Nightfall of Diamonds is a double live album by the Grateful Dead released in 2001. It was recorded on October 16, 1989 at Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey and includes the full concert. This was the final date of a five-day run at the venue.
The artwork depicts the Manhattan skyline from the Hudson Waterfront of New Jersey. This show took place on Bob Weir's 42nd birthday and the band briefly plays "Happy Birthday to You" between "Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again" and "Let it Grow." More music from this period can be found on Without a Net, Postcards of the Hanging, and Formerly the Warlocks.
The liner notes give a memorial dedication to Adam Katz, a Deadhead who was mysteriously found dead after the band's show at the same venue two nights earlier.
Track listing
Disc one
First set: "Picasso Moon" (John Barlow, Bob Bralove, Bob Weir) – 7:10 → "Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodelloo" (Robert Hunter, Jerry Garcia) – 6:40 → "Feel Like a Stranger" (Barlow, Weir) – 7:38 "Never Trust a Woman" (Brent Mydland) – 7:15 "Built to Last" (Hunter, Garcia) – 5:20 "Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again" (Bob Dylan) – 9:20 "Let It Grow" (Barlow, Weir) – 11:59 → "Deal" (Hunter, Garcia) – 8:39
Disc two
Second set: "Dark Star" (Hunter, Garcia, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Phil Lesh, Ron McKernan, Weir) – 11:55 → "Playing in the Band" (Hunter, Hart, Weir) – 8:02 → "Uncle John's Band" (Hunter, Garcia) – 9:36 → "Jam" (Grateful Dead) – 9:15 → "Drums" (Hart, Kreutzmann) – 6:05 → "Space" (Garcia, Lesh, Weir) – 6:01 → "I Will Take You Home" (Mydland) – 4:27 → "I Need A Miracle" (Barlow, Weir) – 4:02 → "Dark Star" (Hunter, Garcia, Hart, Kreutzmann, Lesh, McKernan, Weir) – 5:20 → "Attics of My Life" (Hunter, Garcia) – 4:45 → "Playing in the Band" (Hunter, Hart, Weir) – 4:00 Encore: "And We Bid You Goodnight" (trad., arr. Grateful Dead) – 3:10
Personnel Jerry Garcia – lead guitar, vocals Bob Weir – rhythm guitar, vocals Phil Lesh – bass guitar, vocals Brent Mydland – Hammond organ, keyboards, vocals Mickey Hart – drums, percussion Bill Kreutzmann – drums, percussion John Cutler – recording Rudson Shurtliff – assistant engineer Jeffrey Norman – mixing David Lemieux – tape archivist Cassidy Law – album coordination Eileen Law – archival research Randy Tuten – cover design
Charts Chart (2001) Peakposition US Billboard 200196
Chart (2024) Peakposition Hungarian Physical Albums (MAHASZ) 36
References