After the only East Coast NYE [Boston], they stayed east for two immediate nights in Manhattan. As others have noted, this period is so transitional that they sound different week to week, already a little modified from Boston (granted NYC always brought out endemic shows). The Fill E turned the house at the time, with two shows this night. The early show (@8pm) is noted for a superb Cosmic Charlie, and the late show for a classic '70 Dark Star (the early show has better era material overall). There is an AUD (patching the Mason's) but it's incomplete. This is the peak era for hearing Constanten, who mostly mans the keys, instead of Pigpen. Hendrix taped Band of Gypsies here the night before. Imagine if just a matter of hours had caused a blend!

Early Show. They take the stage to a house recording of Also Sprach Zarathustra: pt. 1 The Sunrise – probably before it became cliché (long before it became ironic). It's not a truly notable Mason's Children, nor is it at all bad. Neither of the OFF releases have the beginning patched. Casey Jones is a great straightforward reading; crisp, with creative drums. Black Peter is an early version, with one vocalist. It loses tempo and wobbles off key in places. However this is a smashing Mama Tried with the Constanten sound and some extra Jer punch. Though not a huge '71, Hard to Handle is slick and relatively compact; a classic Pigpen/Constanten outing from that short era of the band. Cumberland starts hot but unfortunately trainwrecks after 3mins when they lose the thread. Tom C is again the disparate element in The Other One suite. Not one of the year's most interesting TOOs, but GOGD and w/good drums. There's a tape flip @48secs in TOO on all sources [@6:47 on the OFF]. After a wonderful tranny in, this is a classic Cosmic Charlie, capping the show with glee. The last bit is missing [the OFF patches the last 15secs with 1/3/70 late].

Late Show. They came out again to Also Sprach: Sunrise, launching a still-new Uncle John's Band. It's a bit unsure until the ¾ mark [on the OFF, the first 9 secs are 1/3/70b]. High Time is a superb, dynamic version w/tumbling drums & Tom C organ. And check that Fender amp tremolo. Easy Wind is still developing and has clunky tempos, but they play hard on it [beginning is missing; first 19secs on OFF are 12/12/69a]. The end is missing on China Cat [@3:09 the OFF cuts to 1/3/70b, omitting the 2nd solo]. Like much of the show, it and Rider have slow speed wavers on all sources [OFF is 1/3/70b for the first 2mins16secs (cutting sun will shine & northbound train verses) as well as for the end tuning and beginning of Good Lovin']. The next couple are standard '70, but while fixing a broken string and the drum riser before Dark Star, we get a slick Monkey & the Engineer. They're not set up for it so the recording qual isn't great, but this impromptu throwaway demonstrates how they can be great when you aren't looking for it. The Dark Star is well-noted and is one of those that plays itself, using the Dead as a conduit. Even through some quiet stretches there's always something coming over the horizon. It goes through a sequence of jams, mostly instigated by Bobby, who starts running through themes @19:50. After 20mins Bobby starts a Feelin' Groovy, but Jer plays around it rather than with it, and Bobby quickly adapts by adding a G chord to the sequence. After 21mins there's some push and pull, and @21:43 Jer tests a D>A theme that becomes D>A>E>D. At 23mins Jer edges back to main theme notes, but @23:41 Bobby instead starts a [long] Tighten Up and Jer jumps on it. At 28mins40secs Jer thinks about moving directly to the main theme and this time Bobby is already there. Too bad tape ran out as they go to the last verse [the OFF switches to 2/14/70a @30:47]. We are also missing much of St. Stephen but otherwise we get a typical '70 plus Mickey's cannon [the first 2 :34 on the OFF is from 2/14/70a with the tempo digitally sped, unnecessarily, condensing from a 2 :50 segment and missing 36secs of the SBD]. The rest is average '70 and here all sources have nearly continuous speed wavers.

