8-6-74 Roosevelt
Stadium, Jersey City: In the middle of this twelve-song first
set, the Grateful Dead played a standalone “Eyes of the World” tucked
in-between “Jack Straw” and “Promised Land.” It’s almost unprecedented for a
royal rhapsody of this magnitude to emerge at this point of a show. Out of the post
“Straw” stillness the “Eyes” groove emerges naturally, almost understated. Jerry’s
sweet vocals match the understated flavor of the groove.
In an instant, the intensity surges
as Bobby and Donna join in on the chorus. Weir’s voice leads the way, and Donna
never sounded better. Billy and Phil are locked in tight, and Jerry’s the Maestro,
filling solo one with sublime perfection from the opening note. For sixty-six
seconds, the musicians backing Jerry are inspired, performing in brilliant
synergy. Garcia finishes this sixty-six second surge dramatically, a piercing string
of aural adrenaline. Following the last euphoric twang of Garcia’s guitar, the infectious
rhythm of “Eyes” returns in all its understated glory. You can hear Roosevelt
Stadium roar through the soundboard recording.
That opening solo would be far and
away my favorite between “Eyes” verse solo from this era if it were not for the
ensuing solo. “There comes a redeemer, and he slowly too fades away.” Jerry’s
really belting it out now. Sometimes when a band is on a roll, the greatness of
what’s to come is evident in-the-moment. The only intrigue is how it will
unfold. As solo two emerges, Jerry pauses for a second, and the silky-smooth
leads flow as he expands on the ideas from the previous solo. This ninety-four
second instrumental unfolds like this: stutter-step > loading the cannon >
fireworks galore > spooling yarn finale. Kreutzmann’s drumming fortifies and
fills the sonic landscape. There would be longer between-verse solos as the
structure of Eyes changed in 1976, but the compressed creative genius of the
8-6-74 solos is unmatched.
Phil’s in lead bass heaven and band
swings loosely behind him as the “Eyes” outro ascends. After a year-and-a-half
of improvising on this Stronger Than Dirt motif-jam, the intricate chord
changes are crisp and perfectly timed. Intent listening and the instincts of
the group mind combine as the Dead segue to a series of careening chord progressions.
Garcia’s leads whirl like a spinning top as the force of each new Stronger Than
Dirt riff resonates. Jerry’s rampaging as Weir strums madly. Rampant genius is
grounded in stone cold musical logic. The tornado of sound dissipates as Eyes
hits the eighteen-minute mark. Garcia’s guitar sobs in disbelief. This is a
major masterpiece. One that grabs my attention all the way through, and never
fails to deliver a transcendent thrill.
