If you have not figured it out by now, you are listening to an absolutely incredible show. And the night continues with a Dick Dale sounding You Don’t Have To Ask, squealing and vibrating, rolling up and down. The Big Boss Man that follows lands on a little more familiar ground, but that does not mean it is not so tasty; just listen to Pig’s ridiculous harp and vocals. The Stealin’ that comes next is pure magic; we have run out of superlatives, but just think of the pop vortex into which these tunes were sent forth, and you will start to appreciate their utter face-stealing qualities. Cardboard Cowboy emerges afterwards as some acid-laced Bobby dream merging the Jetsons, Davy Crockett, and Cormac McCarthy; suddenly Bobby’s cowboy tune obsession gets grounded in the taffy of his 50s childhood. Then Jerry rolls out an elemental Dylan cover in Baby Blue, putting the band’s own wonderful spin on Dylan, which would remain, in morphed form, a central element of the Dead repertoire. But then the two absolute stand-out highlights come forth. First, we have the set-ending Cream Puff War where the boys jam out, trying, it seems, to wow without blowing too many minds before the entire night could unfold. But the second time the Dead roll around, after additional sets by the other folks on the bill, they surely melted faces with the jammed out Viola Lee, which must of made them look a bit like Marty McFly to the guests at the Enchantment Under The Sea dance. They then roll out a short – and so hot – BIOTDL and head into a chopped Schoolgirl, which is caveman Pig. Unfortunately, the latter is clipped, along with the rest of the show. Who knows where the Dead were heading on this night, but fortunately we know where they were ultimately going.

This show was from the middle of the three-day Trips Festival in Vancouver. The Dead shared the bill with a Janis-fronted Big Brother and the Holding Company, Quicksilver Messenger Service, and the Daily Flash.