Truckin’ is one of the stalwart classics of the ultimate American band. Yet this version was played in Luxembourg. Go figure.
There are so many great versions of this American Beauty classic that it’s hard to pick one. Honestly, I can’t say what drew me to this particular version, just that the Luxembourg show is one of a small handful that always jump into my mind when I think about E72 shows I really like (others being 4/14, 4/17, 5/2, 5/3, and the entire closing run in London). I think it’s just the uniqueness of the radio broadcast and the somewhat randomness of Luxembourg (certainly a country I’d love to visit some day).
Today I’ll just let the music do the talking.
As a side note, most people probably know yesterday was Easter Sunday for those who celebrate. We’re not into the religious aspect, but with kids candy and the Easter Bunny stands as an inevitability. The concept of “truckin’ on” certainly describes what happened at our house yesterday. This was my 2 year old’s first time with Easter where he comprehended that he got candy. Let’s just say he made the most of the opportunity and housed his candy pretty quickly. If truckin’ leads to bouncing off the walls it could be my kid’s theme song.
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Jerry and Phil seem to be in lock-step for much of this, and the combination of both organ and piano mesh so well. Give Pig some credit where it’s due… Jerry starts to throw some fuel to the fire during the Sweet Jane verse, but it just seems like he’s holding back for a big barrage, if only Bobby would finish all those lyrics.
Both Pig and Keith exert themselves during the “Get back truckin’ on” section, but once the singing is over Garcia finally gets a chance to unleash. It seems pretty clear that this is what he was waiting for. Keith adds some boogie woogie, but Garcia is front and center. The tone from the Nash Strat almost piercing, yet entirely under the control of Mr. Garcia. He’s like a snake charmer here.
Things settle down a bit. Man, Bobby’s got great tone here too. Another run through the chorus is in order so the boys do just that. In the next instrumental section Jerry is less a fire-breathing dragon and more a lazy gila monster. His moves seem a bit more deliberate and focused. Although Jerry commands most of the attention everyone else pulls their weight nicely here. The multi-track mix likely really helps in this regard (no matter what some may think about the mixes on this release. I happen to think they’re fine). The spacey segment slowly devolves into a brief drums respite.
Kid Jansen again introduces the Dead to the small crowd and the much larger potential radio audience. The band responds with a forceful entry to this perennial tour favorite. After the first chorus, Bob is AWOL for the first line of the verse, then he comes to the fore and begins his snappy recitation. This is as hot as any airing on this tour. The song proper rocks and rolls with just the right abandon. Mix-wise, things are not awful. All of the instruments can be discerned if one listens hard enough. We are used to that, right? Once the body is dispensed with, the jam just rolls right through like a heavy freight train. There is no stopping now. As the jam segment cools, the two guitars lead it right back to the last verse reprise and we get back truckin’ all over again. As usual, the jam after this is more restrained. It is led by Phil and Jerry, who hint at “The Other One” without really spoiling the fun. After 10:30 the groove fragments and we enter that delicious space that really only sounded like this on this particular tour. Yum! We are talking about sparse, percussive-yet-tonal passages that wind down too quickly to one guy playing the drums.