The show opens with the first Dire Wolf ever, a fast-paced piece of work with precious vocals from Jerry and lovely acoustic guitar. A song later, we get one of the last Mountains of the Moon the Dead ever performed, and it is so subtle and amazing. Then, after a short silence, Dark Star begins, sharing that same subdued nature, though building steam the entire time until about four minutes in when the boys have fully arrived at the theme and are starting to drive just a little bit more. By the second half, the band is in an otherworldly space, probing the very limits of the universe and sending out coded messages of pure awesomeness. From there, the boys transition into Stephen, which builds quickly into a raging, rollicking primal beast, pausing only…

Our Dead of the Day comes at us from that bastion of good music during the latter years of the band, Deer Creek Music Center. The show starts off with a fun, impassioned Jack Straw before really setting off with a spacey, jazz infused They Love Each Other that is off the charts. The Wang Dang Doodle holds its own with Jerry raging some serious MIDI, busting out a barry sax sort of sound. The Row Jimmy that comes next is full of ethereal goodness with Bruce laying down some stunning keys to complement Jerry’s great guitar. The Black Throated Wind and Big Railroad Blues are both excellent before giving way to a lovely Cassidy, which is fully jammed out. A short, but groovy China Cat opens the second set before heading into the transition…

Our Dead of the Day was a tough choice between two Fillmore West shows in ’69 and ’70. But we ended up going with the latter for its sensational acoustic set and epic second half. The show starts off with a Dire Wolf that is sure to please. However, the acoustic I Know You Rider that follows it is even better – rough, yet totally pristine. Jerry does a superlative job and puts in the extra verse, “I’d rather drink muddy water…” for one of the all-time best renditions. Bobby answers right back vocally with a lovely Silver Threads and Golden Needles. The acoustic set continues in similar fashion, with the boys providing some beautiful music. The second set kicks off with a hot Cold Rain and Snow, so refined from sixties versions, but with a…