Jerry’s solo is off the walls crazy. A train going top speed and I promise that train won’t slow down! Great energy here overall.

As Jerry shouts, “You know he had to die.” BANG! A massive gunshot right on rhythm. Great reprise with great drum work from Billy and Mickey.

Jerry takes off and soars. Gets really heavy, and out there FAST. Experimental passages and new themes explored. This is what the Dead do best.

Billy and Mickey flowing in and out of the main TOO rhythms. They’re both putting each other to the test as they really get deep in this one.

“At this risk of being repetitious we’re going to do another song in the key of G.”-Bob Weir. This version is quite sweet. Patchy audio, great version

You can hear Keith’s joy and willingness to try new ideas and push Jerry towards innovation through interplay. What a stunning Truckin’ that starts with a dynamite entrance and reaches beyond our atmosphere and further into exploration. Tons and tons of energy packed into this hydrogen bomb of a Truckin’.

The Truckin’ itself is so well rounded. Keith locked into everyone around him displaying a precise keen sense of direction of where the music is going to go. In the jam we find ourselves enveloped in a fungal tunnel with each spore finding its place and growing right in front of your eyes. The deeper you go the more you get enveloped in this mysterious and crystal cavern of mycelium. Billy’s time is rock solid all throughout shifting into different spaces with ease check out how Billy falls into Bob’s funky percussive riff after right around the 11 minute mark. The jam between Billy and Phil is a musical discussion of the nature of things, the earth, and all that inhabits it, a warm feeling of earthy energy surrounds the listeners heart with a feeling of wonder and excitement. What occurs after is a jam going from intergalactic hyper ping pong jamming to a Spanish ship taking sail in treacherous waters. Jerry near the end of the jam plays this beautiful sonata like movement of diminished and augmented arpeggios, a stunning display of his sheer musician ship that’s ever so present throughout this inverted Dark Star. Check out the Charlie Miller and Scott Clugston remaster.

It’s been a while since I’ve checked out 10/25/69, thank you for reminding me of its existence. Got some listening to do later tonight! As much as I think the gritty soundboard recording adds to the vibe of the performance, I do think if the DS>St Stephen>The Eleven>Lovelight were of better recording quality, it would be more highly regarded, but I do love a little diamond in the rough, so I can’t complain. Thank you for all your contributions on the site throughout the years! Your reviews have put me on to a lot of underrated gems, and for that I’m thankful.

Listen to these guys, the screeches and yelling from the boys between each verse display a youthful infectious energy that’s reflective of their new musical findings. These guys are ready to take on the world. This is a note for note perfect St Stephen that has the power of 10000 Godzillas on steroids. How heavy can these guys get?

Rises and falls so gracefully. This Dark Star has multiple peaks, and post first verse, we hang off the edge of universe and dive straight into a cosmic pool of energy and endless inspiration. Even during the beginning stages of this jam you can hear Jerry exploring some wonderful melodic lines, and after the first verse his expressive playing cuts through space and time, some of the lines he plays are some of the finest I’ve ever heard, channeling Coltrane through each note. Billy and Mickey go into double time a lot during the performance which pushes the whole band towards total musical Nirvana. This Dark Star shoots you out to the outer rim of Saturns rings and finds you spiraling round, and round, till you find yourself one of its moons wondering what the hell just happened. Top shelf Dead, top shelf Dark Star.