I continue to surprise myself in these pages. Then again, I think that was one of the ideas behind doing this in the first place. Nineteen ninety-two is not a year I reach for with any regularity and neither is Samson and Delilah. Yet here we are.

The percussion arrangement has always been a big part of the Dead’s arrangement of Samson and Delilah, and that is on unique display here. Of course, like most good artists, the Dead’s songs evolved over the years and this arrangement differs from other eras. I always like the screaming guitar to start off the song and the accompanying pyrotechnics, but that’s not so much the case here. All of this is quite apparent in what I wrote while listening to this track.

One of the questions about Samson and Delilah that I’ve been wondering is: what was the general response of those at the shows to the song? I mentioned a revelation about Mexicali Blues and how the live performance elicited a different response than what’s on tape. Was there a similar phenomenon for Samson and Delilah or not? This is one of those in-between songs that can be hard to get a read on so I’d love any comments from those who actually saw the Dead.

This starts off with all rhythm section. Some really cool percussion gets the ball rolling. Phil and Jerry eventually join in and finally the rest of gang answers the call. The intro here is a lot different from the soaring guitar pyrotechnics evident in other arrangements. Jerry plays some interesting stuff during the first chorus, listen closely! I haven’t listened to a lot of post-1991 Dead so this arrangement is eye-opening for me. The vibe is much more deliberate and methodic, whereas I’m more used to it being a race to keep the building standing rather than a mere saunter to see if we can make it in time. Jerry’s solo rekindles a bit of that old fire, but it doesn’t have the ferocity to really set this version apart from others. Weir gets a little “Bobby Rock Star” in the next verse. Dial it back on the vocals Bobby. I know that Vince didn’t play B3 with the Dead, but whatever organ patch he’s using here is pretty close and sounds pretty good. Of course, I’d prefer the real thing, but given the reality of the situation it works. The intensity picks up as the band works their way out of the song. There’s a little more gusto in the “If I had my way…” sections. The crowd roars with approval as the song ends.

Complete Setlist 12/16/92

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