That’s really a great one sentence assessment. It has a lot of shades of GD and a lot of solo in there as well.

Kingfish

This is Bob Weir’s side band during the infinite hiatus that went on to live independently once he rejoined Grateful Dead full time - but he did this album with them in 1976. The result is a sort of mixed bag of good easy songs with some mediocre and sort of lazy stuff too. Lazy Lightning is maybe the poster child for the latter and is sorta cringe-worthy. However, there’s plenty to enjoy here, where this band seems to play on some Americana, some pop rock that may be the sort of thing Bob Weir didn’t feel done with as it departs pretty heavily from its contemporaneous GD releases (at least From the Mars Hotel and Blues for Allah). Supplication, Asia Minor, Home to Dixie, Jump for Joy, Good-By Yer Honor, and Hypnotize are worth checking out. It’s a nice little break from the GD/Jerry focused run of late though I would not say it’s essential.

Jerry Garcia Band - Don’t Let Go: Orpheum Theater, San Francisco, CA 5/26/76

This live set from Jerry Garcia Band features another lineup of musicians. The sound quality on this release is great, and the performances loose and easy. Every song is jammed out but there’s nary a dull moment here. The songs that really stuck out for me were the looser Sugaree, Knockin on Heaven’s Door, Sitting in Limbo, Don’t Let Go, a killer After Midnight that destroys the original by a margin, Tore Up Over You, I’ll Take a Melody, and The Way You Do the Things You Do. What is really shocking about this release is that Donna Jean Godchaux, who sort of works as a calamity on many of the Grateful Dead songs because she sings on top of the band to the point where it’s like nails on a chalkboard here sounds in harmony with Jerry Garcia, and the restraint works wonders for these performances. I hope that around this time she figured out how to tone it down so she’s not killing the songs rather than here where she clearly enhances them. More impressive than that here is Jerry Garcia’s guitar work. These songs are more like Jerry laying his guitar work over top of a solid and consistent groove, which gives Garcia many shining moments where his style and delivery is at the top of its game. In case you didn’t know it before this release, he’s a great guitarist and it shows.

Set 1: Sugaree, They Love Each Other, That’s What Love Will Make You Do, Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door, Sitting in Limbo, Mission in the Rain

Set 2: Don’t Let Go, After Midnight, Strange Man, Tore Up Over You, I’ll Take a Melody, The Way You Do the Things You Do, My Sisters and Brothers, Lonesome and a Long Way From Home

Bonus: Mighty High

Wow, props for checking out Kingfish. I never even tried.

Side A of Reflections, the backing band is the Dead and Side B is Jerry Band.

I mean, Kingfish was okay to good - not something you’d need to run for.

I did not know that about Reflections but it makes a lot of sense.

Dick’s Picks Vol. 33 (Part 1) - Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, CA 10/9/76

Alright, back to the Grateful Dead proper for a moment after that nice break with the side projects...

This show takes place a few months after they resumed touring, and now in quite a large venue. This show though is a real barn burner. The band seems in good spirits and feels like they come out swinging in the first set. Just killer versions and a perfect first set. Scarlet Begonias is really awesome, as is Sugaree. Also nice to see Grace the first set was Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodleloo, Cassidy, Tennessee Jed and New Minglewood Blues (it could just be the shows I have selected but these all seem like I haven’t seen them in a while).

The second set is also really great here with some epic jams and sequences. Really awesome to see them open the set with St. Stephen > Not Fade Away > St. Stephen, which also feel like songs I haven’t hung out with in a while. Following this is an even more epic Help On the Way > Slipknot! > Drums > Samson and Deliliah > Slipknot! and then close out with strong Franklin’s Tower, One More Saturday Night (another I haven’t seen in a while) and US Blues. I really enjoyed this show! Can’t wait for night 2 next...

Set 1: Promised Land, Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodleloo, Cassidy, Tennessee Jed, Looks Like Rain, They Love Each Other, New Minglewood Blues, Scarlet Begonias, Lazy Lightnin’ > Supplication, Sugaree

Set 2: St. Stephen > Not Fade Away > St. Stephen, Help on the Way > Slipknot! > Drums > Samson and Delilah > Slipknot!, Franklin’s Tower, One More Saturday Night, U.S. Blues

They performed a moderate overhaul on the setlist when they came back from hiatus in '76. I've never heard Dick's Picks 33, but I really like Dick's Picks 20 -- another 2-show set from a little earlier in the year, with a similar track list...

I know the Dave's Picks sets aren't out there for streaming, but the "Comes a Time" and subsequent improv from Dave's 18 (I think it's from Boston, sometime in June) is another one of those desert island sequences for me. Just first rate improvisation, coming out of a beautiful performances of a great song.

Sadly no Dave’s Picks, but mostly through Part 2 here. The two shows together probably make my favorite of the Dick’s Picks so far with the possible exception of the Rochester show from 1970 which I really loved also. That Oklahoma’73 (?) show was also quite great.

Dick’s Picks Vol. 33 (Part 2) - Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, CA 10/10/76

On to night 2, which in many ways surpasses night one. Set 1 again finds a bunch of songs that I haven’t hung out with in some time on this journey and a nearly total different set. Mama Tried, Ramble on Rose, El Paso, and a slowed down and stunning Friend of the Devil are all back. That Friend of the Devil was really quite something. The first set closer Dancing in the Streets > Wharf Rat > Dancing in the Streets is maybe my favorite Phil Lesh moment on the journey so far. He is absolutely killing it on this.

