In June 1989 the Grateful Dead and their fans were grooving their way through another summer run of shows and the band’s collective energy and performances were continuing to become increasingly more dialed in as the tour continued and their popularity grew heading toward the 1990s.
One particularly special moment for the Dead as part of the 1989 summer run came during the band’s June 21st performance at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, CA, where the Dead welcomed E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons to join in on the fun for the majority of the second set and the show’s encore.
During the transition coming out of “Scarlet Begonias” to open the second set, the longtime Bruce Springsteen collaborator walked on stage to join the Dead for “Hell In A Bucket” without the group ever missing a beat as they moved right into the In The Dark original. Clemons stayed on stage for the rest of the set–save the “Drums” and “Space” segment–to help perform on songs including “Ship of Fools”, “Estimated Prophet”, “Eyes of the World”, “Truckin'”, “Morning Dew”, and more. The show came to a fitting close with Clemons also sitting in on the band’s beloved American Beauty ballad “Brokedown Palace”.
The Dead with the addition of Clemons’ sax makes for a fun listen, and it’s clear the band was having a grand time as well, as evidenced by the energy of the show’s second set. Luckily, the performance was broadcast via pay-per-view, meaning fans have pro-shot video footage to relive the special concert on this day 34 years ago.
Watch the full performance below.
Grateful Dead – Shoreline Amphitheatre – 6/21/89 [Full-Show Video]
[Video:Â voodoonola]
Setlist: Grateful Dead | Shoreline Amphitheatre | Mountain View, CA | 6/21/1989
Set One: Hideaway, Touch of Grey, New Minglewood Blues, Ramble on Rose, Box of Rain, Dire Wolf, Masterpiece, Row Jimmy, Cassidy, Deal
Set Two: Scarlet Begonias, Hell in a Bucket [1], Ship of Fools [1], Estimated Prophet [1], Eyes of the World [1], Drums, Space, Truckin’ [1], The Other One [1], Morning Dew [1], Turn on Your Love Light [1]
Encore: Brokedown Palace [1]
[1] w/ Clarence Clemons on saxophone