Typical 1976 (and beyond) one set is better than the other and in this case, it's the first.
The second is not bad just not as exciting as the first, which features more inspired playing and some tight concise jams.
The second set kind of meanders. "Playin" takes a while to get going, than turns into a somewhat sloppy "Stronger Than Dirt" and to be honest, it's barely recognizable as that so, don't get to excited (like I did). This is more like a groove on the main riff and does not feature the other changes that are on the original STD. This is also the last time they played it.
Both "Cosmic Charlie" and "Samson" have been played better at other shows on this tour and the "Spanish Jam" has potential before it just.....stops to go into drums. The latter half of the second set features fine but not outstanding rendtitons of other "standards" of this tour.

A Facebook post recommended this show and I came here. They mentioned it specifically because Donna was so on, but the whole show is great - many songs a little more laid back than "average"

The 4th of the 6 Orpheum shows. We are lucky to have a good AUD for the 1st set (the Orpheum had good acoustics), plus more than half is on Dave's 18. The second set is a SBD. The show is a little better than the nights before and after.

First Set. Some idiot yells for "Walk in the Sunshine". Imagine how bad it would have been if they played something they had never tried before, that had no live arrangement, and that not all the players knew. Cold Rain & Snow has a slow groove, mellowed down (get used to it – the whole show is way relaxed), but is sweet & well played; and one of the longest. The intricate Cassidy is chocolate cake for breakfast. Deal is fine, and Mama Tried is rather mellow, yet strong. The slow relaxing removes all sparks from Row Jimmy, but Big River is given 220 volts by Jer as he extends the second solo. Even if not one of the year's best, Jer plays it differently on this night and it astonishes. By Brown Eyed Women, now he's just roaring. A very beautiful BEW. Both Keith & Jer add the extras to a gustatory Looks Like Rain. Peggy-O is a big, double-solo version. In this immediate era there are so many great versions of Music Never Stopped; 6/12, 6/14, & 6/22 are all melodically superior, and 6/29 just might be the best ever. Still, this one stands among them. They go out of the set with a very good Scarlet that has a bit of everything: Donna, percussion, Bobby rhythm, Phil. The OFF mix is iffy, with Jer's guitar louder than the rest of the band combined. You can hear Bobby's guitar better on the AUD [and throughout the set], where Phil is also more prominent. A MTX would be nice for this set.

Second Set. Playing has sections uniquely played by Jer, if not intentionally. The Playing jam winds down after 7mins and Phil tries a couple times to grab it. At 8½mins he hits a riff and Jer bites. Tapes used to mistakenly list the jam as "Stronger than Dirt", because they had it confused with King Solomon's Marbles. It's neither; it's a unique Playing jam. [StDoMtT is a Mickey/Billy drum riff, of which only 12secs was used on Blues for Allah, before going back into KSM. They listed it on the LP so Mickey & Billy could receive writing credits, appending "Milkin' the Turkey" for copyright reasons. You can hear it here, @1:49]. It keeps morphing, twisting in Samsara. They let it fall way down, before Jer suddenly starts a Cosmic Charlie, and they are all with him. There are better Playings this summer, but this a must-hear-once. The OFF has a poor mix, starting with mostly just Jer's guitar & Bobby vox, but the verse section was mixed poorly even FOH. Much of the show is laid back, but Cosmic Charlie is a mellow idler to the point of bathetic. We get well past that with a Samson that has a wild first half (the main section). Seems they were trying to resolve back to Playing, before bumping into Spanish Jam. Either way, much of this section looks better on paper. The OFF cuts off Samson's first half, including only the jam. The latter gets so quiet that they essentially stop, and most of it is everyone waiting on each other rather than actual jamming. After nearly 4mins, Bobby hits on the Spanish theme – the only one in '76. The next is in '81! MHO [the OFF has an anomaly @6:24]. The Wheel is not the tightest or punchiest, but it goes into a unique Wheel jam on the way back to Playing. Around is too slow/mellow. It's like a '74, but then the speed-up section gets good. High Time is one of the longest versions and is above average. It's usually Bobby that does the Happy Birthday jokes, but here it's Phil teasing Graham. I kind of like Jer's tone and emphatic snarls on this Sugar Mag, but he also almost trainwrecks the jam a few times. He then approaches U.S. Blues differently, starting at the solo, then adding fills. It's great, though as mellow as the rest.

1st Set:  A-
2nd Set: C+
Overall = 4 stars

Highlights:
Cold Rain & Snow – mellow, sweet
Cassidy – intricate
Mama Tried – mellow but strong
Big River – astonishes
Brown Eyed Women – roaring beauty (in a mellow way)
Looks Like Rain – listen for Keith/Jer
The Music Never Stopped – stands with other '76s
Scarlet Begonias – bit of everything
U.S. Blues – very mellow, different approach

SOURCES: The ashley-bertha_8666 is colored heavily with EQ, but casually sounds good. The 123477_ecm270_menke is the most accurate transfer of the 1st set. These sources are a tad slow through Row Jimmy and need +1% pitch correction. The set1aud-set2sbd_miller_23569 is the best source for the second set, and it has been patched & repitched, except U.S. Blues needs +1% pitch, as does the patch in Samson [4:36>6:08]. Dave's 18 has six from the first set, and eight from the second set [including the Playing jam and Cosmic Charlie faded into the Samson/Spanish jam].

