05-15-1977
St. Louis Arena
St. Louis, Missouri
On a steamy hot night May night in St. Louis, the Dead are having a high time, playing jokes on each other, debuting Passenger and Iko, and pairing Estimated and Eyes for the first time. The band plays with joy throughout the evening, and the music reflects that, starting off with a raging Bertha that, after a dozen anymores, transitions into Good Lovin’. The first set gains momentum from there, and the band is fully firing by Lazy Lightnin’> Supplication. Then, after just the second Jack-A-Roe, we get the first Passenger, and a steamy one at that. Before the song, one of the band members suggests playing it, to which someone responds, “Why the fuck not?” (check it on this recording with the full tuning and time in between tunes). Then Jerry gives us a little Funiculi Finicula. But once everyone is ready, they launch into a great Brown-Eyed Women. And then it is the mighty capper of the set, a kick ass, romping Dancin’ In The Streets – crack even for the high bar of ’77 – that brings the house down.
The second half picks up right where the first left off, launching with a stratospheric monster of an Estimated Prophet that segues, for the first time, into Eyes Of The World (the Dead had played the songs back-to-back on May 7th, but there had been a lengthy tuning in between). And what an Eyes it is, absolutely magisterial. The end is particularly resonate as Jerry lights it up on some formidable, inventive jams. But the the Rhythm Devils eventually wrest the stage with a pounding beat, setting off on a short interlude that heads, appropriately given the percussive power, into a similarly potent Samson And Delilah. Afterwards, Bobby once again punks Mickey and the crowd by getting the assembled to sing happy birthday to the drummer, nearly four months before his natal day. And then we get a perfectly packaged Ship Of Fools. And from there, a serious high octane rock and roll Saint Stephen barrels out before the band, skipping the last verse, takes it into what appears to be Not Fade Away. But after three minutes of NFA, Jerry gets to the mic and starts singing Iko. And, without missing a beat, the rest of the band – including Donna on backup – takes up the Iko for a short first go round (they would not play Iko for the second time until five months later). The Dead then transition in unison back into Not Fade Away, sending out a truly epic version. And that takes us to an insatiable Sugar Mags closer that is similarly off the charts. A fantastic Uncle John’s Band continues the dancing, upbeat bent with the encore.
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