Dead of the Day: 12-16-1978
Nashville Municipal Auditorium
Nashville, Tennessee
This is one of those shows – and there are many of them – that just make you shake your head at both the sound the Dead were able to create and the nearly flawless jamming they were capable of. In the first set, it seems that both Bobby and Jerry are playing slide on a few songs, creating an unusually fine sound and leading to some really interesting jams. And boy do the boys ever jam, laying it out on nearly every tune during that first go-round. The highlights – though nothing should be missed – are the bookends: an epic, funky Sugaree opener and the essential, smooth rendition of Lazy Lightnin’> Supplication at the end. And, of course, there is what is almost certainly the best Stagger Lee ever.
To open the second half, the band starts off with a tight, smoking Scarlet Begonias. From the very start, the boys are locked into a heady mind-meld, allowing them to deal a scintillating jam in the second half that is so tight while also involving deep exploration. The transition into Fire is fairly quick, and the song itself is all the equal of the Scarlet that preceded it. A few tunes later, one of the best versions of He’s Gone comes out. It has all the beautiful harmonies and vocal vamping you could want, but also features far more tasty licks and lengthy runs than the typical, more straightforward, renditions. Eventually, after nearly twenty minutes, the rest of the band cedes the stage to the drummers, who deliver an immaculate Drums. A short Space follows, taking it into a mesmerizing, mellow Other One that, at times, is downright spacey, though never lacks even a modicum of coherence. At the very end, the boys drop into a spacious Wharf Rat that is outstanding, just like the rest of the show. From there, Around And Around rocks them out of the set before One More Saturday Night puts a final cap on the evening.

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