Best Grateful Dead Jamsfor Travel and Road Trips

Browse These Jams by Year

1977-05-22 Help on the Way -> Slipknot -> Franklin's TowerSportatorium, Pembroke Pines, Florida

With Grateful Dead jams, choosing the best material is not just about the music, but the recording, and the sound of the hall. There is a lot going on in Grateful Dead music, and so it's easy for the sound to get muddy. This soundboard recording from the Grateful Dead's most celebrated month of music encapsulates the two things that I look for the most in Grateful Dead: crispness and exploratory playing.

1973-12-19 Here Comes SunshineCurtis Hixon Convention Hall, Tampa, Florida

This bright song about the days following a devastating flood in Portland, Oregon's Vanport area was always in short supply in the Grateful Dead's repertoire. It was only played 66 times. But 1973 is the year for Here Comes Sunshine, and there is little argument among Deadheads that this complex and varied version is the pinnacle. Tight, uptempo jamming. Garcia is all over the fretboard and Weir's rhythm is strangely submarine. This is another example of crisp playing and crisp recording.

1974-08-06 Eyes of the WorldRoosevelt Stadium, Jersey City, New Jersey

During the Grateful Dead's Wall of Sound era, the band played this fast, crystalline version of Eyes, nineteen and a half minutes long, with bright, audible Phil Lesh solos and tight, exploratory lead by Garcia.

1977-05-28 SugareeHartford Civic Center, Hartford, Connecticut

A long time ago, I saw a graphic novel interpretation of Sugaree. The author depicted a world of lizard-riding townsmen, a heroine in a cloak, turning her back on the song's narrator, who is about to be hung. This Sugaree, which doesn't let up through its entire record-breaking 21:30 minute length, solo after scorching solo, reminds me of the intensity of that scene.

1976-06-09 Crazy Fingers, St. Stephen -> Eyes of the World -> Jam -> Let It Grow -> Drums -> Let It Grow, Franklin's TowerBoston Music Hall, Boston, Massachusetts

The centerpoint of this stunning segment is the transition from St. Stephen into Eyes of the World. St. Stephen itself starts to feel infused with Eyes notes, but when Eyes actually begins, its pre-lyric introduction extends for eight glorious minutes. As a lifelong fan of Eyes, I have always paid particular attention to the intros. This Eyes intro passes the four-and-a-half minute mark, while most are less than a minute. Note that the intro for 1976-06-18 is nearly six-and-a-half minutes long.

1979-11-06 Terrapin Station -> Playin' in the Band
The Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

While Terrapins rarely depart from the composed themes of the song, this night, Jerry Garcia's lead lines were unlike any other night. The Playin' in this segment is not as well known as many other Playin' heavy-hitters, but it stands with the best, with rich, textured playing and a unique 1979 delivery, which includes a shining first-year Brent.

1974-05-19 Truckin' -> Not Fade Away -> Goin' Down the Road Feelin' Bad -> One More Saturday NightPortland Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon

The Grateful Dead always sounded great in the Pacific Northwest, which was part of their northern backyard. Archivist David Lemieux has said that most Deadheads consider the jam out of this Truckin' the best the band ever played, and when the Pacific Northwest '73–'74 box was assembled, this Portland show was the one singled out for its own vinyl release. Garcia's notes in Not Fade Away are impeccable.

1980-11-30 Scarlet Begonias -> Fire on the MountainFox Theatre, Atlanta, Georgia

Deadheads have argued for decades about whether this is the greatest Scarlet Fire ever played, and the argument itself tells you something. The playing is light and airy, almost weightless, and the transition is where the magic sits, with Garcia finding paths through it that no other version suggests. This also became the first officially released Grateful Dead matrix recording, blending the soundboard with an audience tape so you can hear the Fox Theatre roar back.

1976-07-16 The Music Never Stopped -> Scarlet Begonias, US BluesOrpheum Theatre, San Francisco, California

This is an early Scarlet Begonias, before it was regularly paired with Fire on the Mountain. Its youth as a song is really compelling here, as Garcia's notes are fresh and inventive, and like most Grateful Dead from 1976, more laid-back and lazy than 1977.

1974-06-26 Intro Jam -> China Cat -> Feelin' Groovy Jam -> I Know You RiderProvidence Civic Center, Providence, Rhode Island

There are too many reasons why this China Rider is one of the greatest Grateful Dead jams of all time. It features a unique, spacey intro jam, a beautiful Feelin' Groovy jam to tie the two songs together, and fierce, tight jamming on both China Cat and Rider.

1974-06-20 Eyes of the World -> Slipknot -> China DollAtlanta Municipal Auditorium, Atlanta, Georgia

This is the first time Slipknot was ever played by the Grateful Dead, but it wasn't yet fully formed, nor was it the slipknot that would form the nearly inseparable tryptich between Help on the Way and Franklin's Tower. Pairing Slipknot with Eyes of the World works really well, and I actually believe that Slipknot is an invention born out of 1973-1974 Eyes of the World outros.

1971-11-15 Not Fade Away -> Jam -> Goin' Down the Road Feelin' Bad -> Not Fade Away
Austin Municipal Auditorium, Austin, Texas

The Dead spent most of 1971 perfecting their cowboy songs, and setlists were less exploratory during this year. But this November show is off-the-charts, and the jam inside this Not Fade Away sandwich has elements of 1960's Dead, China Cat Sunflower teases, and, deep spacey exploration.

1979-10-25 Shakedown StreetVeteran's Memorial Coliseum, New Haven, Connecticut

If the Grateful Dead ever sounded like Phish, this is it. This is funky-jammy Grateful Dead, inspired by Brent Mydland's electronic piano synth sounds.

