Seemed to me that I shouldn't let April slip by without something from 1978 - the band had a very good month that year, so I decided to feature their efforts on April 21st at Rupp Arena in Lexington Kentucky.
Some think that this first set starts out a bit slow, personally I disagree. I love the 'Promised Land' opener. Unfortunately the 'Dire Wolf' that follows is is patched with a not-so-great audience version for the first 2:40 of the selection. While 'Mama Tried'>'Mexicali' is not rare, Garcia has some spirited licks and I find it quite enjoyable. The 'Ramble On Rose' is perhaps not the most spirited, but its followed by a quite long 'Funiculi Funicula, A smart 'Passenger' is followed by a lazy 'Row Jimmy', but they flip a switch from her out.. the last 3 songs are cooking! All these three are wonderful, but they are capped by an off the hook version of 'The Music Never Stopped'.. whew!
Grateful Dead
Rupp Arena Lexington, KY
4/21/78 - Friday
One
The Promised Land [4:26] ;
Dire Wolf [4:04] ;
Mama Tried [2:42] >
Mexicali Blues [3:47] ;
Ramble On Rose [8:13] ;
Funiculi Funicula [1:33] ;
Passenger [4:56] ;
Row Jimmy [10:48] ;
It's All Over Now [8:01] ;
Brown Eyed Women [5:28] ;
The Music Never Stopped [9:04]
You can listen to this week's Deadpod here:
http://traffic.libsyn.com/deadshow/deadpod042619.mp3
thank you so much for your kind support