Jerry and Bobby create a beautiful space before TOO. A conversation in strings. Billy and Mickey create primal, carnivorous music. Hunting music.

What a crown jewel Pretty Peggy O can be. A truly tender version that washes away all my worries. These 74 versions are quite special.

The Dead take the Parisians through a cowboys surrealist day dream. Check out how both Keith and Jerry are utterly locked into the music.

Blossoms and blooms like a shining red rose. I really love the energy for this show.

1974 and Ship of Fools go together like peanut butter and jelly. Full of emotion. They're really giving their all in this.

Jerry means business. Very nice licks

Currently feeling my molecules slowing being torn apart, put back together, and having my whole brain chemistry rearranged by this meltdown section. Phil comes and carries our souls away after that traumatic and obliterated soundscape left us hollow and cold. Phil acts as a sort of spirit guide that leads us back home after this cataclysmic event. Back home to Morning Dew, a final resting place for us weary souls. A nice little oasis that the band can enter for only a little time. The band deserves this tranquility. That Dark Star would’ve had anyone frightened, and yet they worked REALLY hard to get back to a beautiful place. Getting out of your own personal hell is never easy, and this version encapsulates in its own way, a beautiful story of perseverance. After the Phil o stomp you can hear the band literally fighting through the darkness to find a place to rest their weary souls, and through their efforts, they are rewarded. This has ENERGY. A super spiritual Dark Star. It’s versions like these that make me wonder if Jerry really was a Shaman. I love how even the band was uncertain if they were going to get out of this alright. They probably weren’t the same after that night, but this really captured the feeling of Death and the acceptance of it. Lots of grief and symbolism in the music. Just my interpretation though :)

A labyrinth of a Dark Star that's constantly on the move. Feels like it's going one way then it takes you by surprise taking you down a path of it's own. A strong strong rendition that feels incredibly organic even by 72 standards. Jazzy yet funky, Phil dominates this soundscape as Jerry almost orbits around the changes rather than stay directly with them. A very clear and focused first jam concludes with the first verse which leads into very dark avant garde territory that's out there even by Dead standards. The feedback sections conjures images in my head of caged animals. An electric jungle of sounds is what it feels like. Shades of electric green as the caged animal screams with each pick scrape. A witchy spellbinding jam ensues that puts the listener in a trance, taking us down to an impeccable China>Rider. My two favorite dead songs in one combo? Say less. An all timer and a staple of Fall 72 Dark Stars.

This version reminds me why this band used to be named The Warlocks. Otherworldly, and goes to the underworld and back. A labyrinth of ancient tones and abstract jams. An all timer.

Big River is one of those songs where I think Jerry’s playing really really shines. I love it when he gets bluesy and plays around with common melodic ideas in a very unique and timeless way. This version is fun. I’ve lately found that some of these 80s shows are some of the best musicianship I’ve heard from the Dead just because they’ve got so many years of experience under their belt, it’s all about the anticipation of what they’re going to do next. A balancing act of sorts, and that’s what this Big River reminds me of. Walking the tightrope in the circus of life. Maybe I’m being dramatic, but this version along side 8/13/75 are just some of Jerry’s best playing period.