1976-07-17 Comes a Time -> Drums -> The Other One ->
Space -> Eyes -> Jam -> The Other One -> Goin' Down the Road Feelin' BadOrpheum Theater, San Francisco, California

This unusual setlist has that laid back 1976 quality to it, but the apex of this segment is the spectacular Comes a Time, the longest ever. It's jazzy, out there and easily some of the most inventive playing in the Dead's repertoire.

1972-08-27 Bird SongOld Renaissance Faire Grounds, Veneta, Oregon

This transcendent Bird Song is considered by some to be the high point of the show that is often tied for first place with the Cornell 1977 show. The weather at this venue was unrelenting hot, and that heat created a weird tone in Garcia's guitar. Those notes are flawless, psychedelic wizardry.

1990-09-18 Foolish Heart -> Jam -> DrumsMadison Square Garden, New York, New York

The jam out of this Foolish Heart is indicative of a method that would become the band’s most reliable success in the 1990s, especially when Jerry was struggling elsewhere. The long approach into Drums became his best area for creativity, and this one has some of the most intense earworm jamming in the Dead’s history.

Context matters here. Brent Mydland had died two months earlier, and this Madison Square Garden run was the first tour with Vince Welnick on keyboards and Bruce Hornsby on grand piano. The band arrived at these shows with something to prove, and the nightly habit of letting a small group stretch out before Drums is where they proved it. The passage that comes out of this Foolish Heart is largely Garcia and Hornsby listening to each other, and it was pulled for the So Many Roads box set, which is a fair measure of how highly it is regarded.

1972-09-21 Playing in the BandThe Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Dick Latvala had this Philadelphia show on his shortlist to launch the Dick's Picks series; instead it became the final volume, closing the series where it almost began. The eighteen-minute Playin' is unrelenting jamming from Garcia, pushed along by some of Keith Godchaux's most creative piano.

1976-06-14 Crazy Fingers -> Dancing in the Street -> Cosmic Charlie -> Help on the Way -> Slipknot! -> Franklin's TowerBeacon Theatre, New York, New York

This is an unreal Crazy Fingers, with sublime exchanges between Garcia and Keith Godchaux, and it really describes 1976 Dead. Spanish-jam style exchanges appear. The thirteen-minute Slipknot is labyrinthine and exquisite.

1970-02-13 Dark Star -> The Other One -> LovelightFillmore East, New York, New York

This show is generally considered the Grateful Dead's third most celebrated, and this segment is the reason why. Garcia tears through Dark Star and The Other One with a vengeance. There are sections of deep, exploratory quiet, and sections of machine-gun guitarwork.

1977-05-09 Comes a TimeBuffalo Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York

Unlike the Comes a Time from 7-16-1976, this version, from the day after the Grateful Dead's most famous show, stays on track with a more traditional Comes a Time jam, leading towards a peak. But it is just as good, and that peak is handled incredibly delicately.

1977-05-22 Estimated Prophet ->Eyes of the World -> Wharf Rat->Terrapin Station, Morning DewThe Sportatorium, Pembroke Pines, Florida

The Dead played most of this second set without stopping, gliding from Estimated Prophet through Eyes, Wharf Rat and Terrapin before landing on Morning Dew. When the vault tapes were pulled for release, the reels had deteriorated so badly they had to be baked in an oven to rebond the oxide before the music could be recovered. What came out of that oven is some of the most fluid, connected playing of the Dead's most celebrated month.

1973-12-02 Wharf Rat, Mississippi Half-Step, Playin' in the Band -> Mind Left Body Jam, He's GoneBoston Music Hall, Boston, Massachusetts

The Dead closed their fall 1973 tour with two nights at the Boston Music Hall, and this psychedelic second set builds and builds before cresting at the Playin' in the Band, which dissolves into the Mind Left Body theme. Both Boston nights were released together, and heard side by side they are one of the great documents of the jazzy late-1973 sound.

1979-11-01 Scarlet Begonias -> Fire on the MountainNassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York

This is the longest Scarlet Fire of them all. Most Deadheads come to a Scarlet Fire looking for certain things, and this one refuses to give them, heading off in directions the pairing had never gone before. The second half of the Scarlet in particular turns strange and almost alien before the Fire finally arrives on a driving beat.

And it features some absolutely funky early Brent that cannot be missed. Brent Mydland had joined that April, so he is barely six months into the band here, and this is one of the first nights where he stops accompanying and starts pushing.

1979-12-26 Uncle John's Band -> Estimated -> JamOakland Auditorium Arena, Oakland, California

This standalone Estimated Prophet, sandwiched between Uncle John's Band, features standout mutron from Garcia and great keys from Brent Mydland. There is no other Estimated outro jam like the one in this set, and it's a funky stunner.

1977-10-16 SugareeLouisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

1977 yielded the longest and most creative Sugarees. This one, which is nearly eighteen-minutes long, is one of my favorites.

1983-10-14 Scarlet Begonias -> Fire on the Mountain, Estimated Prophet -> Eyes of the World -> Drums-> Spanish Jam->Other OneHartford Civic Center, Hartford, Connecticut

This is my favorite Scarlet Fire, and it may be the lazy, carefree effect that the marimbas and tropical beats have on this pairing. This is also the show Phish's Trey Anastasio calls his first Grateful Dead concert. At the time, Anastasio was 19 and heavily into metal, and he later told Bob Weir that seeing the Dead was "like getting hit in the head with a baseball bat." The set continues to deliver fire, and includes a rare Spanish Jam coming out of drums.

1973-07-27 Watkins Glen Soundcheck JamWatkins Glen Grand Prix Raceway, Watkins Glen, New York

The Summer Jam festival at Watkins Glen on 7-28-1973 was, at the time, the largest rock concert ever held and the largest gathering of people in the history of the United States, bringing in over 600,000 to see The Allman Brothers, The Band and the Grateful Dead. But rock fans began showing up the day before. The Grateful Dead's soundcheck from the day before the big event is one of their most inventive and unique jams of their entire career. The way that the Grateful Dead shifts between different jam themes is a rare comparison to the Phish Type II jams.