Early Show:  B
Late Show:   C+
Together = 3½ stars

Highlights:
Casey Jones – a plinth CJ
Mama Tried – great Constanten-organ version
Hard to Handle – compact, Pigpen/Constanten era
Cosmic Charlie – all-time classic
High Time – tumbling drums & Tom C
Monkey & the Engineer – impromptu bonus wins
Dark Star – lots to unpack in a hot '70 example, even w/missing end

SOURCES: The partial-early_sbd_86 is the Dark Star>Stephen from the late show. The 137375_sbd_wise is thinner sounding and unpatched. The hanno_12624 is a good source for the early show (it's labeled "late"), but the cotsman_18120 is as good and is the best source for the late show. It has fuller freqs and separation and sounds clearer than the OFF in places. Bal/Vol intervention is needed and there are speed wavers, needing pitch corrections: Cosmic Charlie needs +1% 2:11>5:16 ; China Cat needs -2% 0:00>0:15, -1% 0:15>1:53, -2% 1:53>2:20 & -1% 2:20>through Rider ; Dark Star has many wavers, one is @25:23>26:21, needing +1% ; The Eleven needs -1% ~8:00 & -2% ~11:00 ; Love Light needs -1% until 8:00, and wavers toward too fast ~12:00. Mason's Children is on Fallout (slightly better mix on Dave's), and has the channels switched on both the SBD & OFF. Dave's 30 has most of both shows, with nine songs edited or patched from other shows, and with many speed wavers. The tenable pitch corrections are: Cosmic Charlie's last 20secs need +1% ; first 9secs of UJB need +1% ; first 12secs of China Cat need -1% ; Rider wavers, mostly needing +1% plus +1.5% from 2 :16 ; Dark Star needs +1% 0:00>18:00 & 25:23>26:21 ; The Eleven needs +1% 0:51>2:00, +2% 2:00>2:14, +1% 2:14>7:29, 8:00>8:40 & 9:57>end ; Love Light needs +1% @0:00>0:07, 0:40>1:14, 12:40>14:37 & 16:20>17:40. On the late show, both SBD & OFF have the channels switched for UJB and High Time. The OFF also has channels switched for Easy Wind through Good Lovin'. The SBD also has channels switched on Easy Wind, China Cat & Good Lovin'.

Yeah, I can't say it's all that. Not at all a bad show, just kinda rough.

These are great shows and fans should be allowed to hear them. Why not share Dr Flashback, since you have all of them?

Thankfully, I have all 3 discs for this show. You intrepid fans who want the whole show, as well as 1/3/70 (don't get me started) can look around in the trading community online and find them. They've both been widely circulated for years. Good luck!
It's hard to be as objective and thorough when rating 1970 shows for the following reasons -
1. So many don't circualte or exist.
2. Many well played shows suffer from many cuts, and poor SBD quality.
3. Many have large portions missing (like 9/19/70).

But having said that, this show, even with its flaws still makes my top ten for the year. They kick it off with a hot Mason's, and the intensity never lets up.
I'm convinced that this IS the early show, although my copy of Deadbase has them reversed.
Black Peter is long and soulful, the HTH is fast and funky, and the Cumberland rolls along like a wheel on fire!
Although the Other One is good, the Dark Star is better. At close to 30 minutes, they leave no turn unstoned, as it were. I'm listening to it right now ......
They start it off slow and mellow, with lots of percussion from Mickey and Pig's organ present in the mix. Finally after 8 minutes they sing the verse, then things get weird quickly - as the wind chimes welcome you to the Twilight Zone. A long free form section ensues, with sounds you're not sure where or who they're coming from! Are the walls melting yet? Listen to what Pig does with the organ.
This version can't compare to 2/13 or 9/19 - it's quieter and more experimental. But still very enjoyable. The last 10 mintues of jamming are where Jerry really cuts loose into a prototype MLB jam.
Someone else posted how these shows, only 2 days after the Boston 1969 New Year's shows, already sound like a different band. And it's true. The only thing wrong with this show is - no acoustic set! That would have to wait until February.
A few nasty cuts, but don't let that stop you from enjoying this classic show!
Be there then,
Dr. Flashback :-)

As legions of other intrepid scholars have doubtless noted previously, this is in actuality the Early show, according to deadlists.com. Mason's, Casey and Black Peter are about as tasty as you could ever want, and I love that segue from Cryptical into Cosmic Charlie! Grab both the Early and Late shows (late has one of the last Dark Stars with TC, who contributes mightily to a section that sounds like Seastones!) This show gets overlooked because of its chronological proximity to 2/13, and it's too bad.

P.S. Happy Birthday Jerry. God we miss you.