There are so many shows on this date, and quite a few fine ones, but our Dead of the Day is the fairest of them. The show gets off to an explosive start with a very tight Bertha; and, though it is a small thing, the last note that Jerry throw in to cap the tune is just so lovely. The next couple songs are so fresh and crisp, exemplified by the bouncy, energetic opening to Don’t Ease Me In. Then things shift gears a bit with Lesh delivering a heartfelt Box of Rain with Keith’s keys and Jerry’s lilting, reserved guitar play complementing the emotional lyrics. Row Jimmy, Looks Like Rain, and the Here Comes Sunshine are also highlights of the early going. But the best of the first half has to be the closing Playing. Keith and Phil are in sync and feeding off each other, while Jerry paints these spirited brush strokes of pure bliss to cap the set. Though it does not seem possible, the band ratchets it up a notch further in the second set, really beginning with the He’s Gone. This was just the second He’s Gone since Pigpen’s death, and it seems to have an effect on the boys, especially followed by the biographical Truckin’. Jamming out of the latter tune, they search for their next angle, coming upon a tremendous Spanish Jam. Bobby, Billy, and Phil push the pace while Jerry provides some face-melting, dance-crazed spectacularness that still leaves a tremendous amount of room for contemplative exploration. Eventually, the jam plays itself out and the boys enter into a haunting, ethereal zone before bursting forth with a four-minute Dark Star that, despite its brevity, is somehow still totally satisfying. Then the Pig reminiscence and reflection reaches its crescendo with Sing Me Back Home, the Merle Haggard tune that, though written about different circumstances, could not be more appropriate at the moment. Jerry does total justice to the lyrics while the rest of the band provides accompaniment, making it an emotional powerhouse.