Gimme Some Lovin’ is pretty much one of those staple covers, at least for bands with a half-way competent keyboard player. Fortunately Brent is more than competent, and we get some tasty B3 action here.
I played this song in a couple of different bands and it’s a really fun song to play so I totally get why bands cover it. Of course, it always makes me think of The Blues Brothers even though one might assume the first association would be with Steve Winwood and the Spencer Davis Group.
I had no idea until I looked it up that the Grateful Dead started playing Gimme Some Lovin’ all the way back in 1984, airing it 87 times between November 1984 and September 1990. They only played it one time after Brent died. (They played it at Brent’s penultimate show on 7/22/90.) I haven’t heard that 9/15/90 version but I may have to track it down and give it a quick listen to see if there are any clues as to why they stopped playing it. I assume it was just too closely associated with Brent, plus Vince didn’t play B3 with the Dead so it might not have sounded right. Homework for me (at some point…)
It would be easy to complain that the last two songs got the Vegas medley treatment, but this enters so hot that all of that is forgotten. Of course, this band did not really have the chops to pull off this classic number, but it sure is fun anyway. Phil and Brent shout it and also lead the instrumental drive. Fat Hammond organ and bass guitar dominate until the break arrives, where Garcia has a field day with rock licks. The last verse is fine and all, but then the ride-out is kind of a mess, with no one quite sure what to do. This doesn’t last, as Jerry drives the bus straight into “Morning Dew”.