1971-11-15 Austin, TX - Road Trips Vol. 3, #2

 

11/15/71 - Austin, TX - RT Vol. 3, #2 **

A good Truckin starts the show before a ROCKING and PERFECT Bertha takes us into the stratosphere!!! Jerry's solo is AWESOME! PITB and Deal are both hot and Jack Straw is a slow-building steamroller. Lots of piano tonight! Loser and BIODTL rock too. 

There's a GREAT and slightly odd sequence of Dark Star>El Paso>Dark Star. Yes, you read that right. And the weirdest part is that IT WORKS! Set two starts just fine but doesn't kick into high gear until a surprisingly ROCKING Bobby McGee and a FIERY Cumberland!!! 

We get a rare You Win Again before a stupendous Not Fade Away. Serously, if I have to hear this song, it better be this version! It's about 15 minutes long with a ROCKING jam that just burns and burns and burns!!! This jam then segues BEAUTIFULLY into a gorgeous GDTRFB. WOW! It then rightfully explodes with Jerry's SEARING guitar just slicing through everything like a hot knife through butter! 

Things cool down with the whole "We Bid You Goodnight" coda, but then they steamroll back into Not Fade Away. AWESOME. Overall, a great show and a phenomenal jam in set 2. :)

1971-10-31 Columbus, OH - Dick's Picks Vol. 2

 

10/31/71 - Columbus, OH. DP #2

Unexciting first set. Extremely energetic second set. Killer rocking Dark Star, Not Fade Away and Johnny B Goode

1971-10-26 Rochester, NY - Download Series Vol. 3

 

10/26/71 - Rochester, NY - Download Series, Vol. 3

An overall excellent gig. Keith is HIGH in the mix. Jed is, for once, uptempo. There is an air of chill throughout, but it does not hamper the energy displayed. Great gig.

1971-08-24 Chicago, IL - Dick's Picks Vol. 35

8/24/71 - Chicago, IL - DP#35 (The Houseboat Tapes) **

A lovely opening UJB. Excellent PITB and a fiery Loser. A shitkicking Cumberland. A VERY RARE Empty Pages. WOAH at this primitive PRown Eyed Women!!! It is VERY different! St. Stephen>Not Fade Away>GDTRFB is beyond blistering!!! This may only be a highlights reel, but DAMN what a highlights reel it is - 10/10. HOLY SHIT GOOD LOVIN' OH MY GOD.

 

1971-08-07 San Diego, CA - Dick's Picks Vol. 35

 

8/7/71 - San Diego, CA - DP#35 (The Houseboat Tapes)

Sugaree is very sweet. A good Bertha with a silky smooth guitar solo. Hard To Handle is absolutely shit-kicking. MAybe the best I've heard. Kreutzmann is KILLING tonight. The SLOWEST Truckin' ever - it drags, man. The chillest Not Fade Away - very odd. OVerall, a good show, but not up to the heights of the previous gig.

1971-08-06 Hollywood, CA - Dick's Picks Vol. 35

 

8/6/71 - Hollywood, CA - DP#35 (The Houseboat Tapes) **

An absolutely stunningly perfect Bertha and PITB start the night.The "legendary" Hard To Handle. St. Stephen rules. Truckin>TOO>MAMU>TOO is just smashing. WEATHER REPORT SUITE JAMMING DURING TOO. Deal and Sugar Mag are great. The closing 40-minute Dew>Lovelight is a face melter. This show kicks ass. :) Best Sugar Mag EVER?

1971-02-18 through 1971-02-24 Port Chester, NY

 

2/18/71 - Port Chester, NY

VERY FIRST BERTHA, GREATEST STORY, LOSER, PITB and WHARF.The first night of the famous 6 night run. Rollicking opening Bertha. Good first set. Bertha is rollicking and ragged. GSET sounds yet to gel fully. DS>Wharf>DS and Hard to Handle are the set highlights. PITB is odd and stutters out without a jam. Very odd. Bobby McGee is simply gorgeous. Sugar Mag KICKS ASS! Fantastic closing UJB. Overall, the show has it's highs and lows, but there is substantial amount of highlights. Pretty good. :)

 

2/19/71 - Port Chester, NY - Three From the Vault

Kickass Truckin' opener. VERY FIRST DEAL AND BIRD SONG. First show without Mickey until 1975. Bertha is good but rushed. China>Rider is excellent. This debut Bird Song IS FUCKING STUPENDOUS AND WONDERFUL. Easy Wind fucking kicks ass. WHOAH! This TOO is amazingly powerful! It's like a steam train!

2/20/71 - Port Chester, NYAn ok show. It has it's numerous highlights, but it is mostly the sound of a band in rehearsal on stage. There is almost no energy aside from a blistering Johnny B Goode and a grooving Hard to Handle. Oh, and the rare-as-shit Ripple!

2/21/71 - Port Chester, NY

A CR/S opener is always a good omen. Best Easy Wind ever. China Rider IS PERFECT. Not much to say other than that this is an excellent show with perfect renditions and a lot of energy. Great stuff! BIRD SHOW IS STUNNING!

2/23/71 - Port Chester, NY

Great show start to finish. Everything is played PERFECT. The last hour or so of the show is where the real goods are at though. The Truckin'>TOO>Wharf>GSET>Good Lovin' sounds right out of 1972! Awesome stuff. :)

2/24/71 - Port Chester, NY

This show is easily the weakest of the run. It sounds like a rehearsal more than a show. Missed cues, lower energy, etc. Get the highlughts: Bertha, Hard to Handlewood, Minglewood,