Another example of how Sugaree thrived in 6/76: Garcia's sweet, mellow, bubbly silver thread guitar and group dynamics both jaunty & subtle. Primo.

If possible, a very contemplative TJ. Everyone's in apex '73 form, esp. Godchaux who's mixed fairly high to good effect.

Of the heavenly 1970 Capitol Theater St. Stephens. Just a beautiful union between audience and group. Killer Stephen! CRUNCH!

Show opener - the perseverence is what really sells me on this one. A struggle, but a worthy one b/c the spoils are lush. Sneaky great.

Crazy overlooked: A noble, splendiferous C>R in full Europe 72-ness. Patient, exploratory, charming. Driving a distance? Pack this.

One of the great underrateds, the 6:00 point alone is absolute classic Dead. The argument can be (and is) made that this was the real gold standard Dead. One of the great bands at their height: casual perfection.

Lesh's chocolatey bass is the first stand-out. On the CD set, recorded by Mathews & Cantor-Jackson, the sound field is so rich and 3D, you can take in and take apart the subtle, intricate interaction. Garcia's floating on a cloud much of the time - just etching small phrases and asides into a coherent narrative. By the 7-minute checkpoint, Godchaux is fully engaged, tossing off Tynerisms and other bon mots while Garcia alternates between exploratory and assertive. I like the stand-alones, the butchered up versions - this version is elite because it's soooooo smooooooooth. Two drummer magic before it got out of joint - really shows what a creative bunch of people can do with two drums sets. Serious, but not humorless.

Love this show and this is a warped machine of an Other One. Not at the primo '72 level for me, but very exploratory, patient, intimate, and focused. Godchaux's electric piano sets much of the mood here. One of the tighter '74 Other Ones to these ears. But still way out there.

Searing hot Garcia guitar break - whole groop is pulsating. Struggling to hear the Terrapin preview, but that just means I need to listen again. Altogether, a good result.

Agreed re Seamons matrix - fleshes the whole thing out beautifully.