The band come out of the gate with a six-minute Minglewood, stretching their legs and starting to get the crowd fired up. But things really start to cook with the Sugaree that comes out next. Jerry might not quite hit the heights of Hartford ten days before, but this version, with a palpable smoothness to it, is no slouch. Keith puts in some delightful phrasings just underneath Jerry’s tantalizing guitar, and the band reaches some terrific heights in the jams. The Mexicali that emerges next is off the charts as well. On the recording, you can hear the two drummers on either side, laying in a sensational beat while Phil’s relentless bass strafes the interstices. Jerry – who also adds his voice prominently to the chorus – spews forth flourish after flourish. After a long period of post-Mexicali noodling, presumably while dealing with equipment issues, the band turns to Row Jimmy, which comes out dignified yet luscious. A song later, Donna, who is on throughout the night, delivers one of the best versions of Sunrise ever. And while the BEW and It’s All Over Now are great, the band closes out the set on an even higher note, first with a silky Jack-A-Roe before turning up-tempo with Lazy Lightning> Supplication. The Supplication actually gets ferocious, bringing serious feistiness to the laid back set and priming the pump for the second half.

Out of the break, the band opens with Bertha, bringing something extra to what was one of the most played tunes of the tour (and one they had played the night before). And, for the record, there are 17 anymores before they slide into Good Lovin’. It does not take too long during that latter tune before Bobby’s frontman cheese, Jerry’s arcing guitar, and Billy and Mickey’s insatiable drums sends the crowd into a frenzy. A tasty Ramble on Rose follows before the show really lifts off into the stratosphere beginning with Estimated. Mysterious and revelatory all at the same time, the Estimated leads the way into a soaring, exploratory twenty-minute Eyes, capped by a delightful, moody jam before the drummers take over. And it is no surprise that the Drums – short, but unrelenting – is sensational, since Mickey and Billy had been on fire all evening. The Other One that follows explodes out of the drum solo, shooting off at breakneck speed. There, the boys deliver just one verse, choosing to head into Wharf Rat after only fourteen minutes, but it is a blistering ride. Jerry sort of hops around at the end of Wharf Rat before everyone finds NFA. Over the next minute, the bands gathers themselves before they romp through a funky rendition that ends up – no surprise – at GDTRFB. Like the NFA, the latter tune is a little subdued, but so luscious. Seven minutes in, the boys seem like they are coming to a close, but they head off on one more pass. And just when you think the set is ending, they race off rapidly into Johnny B Goode for one more song. Finally, the Dead cap all that wonderment with an always welcome Brokedown encore.

This middle show at Winterland is all the match for the first and last nights. And, what’s more, we get to enjoy it on a beautiful, crispy matrix from Hunter Seamons. Hearing the knowledgeable hometown crowd get fired up is such a treat, and the recording really captures the depth of the music and the contributions of each musician. While Hunter put all the effort into the matrix, he builds on the work of a small, but all-star cast, working off a Charlie Miller board, a Bertrando audience recording, and another fine uncirculated audience tape. Thank you to all who helped preserve and bring us this gem.

This show, along with the other two nights of the Winterland run, were released by the Dead as Winterland June 1977: The Complete Recordings.