My birthday show (albeit a few years early). Worth it just to hear what comes out of Bobby's throat at the beginning of the song.

Set I ender from one of my favorite shows. Hot and tight.

From an all-around great show (the extra accent in the count-in must have caused some smiles)

It sounds like the boys gave a little extra on these "American" songs for their European fans.

Nice, tight version of a new American folk song.

Nice mellow opening as the band coalesces around the intro material. Brent is playing quite well (don't you wish he could have been a stronger lead voice sometimes?), but the whole recording (even the Miller version) seems muddy and undefined to me. That said, there are some nice ideas in "Scarlet," but it sounds like Jerry is struggling to find his way into new places on the fretboard. For me, this version took off during the outro material, as Jerry patiently introduces an idea before exploring the high register. The transition into "Fire" is truly lovely and absolutely worth a listen, and is worth an up vote for that alone. I love Garcia's tone here, and dig the way he changes direction by riffing on a high note and eventually shifting into that register before coming back down. Nice pairing here!

I actually think this whole show is at best a 5/10, but this is one of the highlights. It's a bit faster than some of the earlier classics, and you can hear the changes get away from Jerry some during the first solo (it's a mark of how well they're all playing that it sounds as good as it does). But the second solo is really as good and well paced as mentioned. Garcia builds with a long string of triplets and then cuts loose, building to a climax on some syncopated chords as the band grows around him, and the band peaks hard with both Bobby and Jerry strumming furiously. One of the only problems I've heard throughout this whole run is with tempos. It seems that the band is chomping so hard at the bit that things get away from them. Same issue here before the last verse, but the deceleration is really musical (listen for the drummers start it, and Phil play a string of steady notes to slow everyone down). I gave it a vote because it really is a solid version, but I feel that by the end of this month, everyone has the new tempo down and Jerry is moving much more fluidly over the chord changes.

I was actually pretty indifferent during the "Scarlet." I know this is a personal preference, but I hate the sound of the drums (although the SBD is of crystalline quality), and while Jerry played quite a few choruses, I wasn't that interested in many of them. The move after that last verse, though, and the stellar transition, and Jerry kicking in his distortion for the first major "Fire" solo? Worth a listen.

Tasty version, well worth the listen!

And does Jerry play some lines reminiscent of "Samson" (around the 5:00 mark)?