As good as the first set gets by the end, the second tops it all repeatedly, starting with the monstrous Wharf Rat. And just a song later, the Dead take it deep with a tremendous Playin’, heading off into some really trippy space in the latter half. But right when things seem like they could get no weirder, a change sweeps in with a gathering jam, becoming a full-fledged, face melting Mind Left Body Jam. It is lilting and lovely and so beautifully complex, a real treasure to behold. By the end, you know they are heading into He’s Gone, which seems to emerge organically in the last minute or two of the jam before the unmistakable first notes of the theme itself actually make their appearance. The Truckin’ that comes out next sort of gets lost in all the magic, but it is a serious piece of work itself, especially in the sparse and billowy noodling jam of the second half. After that, it is Stella Blue; yes, that is right, both Wharf Rat and Stella in the set, which is just phenomenal. Sugar Mags – sadly absent from the Dick’s Picks 14 release – then roars in, providing some pure joy before the magisterial Morning Dew closer.