Playin' In The Band
July 1, 1973
Universal Amphitheatre
I’m chiming in here - yet again - in the hopes of tipping someone off to this stupendous version. 1973 (along with the latter half of 1972) is the very best period for PITB, so it stands to reason why it’s so seemingly hard to navigate through so many great versions of one of the key songs that truly define the divine musical glory that’s the Grateful Dead. There are three great Playin’ sandwiches in ’73, but there are a half dozen truly superlative standalone versions that really should be required listening (and voting!) from the honey year: 2/24/73, 3/16/73, 6/22/73, 7/1/73, 10/19/73 & 12/1/73. This night (7/1/73) is a good show in its own right, but it’s clear the musical centerpiece is Playin’, usually a song meant to highlight the first set, not the entire show. But this night was a different animal. Jerry is like Meriwether Lewis here, exploring new territory, ascending steep mountains, carving new paths, and swathing musical prairies along the way. New ground was gained this night. Seriously, do yourself a favor and invest the 25 minutes. It will pay you musical dividends time and again. I highly recommend the excellent sounding AUD source for this show.
