The Dead thought that their performance in Toronto had been pretty poor, and they complained that their sound system buzzed loudly. Meanwhile, a favorable reviewer suggested that the staid Toronto crowd had inhibited the Dead. From the small sample that we have on the recordings, it is tough to tell. While the music rages, there does seem to be a bit of a disconnect, the Dead taking the jams through their paces, but not truly unleashing. It could be, as the reviewer suggested, the tepid crowd response stifled the Dead. The Lovelight, in particular, seems to support the argument, as Pigpen attempts to work the crowd here and there, but meets with little response. But even though the Dead might not have been at the top of their game, these are still some fabulous primal nuggets from the band.

From Toronto, the Dead continued on with the Airplane to Montreal where they played two shows. The Dead then parted company with Graham and the Airplane, making their way to Timothy Leary’s place in Millbrook, New York, and a rooftop gig at NYC’s Chelsea Hotel. From there, they headed back west, stopping in Detroit for a pair of shows and playing a free concert in Ann Arbor. Back in California, they then played a series of dates in Lake Tahoe. Yet none of these shows, save the snippet from this day and the day before in Toronto, are preserved on tape. Finally back in the Bay Area, the Dead play Lindley Meadows in Golden Gate Park for Chocolate George’s funeral, and this is recorded, but just on video, not audio. It is not until September 3rd that we can finally get another listen to the Dead at the Rio Nido Dance Hall.