I Fought the Law - Grateful Dead Song Review

My bias for 1990's Dead and also my favoritism toward Jerry is probably going to really come out on this post because I actually like I Fought the Law.

IFTL (tape abbreviation) was universally derided as a disappointing encore. I remember people immediately streaming to the exit in disgust when it began.  Many songs that came about in the 1990s that are in retrospect pretty terrible (Wave to the Wind, Childhood's End), were at least unique enough at the time for Deadheads to reserve judgement, but not I Fought the Law.

What can I say, I found it enjoyable and still do. There is a youtube of it at the bottom of this post (no video but an audio version).  I think it's sounds like a pretty fair representation of I Fought the Law.  I like the way Jerry sings this part in a high register:

I left my baby and it feels so bad 

Guess my race is run 

She's the best girl that I ever had 

I fought the law and the law won

This song was very short at least.  Also, it was exclusively played as an encore, so at least it didn't mar the momentum of a great set with its inclusion.  The song came about in March 1993, just a couple of months before my first show and was played somewhat frequently (35+ times until August 1995)... so this is definitely "my era" of seeing the Dead, and I saw it several times (maybe my fond concert memories are making me remember this song too kindly).

A Warning to Deadheads?

A theory that I heard bandied about the parking lot scene was that the song was intended to be a warning to Deadheads about police crackdown and undercover police.  That seems to be a stretch but heaven knows there were some legal atrocities occurring during this period at the hands of "mandatory minimum" laws.

I Fought The Law Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 6.5

Disclaimer: This is part of my blog that reviews all things Grateful Dead for fun. Music is a beautiful thing because it is so personal and subjective, so keep in mind that this is one man's opinion(read my blog manifesto to understand my Grateful Dead background a little more).

Note: comments are encouraged and appreciated (enter them below) but it takes several days for them to show up in the blog entry (due to a Disqus plugin issue).  

Boston Run in September 1993 - Utterly Ridiculous

I haven't been very regular in updating the blog but I assure you that I'm always listening to Grateful Dead, and almost exclusively Grateful Dead from the 1990s.

It's been 17 years since Jerry died and thanks to technology I've been able to download and hear soundboard recordings of tons of shows (although  I wish the band would officially release all the recordings from the 1990s).

I've never been very good about memorizing which shows really stand out and I'm not one of those Deadheads that can tell you what show has "the best performance of Samson ever". One reason for this is because after I hear a great tape, I am immediately trying to forget it so that I can "rediscover" it again in another year or two.

Well in the last week or two, I worked my way through a run of shows from Boston in September 1993 that contain some unbelievable Grateful Dead moments and is probably the best GD run ever (to my unique tastes). Of course, if I could go back to any show in a time machine, it would be the Harmonic Convergence show in 1987, but a close second would be this run back east.

Grateful Dead Played Better on the East Coast?

I have to admit, although I've seen some great shows, I never saw the band firing on all cylinders like this run.  It features huge stretches of flawless and inspired performances by Jerry. Of course, he is just newly playing the "Lightning Bolt" guitar which allowed him to play easily and fluidly compared to the previous Doug Irwin guitars. To those who disparage the "acoustic tone" of Lightning Bolt, I would urge them to listen to Jerry reinvent some old tunes during this run (I write a lot more about Lightning Bolt here).

Again, I have listened to show recordings for the 17 Grateful Dead shows I went to and they just don't compare to the band in Boston during this run (possible exception was the Sunday night Vegas show I saw in 1994).  Shoreline (aka Snoreline) shows in particular pale in comparison.

I have come to the undeniable conclusion that the band played better on the East Coast (specifically New York, Philadelphia, and Boston).

Audio and Video Links and More Discussion about These Shows

I found one youtube video of a complete concert from these shows (the 3rd of 6 shows - Sunday, 9/26/93 thanks Voodoonola!). I'm going to post links to the archive.org recordings for all these shows.

Then down below  the video, I am going to maybe weigh in on some specific thoughts and highlights from these shows (I do this way down the page so that the person who may be hearing these for the first time can listen without knowing the setlist and enjoy the surprise of the show).

• First show,  Friday, 9/24/93 - archive.org link 
• Second show,  Saturday, 9/25/93 - archive.org link 
• Third show,  Sunday, 9/26/93 -  archive.org link  
• Fourth show,  Tuesday, 9/28/93 - archive.org link  
• Fifth show,  Wednesday, 9/29/93 - archive.org link 
• Sixth show,  Thursday, 9/30/93 - archive.org link 

Some Random Thoughts from This Historic Boston Run

• First show,  Friday, 9/24/93 - Setlist Link

This show is great, but I wasn't listening as closely because I didn't realize it was such a monumental run. Any show with Scarlet/Fire is great and the Days Between was good as well.

