I’ve developed a new appreciation over the past couple years for the Beatles’ classic tune, “Come Together.” I realized that recently as I listened to one of the Dead shows from their spring tour.

I’ve always loved the song, as well as the Desert Island Disc from whence it hailed, Abbey Road. However, I’ve heard it in concert a half dozen times over the last two years, performed by folks whose interpretations I typically groove on.

I’ve seen Joe Cocker do it three times. Joe does an amazing job rockin’ several Beatles songs, most notably “With a Little Help from My Friends,” “She Came in Through the Bathroom Window” and “Come Together.” I’ve also seen RatDog play it a couple times. I can’t remember the last time I saw Bobby Weir’s band when he didn’t play a Beatles tune. Finally, The Dead delivered a fabulous version in Chicago a few months back.

The beautiful part of it with these bands is they don’t do ‘covers.’ Rather, they interpret the songs with a unique sensibility that allows you to experience them from a new perspective.

And that is exactly what each of them do with “Come Together.”