As members of the Grateful Dead made their return to Nassau Coliseum, Dead & Company’s Nov. 5 performance provided an opportunity for the band to look back their storied history at the Long Island venue.
The Tuesday-night show kicked off with a freeform jam into “Jack Staw,” which directly mirrored The Dead’s 4/24/09 opener at the venue.
Additionally, “Looks Like Rain,” which arrived midway through D&C’s first half, has quite a bit of history at the Nassau Coliseum. Memorable Nassau versions of the tune can be traced back to 3/28/90 and 5/16/90 as well as 5/9/81, and (as discovered in his 2018 memoir) songwriter John Perry Barlow fondly remembered a Nassau “LLR” as an eye-opening experience.
“Many years later, the Dead were playing ‘Looks Like Rain’ in Nassau Coliseum, and I was snuggled up against a woman with whom I actually was in that kind of love,” Barlow wrote. “I suddenly realized who this song had been composed for and who it was that I felt this way about. I started singing it to her and said, ‘I swear I wrote this for you many years ago.'”
Looking back at Dead & Company’s Nov. 5 setlist, set one ended strong with a pairing of “Cumberland Blues” and “Casey Jones.”
The second set, on the other hand, was highlighted by the peaks and valleys of a jammed-through segement of “St. Stephen”> “The Eleven”> “Comes a Time”> “Goin’ Down the Road Feelin’ Bad”> “Drums”> “Space”> “The Other One”> “Stella Blue”> “Not Fade Away.”
Finally, on Election Day 2019 no less, Dead & Co. asked their fans to “Wave that flag” and encored with a rowdy “U.S. Blues.”
Dead & Company will return to Nassau Coliseum on Wednesday Nov. 6.
Check out the full setlist and a video of “Looks Like Rain” (via YouTuber Matt Frazier) below:
Dead & Company
Nov. 5, 2019
Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
Set I: Jack Straw, Deal, Peggy-O, Brown-Eyed Women, Looks Like Rain, Easy Wind, Cumberland Blues, Casey Jones
Set II: Here Comes Sunshine, St. Stephen > The Eleven > Comes a Time > Goin’ Down the Road Feelin’ Bad > Drums > Space > The Other One > Stella Blue > Not Fade Away
Enc: U.S. Blues
26 Comments comments associated with this post
Heywood james
November 8, 2019 at 12:08 amthis review mentioning history at ‘Gassau’ is quite a stretch indeed. Do you think Bob remembers playing JStraw there in 09? Come on. Dude wears the same capri pants every night, probably doesn’t remember what he played at MSG last week. US Blues cause of election day? get real
wooden Eye
November 8, 2019 at 12:16 amgood points, Weir is toast
Eat Me
November 7, 2019 at 10:10 amPerhaps the US Blues encore is a nod to the encore played 11-1-79, my one and only time seeing the fat man. It is a well known fact that the GD avoided playing the Coliseum from 1974-1978 due to the police abuse after the place opened up in 72-73. While I went to 100+ other concerts there in that time frame and they were never friendly, the asshole police really had it out for the dead. Like fishing in a barrel I suppose…
Echauncey
November 7, 2019 at 12:37 amNo way the fuzz was a problem in Nassau! Rufkm your in the “DEAD SET” land of “NO” no this, no that bust this, bust that! I’ve lived here all my 56 years and let me tell you I’ve seen it all! This is the land of No and Nannies, when they banned music and frisbees at Jones beach way back when it was all down hill from there and the donut eaters are all over your shit and abuse it when their not eating said donuts at the local firehouse!!! Land of the free to get busted for smoken a little weed! Lmfao, but yeah da boys have slowed a bit, but it was a good one! Summertime done, come and gone, my oh my!
John
November 6, 2019 at 7:39 pmWe were there right after Pigpen died. All I really remember was “He’s Gone”
Stephen
November 6, 2019 at 5:25 pmThe Grateful Dead did not play Nassau on 5.16.90.
Jack Straw
November 6, 2019 at 4:53 pmAfter we got through the shit ass commute to Nassau…It was the place to be! Many good times there!!
David
November 6, 2019 at 4:33 pmNot even a mention of the actual quintissential LLR from Nassau. 3/28/85 LLR>Playin’ Jam
Jim Howenstein
November 6, 2019 at 4:32 pmJack Straw is a great show opener. However, nothing touches the jack from the late 80’s early 90’s. Still for 70 year olds they can still bring it on occassion
TM
November 6, 2019 at 3:39 pmWas at 4/24/09 Awful show. Was pretty much done at that point. That tour is well documented in the Fare Thee Well book as miserable. Glad I went last night. Very good time and well played for the most part.
David
November 6, 2019 at 1:57 pmMy first shows were at Nassau in 85. Not sure of the nods but those were pretty epic.
DTs
November 6, 2019 at 1:57 pmDoesn’t anybody remember?
The Dead stopped playing there because the cops were always hassling the deadheads.
Ed Kirk
November 6, 2019 at 2:49 pmHad some of my best and worst experiences at Nassau, still great memories though.
Docmike
November 6, 2019 at 7:02 pmCops were terrible there in the ‘70’s. Dozens of drug busts by police in tie dyes.
RL
November 6, 2019 at 8:56 pmYeah, they were bastards, On the Big Steve show a few months ago he said they were harvesting.
Just short
November 6, 2019 at 1:49 pm“which directly mirrored The Dead’s 4/24/09 opener at the venue.” Wow. Reeeeallllly grasping at straws here. Different band, fam. You think they opened with JS because of 4/24/09??? Not hardly. Try better next time.
Rudy
November 6, 2019 at 1:02 pmWhy does it seem like they’re playing all their songs at half-tempo?
JerrysGhost
November 6, 2019 at 1:29 pmBecause they are and 1/2 speed at fastest. Drummers movin’ much too slow.
Jack Straw
November 6, 2019 at 2:26 pmNot bad for a great group of guys in their 70’s.
KB
November 6, 2019 at 6:27 pmI saw one of the shows on their first tour and I had a blast. Then I went to Charlotte this summer and it was so slow I had to dance backwards. It was flat.out.bad.
Bigmon78
November 6, 2019 at 7:08 pmYes, they are down tempo which can be good but wouldn’t the show swing hard with Joe Russo on the drum kit?!!
Furthur Rules, this Drools
November 7, 2019 at 8:57 amBring back Furthur. The dismantling of this best post GD band and lying about its demise for a year is Phil’s sad legacy to a once grate career.
Chris
November 7, 2019 at 8:49 amIt’s essentially Bob’s band. If he wanted a faster tempo, he’s just tell the drummers, “Up the tempo, guys”. That being said it reminded me of Ratdog at times. Fortunately not the whole time.
MarZaPhiGar
November 6, 2019 at 12:22 pmNo mention of Mickey?
Dan
November 6, 2019 at 11:50 amGrasping a little here for the mod to past. It was well played standard setlist.
Sandy C
November 6, 2019 at 1:01 pmMy thoughts exactly, lol. I’m quite certain the GD’s history at Nassau Coliseum didn’t cross any of their minds at any point.