Bird Song
Aug. 27, 1972
Old Renaissance Faire Grounds
There is something about this one that just soars to new heights. This has been my favorite for god knows how long.. The raw emotion captured with this version just blows my mind. Garcia's licks sound like a wild ride through undeveloped central Oregon, weaving in notes that hold an incredible palpability. You can feel what Garcia is playing. As a guitar player, I am blown away by Garcia's exploration and to this day I am always left awestruck at how good he is at guitar (although he'd be quick to write himself off); the only version that comes close to this for me is 3/22/73 Utica, NY. I'd say they are yin/yang... But I digress.. This ending jam for me is particularly amazing when Garcia hits those low notes, those are incredibly tender notes, then he just soars reaching an emotional peak that brings tears to my eyes. This music means so much to me man