to the main “jam” sequence/CD of each show... have listened to each show at least 2-3 times in full. As of now, and with some shows to re-acquaint myself with, I humbly present to you my top-5 choices of the tour. That being said, there were 12-14 shows that I considered for one reason or another to include in the top 10.

4/8 Wembley Empire Pool, London, England

4/11/72 Newcastle City Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne, England

4/16 Stakladen, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark

5/11 Grote Zaal De Doelen, Rotterdam, Netherlands

5/26 Lyceum Theatre, London, England

 

Bob is the one who said that Newcastle was "the coldest, stiffest audience I've ever played for...nobody seemed to be at all interested in what we were doing." But, I think he was talking about the 5/24/70 Hollywood Festival at Newcastle-Under-Lyme, not the 4/11/72 Newcastle City Hall audience, if that makes any difference. (It should, since apparently there is almost 200 miles of road between them.) On the recording, the Newcastle City Hall crowd seems to enjoy the Dead just fine.

Grateful Dead Sources: May 24, 1970: Hollywood Festival, England

 

A simple mis-remembering on Bobby’s part
I very much doubt the Newcastle crowd couldn’t/wouldn’t get into it as they’re well-known and renowned for being party people.

 

Is there a more “psychedelic” 60 min from Europe 72 than 5/3/72’s Truckin > TOO > McGee > TOO > Wharf Rat??

 

Dark Star>The Other One from Bickershaw, perhaps.

Or the second set meat from 5/26/72 Lyceum London.

 

The Truckin'->Other One sequence from 5/10/72 probably rivals it.

 

Amazing really as the 3rd disc of this show (Truckin>Drums>TOO>Bobby McGee>TOO>Wharf Ray) is one of the top 5 second set “sequences” of the tour. Perhaps it’s overshadowed by the Dark Star of the next night but this really is a “better show” even though I’ve been biased to 5/11 in the past. Case in point, this “the other one” is just FANTASTIC and is one of top-3 favorite jams of the tour.

 

I like Rotterdam and a few others more than Amsterdam, but Amsterdam is a damn fine show. I voted for both back in the day (and only chose 4), but these days - after 3+ times through the whole box versus 1 when I voted - I would put Amsterdam in the top 10, but probably in the 6-8 range. But being in that range on a tour of that level still makes it one of the all-time great shows.

 

Personally, I had to wait until I was retired.

 

April 16, Stakladen, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark - Everyone deserves to hear a Donna-free E72 show.

May 3 – L'Olympia Theatre, Paris, France - The Other One through Wharf Rat sequence is unreal, but the China > Rider is my all time favorite.

May 7 – Bickershaw Festival, Wigan, England - One of the best shows of the best Dead tour ever.

May 11 – Grote Zaal De Doelen, Rotterdam, Netherlands - A personal favorite since I got a tape of it in the 80s.

May 25 – Lyceum Theatre, London, England
Are you a Jerry guy or a Bobby guy?
I’m a Jerry guy. And behold:
Uncle John's Band > Wharf Rat > Dark Star > Sugar Magnolia > Comes A Time

 

I love the fact that now, nearly ten years in this thread’s existence, every show on the tour has at least twenty votes (9% of the vote). Yes, even Beat Club.

That is awesome!

 

Bobby never should have played Thro...I mean Sugar Mag, SMH

 

Top-five post, for sure! Thanks for the laugh!

 

Another vote for Apr 16th. This is my very first official live GD release that I bought years ago and one of the few that I keep coming back despite having a large list of shows to listen to in the pipeline (several Dave Picks and box sets).

I think the historical context of the show (the band playing at the Aarhus University cafeteria with the audience very close to the band) makes it an interesting listening. A tight and intimate show.

Although I’m sure each show of that tour had a great story behind.

 

1) May 26th 114 votes
2) April 26th 97 votes
3) April 8th 68 votes
4) May 11th 60 votes
5) tie: May 3rd and May 7th 59 votes

 

I’ve only heard a handful of these, but I feel the same way about Aarhus. The show sounds very warm and cozy. And I really like that jam coming out of Truckin’.

 

Someone mentioned previously that the top shows really changes based on what one's been listening to lately... Couldn't be more true. So grateful for somehow having the incredible luck to find the Trunk available at a reasonable price. All these shows are important and wonderful and life-altering. Listening to the 2nd set of 5/23/72 and I'm literally in tears listening to Jerry's vocals in Morning Dew... So much gold in these shows.

 

100% agree that E72 are gold. I've picked up about half individually but have given up hope of buying whole set. 5/23 is one of the last ones I picked up and honestly I think I prefer it to 5/26. This is going of memory so can't really put my finger on it but there...I said it.

 

I passed on the Trunk when it was released, but I picked up the "just the music " box later that year. It is a gift that keeps on giving.

 

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