Dark Star
July 26, 1972
Paramount Theater
Great pick! Despite the fact that it includes all of the lyrics, this one ain't great because of the singing; rather, it's great because of the playing: a nice, dreamy intro leads into the lyrics, after which it seems as though we'll get a typical meltdown but instead we get Billy and Phil, then Keith comes in, followed by the guitars--and we're off into a nice melodic jam that eventually dissembles into an abstract portion that is more tiger noir than acid freakout meltdown...and then the reprise. Mid-summer '72 is something of a hinterlands for that year, but this version is one more reason why '72 was a great year.
