Everyday here at the end of the year there are a ton of shows with all the New Years’ runs and random other dates. Many of these dates are quite solid, and that is very true of this day. There is a nice little show from ’69 and great stuff from all through the eighties. None really rise above the rest, as all are special in their own right. So, we went with an under-appreciated year for our Dead of the Day: 1982. The show gets out of the gate with Alabama Getaway, and never really slows up through the first set. But the Dupree’s is the real standout of the early going. The second half – and the encore – is where it is really at, though, starting with the very unusual Touch> Throwin’> Franklin’s. These were only about the 10th versions of both Touch and Throwin’, and you can hear the boys still trying to figure out exactly where they could push the jams. Surprisingly, the Throwin’ overshadows the Touch of Grey, with Brent playing some beautiful keys, seemingly pushing for a jam at every turn. Jerry comes along for a short run at one point, but everyone is more focused on the theme than anything. Then Franklin’s Tower suddenly drops out of nowhere, sending the crowd into spasms of joy and the band into a jamming frenzy. Afterwards, a lovely Sailor> Saint comes out, slipping into He’s Gone at the end. The He’s Gone heads into some truly heady territory, led by Jerry’s guitar, but fully backed by Brent’s continuing stellar keys, the rest of the boys’ vocal harmonies, and Billy’s (at least we think its Billy’s) tambourine. Eventually, the drummers take over, and Space follows on their heels. Truckin’ rises out of Space and gathers steam as it goes, plowing into a rollicking jam at the end. A haunting Stella comes out in the afterglow of that fabulous Truckin’, carving out its own delightful space. A high-energy, speedy Goin’ Down The Road Feelin’ Bad then bolts away, shifting into – through a sweet transition – Johnny B. Goode to take it out. The encore might be the highlight of the entire show, though, with Etta James and the Tower of Power horns sitting in. Etta chooses to bring out Hard To Handle, which had not been played since Pig did it back in ’71. On this day, the version is funk-filled with the horns just killing it. You might miss Pig’s inimitable presence, but Etta and the boys more than do it justice. The Tower of Power then blow in a smoking version of Tell Mama, the Clarence Carter tune that Etta made famous. With those two songs as a tease, it is hard to imagine anyone was ready to go home after that encore. Of course, Etta and the Tower of Power came back again the next night and put in a lengthier third set right around midnight.