Grateful Dead
Dave's Picks 53 Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati, OH (10/2/76)
*** out of *****
Standard disclaimer: When reviewing any Grateful Dead release at this point, it needs to be noted that a lot of the truly great shows from the band have already been professionally released. (If you are new to the band, check out RtBE's Beginners Guide to The Grateful Dead Part's one and two.) With their vast back catalog on archive.org and all of their previous releases, the band's selections are running thin when it comes to must own, professionally released concerts.
That said, the band still release shows because rabid fans (RtBE included) will listen to everything they put out. So let's dive in...
1976 was a transitional year for the band after taking most of 1975 off and while some Deadheads love the looseness of 1976 it has always been one of our least favorite Dead years. While the box set gave RtBE a lot of love during Covid, the laid back vibes from this year can sometimes be too sleepy. That said they certainly ended the year strong with one of the bands best releases (Dick's Picks 33) and an amazing NYE show that kicked off their famous 1977 year of magic. In comparison to those shows (and the June '77 Box Set) Dave's 53 is inferior, but still holds some charm as a mid-tier Dave's picks release.
Dave's 53 is from October, just a few days before Dicks 33, and that raised expectations a touch when the release was announced. 10/2/76 also never had a soundboard recording leak out and the recordings on Archive.org left a lot to be desired, so a professional offering by David Lemieux and his team was welcomed. Overall the show is solid, if unspectacular, an uncirculated show from an underrepresented period of the band with high quality sound.
The first set is stout with the band kicking the show off with "Promised Land" as Jerry Garcia's guitar sounds a bit wonky, but gets righted for a fine version of "They Love Each Other". Bob Weir leads "New Minglewood Blues" before a creaky but still pretty "Row Jimmy" rings out. Donna Jean Godchaux expertly adds her vocal support to a very good version of "Tennessee Jed" as her husband Keith works the piano while "It's All Over Now" is fine.
Up until this point the show is serviceable, but not very memorable, however, the first set ends very strongly. The rendition of "Brown-Eyed Women" is top notch with the band interlinking wonderfully as the bass from Phil Lesh lets the guitars work. The percussion of Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart steps to the forefront on the set highlight "Let It Grow" which finds Garcia weaving in Latin guitar lines around the percussive pushing. Donna Jean also sounds wonderful in this mix as the band stops and starts with Jerry skittering all around. A fun run through "Might As Well" ends the set on a bright note.
That energy doesn't exactly carry over into the second set as the opening of that set makes up the second CD in this release and is the weakest section of the show by far. "The Music Never Stop" does deliver a fun, quick Mind Left Body riffing with Jerry and Phil, but never fully explodes to open, while "Candyman", It Must Have Been The Roses" and "Big River" are all OK but a touch relaxed.
While 1976 is not RtBE's favorite Dead year, one song that certainly flourished during that time was "Friend of the Devil", however this version is just average. The most interesting track here is the version of "Samson and Delilah" which isn't as drum focused as it would become in '77 as Lesh's bass leads things in more of a loose, cool fashion with some engaging jamming.
The third disk in the set opens with a version of "Dancing In The Street" that is more upbeat and rock leaning than the band's disco iterations of the tune and seems to be picking up steam before falling into a short drums. The show highlight arrives next as "The Other One" percolates but doesn't get as out there as the band can with this song. This version like the previous "Dancing" is up tempo and gets spacey, but not whacky, interesting all around before dipping into a gorgeous ballad "Stella Blue" then wrapping up "The Other One" sandwich and awkwardly stumbling into a pretty rocking "Sugar Magnolia" to ends a good-not-great show by Dead standards.
Dave's 53 also offers up some bonus tracks to complete Dave's 50 with five tunes from 5/4/77 in NYC. While recorded only a few months after, the band sounds remarkably different, the key being the drumming power of Kreutzmann and Hart. Supposedly the recording sessions for the Terrapin Station album really tightened up the Rhythmn Devils and they were a major force of the Dead's success in '77.
That power and tightness is on display with the first of five tunes here, "New Minglewood Blues". The drums pump, Weir wails and and Keith on the keys is noticeable active in a very positive manor as he would be throughout May '77. The bright "Cassidy" continues this trend and along with a beautifully strong "Looks Like Rain" (with weeping solos' from Garcia) prove Donna's value to the band as she delivers some crisp backing vocals. A fairly strong version of "Deal" and an average "Brown Eyed Women" round out the bonus tracks.
Dave's 53 is the first of four releases in the Dave's Pick series from the Grateful Dead in 2025 and it continues the same vibe the series has had in recent years, OK to Good shows that are off the beaten track and interesting to long time fans (RtBE included), but can be skipped by anyone who isn't a completist.
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