Disc 1
The first disc contains most of the first set. Yup, it's a nice long first set, too much to fit on a single disc. After a moment of tuning, the band opens the show with "Tennessee Jed." This is one of those songs that just always seems to hit the right spot. There is a kind of gentle vibe to this one as it begins, and it soon grows from there, featuring some nice work by Keith Godchaux on keys and some passionate vocal work from Jerry Garcia. It's a good rendition. There is some more tuning afterward, and then Bob Weir leads the band into "Me And My Uncle," with Bob adding "That's me" after the line "I'm as honest as a Denver man can be." There is some stage banter after that song, Bob saying, "As you can see, one of our fellows here is diligently nailing Billy down to the floor." The band then delivers a fun rendition of "Don't Ease Me In" that bounces along, keeping the audience's feet from remaining on the floor for too long. Does Jerry forget which verse he's starting, just for a second? Well, no matter. This rendition has a sudden ending. And the band then eases into "Looks Like Rain," and we can hear some folks cheer as they recognize it. Seems fairly early in the show for "Looks Like Rain," but Bob gives a really good vocal performance here. Check out, for example, the way he delivers these lines: "But it's all right, because I love you/That's not going to change anyway/Run me around/Make me hurt again and again." There are some sweet, pretty moments here too, particularly some of the stuff that Jerry is doing on guitar. And I love Phil Lesh's work on bass, keeping things from getting too light. This is an excellent "Looks Like Rain." "Whole world's turning grey, and it looks like rain."
That rhythm at the beginning of "They Love Each Other" is so catchy, one to get us dancing, and it's allowed to go on a bit before Jerry comes in on vocals. I love early versions of this song, with its bouncy groove, Bill Kreutzman dancing behind the drum kit, and with those extra lines. This is a lot of fun. And then it's suddenly over, and Bob leads the band into "Me And Bobby McGee," delivering another good, moving vocal performance. Everything sounds so good, so crisp, so sweet, and this song ends up another highlight of the first set. Bob then announces they're going to take a moment to fix the piano. The band soon starts "Brown-Eyed Women," another song that always hits its mark. And this version contains some particularly good guitar work. "And the old man never was the same again." A nice gentle ending, too. "Beat It On Down The Line" is next, with like fourteen or fifteen beats to start it. Does the number of beats determine how good a given rendition will be? I bet someone's done a study of it. Anyway, this is a fun, strong version of the song, with some energetic playing.
Jerry begins "Peggy-O" on guitar, emerging beautifully and sweetly from a bit of tuning, and this is a gorgeous, striking rendition, another of the set's highlights. Everything comes together perfectly here. It's interesting, because, depending on your mood, it's a version you can dance, or least sway to, because of Billy's drumming, or you can close your eyes and drift into a gentle dream of a time gone by. Then the moment "El Paso" begins, some folks cheer. This song too takes us into its particular world, its own story, though this one with undeniable energy. Hearing it, and knowing how things turn out, I find myself still wanting a different outcome for the main character of the song. But of course the end is inevitable, and everything is moving toward that conclusion, even as Jerry's guitar takes us for some delightful twirls. Some odd stuff on piano between songs, like demanding something or other. And Jerry leads the band into "Deal." Maybe it has just a bit of a relaxed vibe early on, but the guitar starts calling down its own energy, creating its own heat, and then everything has to follow that, doesn't it? Jerry starts pushing things vocally too. "Deal" is followed by "Jack Straw," which has a pretty opening, and features some wonderful work on guitar, the music feeling like one final, glorious chance at something grand, if only we can make it happen. I love when the music transports us like that, creating an entire world and placing us at the center of it. This song does it perfectly.
Disc 2
The second disc contains the final two songs of the first set, along with the first chuck of the second set, the encore, and two songs from the December 12th show. The disc opens with "China Cat Sunflower," and you can bet the crowd reacts as soon as it starts, knowing where this song can take folks. And there certainly is a bit of magic here, especially in the guitar, that instrument helping to open the door between this world and another, the band urging everyone to dance straight through. And that's the way we want to enter other worlds, isn't it? There is a joyful energy to the jam, causing even the light to dance. The segue into "I Know You Rider" is seamless, and that song has such a good feel to it. It's great as the energy builds. For a moment approximately halfway through, it sounds like the sound shifts to an audience recording. Still, this is a really good rendition of "Rider." And that's how the first set ends.
This disc then presents the first section of the second set. There is a bit of joking at the beginning. "It's a terrible feeling to step on a flower," Bob says. "If you're going to throw flowers, throw 'em at Bill." After some tuning, the band starts the second set with "Promised Land," shifting things right into gear and getting things immediately in motion. That leads straight into "Bertha," to keep that energy high, keep everything dancing forward, Jerry delivering a strong vocal performance, with some power at the right moments, as well as a wonderful lead on guitar in the second half. The band then goes straight into "Greatest Story Ever Told," choosing another high-energy song. There is some interesting stuff on guitar in the second half, with a different feel, even as the rhythm continues to rumble beneath it, and then things start to seriously rock. After a brief pause, letting folks cool off, the band goes into "Row Jimmy," slowing things down and taking us into a prettier area, Jerry's voice soothing us. There is some beautiful guitar work here, and I just want to stay in the world of this song a little longer, let it rock us to and fro. This is an excellent version of "Row Jimmy." The disc then moves to the show's encore. "It's gonna be a couple minutes," Bob tells the crowd, "Because a couple of our fellows are backstage taking care of business." Soon the guys deliver a nice rendition of "Uncle John's Band," featuring a delicious jam that takes us quickly toward the outer reaches of the atmosphere. "He's come to take his children home." Didn't we always feel at home at a Dead show?