A sister calls out for the Weir tune:
(Look out, 'cause here comes some free advice')
Walk in the sunshine
Watch for the bright sign
Be all those things you're able to be

You got to listen to the heavens
You got to try and understand
The greatness of their movement
Is just as small as it is grand

Try not to hurry
It's just not your worry
Leave it to those all caught up in time

You got to deep six your wrist watch
You got to try and understand
The time it seems to capture
Is just the movement of its hands

I ain't preaching, 'cause I don't know
How to make fast things move along slow
I can't stop it, I can't make it go
Just 'cause I say it, that don't mean that it's so

Watch what you hear now
Make sure it's clear now
Just 'cause it's said, that don't mean that it's true

'Cause folks always say
You got to make a revolution
You got to help me win my cause
You got to burn down all the buildings
You got to rub out all the laws

I ain't burning
Lord, I'm still only learning
How to become a man of my own
I ain't crazy, nor am I lazy
I just want to find out what's right and what's wrong

I ain't burning
Whole world keeps on turning
I'm still trying to find out what's right and what's wrong
I ain't crazy

The band responds with:
Well I married me a wife, she's been trouble all my life
Run me out in the cold rain and snow
Rain and snow, run me out in the cold rain and snow

Well she's coming down the stairs,
combin' back her yellow hair
And I ain't goin be treated this ol' way

Well she went up to her room
where she sang her faithful tune
Well I'm goin where those chilly winds don`t blow.
----
Cassidy- to me this is a timeless tune
debuts in 76 but sounds like
it could be old as the 65 Rain & Snow.
Deal-I like this early in the set /shake your donkey.
Middle of this set is classics.
Music>Scarlet
3 for Sound, 4 for Concert feel

Set 2- Bring the Soundboard!
Playin>Milking>Cosmic Charlie
Samson- love that opening riff!
Spanish Jam! Band on a mission.
initial spacy part of this jam
always reminds me of the intro to China Doll.
( 2nd verse of The Other One from previous show?)
'Anthem of the Sun' vibe is mighty fine.
JERRY, DONNA, BOBBY bringing those WHEEL vocals!
This is an nicely extended jammed Wheel
(coming out of Drums and then into a PITB reprise)
That is HIGH cotton. so mellow into the REPRISE..
After the Round x2 (which they rock out in 76)
Just consider the rest of the show a 3 song encore!
Second Set is 5 for sound, 5 for Setlist, 5+ for creativity

Cold Rain starts off soft as a walk in the San Francisco sunshine! Rolls in off the pier down Market St. like the fog. Soft and beautiful. I can already tell this show is going to be special. I don't usually listen to '76 a lot, but this is a great run at The Orpheum. I love the harmonies. Cassidy is really good, moving into Deal I'm surprised how well they sound. Always hearing how bad they sounded with Donna and all. The first set is a mix of many standards and a good audience recording, albeit Phil hardly audible. The magic lies within the second set. Wow amazing!


Happy 50th Grateful Dead !

I would give that spanish jam 10 stars if i could

Love this Orpheum run; maybe not the best of the year but full of gems.Special performances here are the excellent jam on a rare Stronger Than Dirt, Cosmic Charlie (like the the revived St. Stephen it's a bit sluggish but joy to hear), an incredible Spanish Jam and a gorgeous High Time.
The aud of the first set is actually quite good and almost has a richer sound than the soundboard of the second set (although the sbd has Phil very high in the mix to good effect).

Wow! A great one here tonight. All around good....and long the way we liked them................

exactly what i've been looking for...
trippy, drippy, dreamy, swirling...
the cosmic charlie gets you there and gently brings you back...
yummy...

What a great year! The triumphant return of our Heros and they come on strong through June and July.

Cosmic Charlie, Spanish Jam, The Wheel, ahhhhh, so sweet. The shows and crowd were both horny for each other great energy, crowd response. This is why I love the Grateful Dead!

Sincerely,

Neil Skelton

This is the quintessential Dead. The sound is sometimes shaky, but this show is one of the better I've heard. The flow of the notes andthe sound of the band just clicking is literally music to my ears. This is why we all fell into the spell of the Dead and I can't wait to hear tomorrow's performance. If any one had any doubts, this is it!

The whole show is completed by one, a stellar audience recording, and then by a 2nd set SBD. Can we access the 1st set Audience recording?
Thank you!!
Garret

I view the three orpheum shows starting with this one as some intrinsic whole. the playing is so drippy, the set lists so wild and it all seems to majestically float in the ether. There's not much this-is-better-than-that. Get 'em all.

Had never heard this before and agree this should be heard for the stronger than dirt alone + the spanish jam is prob the best and longest post '74 they have ever done... scarlet is hot and they bail after around and around for a short show and then come back and do a high time encore??? this is quirky and cool with some great jams - overshadowed by the next night to be sure but a gem nonetheless.

Jerry is on for both sets; first set highlights include a great Peggy-O, a rocking Music Never Stopped and a hot Scarlet.

Check out previous review for 2nd set comments.

The 2nd set is worth checking as it includes a Cosmic Charlie and their final Stronger Than Dirt