Brilliant double Jerry/Phil solo. Who know that NFA could be such an exploration? A blazing 2nd set tour-closer from Spring '77. What else?!?

That Bob and Jerry both get barnburning warm ups (Bertha then this) pays off throughout this immortal show. Don't just start with the 2nd set!

Nice hot version. Not as tripped out as some and never melts down, but 18 minutes of fun.

Hard blistering acid rock with the '71 country vox. 6 minutes, but with the seeds within it that would become Playin' as we know it in '72.

Energetic encore. Rolling drums and tight energy ending a brilliant show like they were ready for another set.

Answer my own question: apparently Ken Kesey and others were sitting in, according to the good folks over at the archive. What a time they must of been having, eh?

To grok this beautiful monster with its odd slow groove intro you've really got to hear it emerge from the ultra goo of the 19:00 Drums before it. This is massive stuff: the Dead had performed NFA over 200 times by this point; they could phone it in if they wanted to, but no: they find some obscure filament connecting it to a subtle hint of the groove deep in a free flowing Drums, and so what do they do? They play it differently, that's what they do, reconstituting it, shaping it into something new. Not Dark Star or Playin', but Not freaking-Fade Away, their clap-along love anthem to the fans. Bravo. John Cipollina and whoever was blowing blues harp give it a nice spin, too.

Kicks off the set like they mean business. Killer version.

Glad you dig it Unstrucksound. Hating on Donna Jean isn't my bag and we give credit where credit is due.

Lost this cassette over 20 years ago and just hearing it again. It's even better than I remembered. A bit slower than others from the time? Maybe they were holding the tempo down a touch, knowing that they had all night to go and over three hours of solid to come. In any case the soloing is the stuff of pristine, lucid dreams and the energy is full of love.