The Dead gets in a jam

April 20, 2009|Scott McLennan, Globe Correspondent

WORCESTER - The band that found fame with "Truckin' " is sort of back, but more prone to meanderin'.

The Dead opened its two-night stand Saturday at the DCU Center with a pair of lengthy sets, each peppered with bits of exotica from the group's 45-year legacy, though both were weighted with plodding jams that too often led to dead ends.

With four original Grateful Dead members - guitarist Bob Weir, bass player Phil Lesh, and drummers Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann - and two longtime acquaintances - guitarist Warren Haynes and keyboard player Jeff Chimenti - the Dead is splendidly reviving a musical community. The atmosphere at the DCU Center resembled all those Grateful Dead shows that overtook the building in the '80s. And there was palpable warmth in the reception the sold-out house gave the band.

Alas, the music itself rarely hit the peaks the Grateful Dead achieved when Jerry Garcia drove the band, and too often the Dead validated an old stereotype of being long-winded and dull.

An amorphous jam evolved into the sinewy groove of "Feel Like a Stranger" to launch the show. In trying to set itself apart from the ways of the Grateful days, the Dead is quicker to unleash long improvisations, and the result was too often like hearing someone who likes to talk simply to hear the sound of his own voice.

The Dead is looking more deeply into the catalog, and on Saturday yanked out the rarely played "Mountains of the Moon." Yet the band grew tentative with "Mountains," letting the song fall apart before getting back its footing with staples such as "Althea," "Birdsong," "China Cat Sunflower," and "I Know You Rider." Haynes provided ample lead guitar firepower and nicely bolstered the vocals department.

The second set was even looser with spacey renditions of "Dancing in the Streets" and "Milestones" generating few sparks. The band recovered though with a stunning take on "Terrapin Station" that relied more on the arrangement than jamming to be exciting.

The haze of the second set lifted for the finale, rocking versions of "One More Saturday Night" and "Johnny B. Goode," proving that it's OK to play the songs without blowing them out of proportion.