A '73 top five, this show has been touted as having the best China>Rider of '73 and a superb The Other One triple sandwich. Surprisingly, it was repeatedly passed over for official release until finally being included in the 30 Trips box. Some of '73 I don't particularly worry about - the first sets just aren't as consistent as '72 & '74. Though that's the case even here, the first set has great highpoints, and this has one of the best second sets of '73; maybe THE best.

First Set. The Big Railroad is solid-hot and neatly completed. The next few are average '73 terrain. The middle of Here Comes Sunshine is heady. Of course, '73 is full of good versions (this is not, say, 2/15, 11/9, 11/17, 11/21 or 12/19). The beginning of the fine Cumberland is missing on SBDs. The OFF patches with 6secs of an uncirc AUD source (also used on TOO & Wharf). '73 was the only year an electric Race is On was standard, though this isn't one of the better ones. On Beat it on Down the Line-7 and the '73-stylee Brown-Eyed Women you can really hear Bobby & Keith playing well. Tennessee is the show's mulligan. Conversely, this China Cat is a set peak because Jer approaches with angularity - in fact it sounds more '76 than '73. They finish on idle.

Second Set. Truckin' is the Dead at their best lyrically, not musically, but here's a tight, busy, wonderful version. SBDs have a 19sec cut in TOO (@7:13 in first Jam on hollister_14716). The OFF oddly covers this gap plus part of the SBD with 1min12secs of AUD. The rest of the set sequence is jammy Dead par excellence – 19 minutes before the Other One verse and a sudden resolve into a perfect Big River (find a better '73 River!). Then it's unbelievable the way they pounce back into The Other One. It's an unusual sandwich – and it's not just Bobby or Phil that smoke, if you listen closely. Check Jer and Keith the last few minutes of the shit-hot Eyes. Bobby can't leave The Other One without the final verse and relaunches. Dig that push and pull! Wharf Rat is unusually good and different from most '73s. The SBDs have a 20sec cut, missing the "he's no friend of mine" verse (patched on the OFF). Unexpectedly, there's a full stop before (the perfect) Me & My Uncle. After a Ramblin' Rose tease, it's a Goin' Down the Road that's up there with 6/8/77, 8/7/72, 8/24/71, 8/6/74 and 9/10/74! There's no known encore.

1st Set:  C+
2nd Set: A+
Overall = 4½ stars

Highlights:
China Cat Sunflower - a bit unique for '73 (but don't miss the Cumberland)
Entire Second Set - maybe the year's best

SOURCES: The hollister_14716 is the clearest SBD, but needs a lot of pitch correction [like all of the sources] and the channels are switched. It needs -2% pitch except Cumberland, which needs -3%; Race is On needs -1%; Tennessee, China Cat, Rider and Truckin' need -2.5%. If you use miller_79049, it needs -1% pitch correction for the first set, except 0% for Race is On; Rider and Around & Around need -1.5%. The second set needs -1% for Truckin', TOO, Big River and Eyes. 30 Trips has the whole show. It also has the channels switched and needs pitch correction of -1% for the first set, except 0% for Race is On and -1.5% starting at Tennessee. The patch starting Cumberland needs -2.5%. The second set needs 0% except the patches (TOO and Wharf), which need -2.5%. Definitive Live has Here Comes Sunshine.

Truckin' ->
The Other One ->
Big River ->
The Other One ->
Eyes Of The World ->
The Other One ->
Wharf Rat
----- this is Trippy over the top GD,

Doing an A vs. B comparison with a copy I have on my hard drive, this copy is much cleaner and brighter. Well done, indeed!

Not every show is a masterpiece, but I've gotten plenty of spins of this show. Like the first reviewer - first on cassette 20 years ago.

Thanks to David for upgrade.

Thanks for the fixes, David. I think my roughly 20 year old cassette copy of this show might have your writing on it...? In any case, it's not *my* writing. ;)

I like this show a lot but perhaps not as much as some other folks like it. The band just seems a little tired to me, particularly in the second set which looks way hotter "in theory" than it actually is. The transition from the Other One into Eyes is really nice because the Other One was somewhat lilting ... but then the Eyes transitions back into the Other One way too soon.

One highlight of this show: Bobby's vocals. Great singing throughout, mixed just right, and some of the best of his trademarked "cat calling" you'll ever hear during, e.g., Black Throated Wind (fantastic version, even with some lyrical "distraction" in the first verse), Truckin' and Saturday Nite.

Oh, and my old cassette copy of Set II had as filler on side B the first part of the Playin' (before it transitions into UJB) from the Pauley Show a few days later. The contrast in energy between that show and this San Diego show is pretty remarkable.

Anyway, none of this new to anybody. I like everything from fall '73, this show included. But there's other (relatively) unsung gems out there that are way better, in this man's humble opinion. Tempe 11-25-73 leaps immediately to mind. Or Omaha 10-21-73.