• Second show,  Saturday, 9/25/93 - Setlist Link

This first set is ridiculous.  There is an absolutely incredible Loser and the Cassidy/Deal closer shows Jerry playing at a magical level.   The Foolish Heart is always an ambitious choice and this is a "pretty good" version (very long).  Crazy Fingers and The Wheel are 2 of my favorite songs and make the 2nd set a winner, but overall, the 1st set owns the night.

• Third show,  Sunday, 9/26/93 - Setlist Link

So it was during this tape that I really started realizing how great this run is.  High Time (first set) and Ship of Fools (2nd set) are rare and awesome to hear especially in the same show.  The Standing on the Moon closer and Rain encore left me speechless.

• Fourth show,  Tuesday, 9/28/93 - Setlist Link

This is the only show that I didn't have the soundboard of so I listened to the audience recording from archive.org.  More of the band and Jerry playing great.  A great China/Rider and a personal favorite Attics of My Life highlight this show.  The ending Throwing Stones then Good Lovin' and then US. Blues encore just further highlight how much more special the Dead seemed to treat their East Coast runs.

• Fifth show,  Wednesday, 9/29/93 - Setlist Link

Sugaree and Dire Wolf highlight the first set, and the surprising/disappointing (choice) Tennessee Jed set closer is redeemed when the band comes out and opens the 2nd set with Eyes of the World. Terrapin is great and the surprising Playin' Reprise is great coming out of Space.

• Sixth show,  Thursday, 9/30/93 - Setlist Link

This is my favorite show of this run...  Here Comes Sunshine is incredible and the Candyman and Stagger Lee are played really well although you can hear Jerry's voice is really struggling...I think it was the last show of Fall Tour. If you really want to hear how clear and beautiful Lightning Bolt sounded, listen to the opening notes of Candyman from this show.... that guitar just cut through clear as a bell.

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds is a personal favorite so as 2nd set opener I think that's great.  Crazy Fingers played for the 2nd time this run and is good (Stagger Lee is also played twice on this run and it's one of my all time favorites with Crazy Fingers so you can imagine how much extra that makes me like this run and this show in particular).  Jerry plays some great guitar at the end of He's Gone (during the "ooooh nothing's gonna bring him back..."), I've never heard him play like that during this part of the song.

Other One>Wharf Rat is not a sequence I like that much but instead of the usual Lovelight after they switch it up and go to Not Fade Away where Jerry plays and sings just incredibly (what happened to the 1st set hoarseness I have no idea).  The show ends on such a high note and then of course what else could end a 6 night run (and tour) better than Brokedown.... perfection.

Disclaimer: This is part of my blog that reviews all things Grateful Dead for fun. Music is a beautiful thing because it is so personal and subjective, so keep in mind that this is one man's opinion.

1993 Was So Great - Incredible Grateful Dead Era

In the last entry, I posted these two videos to represent a great performance by The Grateful Dead in 1993 and how great Jerry played on Lightning Bolt. These videos are so good they bear repeating. Spoiler alert  - I will be wanking on about these below so don't scroll down if you don't want to know the songs played before watching. Also, the soundboard on archive.org is here.

Richfield Coliseum on September 9th, 1993 Set 1

Richfield Coliseum on September 9th, 1993 Set 2

~~~Spoiler Alert All the magic is up there, below is my wanking about this show below~~~~

Wow, nice concert.  I would describe this as a magical show. Can't imagine what it would've like to be at this one, and I look forward to my next listen of the next night's show (on my next jog).

How about that Lightning Bolt?

I saw the Shoreline run before this in August where, according to this site, Jerry introduced Lightning Bolt. That was a pretty phenomenal Shoreline run (by Shoreline standards).  Jerry took to the guitar well as this show from Richfield shows.

In this Richfield show, the St of Circumstance 2nd "build up jam"(starts at about 22:30 in the 2nd set video), the extended jam in Terrapin (starts at 30:30 2nd set),  and of course the Morning Dew are just amazing and make this one for the ages.

How about that weird sound during Morning Dew (at around 1:22:00 and 1:23:40 in the 2nd set video)?  WTF is that? It's also on the soundboard for this show.

Finally, I'm always a fan of Victim for the Crime for some reason.... and I might really be revealing a bias for this period (more likely my fond memories) but I even love the I Fought The Law encore.

Thanks to StickyFingers44111 for uploading this incredible footage.

Disclaimer: This is part of my blog that reviews all things Grateful Dead for fun. Music is a beautiful thing because it is so personal and subjective, so keep in mind that this is one man's opinion (and be sure to read my blog manifesto to understand a little more about where I'm coming from).