1978-01-22 - McArthur Court

Venue: McArthur Court - Eugene, OR
Tape History: SBD (AUD by Reinhart Holwein, download here)
Release History: None

Set 1
New Minglewood Blues, Dire Wolf, Cassidy, Peggy-O, El Paso, *TN Jed, *Jack Straw, Row Jimmy, The Music Never Stopped

Set 2
*Bertha -> Good Lovin', Ship of Fools, *Samson & Delilah, *Terrapin Station -> *Drums -> *The Other One -> *St. Stephen -> *NFA -> Around & Around, E: U.S. Blues

Comments:
04/18/2016: This show is a great introduction to 1978 Dead if you've yet to dip into that much neglected year. This was my second tape, after 07/08, which will be officially released May 2016. The early winter tour took place mainly in California except for this date, the tour's conclusion. (They took off with a six show Midwest jaunt about a week later. Two exceptional shows, which were combo released as Dick's Picks 18, reviewed here and here.) One day, I'll end up posting my review here for 07/08, but for now, let's dig in to 01/22, a night where Jerry is on fire throughout and the band never ceases to push. The tape quality is excellent. Phil is high on the mix, but not overpowering other levels. Bobby is equalized to the right side, Jerry is in the middle, higher in level than the other instruments. Keith is on the left and, surprisingly, the drums are very low. It's a nice, direct intimate sound. You could never tell the show was recorded at the University of Oregon basketball arena.

Overall, the first set is fine though unspectacular. There is a lot of dead air after most songs in the first set. It's hard for the band to flow when they're pausing for more than a minute, sometimes three, between songs. You can definitely tell in the first half of the set, where songs such as Minglewood, Cassidy, or El Paso usually pack a punch and deliver an energetic effect. Once we get to Tennessee Jed though, it's clear something's changed. There's a very nice second solo section, driving to a peak at the key change and a swift crash back to the chorus. Great pacing and focus, the drums and Bobby driving Jerry to climb up the register. Here Jerry shows an amazing capacity to invent melodies as he's soloing. The crowd loved it and showed their appreciation during an extended ovation. Surprising us every step of the way, the band rips into Jack Straw, oddly placed near the end of the set. Keith really shines here and connects with the Rhythm Devils to drive Jerry on that Detroit Lightning out of Santa Fe. And drive he does. Pushing and pushing to find that combination of melody and tone, crafting winding lines that unexpectedly peak, effortlessly hitting chord changes while flying up the fretboard, fanning near the end of climactic solo as a lead-in to the last chorus. Crowd goes nuts. What a special performance of Jack Straw! These two songs are exceptional not only for this era. The set closes with Music, a classic 1978 set closer, having closed all 22 shows it appeared in. There's a nice solo section that doesn't quite match the intensity in Jack Straw, with a nice drop into the main groove yet nothing like the crash in 02/03.

The second is where the money is. Pure heat, nary a pause to be found with Jerry profoundly on fire for every minute. Bertha has some great ensemble playing, much more group-oriented than the highlights from the first set. Keith is working closely with Jerry here, supporting his playing by laying down guiding arpeggios and chords as Jerry nears the end of his solo. Samson has similar group dynamics as Bertha, something the group, and drums in particular, appear to relish. From Terrapin to the end of NFA we're treated to one of the finest sequences of music this band ever created. To start, the Terrapin seems like an unlikely candidate to set off what's to follow. It is magnificent yes, gentle and patient, exploratory and reflective. It segues into Drums before we descend into the maelstrom of The Other One.

It is truly epic, a certain candidate one of the best I've ever heard. A great intro by Phil and the drums drops us off into the middle of this swirling madness. Jerry and Phil are very clearly driving this beast. Jerry consistently weaves his triplets above the hectic movement beneath him. Phil plays the opening riff multiple times until the band is ready to dip into the verse. Great listening from the whole band, playing as an ensemble engine to Jerry's stampeding eighteen-wheeler. After the 9:30 mark, the drums begin to pick up while Phil and Bobby nearly drop out. Keith is trying to keep with Jerry, but it is obvious Jerry is in his own zone here. At the 12 minute mark, Bobby comes in stronger and Jerry states The Other One triplet theme and takes off again. The Rhythm Devils do an incredible job here, placing their cymbal splashes and rolling toms in unison with what the rest of the band is doing. Near the 13 minute mark, Phil comes in again and we're very clearly going into the second verse. That's a very long jam with multiple thematic changes between both verses. Exceptional work by all. Around the 15 minute mark, most everyone drops off, except for Jerry, the drums, and Keith, with Phil showing shrewd restraint, recognizing that the jam is developing just fine without him. Near the 17 minute mark, the whole band save Jerry drop out, and he and his mutron expand on a fantasia that finds him leaving no turn unstoned on his fretboard. Slowly, his solo excursion leads him to quote the melody from the film "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," which was released two months earlier. He teases it more and finally plays it as part of his improvisation and teases it some more, the crowd notices and you can hear their surprise at what's going on. He quotes it again before seamlessly transitioning to the riff from St. Stephen, skipping the common introductory melody.

