Each month, HT Contributor Ben Wiser will take a closer look at notable performances of Dark Star. If you have any favorite Stars you would like him to cover, send the date over to darkstarstories@yahoo.com

This coming Monday will mark 25 years since the Grateful Dead kicked off a three-night run at the Greek Theater in the hot summer of 1984. 1984 was an interesting year for the band – there were good nights and there were…eh…not so good nights, but the concert the Dead played in Berkeley on July 13th is a strong candidate for show of the year.

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The first set rocks, but the second set is what the show is best known for. Starting with an amped up Scarlet Begonias that tears into a speedy Touch of Gray (which was already well established in the band’s repertoire) and finally winds down into a groovy Fire on the Mountain. Phil drops a serious bass assault during I Need a Miracle and Jerry delivers the goods with a sublime and breathtaking Stella Blue. After Bobby leads the boys in a stomping Sugar Magnolia finale, only then does the real magic begin.

“If we could have your patience for another five or ten minutes, we’re going to try something a little special tonight, one night only.” – Phil Lesh

The road crew ran around the stage, setting up screens and projectors. Images of deep space appeared, and then the familiar triad of notes begins.

READ ON to find out more and to listen to the Greek ’84 Dark Star…

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The Dark Star encore of 7/13/84 has become the stuff of Grateful Dead legend. It was Friday the 13th and there was a full moon, and in a legendary venue, as the band fired up the first “Star” in 167 shows, a shooting star streaked through the night sky over the Greek Theater.

More than a few people I have spoken to who were in attendance confirmed this:

“Yes, I absolutely did see the shooting start at the song’s intro. It whistled through the sky and disappeared behind the eucalyptus trees lining the Greek. MANY people saw it, and it took our breath away (a serious murmur went through the crowd). There’s no way Jerry could have set THAT up!”

First verse begins right away, barely a minute into it. Jerry’s voice is rough around the edges by this point, but he finds the notes. The jam that follows is gorgeous. Phil is an absolute monster here, he drives the spacecraft, allowing the rest of the band to find their footing. Jerry plays some interesting runs, working off the interplay with Brent and Bobby.

In a time when we can compare versions of Dark Star with a click of a mouse, a lot of people are quick to criticize this Star’s lack of exploration. Like comparing a solid Cabernet Sauvignon with a fine vintage of Château Latour, the Greek encore Star isn’t a dramatic, galactic odyssey like 11/11/73 or 8/21/72. It’s also very different than the MIDI-laden Stars of the post 1989 breakout. It’s more akin to a breezy and free Birdsong or Eyes of the World – more jamming and fewer sonic peaks and valleys. No major spacey melt-downs, but plenty of inspired playing. There are some tantalizing moments just after the second verse, that hint at some deeper space to follow, but sadly, it dissolves slowly and exquisitely into the night.

My only complaint is Brent’s tinkly “bell” sound he’s using on his keyboards. By the time he starts to experiment with different patches, the song is already almost over. Also, on the SBD version I have, Garcia’s guitar is a little low in the mix.

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I know that I am not alone in this, but 7/13/84 was one of the first shows that I collected. I don’t remember who sent it to me, but I only had the second set. It blew me away. It wasn’t until I discovered the Live Music Archive many years later that I finally heard the first. I can’t lie though, I skipped ahead and listened to Dark Star first and I got goosebumps, imagining the anticipation that ran through that crowd; the full moon, the shooting star, and the transitive nightfall of diamonds…

Thanks to my friends Phil, Craster, and to Jim Powell for his fantastic Dark Star Document (which can be found here)

Ben Wiser