Almost every song from this show could be nominated for a "best ever." This heartfelt "Roses" is no exception.

With the Neville Bros. Jerry gets his Big Easy on.

Perfection to end the first set of one of the truly great shows ever. Keith, Bobby, Jerry--the whole crew is in the pocket and rocking it hard.

Both the best and worst version ever. Why? April Fool's gag: Bobby - keys, Brent & Jerry -drums, Billy - bass - Mickey -guitar Phil-vocals

They just could do no wrong at this show, Hidden among all the other gems is this monster River. Big solo work by Jerry; nice fills by Keith.

Love these early ones even if they meander a bit at the end. The slinky funk as you say is undeniable and they have their own special charm even if they're not as a complete package polished as later versions.

Klaussmith has submitted exhibit A for why you need to check out many of the unheralded "lower ranked versions" to find some pure gems. Yes, Bobby struggled with the lyrics in spots (file under: "wow. really? is the sun coming up in the morning as well?") , but this version is SO GOOD it should rank only half a point off, with the rest more than making up for it in degree of difficulty, What's funny tho' is that in Bob's first brain freeze the rest of the band actually plows ahead with the correct lyrics even as he sings the wrong ones and by the end of the verse he actually gets put back on the right track and finishes with the proper words! It's better than the awkward silences or mumblings that usually accompany his missed lyrics. Later in the tune he screws up more blatantly but I've spent too much time on this already b/c it truly doesn't matter. Post-lyrics the band hits 2 peaks--one, the traditional wind up/splash down that Garcia nails perfectly followed immediately by another that is different yet equally as dramatic. It's simply awesome,,,and then that flows seamlessly into a "Nobody's Fault" jam that's brief but beautiful and rounds out a seriously great version. It's not to the level of 11/6/77, mind you, but it's not far off either. Honestly, give this one a try and see if you're not immediately inclined to hike it up on the list.

can't say best ever, but this was way way WAY better than I expected. Had almost given up on just about any version post '77...this is really great, though. Thanks for all who touted its merits.

...and sadly languishing near the bottom of the list. C'mon, people. This is a blazing version that needs to be hovering near all the big boys. It shouldn't be treated this old way.

It's almost like a different song from those 80's versions that feature the rippin long jams at the end or even the '77s that give you that sweet rolling jam in the middle, These early versions are slinky and bluesy and awesome in their own right, This one features a really in the groove slow Jerry jam that just flows back into the rest of the tune. E'72 really was beyond the pale and this is my favorite "Deal" of the tour.