Attics Of My Life is a beautiful, serene song that the Dead rarely played. It is dependent on precise vocals to really deliver live and that takes a lot of practice. Since rehearsals weren’t the Dead’s forte as they evolved it’s no wonder that the song wasn’t played frequently.

So imagine how pumped Deadheads were at the Warlocks shows in Hampton, Virginia when the Dead played Attics Of My Life for the first time since 1972. A week later they played the song again, as presented here on the Nightfall of Diamonds release. (The song appeared occasionally in set lists until 1995, but never with any regularity.)

The music for the song is actually pretty basic and there’s not much expectation for jamming here, but the vocals are on point and nicely delivered. I’d love to know what the impetus for bringing this song back was and how much rehearsal went into getting it just exactly perfect. Regardless, it’s a treat to hear.

A swirl of sound slowly takes form and Attics Of My Life emerges from the ether. Instrumentally there’s not much fault to be found here. The song is well played and there aren’t many surprises in that regard. The vocals are a tad out of sync in places, but by and large Jerry, Brent, and Bob hit the nail on the head. Bob misses the “in the book of my own dreams” line, but that’s probably the biggest flub. The crowd loves the “When I had no wings to fly” line and show their appreciation for the vocalists stretching out for it. The rest of the song goes off without a hitch and it’s simple beauty remains intact.

Complete Setlist 10/16/89