wow - mr. islam_sucks ..... hate much? I love your post - calling people morons, interjecting politics where they don't belong and what not. All of your rants are inflammatory and contemptuous. This is how to leave a review that is relevant,descriptive, and not offensive.

Hot slice of heaven served up right here. It goes without mention that this is a fantastic era for the band and this show is no exception. It starts out with a strong early Truckin' that has alot of bite in the end. A 5 beat count to start B.I.O.D.T.L. - short but sweet - and a nice Loser tucked away in the set that has great Jer vocals (sweet suzy). There are better versions but this one is nice enough to mention. The sound quality is really great. That is followed up by some fun bobby/phil stage banter (something that disappeared over the years).

Here is where it gets a interesting. A very slow, very fine El Paso. I mean - Im praising El Paso here - Marty Robbins would love how this one was played. Slow, profound and like the original recording. If they had played this song like this more often, I would give it much more praise then I usually do. The Dead played it too fast most of the time and it is supposed to be a slower ballad.
Next up, on all of my old bootlegs it was always noted as Ain't it Crazy - but The Rub was a nice change of pace and of course, Pig always makes me smile =D The birdsong is chopped and cut (reel flip) and it is enough to make me cry. This song had so much jam potential - almost like a second kind of dark star. Two verses, two chorus' and a perfect place in the middle to get lost in space. Alas, not this version, although there is a little jam to enjoy on the back end of the song so it is not a total waste once you get past the heart ripping cut. Then you hear the Playin' in the Band noodling, and the song itself. Nothing special, in fact, probably one of the shortest versions ever played. The best part is there is no Donna there to kill it.
Next up is my first set highlight and favorite song from Workingman's Dead. Cumberland Blues. This song always seemed to me to be particularly difficult to play live due to the harmonizing that has to happen for it to sound good. You cannot find that often but this one here, they all sounded great together - and the jamming! My gawd, this might be my most favored Cumberland live. 2 thumbs up .... and all 8 fingers too, what the hell. Its sooo good. After that would be what everyone else would probably consider the first set highlight - Ripple. And for as few times as that song was played live, that is totally understandable. It's Ripple, and it's awesome. A bit off at the beginning, and not nearly as sweet as an acoustical version. The vocals don't seem to harmonize as well as they did in Cumberland and there is a minor lyrical flub in the middle but Oh well - it's Ripple - still awesome.

A best of the best of Me and Bobby McGee. Absolutely knocked it out of the park. Then come Pig's quintessential King Bee (cuz ya know he was one) ya can hear the boys asking "Hey Pig Pen, whaddya wanna sing?" during the tuning lol. Now, if you have an unsatiable thirst for Pig and his harp, and some good ole' gritty blues, this should quench it. Good stuff here... real good. Bertha ends the set. Its, well.... Bass. Did it get turned up between songs? I had to turn down my volume. To add insult to injured eardrums, it gets cut at the very end. Very disappointing.

2nd set - Hot to trot. And what do we have here to start out with? Morning Dew no less. It is raw and undefined and not perfected yet, which makes it pretty original and pleasant. But it is a far cry from the better versions. Great end jam tho. Me and my uncle - well.... 3 minutes of filler.
I always love a show that has Deal and Loser. That was jerry's cowboy set for me. Too Hot to handle Hard to Handle comes up next and I have said this before and I will say it again - New York folks got treated to some of the best shows ever - they jus seemed to pull out all the stops in NYC. Pig raps and howls but this version does not quite progress through the crescendo and hit that apex way you want it to. No version tops the Fallout from the Phil zone from 8/6/71 just a few months later.
A killer miscue and all around marred Cryptical along with a cut Other One ruins the entire suite. I guess i have to point to the drum section for compliments. Add in the fact that Wharf Rat is completely missing, this is probably the most disappointing part of this recording. The Other One really sounded strong too. So we move fourth .... Suger Mags. After only 10 months of playing this song and they really have it tight. The vocals are great ! I love hearing the rest of the band back up Bobby. Sunshine Daydream isn't as punchy as it becomes in later years but that's okay. Then they introduce the former member of the Grateful Dead, as T.C. comes on stage and twiddles the keys followed by some funny Phil commentary. And after a few minutes(they had to get everything exactly perfect ya know),you hear " Where are we?" and POW!!!!!! You're knee deep in Dark Star!!! It's my humble opinion that they could have easily slid into a Mountains of the Moon as long as they had Tom on stage after this little gem. But I digress. Jerry sounds beautiful here. Tom hangs in there with some excellent keys during the mid-section. Throw in a lil feedback and Phil's bass... it's bonafide. The way this version picks up steam before heading back on track to reality is phenomenal. It underscores why the Dead are who they are.

Upon reaching the threshold of the end of the show, there were still tricks to be pulled out of their hats. Even tho St.Stephen's place in the rotation would come to an eventual end, it was still going strong at this time and you can hear why the fans loved it when they busted it out. Perfectly placed and well played here, I'm sure it brought everyone to their feet. Its lively and rousing with only a minor lyrical flub at the end but a wonderful recovery. Jerry actually corrected bobby lol. *did he doubt or did he try* and jerry powers over him singing *seashore washed by the suds and the foam* But they finish strong and the familar beats of Not Fade Away seem to give way to the loudest cheers of the night that are audible on the soundboard. I love hearing T.C. on Goin' Down The Road...I sorta wish he had stuck around a lil' more to play with the band. As the band transitions back into Not Fade Away, they blow ya away with I WANNA TELL YA HOW IT'S......A GONNA BE!!! Bobby gives it his all to convince us that Love is Love will not fade away and in my imagination, no one walked out of the Fillmore without the feeling that their mind just got completely blown away.

And that, my friends, as long winded as it seemed....is the mother of all reviews. I hope you enjoy this show as much as I did listening to it and talking about it... unlike other people who spout out crap when they leave a post. Ya hearin' me Mr.Islam_sucks? And change your name for crying out loud...your ignorance knows no bounds.

5 stars for the show. 5 stars for the quality. 2 thumbs up for the people who provided us with this spectacular snapshot in time, and hopefully one lesson provided for the angry individual who posted before me.



~ Let the good times roll