13.11.1987
USA, Oakland, Alameda County Coliseum Arena
Work Tour Oakland
exc. Aud.

01. Finest Worksong [4:19]
02. These Days [3:25]
03. Welcome To The Occupation [2:57]
04. Disturbance At The Heron House [3:32]
05. Exhuming McCarthy [3:17]
06. Orange Crush [4:09]
07. Feeling Gravitys Pull [5:06]
08. King Of Birds (30sec chunk missing from the middle) [3:07]
09. Cuyahoga [4:10]
10. Tired Of Singing Trouble-Simple Gifts [0:24]
11. I Believe [3:53]
12. Sitting Still [3:19]
13. Simple Gifts [0:08]
14. Driver 8 [3:32]
15. Pretty Persuasion [4:24]
16. Superman [3:11]
17. Oddfellows Local 151 [6:08]
18. It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) [3:52]
19. Begin The Begin [3:21]
20. The Flowers Of Guatemala [5:43]
21. Wolves, Lower [4:32]
22. See No Evil [3:31]
23. Strange [3:36]
24. Just A Touch [3:05]
25. Dark Globe [2:24]
26. Harpers [1:23]
27. The One I Love [3:35]
28. Pop Song 89 [2:49]
29. Crazy [2:56]
30. Simple Gifts [0:22]

Total Running Time: [1:40:20]

Taped by BW: D5 deck and Nak 300 mics
Conversion by Butterking for JEMS: Master cassette > DAT 32 bit for storage > Oct 2007 transfer to Wav at Peak 5.2

Prep for DIME by Clumsiloe: Wav > Audition 1.5 > Wav > Flac

This is an excellent recording from BW. This is offered as an alternative to the nice, more guitar heavy, recording from Persic which circulated here a couple of years ago. This has a smoother, warmer sound to it, though the kick drum is less distinct.

There’s no major surprises in this setlist, though it’s nice to hear the late great Warren Zevon doing a “Jools Holland” plinking away seemingly randomly in the background of otherwise guitar-led tracks. Dark Globe is usually done with guitar and vocals, so I assume Zevon guests on this piano/vox version as well. 

Beginning, I believe, with this show Stipe incorporates a variation on the Shaker movement song, Simple Gifts, “tis a joy to be simple etc.” into the setlist at various points (sung three times and spoken once), I suppose this is intended as a reflection on the “Work” theme of the tour. The “Simple Gifts” motif remains part of the set right through to the close of the tour. Tune in tomorrow for the full Irvine show, direct from the master.

notes: Warren Zevon plays piano on Strange, Just A Touch and Dark Globe