Our Dead of the Day comes from the second night of a two-night run at Nassau Coliseum back in ’73. Bertha gets the show rolling with Phil way up in the mix early on. A song later, a mellow, pregnant, and, at the same time piercing Sugaree really gets things started. As the first set goes on, it becomes more and more apparent that Bobby is on fire this evening. By the Tennessee Jed, he is throwing in tasty runs right alongside Jerry. In the Looks Like Rain that follows, Bobby commands the vocals, but never really takes over on guitar. He does, however, play with a resonant sweetness that sets off Jerry’s soaring and relaxed jams, which are marred only by the tape cut. Up…

On this date in 1990, the Dead welcomed Vince to the band, kicking off their fall tour at Richfield Coliseum. And back in 1969, the boys played a show along with Jefferson Airplane at the Great Highway in which Mickey and Billy rushed off headlong into Safari’s Wipe Out as the rest of the band struggled to keep up. But our Dead of the Day comes from this date in 1985 when the Dead played a phenomenal show out at Red Rocks Amphitheater. The boys have some technical issues at the opening, causing Bobby to try to resurrect the Frozen Logger, which they had not played since ’72 a the Berkeley Community Theater. To say the least, he does not quite remember the lyrics, but…

Despite some other solid shows on this day, we are going with the 1980 concert from the State Fairgrounds in Lewiston, Maine as our Dead of the Day. Alabama Getaway introduces the first set and is full and rocking from the very beginning. A song later, Sugaree towers above – probably the highlight of the entire show – as Jerry pulls off beautiful vocals and guitar while Brent adds some computer-funky keys. Next, the boys rip through Me And My Uncle and Mexicali before arriving at a jammed out Tennessee Jed. But it is the Feel Like a Stranger in mid-set that, besides Sugaree, defines the first half. Bobby lays it in while Phil puts down a headlong bass line and Brent adds these…