The final two songs on this disc are from deep in the second set of the December 12th show. (By the way, this year's bonus disc, which arrived with Volume 58, contains more selections from that show.) The band eases into one of my favorites, "Eyes Of The World," a song that always makes me feel good, always gets me moving. The jamming here is wonderful, flying and flowing so naturally in the brightest sunlight early on, and then taking us into more interesting territory in that final jam, teasing darkness before stepping back into the light. And this is 1973, so the jam has the extra section that would later be dropped (and sort of turned into "Stronger Than Dirt"). That song then drops us into "Morning Dew." I love the combination of grief and anger in Jerry's voice on certain lines, which seems exactly right. This is a powerful rendition, even in its quietest, most delicate moments.
Disc 3
The third disc contains the bulk of the second set. "We're going to figure out what we're going to play next," Phil told the crowd. And then when the band eased into "Weather Report Suite," he said, "This is the quiet part, folks." I always loved hearing the band do "Let It Grow," and these early, full versions of "Weather Report" are a treat to listen to. And, yes, as Phil said, it begins softly, in pretty territory with "Prelude." And there is an undeniable beauty to "Part 1." "Like a song that's born to soar the sky." And then the power grows during "Let It Grow." Maybe because it has the chance to grow from the softer, earlier sections of this song, but this "Let It Grow" has an incredible intensity and is just a great rendition. The jam is particularly good. There is a moment toward the end of the track when it seems to switch to an audience recording. Certainly, there is shift of some kind, and it lasts a little longer than the one on the second disc. Usually when something like that happens, Dave Lemieux includes a caveat, but I didn't see one in this volume (maybe I missed it). But no matter, because then we are into "Dark Star," a song that promises an intriguing and often exciting journey. And this version doesn't wait at all before beginning its exploration, dancing in a garden where lights spring up and twist around in response to our attention. And once enjoying a taste of life, they continue to grow and spiral above us, pushing open new doors we didn't realize were even there. And we follow them upward and outward, and we then we are floating on our own, in unfamiliar territory, no clear way back (and who wishes to go back anyway?), and so the only thing to do is look ahead, accept whatever is coming, look the Weird straight in the eyes, with a smile. It seems to work, and a different reality begins bubbling up around us, little beings dancing and popping up into sight and then disappearing again. And then we are back into the song's main theme, and soon Jerry delivers the first verse. That's like eleven minutes in. "Shall we go, you and I, while we can?" And then we are almost immediately placed in a darker, less certain realm, one where atoms are less inclined to stick together. Reality flows into large blue, curious masses, which can't help but overwhelm us, whatever their inclination might be. Other, smaller creatures cry out into the void, waiting for answers. Expecting them? And the answers, when they do come, fly by in unexpected forms and so are largely unintelligible. A beauty tries to emerge, and the band never gets to the second verse.
A short, but good drum solo from Bill Kreutzmann is what does come out of "Dark Star," and it in turn leads to "Eyes Of The World," effectively lifting us out of whatever strange world we'd found ourselves in. This song calls everyone back together, and reminds us of a shared reality, one of our own making. And I love how when Jerry's guitar is flying, so is Phil's bass, though not at the same height. "And the seeds that were silent all burst into bloom and decay." And the jam after the final verse is particularly good, the band cooking, leading to that cool extra "Stronger Than Dirt"-type section. I wish they had kept that in, so that I could have seen the band do it in the 1980s and 1990s. This is an absolutely stellar "Eyes," with an unusual conclusion, leading into "Wharf Rat." Normally you'd think that might be something of an extreme shift, from "Eyes" into "Wharf Rat," but the jam led us here in such a way as to make it feel completely natural, even inevitable. We were ready for it then, ready to be taken into the particular story of this song, to be able to approach it with the right frame of mind. And this is an excellent "Wharf Rat," Jerry delivering a phenomenal vocal performance, pulling us right in at key moments, making us feel like we're privy to confession. And is there another shift in sound sources? Weird. This one is brief, but still jarring. And it's a shame it comes in such a great "Wharf Rat." Keith delivers some nice work on keys. As this song eases out, "Sugar Magnolia" comes alive, always a good choice to wrap up a set. This version features a good jam, building in energy as it goes. Wow, there is something of an extended pause before "Sunshine Daydream." What a great show! The Dead could do no wrong in 1973.
CD Track List
Disc 1
- Tennessee Jed
- Me And My Uncle
- Don't Ease Me In
- Looks Like Rain
- They Love Each Other
- Me And Bobby McGee
- Brown-Eyed Women
- Beat It On Down The Line
- Peggy-O
- El Paso
- Deal
- Jack Straw
Disc 2
- China Cat Sunflower >
- I Know You Rider
- Promised Land >
- Bertha >
- Greatest Story Ever Told
- Row Jimmy
- Uncle John's Band
- Eyes Of The World >
- Morning Dew
Disc 3
- Weather Report Suite >
- Dark Star >
- Drums >
- Eyes Of The World >
- Wharf Rat >
- Sugar Magnolia
Dave's Picks Volume 58 was released in early May, 2026. I got my copy on May 7th. This release is limited to 25,000 copies (mine is number 17002).
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