There is no Dark Star and no Other One, but the show is still off the charts. At the Academy of Music in New York, deep into their seven night tune-up for the Europe ’72 tour, the boys are firing on all cylinders even when they seem to be working through some new approaches to a few tunes (see, for instance, Deal). Pigpen is particularly dominant, throwing down on one of the highlights in the first set – It Hurts Me Too – and going a long way towards dominating the second set with Big Boss Man, Good Lovin’, and the righteous The Stranger. As one person on Archive noted, “‘The Stranger’ probably got Pig laid in France.” But the rest of the band contributes mightily as well, including Donna, who comes in for one of her very first versions of Playin’. She and Keith were so new to the band at this point, that Bobby even introduces them as “our new additions.” The Playin’ is so hot, in fact, that it was the only tune from the night to make it onto Dick’s Picks 30. Five songs – Bertha, Brown-Eyed Women, China> Rider, and Cumberland – also made it onto the bonus disc of Dave’s Picks 14. Give a listen to this show and get ready for Europe!