1973-11-30 Here Comes Sunshine -> Weather Report Suite -> Dark Star Jam -> Eyes of the World -> Sugar MagBoston Music Hall, Boston, Massachusetts

The high point of this beautiful second set jam segment is the Eyes-infused Dark Star Jam that veers effortlessly towards a jazzy Eyes of the World, dense with Phil Lesh bass notes and those lazy but precise Jerry Garcia solos unique to 1973.

1979-11-09 Dancing in the Streets -> Franklin's TowerBuffalo Auditorium, Buffalo, New York

Brent Mydland's funky keys, unique to 1979, help to propel Garcia and Weir in new directions. The rare transition into Franklin's Tower is flawless.

1977-05-17 Scarlet Begonias -> Fire on the Mountain,
Estimated Prophet, Terrapin Station -> Playin' in the Band -> Drums -> Wharf Rat -> Playin' in the Band -> Sugar MagnoliaMemorial Coliseum, Tuscaloosa, Alabama

The Scarlet Fires of May 1977 are often compared, but this one, which closed the first set in Tuscaloosa, has a buttery transcendence to it: thirteen minutes of Scarlet answered by thirteen minutes of Fire. When the May 1977 box gathered five complete shows from this tour, archivist David Lemieux singled out this Alabama night as the strongest in the set, and the second set's Playin' sandwich around Drums and Wharf Rat backs him up.

1972-09-21 Dark Star The Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

This 37-minute Dark Star masterpiece winds down through a beautiful banjo-style Mind Left Body Jam, then delivers one of the tenderest segues the band ever played, straight into Morning Dew. Recorded by Owsley "Bear" Stanley, whose crisp Philadelphia tapes are part of why this show is so beloved.

1990-09-16 He's Gone->JamMadison Square Garden, New York, New York

This was only the second show with Bruce Hornsby and Vince Welnick sharing the keyboard chairs, less than two months after Brent Mydland's death, and the first He's Gone the band had played since losing him. Lighters went up all over Madison Square Garden as the song turned into an elegy. The jam afterward gradually thins out until only Phil Lesh, the drummers and the two new keyboardists remain on stage, feeling their way into the band's next era in real time.

1978-02-05 Scarlet Begonias -> Fire on the MountainUni Dome, U of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa

When this Scarlet Fire finally saw official release, some longtime Deadheads called it the best concert recording in their collections, and plenty argue it is the finest Scarlet Fire, full stop. Played under the dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa on the final night of the winter 1978 tour, it is the quick, nuanced interplay between Garcia and Keith Godchaux that separates this version from the other greats.

1972-09-21 Bird SongThe Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

A jazzy Bird Song from the year that brought the best Bird Songs, played as the second song of the night, as if the band wanted to get to the exploring immediately. The 1972 versions stand above almost any other era's, and this one holds its own against the famous Veneta version from a month before.

1972-08-27 Dark Star -> El PasoOld Renaissance Faire Grounds, Veneta, Oregon

Like almost any Dark Star, this one takes a while to grow on you. But patience rewards you. Something about this Dark Star from the Grateful Dead's second most famous show reminds me of a pod of space whales sailing through the galaxy. I have no idea why. The transition into the Marty Robbins cowboy song made it all that more weird, and Dead. A great jam segment for midnight drives in the desert.

1982-08-03 To Lay Me Down, Let It Grow -> Drums -> Space -> He's Gone -> The Other One-> Stella Blue -> Sugar MagnoliaStarlight Theatre, Kansas City, Missouri

The guitar tones and vocals on this segment, from a beautiful moonlit night at Kansas City's open-air Starlight Theatre, are uniquely raw. 1982 is not a year many Deadheads mine for jams, which is exactly why this second set rewards the visit; the long He's Gone -> Other One passage after Space is played with an urgency the era rarely gets credit for. The show has never been officially released and circulates on a warm matrix tape.

1977-10-11 Help on the Way -> Slipknot ->Franklin's Tower, Let It Grow Lloyd Noble Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma

Jerry Garcia plays lightning fast, exploratory leads on this first set opener triptych, and especially in the second set opener Let it Grow, one of the most fiery and exploratory versions around.

1973-11-14 China Cat Sunflower > I Know You RiderSan Diego Sports Arena, San Diego, California

The transition between China and Rider is long, melodic and has an underlying tenderness to it that is unique in all China Riders. A classic all-windows-open jam.

1976-06-09 Lazy Lightning -> Supplication -> High TimeBoston Music Hall Boston, Massachusetts

A summery second set segment with spidery and labyrinthine playing by Garcia and Weir. The Lazy Lightning -> Supplication pairing was less than a week old at this point; Weir carried it over from Kingfish, the band he played with during the Dead's hiatus, and it debuted at the first show back.

1981-05-01 Althea, Let It Grow, Deal, Feel Like a Stranger -> Franklin's TowerHampton Coliseum, Hampton, Virginia

Of these spectacular first and second set jams from spring 1981, the Stranger is the centerpiece. The entire second set at Hampton was played without a break, and Garcia rides the disco pulse of Feel Like a Stranger straight into a bright, rolling Franklin's Tower, a rare pairing the band would keep refining over the next year. Deeper in the set, listen for the He's Gone outro melting into The Other One, one of the most psychedelic transitions of the early eighties.

1974-06-23 Jam->Ship of FoolsJai Alai Fronton, Miami, Florida

The second set of this very unusual show opened with a lengthy pre-Ship jam, mimicking the themes of Ship of Fools while still staying loose and deconstructed.

1981-03-07 Bird SongCole Field House, College Park, Maryland

This longest of all Bird Songs is one of the most exquisite and unusual, with tight, consistent jamming from Jerry Garcia throughout.

