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

Like the breaking of a dam, this just flows at a truly ferocious pace. Jerry is relentless in his playing, the second solo will knock your socks off.

Any '74 version of this tune is a treat. Incredibly lovely with great Keith lines. Billy sways.

Definitive for its time. The soundcheck gave us a preview, here's the full thing. Solid version.

Just a damn near perfect performance. Shocked not to see this one submitted. One of MANY highlights from this show.

Man I love that sound check jam so much, thank you for reminding me of it darkstar67. This has a very strong Allman Brothers feel to it, like a lost jam in Les Brers in A Minor, which is one of the best jams the ABB ever did. Crazy how their music can bloom out of a simple soundcheck and create this moment of pure music. No one’s watching, no expectations, just tuning everything just right until you’re shot into the cosmos with just the blink of the eye, and caught in the stream of infinite ideas. The flow state is strong on this one.

All I’m saying is that PITB isn’t the same without that iconic scream from Mrs.Godchaux herself. Donna hate is so outdated. Also this version is absolutely stellar and has one of the best Wah tones I’ve heard from Jerry, also Billy driving this one home really makes this for me. Check out 5/3/72 for peak Jerry Wah tones.

This is starting to grow on me more. The jam after the first verse is the real goods. I love Jerry’s lead on this one and their utter descent into chaos and disturbing hyperspace bug crawling music. Jerry plays some lines that are so virtuosic, like a trapeze artist displaying their acrobatics. Billy and Phil are earth shattering, very earthy and grounded and they descend further into the underworld. You cant rank the best Dark Star, it changes every day, but I wonder how many Dark Stars would get more praise if they also had videos. Imagine a video or 4/24/72 or an underdog like 11/13/72? Hell even a video from the 73 would be mind blowing, but that also adds to what makes this band so special, going through the loot box and finding your own treasure, because there’s so much mystery and adventure that goes along with it, so finding more underrated versions is like finding gold. I don’t think this deserves the hate it gets sometimes, it’s an amazing Dark Star that really crashes, and while even I agree it should’ve gone into Morning Dew, that’s also what makes it so special and one of the most encapsulating of the bands spirit, fuck it we’re doing El Paso now. Plus think about how grim it would’ve been going into Dew, because that Star really crashed, so who knows, maybe Bobby did make the right call, but it was a call that changed everything. Like a rose blooming out of the chaos and the destruction, theoretically it shouldn’t be possible, but it happened anyways, whether we wanted to or not, life goes on and I like that. Just my two cents.

Enter the hall of the Mountain King!! As epic as they come. I love how this one flows, doesn’t stay in one place for too long at all. Simply sublime. Dickey is quite tasteful on this one, allowing Jerry to traverse these mountain ranges with ease. It’s really THAT good. Highly recommend to anyone who hasn’t checked this out yet.

Deadly interplay on this one. Bobby’s on full attack mode as soon as the jam starts, creating this wonderful urgency in the music without being too aggressive or rushed. This trapezes between underwater exploration and celestial travel through unexplored nebulas and gas giants. Gets into Tiger territory very early on but never leaves it, reappearing multiple times as a swirling vortex that shoots the band into these wonderful and inventive territories. Check out 14:15, unison lines in full force. Phil rings like a bell and the boys enter this witchy and archaic space. Great suggestion darkstar, I forgot this was the show with the famous Mountain Jam, going to be relistening shortly.