Per usual, set 2 ups the ante on the show. Samson and Delilah and Brown-Eyed Woman were both great versions but get overshadowed by the completely bonkers last hour or so of this show. Playing in the Band is really strong here, segueing straight into Drums >The Wheel > Space (the first Space on this journey I should note and a relative focused one at that) > The Other One > Stella Blue > back into Playing in the Band that felt like a total surprise since it had been long gone for at least a half hour. It’s just a weirdly exciting moment in the show. Sugar Magnolia next just seems like this joyous perfect moment. Encore with a blazing Johnny B. Goode to close out an epic 2 night run here.

Set 1: Might As Well, Mama Tried, Ramble on Rose, Cassidy, Deal, El Paso, Loser, Promised Land, Friend of the Devil (slow version), Dancing in the Streets > Wharf Rat > Dancing in the Streets

Set 2: Samson and Delilah, Brown-Eyed Woman, Playing in the Band > Drums > The Wheel > Space > The Other One > Stella Blue > Playin in the Band, Sugar Magnolia

Encore: Johnny B. Goode

LOVE the Wharf Rat from 33

I mean, if one would ever have a doubt of Phil Lesh’s greatness, that 25 minutes ought to remove any doubt.

One of the most underrated dead tunes

Jerry Garcia Band - GarciaLive Vol. 7: Sophie’s Palo Alto 11/8/76

It seems often when listening to a JGB show after a Dead show that it provides a sort of antidote to whatever’s happening in the Dead world. Those Oakland shows were pretty intense and energetic affairs - this is Jerry Garcia at his most chill and with what feels like a lot of time to spare. The show itself is 2.5 hours of playing with only 13 songs, and that’s emblematic of a laid back set. It doesn’t get more laid back than 2 Bob Marley covers that are themselves chill even for Marley. My favorites from this set ended up being Stir It Up, Midnight Moonlight, Tore Up Over You, Friend of the Devil (slow jammed out again), an absolutely epic Don’t Let Go, Stop That Train, and an awesome upbeat Mighty High to close it out. There are many times, like here, where I can’t really tell you which band I like better - very solid and chilled out performance.

Set 1: The Way You Do the Things You Do, Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door, After Midnight, Who Was John?, Mission in the Rain, Stir It Up, Midnight Moonlight

Set 2: Tore Up Over You, Friend of the Devil, Don’t Let Go, Strange Man, Stop That Train, Mighty High

Download Series Vol. 1 - Palladium, New York, NY 4/30/77

In this show, the Grateful Dead come out of the gate on fire - splintering versions of The Music Never Stopped and Bertha. Through that first set, there seemed to be nothing to slow them down, as they powered through a cover of It’s All Over Now, and strong versions of Deal, Mama Tried, Me and My Uncle, Peggy-O, Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodleloo, and Promised Land to close out the first set. A tremendous amount of energy in that first set.

The second set also does not disappoint. An epic Scarlet Begonias, Fire on the Mountain, Good Lovin’, the slowed Friend of the Devil and Estimated Prophet - but the winner here goes to St. Stephen > Not Fade Away (the jam here is other worldly) > Stella Blue (best version I think I heard yet!) > St. Stephen (a perfect return like a good comedian who can reference a prior joke to finish his set).

In the bonus round, we get some songs from the night before: Sugaree is even more extended it seems than usual and gets into quite an intense jam just before returning for the final version that makes that journey completely worth it. Scarlet Begonias makes the release as well with an extended jam, along with Goin’ Down the Road Feeling Bad. All in all, quite a powerful live release here which I think comports with what I have read of the Spring ‘77 tour - I will return with two more shows from this tour.

Set 1: The Music Never Stopped, Bertha, All Over Now, Deal, Mama Tried > Me and My Uncle, Peggy-O, Looks Like Rain, Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodleloo, Promised Land

Set 2: Scarlet Begonias > Fire on the Mountain > Good Lovin’, Friend of the Devil, Estimated Prophet, St. Stephen > Not Fade Away > Stella Blue > St. Stephen, One More Saturday Night, Terrapin Station

Bonus: Sugaree, Scarlet Begonias > Goin’ Down the Road Feeling Bad

I have one question

Did you dance while listening to it?

I was running at the time.

Were there other runners getting out of your way?

Meh hot day. I was slow.

Cornell 5/8/77

I had been looking forward to listening to this show for some time since I heard it was one of the elite shows of theirs. I would say the second set is probably the best individual set so far. The first set actually was good but not much beyond what seems to be the standard in this couple of years. The band was tight, focused and blazing through songs like Deal, the Lazy Lightning/Supplication duo, Mama Tried, Row Jimmy, and some very good versions of Loser, They Love Each Other, and a nice New Minglewood Blues. The turn to epic comes at first set closer Dancing in the Street. From there it’s one magical performance after another. A bass clinic on Scarlet Begonias and Fire on the Mountain (holy smokes!). St. Stephen/ Not Fade Away at it best. An absolute mind blowing Morning Dew and the One More Saturday Night encore that was pure fire. I mean I can’t say I have heard much live music anywhere that matched that second set. This is something to spend some time with for sure.

Set 1: New Minglewood Blues, Loser, El Paso, They Love Each Other, Jack Straw, Deal, Lazy Lightning > Supplication, Brown-Eyes Woman, Mama Tried, Row Jimmy, Dancing in the Street

Set 2: Scarlet Begonias > Fire on the Mountain, Estimated Prophet, St. Stephen > Not Fade Away > St. Stephen, Morning Dew

Encore: One More Saturday Night

Edit: in case I wasn’t clear enough, not only by far the best Morning Dew I have heard, but perhaps the single best song performance across the whole journey, with a close second to that Scarlet Begonias/Fire on the Mountain and St. Stephen/Not Fade Away right behind that. What a great set that was.