1990-03-15 Terrapin StationCapitol Centre, Landover, Maryland

The 1990's would usher in an era of great outros, and this Terrapin Station, played on Phil Lesh's 50th birthday, is a beautiful example of those outros. This is also the show that brought some of the Without a Net material, and this Terrapin, full of midi and keys, represents that short-lived creative renaissance that occurred in 1990. The complete show was later released as Terrapin Station (Limited Edition), named for this very version, and the outro I love so much even earned its own track title on that release: the Mock Turtle Jam.

1973-02-26 Dark Star -> Eyes of the World -> Mississippi Half-Step Uptown ToodelooPershing Municipal Auditorium Lincoln, Nebraska

Dark Star is now a veteran jam vehicle, and Eyes of the World is fresh and still not fleshed out. The union of these two monsters is exquisite. The Dark Star has a beautiful, blissful segment that is unlike anything I've heard, and seems to tie the song to the Eyes of the World that will unravel out of this Dark Star. This is only the fourth time Eyes of the World had been played, and so it has an innocent quality. Its Stronger than Dirt outro jam is fluid and youthful, making this one of the best Eyes of all time.

1973-11-30 Playing in the BandBoston Music Hall, Boston, Massachusetts

This jazzy '73-era Playin', which closes out the first set, goes far out there in the space of twenty-three minutes. It came on the first of the two Boston Music Hall nights that ended the fall 1973 tour, later released together as one of the essential documents of this era.

1971-10-31 Dark StarOhio Theatre, Columbus, Ohio

This Dark Star, among my very favorites, is notable for its Tighten-up jam, the jamming theme that is considered the Proto-Eyes of the World. Uncharacteristic for most Grateful Dead jams, this Dark Star has a distinct peak. It's worth the entire journey.

1974-06-16 China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You RiderDes Moines State Fair, Des Moines, Iowa

A sublime China Rider from the opening night of the Dead's summer 1974 tour, played at the fairgrounds in Des Moines with the Wall of Sound towering behind the band. Keith's keyboards shine all through the long segue.

1974-08-04 Weather Report Suite->JamPhiladelphia Civic Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

In the summer of 1974, the Grateful Dead were playing with their enormous 70-ton Wall of Sound speaker system behind them. This was the largest and most sophisticated speaker system ever assembled, and the idea was that the system could eliminate distortion and create crystalline, defined sound at thunderous sound levels. This Weather Report Suite, which warps into a long Mind Left Body Jam, always reminds me of that surreal PA system.

1977-05-28 Estimated Prophet -> Playin' in the Band -> Terrapin Station -> Drums ->Not Fade Away -> Wharf Rat -> Playin' in the BandHartford Civic Center, Hartford, Connecticut

A second set Playin' sandwich in the Dead's tightest month is filled with fast, otherworldly notes and space-voyage mutron.

1969-03-02 Doin that Rag, Cryptical Envelopment,
Death Don't Have No Mercy-> Morning Dew -> Alligator -> Drums -> Primal Jam -> Caution->Feedback->Bid you GoodnightFillmore West, San Francisco, California

This is the closing night of the four-night Fillmore West stand the band taped for Live/Dead, hauling a sixteen-track recorder into the hall to capture themselves at their most primal. The centerpiece here is an early Mind Left Bodyesque theme, the Primal Jam, that surfaces out of Alligator and burns for a long stretch before collapsing into Caution and feedback. The entire run was finally released whole in 2005 as Fillmore West 1969: The Complete Recordings.

1974-06-16 Eyes of the World -> Big RiverDes Moines State Fair, Des Moines, Iowa

All of the summer 1974 Eyes of the World performances were among the very best. This Eyes is among the strongest, with a unique grasshopper cadence to it. The unexpected segue into Johnny Cash's Big River is perfect.

1977-05-08 Row Jimmy, Dancing in the Street->
Scarlet Begonias -> Fire on the Mountain -> Estimated Prophet -> St. Stephen -> Not Fade Away -> St. Stephen -> Morning DewBarton Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York

Nobody seems able to eloquently describe why this is the most celebrated set in Grateful Dead history. It is smooth and tight and beautiful, but what makes this show better than other similar May 1977 shows? Many say it's the quality of the soundboard tape, which was widely distributed and which helped solidify this show as the de facto best show, an unoffensive common denominator liked by everybody. Listen closely, though, and the answer is out there. The Garcia leads on this night are singular, and never repeated or even suggested again.

1973-11-17 Playin' in the Band -> Uncle John's Band -> Morning Dew -> Uncle John's Band -> Playin' in the Band -> Stella Blue -> El Paso -> Eyes of the WorldPauley Pavilion, UCLA, Los Angeles, California

By far one of the best sets of the superb 1973, this segment from the second set features a crisp Playin' sandwich and standup segues on the songs to follow. The Eyes of the World is one of the best.

1978-11-24 Estimated Prophet -> Shakedown StreetCapitol Theatre, Passaic, New Jersey

Shakedown Street was barely three months old on this night, and the jam Jerry builds out of it sounds almost nothing like the Shakedowns that would become a staple in the decades to follow. This one is frantic and searching and jazzy. I am convinced it comes directly out of what he was doing with Don't Let Go in the Jerry Garcia Band around this same period, the same restless runs piling up over a vamp that never quite wants to resolve. Once you hear it you can't unhear it; there is a great deal of Don't Let Go inside this Shakedown. The Estimated Prophet that sets it up is wonderfully full in its own right.

1991-09-26 Dark Star -> Saint of Circumstance -> Eyes of the World -> Drums -> Space -> The Other One -> Dark Star -> Attics of My LifeBoston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts

A great deal has been written recently about this second set, and about the resurrection of Dark Star in these years after so long away. It deserves the attention. Dark Star opens the set and then returns to close it, wrapped around everything in between. What makes these later Dark Stars worth your time is that Jerry Garcia is simply a different guitar player by 1991. The phrasing is looser, the note choices jazzier, and he is no longer chasing the man who played Dark Star in 1972. Bruce Hornsby is a large part of why this era sounds the way it does; he and Garcia trade lines here like two players who have been listening hard to each other, and the piano pushes the whole band somewhere the eighties lineup never went. These versions are fresh because of it. The Attics of My Life that lands at the end is a quiet, lovely way down.

