I absolutely had to go from mid tour to the last night.
And from that perspective I can't wait to go back and pick up what gets them to this show.
I just want to review this as a Deadhead.
As someone who in my best moments got to dance unencumbered to a later version of the GD.
I feel the music, straight up!
That is to me what the line means
"it is one in 10,000 that comes for the show."
This show which I am only at the conclusion of Jack Straw is serious hard core Head music.
Firstly, PIG really plays the organ.
Like taps into the jam
whereas some nights on the tour
he is more like a guest sit-in
on his stand alone tunes.
This night he is playing full on WITH the band. THE STRANGER is to my ear so potent and intense that it raises the bar for everything that follows.
When they hit those harmonies at the end of the tune. Man that is it.
In my mind I am picturing that going into Unbroken Chain and that tune is still a few years down the road.
To hear what the band has transformed
Jack Straw and He's Gone into
over the course of the tour
is mind blowing.
First Jack Straw- This night it all fits,
I am not saying it is the BEST version
but it is the foundation
for the next 23 years of STRAW.
The He's Gone while not completely squared
pretty much only needs
the call and response coda
to make it a completely open ended
so it can flow into any place
they want to direct it.
What else, How about that Cumberland.
Man that was kind.
and even Dire Wolf
a tune I dig on the studio album
but did not find translated very well live.
Dire Wolf has much sweetness about it.
So in short the band is on,
I know i am just thankful that God has allowed me to explore the road less traveled but not to lose my soul in the process.
I used to think it was the Liquid
and no denying
that certainly left me like a China Doll
just a little nervous from the fall.
"Closed my eyes to see".
Also quite amazed how PITB morphs
from 10 minutes at the beginning of tour
to a full on jam tune
heading for outer space by 5/26.
To me bringing UJB and PITB together
is the next big link
and the spacier that PITB gets
the more it will help change Uncle john's
from a stand alone ballad
to another vehicle for the band.
the return of UJB to the rotation
is a very big deal.
Had to be bitter sweet for PIG as well.
But I am way aHEAD of myself.
Agree with review from cb18201 this is the best version of this show on the archive.
The combination of
excellent sound
and a top tier show
make this one of my favorite recordings.
This is one of those shows
where at a certain point
it is best to let the music do the talking.
How do i sum up the SECOND SET?
"Remember,
what the door mouse said,
Feed your HEAD"

Too bad I was only two years old when the Dead rocked out this show! I would have loved to have been there! Makes me doubly grateful for all those wonderful people who took the time to press the record button for posterity!

It's been a long time since I heard that whole Truckin' sequence, and this is probably the cleanest version I've heard, notwithstanding the unfortunate tape flip in the Dew. There's really nothing in the entire Grateful Dead lexicon quite like the Prelude jam; it's singular, unique. Keith is at his absolute best, creating themes out of nothing, while Jerry soars and Bob and Phil contribute counterpoint. The playing on the Other One reprise is delicious as well. But I'd never heard the first set before, and what a set it is, with probably the longest Playin' to date and sparkling versions of China>Rider and the NFA medley. I really think 72 was the best year for out-and-out jamming.

Oh and what happened to Donna? Did they decide to give her a monitor, just for that show? She absolutely NAILS her parts on Sing Me Back Home, sounding like a true blues and gospel mama. That's the most on-key I've ever heard her from back in the day (she sounded better LAST YEAR than she usually did way back).

A monumental performance, the band has pulled out all the stops for their last show of the tour. The nineteen song 2+ hour first set, perhaps the finest of the tour, is a monster, featuring fantastic performances of Cumberland Blues, Jack Straw, China/Rider, Playin' in the Band and a surprise Dire Wolf. Concluding with a jammed out NFA> GDTRFB> NFA, this set on its own would have been a great show. But of course the band still has a bit of magic left in the tank, the second set comencing with a jam suite right off the bat.

This one will sound very familiar with the incredible Truckin' and Morning Dew immortalized on Europe '72, split by an epic 35+ minute, largely percusion driven performance of The Other One which gets reprised twice. The post Truckin' "Epilogue" is phenomenal. Seamless, it's difficult to discern where Truckin' ends and The Other One begins, Jerry and Keith are locked in so tightly. A brief but intense bass solo preceeds the intro theme. After a great drum solo the theme fires up again. Keiths playing is extraordinary here. During a brief segment just prior to the first verse he sounds like Steve Winwood.

The following ten minute post-verse "Prelude" to Morning Dew is one of the most compelling passages that the band has ever played. After the phenomenal performance of Morning Dew the band finds their way back into The Other One. Three minutes into second reprise there is some rather cool interplay between Weir and Garcia which is followed by a brief but sublime duet between Pigpen and Keith that must be heard to be believed. Simply beautiful, it's an amazing conclusion to this epic tour. (100 pts)

I thought for sure this show would not be up having that jam on euro 72. nice surprise and 4 versions/lineage's to choose from. Nice!!
maybe its the master sbd listed that makes one bias for this one more than the others, maybe its resisting mob mentality? nah, all four versions up are all excellent but this one like the other review remarked seems the best. its crystal clear! & a nice full spectrum...
havent noticed the patches either.
better check more euro tour dates here to see whats up. too bad most the england stuff isnt. oh well, steppins pretty good.
what a show!

this is the best circulating version imo. the other versions on here sound kinda muddy and the volumes are really low. this one only has a few minor cuts and blips which i think the other versions have as well or might have patched but there are no patches in this one, at least not that i can detect anyways. no cuts in not fade away on other versions of this show where as this one has a small part of the beginning cut off. try them all, see what one you like best, either way its a great show.