Playin’ opens the second set, and what a treat it is. The Playin’ ranges over a spacey distance before a couple feverish sections in the latter portions, on its way to a nifty transition into Shakedown. It is just the third of four times the band played the combination. The Shakedown itself, which Brent is all over, has a number of funky jams, including some vocal-heavy riffing in the middle. Shakedown eventually rolls into a full-throttle Bertha that, after a dozen anymores, shifts into a neat little jam that, though it never regains the theme, could be considered a return to the Playin’. Eventually, the drummers take over, and a Space straight from the outer rim suddenly shifts into a quiet interlude that builds into a lucid and beautiful Spanish Jam. With someone on the whistle leading the way, Truckin’ takes over from there. Unfortunately, the mix gets particularly poor for most of the song, leaving us with a clear sense of the vocals, but wanting for more of the music. Things do get better in the last few minutes, allowing us to clearly hear Jerry’s magnificent runs before the band heads into a strong Black Peter (just listen to that jam in the latter half!). The set finally ends with a rocking Sugar Mags before an equally classic US Blues.

Earlier in 1981, the Dead had already been across the pond, playing four shows at this same venue and another for the TV show Rockpalast. But this fall trip to Europe was an actual tour. It had started three days prior in Edinburgh, and then moved on to London for this show and three more, which, just like back in March, were at the Rainbow Theater. All the ’81 European dates are quite good, including this one, though the highlights are probably the third night of this run and the offering at Club Melk Weg two weeks later.