1974-06-18 Weather Report Suite -> Jam ->
The Other One -> It's a Sin Jam -> Stella Blue
Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky

Some Deadheads consider this Louisville show the best the band played in 1974, a year with no shortage of contenders. A long, jazzy Weather Report Suite unravels into a spacey jam, then The Other One, then the mysterious It's a Sin theme before settling into Stella Blue. Remarkably, the band built this monster without touching Dark Star or Playin' at all.

1972-08-27 Playin' in the Band -> He's Gone -> Jack Straw
Old Renaissance Faire Grounds, Veneta, Oregon

Some consider this the Grateful Dead's most intense, in-sync jam of all time. Right before Playin' starts, you can hear Bob say, "Every other time we’ve been in Oregon, it rained. Today, it’s too damn hot!" That heat kept the guitars out of tune, which you can hear in this blistering track.

1973-06-22 Bird Song
P.N.E. Coliseum, Vancouver, British Columbia

This Bird Song is unique among all Bird Songs for its dream-like voyaging tones. It's the only Bird Song that dips into territory normally pursued by Dark Star or Playin' in the Band. A remarkable must listen for twilight road trips.

1977-03-20 Row Jimmy
Winterland Arena, San Francisco, California

The entire performance this night is well played, and the first set Brown-Eyed Women features really punchy lead. But the second set Row Jimmy is the one, still topping Deadhead polls as the best version ever played, with Garcia soloing far beyond the song's usual reach. The night closed with a Terrapin Station encore, only weeks after the song's live debut.

1973-11-14 Here Comes Sunshine
San Diego Sports Arena, San Diego, California

This sloppy Here Comes Sunshine fires on all cylinders in between the composed sections, despite its miscues. Sharp, brilliant lead, a dreamy and intense quality, and heavy experimentation.

1972-04-14 Dark Star
Tivoli Concert Hall, Copenhagen, Denmark

This Dark Star, over 29 minutes in length, explores the cosmos for seventeen minutes before hitting the first verse, and includes one of the happiest and most exploratory Feelin' Groovy jams in Grateful Dead history.

1978-04-24 Music Never Stopped, Scarlet Begonias ->Fire on the Mountain
Horton Field House, Normal, Illinois

A spacey and intense Music Never Stopped is followed by one of the best Scarlet Fires of all time. Music Never Stopped has always been, to my ears, an unusual musical take on summer. This is the summer on fire version.

1973-11-14 Truckin-> Other One Jam -> The Other One -> Jam -> Big River -> The Other One -> Eyes of the World -> The Other One -> Wharf Rat, Me and My Uncle -> Going Down the Road Feelin' Bad
San Diego Sports Arena, San Diego, California

Fascinating Weir rhythms, locked-in Phil, and pulsating Jerry make this a beautiful second-set segment from the jazzy late 1973 era. I have always been interested in songs that are flavored with Eyes of the World notes, and the Other Ones in this set are a great example of that.

1972-04-08 Dark Star -> Sugar Magnolia ->
Caution (Do Not Step on the Tracks)
Wembley Empire Pool, London, England

From the second night of the Europe '72 tour, at Wembley's cavernous Empire Pool, comes this beautiful, melodic thirty-minute Dark Star that feels almost oceanic, followed by a lively Sugar Magnolia and a vicious Caution. The whole tour was eventually released complete, but this Dark Star is where I would start.

1993-06-23 Terrapin Station -> Drums ->
Space -> Dark Star -> Wheel
Deer Creek Music Center, Noblesville, Indiana

One of the last great jam masterpieces of the Grateful Dead. The Terrapin Station refuses to end, stretching past twenty minutes as it unravels into a Dark Star-ish jam before Drums. Then, on the far side of Space, an actual Dark Star arrives, just one verse, one of the final handful the band would ever play, drifting off into The Wheel.

1977-06-08 Eyes of the World
Winterland Arena, San Francisco, California

A nearly 20-minute Eyes of the World, at the height of The Grateful Dead's most coveted quarter. Exceptional, spot-on playing. Why haven't we heard this Eyes more? Likely because it hides in the shadow of the much more famous show the next day.

1976-10-09 Help on the Way -> Slipknot -> Drums ->
Samson and Delilah -> Slipknot -> Franklin's Tower
Oakland Coliseum Stadium, Oakland, California

The Dead played this show at Bill Graham's Day on the Green, opening in broad daylight for The Who, one of the only times in their career they opened for anybody. The unusual setlist shows how out-there 1976 could get. While the Franklin's Tower is top-notch, the double Slipknot, which forays into Spanish Jam, is some of Jerry's best playing in the 70s.

1973-02-28 The Other One -> Eyes of the World -> Morning Dew
Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah

The very earliest versions of Eyes of the World had a weird sort of purity to them (the first debuted on February 9). The outro jams, heavy on Phil and proto-Slipknot segments, were extraordinary. But this second set segment contains an Eyes-infused The Other One that includes an unusual jam known to appear only in 1973, which reminds me of the offspring of Spanish Jam and Brazilian bossa nova. Listen for it about four-and-a-half minutes in.

1978-09-02 Scarlet Begonias -> Fire on the Mountain -> Estimated Prophet - Eyes of the World
Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Listen for Bob on slide guitar during a stunning and altogether unique Scarlet Begonias. This second set segment includes a Scarlet Fire masterpiece that features a Jerry going full-throttle, restless and full of ideas, as well as notes.

