













In honor of the 40th anniversary of Europe ’72, a legendary Grateful Dead tour now available in all its 16-track glory, we enlisted the help of Joe Kolbenschlag and the Steel Cut Oats team to break down a handful of the most memorable shows from the run. Today, they continue with a look at a performance that took place 40 years ago today at Rheinhalle in Dusseldorf.

April 24th, 1972, Rheinhalle, Dusseldorf, West Germany

After a final night in Copenhagen, Denmark on April 17th filmed for future television broadcast, the band ventured southwest towards West Germany. Continuing the television appearance route, they appeared in Bremen where they played for about 80 minutes in what looked to have been a very sterile and uninspiring sound studio. With the playful awkwardness in front of the cameras just a memory, the band broke out in style as they set up camp in West Germany for a week of full-length shows. Without a doubt, the three performances from West Germany’s run comprise the most consistent week from the April portion of the tour. The ‘Euro Box’ presents all three of these shows in new formats compared to what was available before.

The complete Dusseldorf show from April 24th was officially released as Rockin’ the Rhein with the Grateful Dead in 2004. While capturing all of the night’s music, the order of the set list was altered to cater to a 3-disc format. While sacrificing the show’s true continuity, it still allowed for the larger segued material to remain intact inside the space of a CD. I felt the original mix carried a bit too much echo and reverb leading the recording to sound a bit hollow – especially in the vocals, drums and guitars. Nonetheless, being the first full Europe ’72 show to be released, the minor technical issues were overlooked – in fact; many listeners probably didn’t realize the tunes were out of sequence to begin with. The new 2011 format is presented as four discs, and the original set list has been restored to how it was played that night – as a three set show.

Dusseldorf’s show kicked off with a rare Truckin’ opener, the first of only three from the tour. The band found themselves in solid working fashion, and Billy’s presence really stands out on the updated recording. As the verses close, we get a nice driving jam that sets the table for the night, and this early tenacity continues throughout several of the first set tracks. Although many stand out, I’d like to bring particular attention to all of the Pigpen tracks – and not just those from the first set. Listen for the more loose approach during the West German run on Pig’s tunes – Hamburg exudes this to a large degree, too. Chinatown Shuffle, Mr. Charlie, Next Time You See Me and Hurts Me Too all could have been in contention for the original Europe ’72 release. The Good Lovin’ is perhaps the most telling track of the show.

Pig’s declining health does not come across on tape until later into the month of May, but something very interesting occurs here. The jams are hot, yet Pig’s bravado doesn’t swell to Copenhagen or Aarhus proportions – he still delivers, but during his raps, he utters, “she’ll push me when I’m falling, kick me when I’m down….I guess I missed my calling, should’ve been a clown.” Pig’s machismo begins to slide into self-deprecation, and as the track continues, Pig repeats “remember me when I’m gone!” over and over up until the last chorus. This is the first instance where he addresses his own physical downfall on stage. Exactly one month later, on May 24th in London, he would offer his most poignant delivery of his career. Pigpen’s true swan song would be the Turn On Your Lovelight > The Stranger (Two Souls in Communion) combo closing that show – a truly moving piece that, fittingly, was included as bonus material on the original Rockin’ the Rhein release.

The shorter second set – Dark Star > Me and My Uncle > Dark Star > Wharf Rat > Sugar Magnolia – demonstrates several musical agendas. The lengthy Dusseldorf Dark Star – just over forty minutes – is a heavy-duty excursion crammed full of dissonant passages. The post-verse sections bring forth some pretty scary and powerful jams, and they’re certainly much more dangerous than anything they’d played on this tour so far. Keith and Jerry are excellent throughout the initial 25 minute segment with Phil playing the role of anchorman. Weir drops Me and My Uncle during a slurred break in the unpredictable grooves, and unfortunately, the magic does not fully materialize once the Dark Star returns. The Wharf Rat and lazy Sugar Magnolia that follow leave a ‘what are we doing next?’ vibe….the band intelligently elects to take another break.

The second ever He’s Gone begins Set III. It’s competently played, and one would assume that they worked it up during the intermission – “look, we didn’t finish strong back there, so let’s put some effort into this new tune.” The Hurts Me Too is so good, it needs to be mentioned again – it boasts some of the best blues of the tour – do not miss this one. A perfunctory Not Fade Away > Goin’ Down The Road Feelin’ Bad > Not Fade Away seals the lid on the Grateful Dead’s first real concert in a week. This show loses a step after the Dark Star, but with such a strong opening two hours, it can’t be overlooked. From my perspective, it holds near the middle of the pack of the April shows, and that’s not too shabby. Dusseldorf becomes the stepping stone for the best three consecutive shows played on the tour – Frankfurt, Hamburg, and Paris – and it’s downhill from here.

Grateful Dead, April 24th, 1972, Rheinhalle, Dusseldorf, West Germany:

Set I: Truckin’, Tennessee Jed, Chinatown Shuffle, Black-Throated Wind, China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider, Mr. Charlie, Beat It On Down The Line, Loser, Playin’ In The Band, Next Time You See Me, Me and Bobby McGee, Good Lovin’, Casey Jones Set II: Dark Star > Me and My Uncle > Dark Star > Wharf Rat > Sugar Magnolia Set III: He’s Gone, Hurts Me Too, El Paso, Not Fade Away > Goin’ Down The Road Feelin’ Bad > Not Fade Away Encore: One More Saturday Night

Joe Kolbenschlag

Huntersville, NC