Dead of the Day: 05-26-1973

Kezar Stadium

San Francisco, California

From 1972 to 1995, there are five very fine shows on this date, but our Dead of the Day is the uneblievable three-set Kezar show from 1973. The night begins with Bobby coming in a half beat late on Promised Land, but the band just blistering the rest of the song and setting up a phenomenal night of music. In that first set, the Sugaree glistens with bright vocals from Jerry and some great work by the entire band, especially Phil’s occasional bombs, Keith’s lyrical fills, and Jerry’s glowing guitar work. The Mexicali that follows could not be more different, but is still just as exquisite with a twinge of New Orleans jazz inflecting the Bobby cowboy tune. With Row Jimmy, the Dead pick up right where they left off with Sugaree, adding some great vocal harmonies. A tune later, Keith, Jerry, and Billy lead the way on a jammed out They Love Each Other. That brings us to the Playin’ in the Band that ends the first set with some incredible jams and Donna’s characteristic wailing.

Recording info
Use alternative player
Identifier:
gd1973-05-26.150710.SBD.BettyBoard.Anon.Noel.fixed.t-flac16
Source:
SBD Reel Master > PCM > PCM
Notes:
patch info: – shnid (147312) Sony TC-124 w/ Sony Stereo Mic – s1t08; 03:28 – 04:54 – s2t08; 03:11 – 03:43 – s3t06; 09:35 – 10:07 Notes: – Thanks to anonymous for the transfer & sharing this source while hiding out away from the Bay Area – Thanks to Gene Taback & David Minches for the patch source – The patch source was pitch corrected – Also on the bill were The New Riders of the Purple Sage & Waylon Jennings – 9 (nine) count BIODTL – Ain’t no Beta Hi-Fi here
Description:
Set I
Promised Land
Deal
Jack Straw
Tennessee Jed
The Race Is On
Sugaree
Mexicali Blues
Row Jimmy
Looks Like Rain
They Love Each Other
Playing In The Band
Set II
Here Comes Sunshine
El Paso
Loser
Beat It On Down The Line
You Ain’t Woman Enough
Box Of Rain
China Cat Sunflower >
I Know You Rider
Big River
Bertha
Around & Around
Set III
Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodleloo
Me & My Uncle
He’s Gone >
Truckin’ >
The Other One >
Eyes Of The World >
China Doll
Sugar Magnolia
Casey Jones
Comment
New Riders Of The Purple Sage opened
Waylon Jennings opened

Jerry Garcia – Guitar
Bob Weir – Guitar
Keith Godchaux – Keyboards
Phil Lesh – Bass
Bill Kreutzmann – Drums
Donna Jean Godchaux – Vocals
Lineage:
PCM > Sony PCM601esd (spdif out) > VX Pocket/Laptop > Nuendo > Waves q10 > WAV 16/44
Transferrer:
Source & Transfer by Anonymous Edited & Mastered (Adobe Audition) by Joe Noel June 25, 2020
Play
Pause
Back
Forw.
Volume
00:00
1
Bill Graham intro -> Promised Land
206.32
2
Deal
384.16
3
Jack Straw
337.66
4
Tennessee Jed
528.61
5
The Race is On
230.03
6
Sugaree
586.06
7
Mexicali Blues
257.02
8
Row Jimmy
610.25
9
Looks Like Rain
454.11
10
They Love Each Other
455.6
11
Playing in the Band
1081.16
12
tuning
82.31
13
Here Comes Sunshine
761.39
14
El Paso
389.56
15
Loser
474.17
16
Beat It On Down The Line
239.2
17
You Ain’t Woman Enough
234.24
18
Box of Rain
345.73
19
China Cat Sunflower ->
458.87
20
I Know You Rider
377.5
21
Big River
328.8
22
Bertha
349.23
23
Around and Around
287.5
24
tuning
27.06
25
Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo
535.93
26
Me and My Uncle
221.96
27
He’s Gone ->
831.9
28
Truckin’ ->
542.46
29
The Other One ->
1048.03
30
Eyes of the World ->
819.85
31
China Doll
396.96
32
Sugar Magnolia
585.3
33
Casey Jones
407.77
Choose recording

The middle set picks up right where the Playin’ left off in terms of loose and exploratory jamming on Here Comes Sunshine. From there, Bobby comes out with another excellent cowboy tune in El Paso with Jerry’s guitar licks playing out the horse and rider of the lyrics, rushing off across the desert. A couple tunes on, Donna blows away You Ain’t Woman Enough while Keith offers up some tasty fills. Donna also provides some vocal help on a very strong Box of Rain. But then the high point of the second set arrives with the China> Rider. The China Cat is completely off the hook with lightning quick jams filled with rapturous twists and turns. The Dead then deliver a straightforward, but nonetheless wonderful version of I Know You Rider. A few more good tunes come forth before a high energy, Keith-led Around and Around ends the second set, which, based on the banter, might have been part of the third if not for a significant equipment problem.

The final set begins with a fun Mississippi Half-Step, though the extended jams begin with what is easily one of the best He’s Gone the Dead have ever played. The suite continues with Truckin’, which has a blistering run that ends up down a few shady back alleys and dead ends, almost teasing Dark Star at times, before some cool, otherworldly drums bring it around to The Other One, which takes a while to hit the vocals, running as it does through some tendentious but excellent spacey sections. Then, again, after the lyrics, the boys bring the tune out on some serious deep space exploration, suddenly finding Eyes of the World in the dark recesses of the universe. The Eyes itself is no slouch with upbeat, fantastic playing. Right when you think they are heading for something structured and rocking out of Eyes, Jerry turns them off towards China Doll, which puts the seal on the suite in perfect fashion. Finally, a Sugar Mags sees the set off in a ball of joy.

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Comments

2 responses to “05-26-1973”

  1. Brenton Dekker Avatar
    Brenton Dekker

    My favorite Jack Straw (even Jerry’s flub in the solo), They Each Other and Here Comes Sunshune!

  2. RP Mcmurphy Avatar
    RP Mcmurphy

    beautiful stuff. rapt.

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