1974-07-19 US Blues, Weather Report Suite 1 and 2 > Let it Grow -> Jam -> Spanish Jam -> Eyes of the World -> China Doll
Selland Arena, Fresno, California

During an inventive year of four-hour sets, some shows, particularly from summer, stand out above the rest. This second set contains Phil-heavy jamming throughout, with a unique pre-Eyes Jam and Spanish Jam.

1989-10-18 Birdsong > The Music Never StoppedThe Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Grateful Dead had a brilliant resurrection into a period of creative playing from 1989-1991. This end to the first set highlights this new sound, which often featured Jerry Garcia noodling through flute and trumpet MIDI sounds. While not all Deadheads enjoy the MIDI era, I have always welcomed it as a unique, jazzy and spacey era. This Birdsong, similar to the tracks recorded on the Without a Net double album, matches some of the greats from earlier eras - flute tones included.

1985-06-30 Shakedown Street -> Samson and DelilahMerriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, Maryland

Climactic and funky, this standout ending to a first set includes an impossibly good Shakedown Street. 1984 and 1985 were overall uneven years for the Dead, but there are many sleeper Shakedowns from this era, and further exploration is strongly recommended.

1977-06-09 Help on the Way -> Slipknot -> Franklin's TowerWinterland, San Francisco, California

In a life of listening to the Grateful Dead, the lengthier and more expansive Help->Slip->Frank's still feel foreign, fresh and mindbending. This is one of the very best, with an exceptional Slipknot. Listen for Phil Lesh's fills and the complexity of the transition between Help and Slip.

1974-08-04 Playin' in the Band -> Scarlet BegoniasPhiladelphia Civic Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The sprawling twenty-five minute Playin' in this duo takes on a unique 1950s jazz-era quality, as Jerry Garcia deconstructs everything you know about this song. The Dead played this Philadelphia stand the same week Richard Nixon resigned the presidency, and none of that turmoil touches the music.

1974-06-18 Eyes of the World -> China DollFreedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky

This is Eyes of the World at its finest; with fast, fluid jamming interplay between Jerry Garcia and Phil Lesh. The segue into China Doll is haunting.

1972-09-17 He's Gone -> The Other One -> Sing Me Back HomeBaltimore Civic Center, Baltimore, Maryland

The Other One at the center of this Baltimore voyage runs nearly forty minutes, the longest version on any official release at the time it came out, and some Deadheads number it among the best ever played. It emerges out of He's Gone, travels the far reaches of the galaxy, and comes to rest, in classic 1972 fashion, on Merle Haggard's Sing Me Back Home.

1977-10-14 Playin' in the BandHofheinz Pavilion, Houston, Texas

This seventeen-minute Playin' has a roaming and wandering quality to it. While it never descends into space, it has a deconstructed, almost mellow quality to it.

1979-12-26 Friend of the DevilOakland Auditorium Arena, Oakland, California

This ten-minute Friend of the Devil uses the slowed-down arrangement Garcia adopted in the late seventies, which turned a two-minute bluegrass tune into a ballad with room to jam. Every bandmember contributes to a dense, patient build, with Brent Mydland coloring the edges in his first year.

1974-10-17 He's Gone -> The Other One -> Spanish Jam -> Mind Left Body Jam -> The Other One -> Stella BlueWinterland Arena, San Francisco, California

The Grateful Dead's original Fare Thee Well tour was in October 1974. They played 5 nights at Winterland before taking an extended hiatus. This segment, from the second of the five nights, blisters with energy and psychedelic weirdness.

1990-07-18 Terrapin Station -> JamDeer Creek Music Center, Noblesville, Indiana

The jamming at the end of this Terrapin Station is what earns it a place here, so much so that it received its own track title on the official release. Jerry Garcia leans hard into his midi rig, and the interplay with Brent Mydland's keys is some of the best of the era. The Dead played Deer Creek just eight days before Mydland's death, and this jam is a fine document of what the band lost that summer.

1973-06-10 Eyes of the World -> Stella BlueRobert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, Washington D.C.

The overlooked Eyes of the World from this segment is one of the longest, and features proto-Slipknot jamming among lazy summer leads from Jerry Garcia.

1975-09-28 Jam out of Truckin -> Drums -> Stronger than Dirt or Milkin' the TurkeyGolden Gate Park, San Francisco, California

The unusual jam that comes out of Truckin' on this rare 1975 show, right in the middle of the Dead's hiatus period, is played in 11/8 time, but is not related to The Eleven, which the Grateful Dead had not played since the 60's. Rather, it's a standalone proto-Blues for Allah era jam that serves as an introduction to the rare Stronger than Dirt that comes after a drums segment. It is a short masterpiece and a must-hear.

1977-11-04 Eyes of the WorldCotterell Gym, Colgate University, Hamilton, New York

This is one of the fastest Eyes of the World ever performed, and so while the song clocks in at less than thirteen minutes, it's packed with tight, flawless playing, packing a punch missing in many other Eyes. Played in a tiny campus basketball gym for a homecoming-weekend crowd, and it slides into the first Eyes -> Estimated transition the band ever attempted.

1978-04-24 The Music Never StoppedHorton Field House, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois

The Music Never Stopped evokes images of the Midwesterners' lust for summertime. This Music is really different, because it takes its time, meanders like a slow-moving Midwestern river at the peak of summer.

1976-07-13 Crazy FingersOrpheum Theater, San Francisco, California

This fourteen minute Crazy Fingers is like an envoy for the Grateful Dead in 1976; sincere and delicate. The final jam is infused with the psychedelic themes of The Other One and Playin' in the Band.

1973-06-22 Here Comes SunshineP.N.E. Coliseum, Vancouver, British Columbia

This outstanding Here Comes Sunshine is notable for flawless, tight, transcendent jamming: twelve and a half minutes of the warm, relaxed sound that makes 1973 its own country.

