Next up is their always welcome pairing of "China Cat Sunflower" and "I Know You Rider." The jam that would bridge these two songs would soon develop into a thing of beauty in itself, but at this stage is still a bit awkward. The band's enthusiasm for the song is contagious, and the audience responds in kind. "Sugar Magnolia" is still relatively new at this point and it's obvious that Bob Weir has created a real gem. This classic song still sounds quite fresh here, and Garcia sings with a passionate voice that sounds healthy and clear.
Sparks are flying, and although one expects that "Cryptical" reprise to surface out of this twenty minute sequence, it's a delight as the band eases into "Black Peter" instead. Several more numbers from Workingman's Dead are performed, and then we get to the first peak of the show: "That's It For The Other One." Although lacking the "Cryptical Envelopment" reprise section following "The Other One," this is nonetheless great exploratory Dead, and following the drums section, the band reaches heavy psychedelic territory. They continue with a bouncy rendition of "Cold Rain And Snow," considerably more relaxed than the version recorded on the first album. They follow with an extremely rare, electric version of "Monkey And The Engineer," a Jesse Fuller song that they rarely played - and even then, only in acoustic sets. The recording begins just in progress, with a punchy version of "Truckin'," which is beginning to show signs of becoming a good improvisational vehicle for the band. Garcia and Hunter had experienced a truly prolific phase that year, writing many of the songs that would eventually come to define the group for a new, much larger fanbase in the 1970s. This was a particularly interesting time for the Dead, as the band could still achieve the heavy psychedelic explorations of the 1960s era, but were firmly headed in a new, song-based direction. The group had recently recorded American Beauty, and the material from that release, along with that from Workingman's Dead, cut earlier in the year, made up the bulk of the music from their set on this night. The Dead's prior New Year's Eve had been spent on the East Coast, but this time they were surrounded by family and friends both on and off the stage, a tradition that would continue for the next two decades. Ron "Pigpen" McKernan - vocals, percussion Jerry Garcia - guitar, vocals Bob Weir - guitar, vocals Phil Lesh - bass Bill Kruetzman - drums Mickey Hart - percussionįollowing sets by Stoneground, Hot Tuna and The New Riders of the Purple Sage, the Grateful Dead hit the stage.
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