The Grateful Dead released a unique new live archive video on their YouTube channel earlier today, the “Way To Go Home” composition written by Vince Welnick.
The band’s archive guru, David Lemieux, wrote this about the track on the video’s description and honestly it was mostly news for me. I’m not as steeped in this era of the Dead, mostly because it coincides with an overwhelming fan decision that these aren’t the glory years.
But this is a pretty ripping version and shows every single member of the Grateful Dead at their best. Jerry Garcia is digging deep, Phil Lesh‘s voice sounds good, Bob Weir takes another layer of the vocals and both of the Rhythm Devils in Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann both sound at their best. It’s a must-see clip from the period, for sure, and maybe something I need to dive deeper into.
“Way To Go Home, one of Vince Welnick’s two original contributions to the Grateful Dead’s setlists (along with Samba In The Rain, which debuted in 1994), entered the repertoire in 1992 and was played 92 times by the Dead. Along with a four part harmony on the chorus along with Phil, Bobby, and Jerry, it reliably provided an inspired guitar solo by Jerry, including the excellent solo he plays here in Buffalo on the 1993 Summer Tour. Incidentally, this was my final live Grateful Dead show. Way To Go Home is one of the standout tracks from the Dead’s new ‘Ready Or Not’ album featuring live versions of new songs played by the Dead 1992-1995, including the magnificent 6/28/92 Deer Creek version of Vince’s first contribution to the repertoire.” – David Lemieux