Bobby joins first, then drums, Keith, and Phil. The tempo kind of lags, but it the tune picks up after the bridge. Bobby and Keith are totally in sync, Jerry continues to float above them, and Phil stays with the drums. When they drop into the main melody, prompted by the drums, it sounds pre-planned. A wonderful moment then transformed by the drums and the Bo Diddley beat into NFA. Phil and Jerry intertwine their lines, with Phil really shining here, his bass loping all over the place. Jerry stays hot and doesn't run out of ideas as he goes through the changes multiple times. Jerry briefly plays the Playin' theme, and the band gets real quiet for a moment before gathering intensity and dropping into their reprise of the first verse.

My highest recommendation for this show. Extraordinary second set and blazing playing by the band as a whole, and especially by the man in the black t-shirt.

1978-02-05 - Uni Dome

Venue: Uni Dome - University of Northern Iowa - Cedar Falls, IA
Tape History: AUD (Unknown, download here)
Release History: Dick's Picks 18 (June 200)

Set 1 [missing from tape]
Bertha -> Good Lovin' -> Jack Straw -> Good Lovin', El Paso, TN Jed, Minglewood Blues, Friend Of The Devil, Passenger, Deal

Set 2
Samson & Delilah, Scarlet Begonias -> Fire On The Mountain, Ship Of Fools, Truckin' -> Drums -> The Other One -> Wharf Rat -> Around & Around, E: U.S. Blues

Comments:
02-18-2011: As promised, here is the companion piece to the previous post on 02-03. This is a second set-only tape. The audio quality is good, all instruments are fairly well equalized, though Phil is low in the mix. Adjust your equalizers to make up for this sad fact. This set appeared in its entirety in DP 18. There's some raging playing in this winter 1978 tour. I haven't posted my review 01-22 yet, but you can rest assured it's one of the Dead's very best shows between '78 and '80. As we saw with our previous review, the second sets are reserved for blazing jams. This show is no different.

"Samson" opens up the proceedings. Bob apparently forgot the words to the first verse, and Jerry just took off in spite of the song. He gets inside the verse chord structure and spins continuous melodic phrases off of the center. He never runs out of ideas and never repeats himself. It's truly inspirational playing. The story is that a mic broke and was being repaired while the song was going on. They say that Jerry used his guitar to signal the broken mic and then thank the technician, then Bobby yells "Wooo!" to see if it was working, and then the band goes back into the song. And they do, back into the chorus and re-doing the first verse. The minute the opening chords to "Scarlet" resounded, I had a feeling this would be special. And seeing how the set opener went, I felt pretty confident that the band was going to dive head-first into this sequence. And boy do they deliver! One of the very best "Scarlet" -> "Fire"s I have ever heard, easily in my top three. The tempo is brisk and energetic. Jerry takes two runs through before "the wind in the willows" lyric, and the rest of the band, Rhythm Devils notably, get on board the Jerry Train. At this point, the band begins to expand the post-verses section, disposing of the framework but keeping the chords. When the band is on, as they are here, it is wonderful to hear them spontaneously invent a new song. Towards the end of the jam, as they're nearing "Fire," Jerry creates a descending scale that he milks for all its worth, with Keith accompanying him on the Rhodes. What's beautiful about Jerry's way of soloing is that he is always aware of where the song is, so he can still solo as the song and its structure move forward, here irrevocably towards "Fire."

