The China Cat Sunflower that opens the second is, as always, a ton of fun. Jerry has some lyrical difficulties, but the song really starts to cook in the latter jam into I Know You Rider. And the Rider itself is a treat, the band and the vocals just soaring. After Samba In The Rain, the boys make their way into Playin’ In The Band which, after a spacey segment, winds into a spacious and luxurious Uncle John’s Band. Afterwards, the drummers take over, leading to a thirty minute Drums and Space. At the end of Space, the general noodling sounds like they are ready to launch. But instead, the band takes a half second hard stop before inexpertly beginning Box Of Rain, a real surprise slotted right after Space. And Phil’s growling vocals, the ragged harmony of the chorus, and the way the drums knit together the song so beautifully make this second Phil tune of the night special. From there, the Dead take us into a deeply emotional Stella Blue with a stellar jam in the latter portion; just tell me you wouldn’t want to be there to hear this one in person. After Stella, a Throwing Stones completes the post-Space triumvirate before One More Saturday Night sees the set out and Liberty provides the encore.

The Dead enjoyed an intimate connection with that legendary Bay Area venue, Shoreline Amphitheatre. Bill Graham designed the theater complex to resemble the Dead’s steal your face logo, and you can see the resemblance from above. The Dead were slated to open Shoreline back in the summer of 1986. But because of Jerry’s coma, Roseanne Barr was the first to take the stage there, opening for Julio Iglesias. The Dead did end up playing Shoreline every year after that ’86, though, for a total of 39 shows at the venue.