1974-05-19 China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You RiderPortland Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon

The China Cat -> Rider that closes set I is historic. The Wall of Sound was only weeks old, and the long transition jam has the patient, conversational quality that defines the May 1974 tour. This one builds without hurry, and the Rider arrives like a reward.

1974-10-17 China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You RiderWinterland Arena, San Francisco, California

The second night of the October 1974 farewell run produced the He's Gone segment listed above, but earlier that evening came this China Cat -> Rider, one of the last before the hiatus. The transition jam is dense and searching, the sound of a band playing like it might not get another chance.

1974-10-18 Weather Report Suite -> Let It Grow, Dark Star -> Morning DewWinterland Arena, San Francisco, California

The Weather Report Suite that closes the first set is the last one the Grateful Dead ever played; the Prelude and Part 1 were retired after this night. The second set is stranger and better: Phil Lesh and Ned Lagin's Seastones dissolves into a Dark Star that drifts through drums and back out again before collapsing into a devastating Morning Dew. Much of this night was filmed for The Grateful Dead Movie.

1973-06-22 He's GoneP.N.E. Coliseum, Vancouver, British Columbia

The same Vancouver night that produced the Bird Song and Here Comes Sunshine listed above also delivered this slow, gorgeous He's Gone, which opens the big second-set sequence, unwinding into Truckin', a Nobody's Fault But Mine jam, and The Other One. The outro vocals hang in the air of that concrete hockey rink.

1984-12-31 Shakedown StreetSan Francisco Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, California

I wrote above that 1984 and 1985 hide many sleeper Shakedowns, and this is the one that proves the point: the New Year's Eve opener, broadcast nationally over the radio, funky and unhurried at a time when the band was supposedly in decline.

1977-09-03 Loser, Estimated Prophet -> Eyes of the World -> Samson and Delilah, He's Gone -> Not Fade Away -> Truckin', Terrapin Station
Raceway Park, Englishtown, New Jersey

The Englishtown second set is so important that I include nearly all of it. The Grateful Dead hadn't played in almost three months after Mickey Hart's car accident, and they returned in front of a crowd estimated at well over 100,000, their first show since the release of Terrapin Station. The Estimated Prophet -> Eyes of the World transition is one of the finest pairings of 1977, and the He's Gone unwinds into a Not Fade Away whose vocals don't arrive until past the nine-minute mark. The Truckin' was the first in nearly two years, and the night closes with Terrapin Station as the encore.

1976-06-17 Scarlet BegoniasCapitol Theatre, Passaic, New Jersey

This Scarlet Begonias is exceptional, and more importantly, its one of those Scarlet's before Scarlet is permanently paired to Fire on the Mountain. This gives Jerry and Keith more of a chance to focus exclusively on Scarlet; there is no predetermined job to move into Fire. The interplay between Jerry, Keith and Phil, in that loose 1976 styling, is worth listening to closely.

1973-10-19 Eyes of the World -> Stella BlueFairgrounds Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

An Eyes of the World as an encore. The Grateful Dead opened their fall 1973 Midwest tour in Oklahoma City just days after releasing Wake of the Flood, and after a second set already stuffed with Dark Star -> Mind Left Body Jam -> Morning Dew, they came back out and played fourteen minutes of Eyes settling into Stella Blue. Both songs were only months old.

1975-08-13 Crazy Fingers -> Drums -> The Other One -> Sage and Spirit -> Goin' Down the Road Feelin' Bad
Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, California

From the invitation-only Blues for Allah premiere at the Great American Music Hall, one of only four shows the Grateful Dead played during their hiatus. Crazy Fingers was brand new, and its outro dissolves through a drums segment into The Other One before landing on the first Sage and Spirit ever played, a delicate Weir instrumental that makes a strange and perfect bridge into Goin' Down the Road Feelin' Bad.

1968-08-24 Dark Star -> St. Stephen -> The Eleven -> Death Don't Have No Mercy
Shrine Exposition Hall, Los Angeles, California

This is the primal Grateful Dead sequence played as one continuous piece of improvisation, and this version captures the 1968 band at its most ferocious. The Dark Star is still compact, but the fourteen-minute Eleven is the centerpiece: both drummers churning in 11/8 while Jerry Garcia and Phil Lesh stack riffs into a runaway train. When it finally spills into the slow blues of Death Don't Have No Mercy, the release is physical.

1974-10-19 Eyes of the World -> China DollWinterland Arena, San Francisco, California

A first-set Eyes of the World from the fourth night of the October 1974 farewell run, with the fast, weightless jamming that makes the 1974 Eyes its own species. The China Doll is the quiet payoff: the band negotiates the tempo in real time, easing it downward until, about halfway through, everything locks into place.

1974-06-26 Beer Barrel Polka -> Truckin' -> Other One Jam -> Spanish Jam -> Wharf Rat
Providence Civic Center, Providence, Rhode Island

The same Providence set that produced the China Cat segment listed above. A minute of Beer Barrel Polka tuning tips into Truckin', and from there the band never really comes back: the Other One appears only as a theme, a bridge into the fifteen-minute Spanish Jam that is the deep center of this sequence, patient and dark, with Jerry Garcia circling the theme like a hawk. Wharf Rat is the landing.

1973-10-19 Dark Star -> Mind Left Body Jam -> Morning DewFairgrounds Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

From the same Oklahoma City show as the Eyes -> Stella Blue encore listed above. This Dark Star is the jazzy, exploratory fall 1973 kind, and instead of returning for a second verse it drifts sideways until the Mind Left Body theme surfaces, gathering the whole improvisation around those four ascending chords before delivering it to Morning Dew.