Keith and Phil, followed by the drummers, lead the transition into the second tune of this pairing. It's an invisible segue. It takes about five and a half minutes before Jerry begins singing. The groove here is thick and invigorating. His solos are inventive and dynamic, with his lines containing register contrasts based on modal scales. The chromatic fills and joining notes make his solos potentially never-ending. And with his skill and patience, it is no surprise the way his playing moved the audience. He is at his five star best here. Because the band isn't rushed (opposed to lazy) and they follow their ideas as a collective, they create exceptional moments are heretofore unheard sounds. The ending jam in "Fire" is one of those. When Jerry plays the ending melody across the song's two chords, the band begins to amp up the energy, and watch him go! Jerry again takes off and the band lets loose and follows his lead. Phil is dialed into every note from Jerry's guitar and, like a kite, Bob keeps the tune grounded as the rest of the group flies around him.

After the intensity and emphatic playing of the first part of the set, "Truckin'," a high-energy, rousing tune, feels like a cool-down. After "Drums," we pick up in focus where we left off with yet another superlative '78 "Other One." Here the band gives Jerry a roiling unsteady bottom to frame his solos and lines around. They are circles within circles, or the feeling of tumbling down a hill with your eyes closed. After the verses, there is a manic build to a solar flare of a Jerry peak, similar to the 1978-10-21 version (or vice versa?) A stellar "Wharf Rat" serves as a "everything is going to be okay" song, and then the set ends thunderously with "Around" and "U.S. Blues."

The Grateful Dead were on a roll in their winter '78 tour, with some of the most inspired playing of the year coming in the two nights (so far) reviewed here, 02-03 and 02-05. They are both essential components of any Dead collection. I'm withholding a Stealie for this particular show because it's only the second set; it feels like a great piece of an even greater whole, but the problem is we don't have the whole.

1978-02-03 - Dane County Coliseum

Venue: Dane County Coliseum - Madison, WI
Tape History: AUD (Unknown, download here)
Release History: Dick's Picks 18 (June 2000)








Set 1
Cold Rain & Snow, Mexicali Blues -> *Big River, *They Love Each Other, *Looks Like Rain, *Loser, Passenger, *Brown-Eyed Women, El Paso, *Peggy-O, *The Music Never Stopped

Set 2
Good Lovin', Ship Of Fools, *Estimated Prophet -> *Eyes Of The World -> *Playin' In The Band -> *The Wheel -> *Playin' In The Band, E: Johnny B. Goode [missing from tape]

Comments:
02-07-2011: If there is anything about the Grateful Dead's love for Wisconsin, we need not look any further than their blazing shows at the Dane County Coliseum. Sure, there are some fantastic shows at Alpine Valley, but for me Dane County is where they are basically guaranteed to certifiably rip. For evidence, see the earlier 1973-10-25 post. This show makes up the bulk of Dick's Picks 18, which also includes two tunes from 02-04, and a good chunk of 02-05, which will certainly be reviewed next. This AUD tape isn't the cleanest, but it isn't muddled either. You can hear some audience member's chatting in quiet moments. Thankfully, it is rarely distracting. The biggest drawbacks are that the vocal levels fluctuate in some tunes, that Keith is sometimes completely inaudible when comping, and a big time cut in "Ship Of Fools." If you hate seemingly incessant clapping, that will also be a drawback for you.

For this era, the setlist looks pretty standard. Early February in Wisconsin: "CR&S" opener. They really start gelling in "Big River," and once they hit "TLEO," you can say without any reservation that they are cooking. After Keith takes a run through, Jerry takes the tune for a ride. It is a perfectly crafted solo, each note a precise statement, and all put together a powerful declaration. I could hear this version of "TLEO" and never need another one. (1977-09-03's is way up there too.) One highlight after another soon follow: "Looks Like Rain," "Loser," a driving "BE Women," and a disarming "Peggy-O" round out the highlights of the first set before the "Music" explosion. What a way to end the set! What was an grade A first set was bumped to a surefire A+. Though it starts with subdued energy, it begins to boil once Jerry is given some space to stretch out. Check out his sizzling lines after the lyrics, "No one's noticed, but the band's all packed and gone/Was it ever here at all?" After the main verses are done, we're all aboard the Jerome Express. There is an extended break before they get back to the verse groove. Jerry's is whipping the band into a controlled frenzy, Phil's rising lines hint at the coming explosion, the Rhythm Devils are splashing their cymbals in anticipation as well, the crowd begins to cheer wildly, and when it hits, it's BAM! 200MPH, check yo' head because they're out to slice the building in half. "dcain," one of my favorite reviewers on the archive, calls this version "the power and the glory." Amen.

