Another great ’77 show serves as our Dead of the Day. Playing in Houston, nearly every song in the first set references Texas, including the opening Jack Straw with its “Leaving Texas, Fourth day of July…” The Mississippi Half Step that comes out next is electric with a soaring jam towards the end. From there, the rest of the set continues to delight. About midway through, a slow and sweet Friend Of The Devil follows Passenger. FOTD is one of those songs where Donna really shines; she backs up Jerry beautifully, and the outcome is far more than the sum of the parts. What’s more, the vocals do not stop the boys from laying down some tasty licks, including a fine little jam before the last verse. But the high point of the first half may very well be the set closing Music Never Stopped. In the second half, the Good Lovin’ out of Bertha, which opens it up, is groovy from the very first notes. Although the tune is not the same without Pigpen, it was nice to see the band bring it back into the regular rotation in 1977 after it was, with a few exceptions, shelved after Pigpen passed away. The Candyman that comes out next is not quite as long as it appears, as the band runs into some technical problems, providing an opportunity for Bobby to deliver some funny banter. But the boys get right back to business with a face-melting Playin’, which covers so much territory, everything from scorching to spacey. Eventually, the song gives way to the drummers, who take it through to a really beautiful Wheel. That is followed up by a Wharf Rat that starts out rather staid, but then shifts into a powerful gear and charges ahead from about the halfway point. After that monster, the band sees out the set with a rocking Around And Around. But they are far from done, coming back for a lovely Brokedown, which segues back into Playin’ to send everyone home on a high note.