I'd completely forgotten about having an account here. I'll start posting again this weekend.

2-2-69 Labor Temple, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Sunday, February 2nd, finds the band rolling into Minneapolis for the grand opening of the Labor Temple. The currently circulating copy with some unfortunate cuts and a bit of hiss. Not to mention an unfortunate mix in which Jerry is very loud but not so much for everyone else. However, the show itself is very good and deserves a place in anyone's collection.

The show starts with a grungy Good Morning Little Schoolgirl with Pigpen blowing away on his harp. We then get some stage banter while the band gets ready for the next song including a funny comment from Jerry about Louie, Louie. The following jam of Dark Star->Saint Stephen->The Eleven->Death Don't Have No Mercy is very strong dispite the fact that The Eleven ending and cuts into an already started Death Don't Have No Mercy. That's It For The Other One is very long and involved with some blistering rushes before heading into a great Turn On Your Lovelight with Pig in fine form.

Dick's Picks 33

On Saturday and Sunday, October 9 & 10 1976, The Grateful Dead played Bill Graham's A Day On The Green and opened for The Who at the Oakland Coliseum Stadium in Oakland, California. These shows were released as Dick's Picks 33 on November 15, 2004.

Saturday's first set starts with a rocking version of the often played Promised Land with the band going at it full throttle. Jerry then chooses Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo next. The song starts off in a mellow but upbeat fashion with the lyrics being sung very well and the "Across the Rio Grand-eo" part is streched out nicely with some hot playing. Cassidy is a spitfire while Tennessee Jed has a bit of extra spunk. A pretty Looks Like Rain changes the mood but is still well performed. They Love Each Other turns up in it's fairly then new raggae arragement. New Minglewood Blues finds the band returning to rock star mode. Scarlet Begonias is a thing to behold with it's floating jams and Keith's wonderful keyboard work. Lazy Lightnin'->Supplication has a great middle section jam and the set closing Sugaree is quite nice.

The second set opens with a great Saint Stephen->Not Fade Away->Saint Stephen that is one of the best from this era. Help On The Way->Slipknot starts right on the closing heels of Saint Stephen and it's downright amazing. Help On The Way is very well played which gives way to a completely tripped out Slipknot before dissolving into the Drums. Samson And Delilah has a snaking groove before falling back into a spacy Slipknot which runs into a long, well jammed Franklin's Tower. The set ending One More Saturday Night is a standout among the many versions played. The U.S. Blues encore ends this Saturday night show on a high note.

Sunday, the 10th, finds the band opening with a nice Might As Well to get the ball rolling. A very good Mama Tried is followed by a good Ramble On Rose. Cassidy gives us our first repeat of this two night stand and is just as cool as the one from the day before. An upbeat Deal with a great Jerry solo is followed by an okay El Paso. The following Loser produces more energy as does another repeat from the day before, Promised Land. Friend Of The Devil makes a sweet appearence in it's early "ballad" arrangement. The first set is rounded out with a killer sandwich of Dancing In The Streets->Whart Rat->Dancing In The Streets.

The second set starts with another Samson And Delilah only to be followed by a fantastic Brown-Eyed Women. The second set jam starts with a killer jammed out version of Playing In The Band->Drums into a grooving version of The Wheel. A cool Space comes tumbling out of The Wheel before drifting into a hardcore version of The Other One. The following Stella Blue is performed sweetly with a strong closing jam back into Playing In The Band before crashing headfirst into a strong Sugar Magnolia. The encore of Johnny B. Goode ends the show on a rocking note.