"Good Lovin'" is one of those tunes that I just can't seem to get into. It was different when Pigpen was alive because his raw R&B singing and they way the band stretched out suited the type of version they were out to create. Without him, it's just lacking in interest. We get our first major audio issue in "Ship Of Fools." There is a cut in about what feels like midway through with no patch to speak of. It cuts and that's it. It's a sure "breaking of the fourth wall," if you will. We are thrust away from our immersion in the show and reminds us that this is a tape; these are headphones; you are just listening to an artifact. That's a huge minus. However, it's more than made up for afterward.

The set-closing sequence beginning with "Estimated" is outstanding. They take off in each tune, chasing their mojos and letting the music take over. The instrumental passages between verses in "Estimated" are mini-snapshots of a band on a mission. Yes, Jerry's got the reins, but the band is all ears and willing to go to wherever he might lead. This includes a high-intensity "Eyes" and a sparkling take on the "Playin"-"Wheel" sandwich. The segue into "Eyes" is so easy and natural it feels like a logical ending point for the song. Jerry takes off in flights through the chords as the band bounces behind him. When they take their time with the intro, as in this version, it is truly blissful. Part me of wishes they'd never go into the lyrics. The crowd's cheer as the first verse begins sure sounds like appreciation to me. You can tell the band is on because Jerry takes multiple verse-lengths in his solos. (Another sign might be the absence of a "Drums" segment.) There is a nice Phil-led jam in "Playin'," where he displays his brilliant gift for playing both lead and rhythm parts simultaneously. Phil takes a few steps back as Jerry comes in, letting him now take the main lead. The band rolls in and around his phrases, joining him when he hits peaks and settling down when he drops away for Keith to take over. When the band is this tight, it is a true gift. I love how the hints of the "Playin'" reprise melody start appearing about five minutes towards the end. They tease it, dance around it, play the same notes while evading the full-on melody. The transitions into "The Wheel" and back into "Playin'" are slick and the ending jam in the final "Playin'" feels like a celebration of what preceded it.

For the first time in two months, I am placing a sure Stealie on a show. This one more than deserves it. It's one of the very best shows of 1978, a much underrated year, and a necessary addition to any Grateful Dead collection.

The Music Never Stopped

1978-10-17 - Winterland

Venue: Winterland - San Francisco, CA
Tape History: SBD (AUD by Reinhart Holwein, download here)
Release History: Two songs in Road Trips Vol. 1, #4 bonus disc (Sept. 2008)

Set 1
Promised Land, *Friend Of The Devil, Mama Tried -> Mexicali Blues, *TN Jed, I Need A Miracle, Stagger Lee, *Jack Straw

Set 2
*Scarlet Begonias -> *Fire On The Mountain, *Estimated Prophet -> *Eyes Of The World -> *Drums -> *Space -> *If I Had The World To Give, Around & Around, E: U.S. Blues

Comments:
01-05-2011: First night of a smokin' five night run at the Winterland, and the Dead's first show back from Egypt. These shows were billed as the "From Egypt With Love" shows. Word on the street is that there were pictures from the trip projected onto a screen behind the band as they played these shows. The only reason I'm posting this review before others from the stand is only because it's the first show. Otherwise I would have gone for the much superior 10-21 or 10-22 gigs. But take a look at that second set! Wow.

Before I completely get ahead of myself, let's take a short stop in the first set, even though it's not something exactly to write home about. Keith takes a turn in "FOTD" without sounding spent and bored, which is saying a lot for his musicianship in this era. Jerry's solo is phenomenal. His mastery of melodic phrasing is ever evident, and his signature tone is displayed in absolute glory. I love this cut. Things look unevenly formed for most of this set though, even when the band destroys "Jack Straw" as a set closer (?!). The second set, in contrast, is burning for its entirety. The segue between "Scarlet" and "Fire" is naturally arrived-at with Jerry leading the way and Phil following close behind with his high-register theme. Keith feels the transition close at hand and slowly moves in that direction. It's silky smooth. The transition into "Eyes" is more deliberate, but it still works. Phil's playing in this whole sequence is simply incredible. He plays with the melody and firmly within the rhythmic framework. He's a singular talent. Out of the three times they played "World To Give," this particular version stands head and shoulders above the others. Bob weaves in touching slide chords and lines below Jerry's heartfelt solo, where he stretches the emotive content of the melody. Recommended, but still not a top notch show.