This 7-night stand at the Academy of Music was long overshadowed by the monumental Europe tour and the fact that, until a few years ago, was only available in barely listenable audience recordings. Well, this is a wonderful show from a wonderful run of shows that prove to be a great precursor to the epic Europe tour. The jam between CAUTION and UJB is some of the most beautiful music the band has played and kind of reminds me a little of MOUNTAIN JAM meets ZABRISKIE POINT. There are many other great highlights from this show, including gorgeous versions of LOOKS LIKE RAIN and 2 SOULS played for only the 2nd time.

favorite favorite favorite



Another thank-you-Charlie. This was, until recently, a crappy-AUD show. The second show of what turned out to be seven at the Academy (better known as the Palladium) in Manhattan. The following night may be the best of the run and this the least, but it has a big, nearly 2hr first set @16 songs - though that's because they spend a few songs in the middle solving equipment problems. Some have suggested they only played sets like this in the 90s, but the 90s always had very slick, professional setup and sound. The second set is also long @nearly 2 hrs. In any 7-day run there's a best show and a least, but this has a couple great ones among several trainwrecks and dead sidings.



First Set. The drums are mixed too loud but you can still hear everyone, though the first two songs don't quite make it. An early Deal runs off the rails a couple times, but they gel for an excellent Mr. Charlie. It was clearly one of Jer's favorites at the time, and the best Pig/Jer song, but it's Billy that swings it perfectly. He's having a great night - as you can hear on China Cat>Rider. In the Rider, Jer, uncharacteristically rides a volume pedal (or maybe just his pot?). The Mexicali is great but things go flat until Loser trainwrecks (albeit mainly on monitor problems). Another wash, Big Boss Man is slop among more tech problems and then monitor buzzing distracts the band for a sloppy Jack Straw. Jer is the first to get it together (and Pig's harp), on Big Railroad. The second-ever Looks Like Rain is already shaping up. The Casey Jones is strong.



Second Set. An average '72 set, with a setlist of typically first-set songs. Playing was played every night of the run, but you want the one from the next night (or the 27th). Brown-Eyed is uptempo and I can dig a mid-set Brokedown, where it doesn't feel like a throwaway; and this has good singing. The most interesting part of the set is Sugar Magnolia>Caution>Uncle John's Band. There was one Caution in '71, then this was the first of '72. They played it 5 times on E72, and then never played another full version. The official release edits out 30 seconds of Caution (@9:18) for no apparent reason. It eventually enters a varied, interesting jam, then starts to go back to Bobby McGee, before swerving into Uncle John's with a rough segue that never completely irons out. The sequence is worth hearing once if it looks good to you on paper.



1st Set : C-

2nd Set : C

Overall = 2½ stars



Highlights:

Mr. Charlie - a Jer favorite

China Cat Sunflower>I Know You Rider - Billy's great and Jer uses a volume pedal



SOURCES: A sudden appearance of a Charlie Miller mastering, and one uploaded since, but the 132726.miller has the meticulous cleanup. An edited version of Sugar Magnolia>Caution>Uncle John's Band is on the "Academy of Music, New York City March 1972" mail-order bonus disc that came with Rockin' the Rhein (the disc also has a Playin' and a Dawk Staw but they're from the next night).

- December 7, 2016Finally we are completing the week