Man, that sure is a lot of screaming!

Blistering encore. One of the fastest and hottest I've ever heard. I think I just wet my pants!!!

These early versions, Jerry has some problems remembering when to sing the right lyrics.

A good example of how the shorter Pigpen tunes can still be really good.

This one will grab your attention and get your head bobbing.

If you go to archive.org and type in 1970-07-03 dead - the audience where it sounds like they're in a hole and a bunch of people talking and going woo-hoo pops up.

Keith leads the way into the song and Jerry does more jamming than he does on most versions of this song.

Time to de-bunk another pretender from 1977. This version has bland vocals and one dimensional guitar work from Jerry. It comes off as just another floppy tune that any jam band can play. To make my point, I just added 9-4-1991. Bob's tone and passion change. Bruce adds depth to the song. But what really shines is the post-lyric jam. This is the Jerry people want to see. He's not just mailing it in - he's finding new directions, tones and attitudes as the jam progresses. I know it's hopeless trying to tell people on this site that there is something better than 1977, but there is. You just have to open your ears, your heart and your mind to new possibilities and different forms of creation.

For me, this beats any of those one dimensional versions from 1977. Bob screeching out the words is always fun, but it's the outro jam that really shines. Jerry's guitar work is multi-faceted and there's some crazy sounds laying down the background for him.

This is notable for being a Dark Star China->Rider. Listen to it, thinking Dark Star. You'll hear it. Not the melody or anything like that, but the style and approach.