With the ’66 and ’67 shows from this date seemingly lost to history, we are going with a strong ’76 show from the Paramount Theater in Portland, Oregon for our Dead of the Day. In this, the first show of 1976 in which the band emerges from their hiatus, the Dead inaugurate a bunch of tunes. The show opens with the first Might As Well; they play an estimable version, but it is a notch below what is to come later in the set. In particular, things really start to take off with the Row Jimmy, where Jerry’s excellent guitar work and deeply felt vocals power the tune to the stratosphere. Looks Like Rain is nearly as good with Bobby choosing just the right amount of cheese and Jerry continuing to lay in the riffs. And the same could be said again for the They Love Each Other that follows. Then we get the very first performance of Lazy Lightnin’> Supplication, and the combination does not disappoint from the get go with an especially hot second half. A bit later the band plays an awesome standalone Scarlet Begonias, with Donna, like she does most of the night, adding some nice harmonies and the drummers laying down a ferocious beat. After Scarlet comes the first Dancin’ in the Streets since the New Years show back in 1971. It is a rocking version, and is especially welcome knowing just how incredibly the boys would jam out this tune over the next couple years.