It is only fitting that in the year of
the Grateful Dead's Fare Thee Well 50th Anniversary shows that its iconic guitarist finally gets the recognition he deserves. This triple-disc package is the first in a series of archival releases to document the
Jerry Garcia Band's 13-night run on Broadway. The discs are divided into two acoustic sets -- one from an afternoon matinee performance and the second from the first half of an evening show -- and an electric final act. The band on the first two includes bassist
John Kahn and drummer
David Kemper (who also play in the electric version), guitarist
David Nelson (
New Riders of the Purple Sage), fiddler
Kenny Kosek, and
Sandy Rothman on banjo, dobro, and mandolin. The latter two also provide backing vocals. Highlights in the matinee set include "Deep Ellum Blues,"
Ralph Stanley's "If I Lose," and
George Jones' "Ragged But Right." The second set is a bit more spirited with loose but excellent versions of "I've Been All Around This World,"
Jimmie Rodgers' "Blue Yodel No. 9," and the traditional Appalachian standard "I'm Troubled," as well as
Tex Logan's "Diamond Joe" (with
Nelson on lead vocals) and
Mel Tillis' and
Webb Pierce's classic honky tonk blues "I Ain't Ever."