Jerry’s solo is off the walls crazy. A train going top speed and I promise that train won’t slow down! Great energy here overall.

As Jerry shouts, “You know he had to die.” BANG! A massive gunshot right on rhythm. Great reprise with great drum work from Billy and Mickey.

Jerry takes off and soars. Gets really heavy, and out there FAST. Experimental passages and new themes explored. This is what the Dead do best.

Billy and Mickey flowing in and out of the main TOO rhythms. They’re both putting each other to the test as they really get deep in this one.

“At this risk of being repetitious we’re going to do another song in the key of G.”-Bob Weir. This version is quite sweet. Patchy audio, great version

This will leave your brain looking like a Jackson Pollock painting. Infrared colors and intergalactic space travel define this Dark Star. Billy sets the controls to the heart of the sun, as the band travels at light speed, making discoveries that’ll progress the evolution of mankind. The jam at the 7 minute mark onward is what would play in a far off cantina on an alien planet. An extraterrestrial jazz quartet. Keith being the wizard he is displays his wonderful sense of musical intuition and puts on a performance that defies the laws of nature. After the first verse we get Chernobyl levels of meltdowns. Billy summoning the Dark Star gets ready for its impending doom, channeling Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa, Elvin jones in a bewitching and mystifying manner. Jerry tells us of the end days on his guitar as he makes it have a sinister laugh, with Bobby and Phil following after we get a macabre dance of the strings. Nuclear fission happens right on stage, with a devastating and destructive explosion of matter, the band picks up the pieces and forms a jam that builds up into a glorious transition into Truckin’. This is what it’s all about folks.

Coming out of a bewitching Playin’, this Samson is righteous and will strike you down with a lightning bolt. That one note Jerry plays right at the start of his first solo has some divine energy to it.

This chrysalis brings forth a beautiful butterfly that flutters its beautiful multicolored wings with such grace. This LLR is a gem, and upon listening became my favorite version of this song. Endearing vocals from Bobby and Donna with Jerry’s playing being the definition of melodic. Stunning.

12 votes? Let’s get this boosted up folks. Bobby really is the McCoy Tyner to Jerry’s Coltrane. Especially from 70-72 I feel like is prime Bobby because his willingness to go out on a limb to showcase his keen ear and push his imagination to the absolute forefront of the music. That being said, This Playin’ absolutely showcases why this is. Around the 8:50 mark we enter a ritual summoning spirits of old to guide the band towards new planes of existence. Fall 72 is the Necronomicon of Playin’s with each version being a unique ritual, seance, or spell with different intentions. All of which have this distinct ghost like quality. What a great version from a great show.

Jerry cuts through like a crosscut saw on this one. Country chops put on full display as Bobby and the band give the performance of their lives. Killer version played with immense passion, I can see this story of a West Texas Cowboy play out so perfectly.