1972-05-11 Dark Star -> Drums -> Dark Star -> Sugar Magnolia -> Caution -> Truckin', Uncle John's Band
Grote Zaal De Doelen, Rotterdam, Holland

The Rotterdam Dark Star is the longest the Grateful Dead ever played, roughly forty-eight minutes split around a drums segment, and it never once feels padded: the first half dissolves the song entirely while the second half rebuilds it from static and rumor. What follows is nearly as remarkable, a Caution with Pigpen in full command that swerves through the last Who Do You Love the band ever touched before Truckin' caps roughly eighty minutes of continuous music. This was reportedly Dick Latvala's favorite show.

1977-05-19 SugareeFox Theatre, Atlanta, Georgia

1977 was the year of Sugaree, and this sixteen-minute Atlanta version is amongs its absolutely pinnacles. The song becomes a scaffold for Jerry Garcia to build three separate ascending solos between the verses, each one climbing higher than the last, in one of the crispest Betty Cantor-Jackson recordings of the spring tour.

1969-03-02 Dark Star -> St. Stephen -> The Eleven -> Turn On Your Love Light
Fillmore West, San Francisco, California

The same Fillmore West night as the sprawling segment listed above, and the other half of why that show matters. Where the 1968 Shrine version of this suite is a runaway train, by March 1969 the Dark Star has grown patient and vast, the Live/Dead-era kind that stretches themes into the atmosphere. The Eleven still hurtles, and the whole thing lands in Pigpen's hands for a Lovelight that brings it back to earth.

1973-11-20 Truckin' -> The Other One -> Stella BlueDenver Coliseum, Denver, Colorado

This Truckin' encapsulates that 1973 willingness to really take things out there. It departs completely, carried by heavy Phil Lesh bass leads. But The Other One is the champion here. It breaks free and wanders wherever it likes, and this November 1973 period is really special in exactly that way.

1976-10-10 Dancing in the Streets -> Wharf Rat -> Dancing in the StreetsOakland Coliseum Stadium, Oakland, California

This sandwich shows off the funky, elastic, almost disco-Dead of 1976, and then the transition into Wharf Rat is a complete change of mood, which makes the whole combination unusual. If the 1977 Dancin's are superior, the 1976 ones are mellower and freer, and sometimes, like this one, more atmospheric and creative.

1972-09-17 Black-Throated Wind, Bird SongBaltimore Civic Center, Baltimore, Maryland

This Bird Song is considered one of the best ever performed, but it is also one of the most unusual. It is jammed so differently that it almost feels like a completely different composition. You can really hear the impact of a single drummer here, and Billy takes a strong lead throughout.

1976-09-28 Eyes of the WorldOnondaga County War Memorial, Syracuse, New York

The Orange Tango Jam Eyes of the World. The jam that spills out of this Eyes is so distinct that the official release splits it off into its own track. There is a Spanish inflection to it, but also latin and tango qualities, drippy and so completely 1976. This is a type of jam that existed exactly one time and never again.

1972-09-17 China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You Rider, Playing in the BandBaltimore Civic Center, Baltimore, Maryland

This is one of the most outstanding China Riders, known for Garcia’s spectacular “northbound train” climax. But the real star here is the Playin’ in the Band, which moves like water as the guitars, the piano and Billy’s jazzy rhythm work together to constantly reinvent the jam.

1977-05-21 Scarlet Begonias -> Fire on the MountainLakeland Civic Center Arena, Lakeland, Florida

This pairing, whose success is most known from spring 1977, is a standout version largely for Garcia’s guitar work on Scarlet and for Donna’s backups. It is useful to set this version against the famous Cornell version and note the different approaches Garcia takes on lead.

1973-11-21 Here Comes SunshineDenver Coliseum, Denver, Colorado

A substantial Here Comes Sunshine, with Keith and Billy as the standouts. The middle section opens up into an all-band affair of melodic counterpoints, with Keith’s complex pianowork shining throughout.

1972-04-26 Truckin' -> The Other OneJahrhunderthalle, Frankfurt, Germany

By far one of the most spectacular jams the Grateful Dead ever performed, and it is notable above all for its ferocity. This is not the beautiful drifting jazzy Dead. This is something dangerous and sinister and high wire. The Other One runs thirty-six minutes, a roller coaster of relentless drumming and bass, and it belongs to that very select set of monster Other Ones. The room has something to do with it. Jahrhunderthalle translates as Century Hall, and the tape went out into the world for decades under the name Hundred Year Hall, one of the first things pulled from the vault after the band stopped touring, which is how a great many people first heard what Europe sounded like in 1972.

1974-06-23 Dark Star Jam -> Spanish Jam -> U.S. BluesMiami Jai-Alai Fronton, Miami, Florida

People often describe this Dark Star as a wild living organism, and that is right. Nobody sets a coherent theme, so it keeps drifting off into new space, and that drift is what opens up the very organic launch into Spanish Jam, which is cosmic in its own right. The U.S. Blues that comes roaring out of the ether earns its place here.

1978-07-08 It Must Have Been the RosesRed Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, Colorado

Despite the compact jamming from Jerry here, he is uniquely invested in the execution, which makes this not only a phenomenal Roses but one with crystalline leadwork.

1973-09-07 Bird Song, Playing in the BandNassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York

This end to the first set was a full thirty one minutes of jamming, with two phenomonal takes of what were essential the two most exploratory songs played by the band at the time. Bird Song is less psychedelic and more open and spacious. Listen for Keith's piano work, and Bob's way of playing the most unusual chord progressions specific to this year. The Playin' is actually the more impressive of the duo, with elastic and slightly alien jamming. Very important to this show and the way you listen to these two jams is that this is the first show that Jerry is playing with Wolf.

1976-06-17 Help on the Way -> Slipknot! -> Franklin’s Tower -> Dancin’ in the Street -> Samson and DelilahCapitol Theatre, Passaic, New Jersey

In 1977, Help Slip Frank's become muscular, but here there is suppleness and empty space. The key in this whole sequence is the Slipknot, which gets genuinely strange; and its very much in the unique improvisational grammar of Slipknot.