Phil joyously expresses himself on this. A gun shot is heard on this one signaling a jam, and the William Tell Bridge is really well played. Excellent

Sandwiched between Truckin’ and Eyes, this jam takes me to checkerboard floors and red curtains. Deserves its own place. Unique Jerry lines.

I adore any version of this tune. This one is particularly joyful and full of life.

Bouncy as it is lysergic. Unique phrasing from Jerry. Everybody’s vocals are on. The Rider is some pure country fried jamming if I’ve ever heard it.

This is The Dead at peak performance level. Cataclysmic version. Everyone is ON. Explorative and not a beat missed. Easily top 5 of 69.

Coming back again and again to this genuinely great version. Love the octave sound during the main China Cat riff. Such a shame they let Keith and Donna go. This is already a great look into where they could have gone if they had all stayed together. Methodical and wild playing from Jerry, a psychedelic circus where he can do whatever he likes. What a show.

A version that deserves so much more love. Much more mellow than other versions of the tour, which actually is a strength in this case because I think the band was really able to comfortably traverse different rhythmic spaces without losing any focus. Existential bluesy riffing, with Pigpen roaring and getting down to business. This one gets spacey but Pigpen really makes it work in his favor and doesn't get lost, but actually guides the band towards the light within the dark. This show is dripping in acid. One of the best of all time that explores really deep and almost heavy pockets of groove. Pigpen and the band are perfectly in sync. Gets out there to the very edges of the universe, but stays so consistent. Lots to love in this one.

Ferocious and funky. Light one up and let yourself get taken into a whole other world. some of my favorite phrasing from Jerry comes from Big River and his unrelenting licks and rhythmic interplay make for an incredible interpretation of this Johnny Cash tune. Keith is also catching a wave. Sick.

Anyone know if this ever got patched up? This could be an all timer if complete. This one gets heavy and electric rather quickly and the energy results into some phenomenal subtle interplay. Wish i could hear a full version!

An intergalactic overdrive of spiraling tonal spaces. This powerful and jazzy version encapsulates what the band is really capable when they're really on. A top 5 version for me, this short and sweet Playin' wastes no time and gets straight to the point. Shades of Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders all over this one. Everyone is in top form, not a note wasted, and a genuine virtuosic showcase of the bands abilities. So good.