The setlist alone will make any Head’s mouth water. But the playing on this night at Deer Creek seals the deal; this show is a monster. The action opens with a weighty Help> Slip> Franklin’s, marred only by Jerry’s at times labored vocals. His playing, though, is stratospheric, and Brent’s keys and the exceptional percussion make this a top-flight progression from the later years. Bobby then provides some inspired vocals on Minglewood while the band interlaces ripping runs. A few minutes of tuning interrupts the momentum, but the Dead pick up right where they left off as Brent provides an impassioned Easy To Love You just days before his passing. A sparkling, beatific Peggy-O rolls out afterwards before Masterpiece with its beautiful harmonies and Brent’s twinkling fills. An inspired Brown Eyed Women follows. And, while the band is tuning up afterwards, the crowd gets raucous with chants of “we want Phil” audible on the board. While the boys do not oblige, the Cassidy was a sure crowd pleaser with the band in mind-meld form on this powerful rendition. The set then goes out on a ferocious Deal, smoking into the break. And we can only imagine what it would have been like to have been there for that intermission, reveling in the glow of an amazing first half and knowing that the boys were surely going to top it and more when they returned.