Row Jimmy
April 21, 1978
Rupp Arena
Always on the lookout for great versions of this song, one of my all time favorite Jerry tunes and I think a bit underappreciated, so thanks for pointing me to this show, which I was only vaguely aware of and will check out more. If I can be a bit nit-picky about this one, it's that Jerry's old nemesis, the blown lyric, pops up at an especially bad time. After kinda flubbing the "here's a half a dollar" line the first time around, he brings it back when it's time for "broken heart don't feel so bad" after the second jam break. Again, a small thing in the overall scheme, but I like this song so much I get protective of it ;-)
Still, lot to like here. This one strikes me as that rare version in which Garcia's first instrumental break may outshine his second. This one's just country-beautiful, flowing and gentle and a joy to the ear. The final repeated choruses are also better done than many, with a picked-up gait and noticeable reggae infusion. This won't crack my top 5 list (3/20/77, 4/12/78, 2/28/73, 9/18/74, 2/4/78), but it's worthy of upvote and further listening.